Topic

Dirt Piles (first impression)

In with the scores of other changes, we got dirt piles. I'm trying to avoid forming an opinion on them, because the jury is still out. On one hand thee was the first blush of 'hey cool - new stuff', but after the new stuff wore off I'm finding I don't like them as much. Also, it seemed like it took less time for the shine to come off this particular 'new'. So I asked myself why.

First, they're unsightly. Dirt piles aren't going up in the Louvre, they're not an aesthetically pleasing subject matter. I get that much, but now they're all over some of the most beautiful streets! It takes away from some of the really wonderful artwork. To me it's jarring, and forces you out of the 'gaming experience suspension of disbelief bubble'. Every time I walk by one, I get the urge to grab a broom. It wouldn't be so bad if they were in places that made sense visually, but they're not. They wind up being right there, on the street.... between the gas plant and the bean tree. My husband works with dirt... he'd love to be able to leave a load of dirt in a yard overnight, but it tends to annoy HOAs, neighbors, and the city because... it's ugly. 

Second, my mind keeps circling 'dirt piles = band-aid', except I'm not sure a band-aid is the correct tool for the job here and I think it has the potential to make things worse. Now, before the whole dirt/tree/project debates start up... I'm purposely not discussing that here, there are at least a dozen other threads on those topics. What I'm talking about is the answer to the (increasingly common) question 'what is dirt used for'. The answer is - making bricks. Next question (and here's where it gets sticky)... 'what are bricks used for?'. The answer is either 'in as-yet-undetermined construction things' or 'Street Projects'. 

So, in one 'fix' it feels like the unfinished skill/crafting chain has been brought to the forefront and instead of the intended 'supply' resource balancing, the balance has tipped even further into the already overweight 'demand' column. More people asking about dirt = more people involved with Street Projects = more demand for scarce resources (like loam - which apparently the piles don't provide). I understand wanting to get people asking questions leading them into some of the more complicated pieces of Glitch, but I think this throws people into the deep end of 'frustration points' and potentially does it in the first few hours (because the dirt patches are all over Groddle). Not to mention it's yet another 'object' to fill up an inventory early in the game.

Last, I'm not sure what it means in the bigger scope of things. It seems like the last few 'fixes' have been bandages as opposed to the belts-and-braces. I guess when it came to the broken leg that was resource balancing, I was hoping for a plaster cast rather than an aspirin. Not to be a big downer about things, I think dirt piles have a wonderful use. I can totally see them as an 'upgrade' to houses or Group Halls, especially if the group or homeowner was inclined towards dirt farming. It would be nice if all that construction people have been doing generated a few on the newer streets (left over debris from building) that gradually went away as it was exhausted....  but the current deployment of them just feels weird.

Posted 18 months ago by Travinara Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I like the idea of having dirt available,but agree they are a bit 'unsightly',they look like a dump truck dumped them there,and once they've been harvested they look even more 'wrong',i.e. there should be brown mud under them,to make them 'blend in' better.How about a wooden box,marked "Free Top Soil"?
    Posted 18 months ago by ~Scilly~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just to note for the future that caley came up with some stats on dirt piles and there is other player feedback on them here:
    beta.glitch.com/forum/gener...

    I don't find them that aesthetically unpleasant, but I did notice that by the second day of the test, every pile I came across had been decimated and the regeneration period seems very long.  They seem as much as a 'tacked on' bandaid as the original implementation of poison or the planks piles that used to spawn everywhere.  So, in that sense, they disappoint, although at least they are a start.  But it is starting to feel like a tweak to fix a tweak to fix another tweak.

    Has anyone gotten loam out of these things?

    They could blend in better by only appearing in certain areas (maybe dark piles near the egg caves would produce loam? and dirt piles for earth live out in bortola, off the main path?).

    I'd also like to see them only work if you have n players digging ('hey! your crew's not big enough to dig me, dig?'). I know, crazy, out there request, huh?  But more shared actions feels good... and the only one the game requires is the peter-out peat quest.  Funny how not many people want to get involved with gathering parties (which ease the burden on demand) but will jump in to help with peter-out peat since they can't get their reward without it.  So, why not reward more group effort?  Dirt piles, dirt patches, barnies - maybe they all need a minimum of 3 people to be able to harvest.   For those that like to do solitaire, there is *plenty* of need for bulk sales of cherries, beans, eggs, gas and bubbles.
    Posted 18 months ago by zeeberk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I say let them give loam when harvested. All it really did was increase the amount of soil, of which there is already a surplus.
    Posted 18 months ago by Tofu Casserole Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with zeeberk's idea of requiring more people to dig at a dirt pile. This would allow piles to grow a bit more between harvestings, probably. Although, with the longer time between probable harvesting, it would be great if dirt piles were moved to areas where it made sense for dirt piles to be. 

    As for loam, 3 people I asked had gotten loam from a dirt pile at least once. So it's in that pile somewhere; it's just rather rare.
    Posted 18 months ago by Millie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I really like the dirt piles
    Posted 18 months ago by Gruff McGruff Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It would be nice if dirt could be turned into loam by players through some process. That way, it wouldn't be so scarce. Perhaps dirt + compost (piggy plop) = loam?
    Posted 18 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 FrankenPaula! Good idea with the compost there!

    I do not mind the dirt piles at all. I, however, am uncharacteristically prudish about our Freudian wood trees and how we make them, erm, happy to harvest them. I am at once in fits of laughter and embarrassment over their readiness.
    Posted 18 months ago by Mistress*of*Fishies Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I got loam from two different dirt piles today!
    Posted 18 months ago by Essie Kitten Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes, I did get loam from two different piles yesterday. I think it has a chance to regenerate as either earth or loam.
    Posted 18 months ago by Mistress*of*Fishies Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think the dirt piles look kind of meh, but I also think all the dirt holes with "DO NOT PLANT TREES HERE" notes next to them look meh too.  (At least I can do something about the latter... thanks for the free notes!)

    I liked the idea of having dirt piles in the caves with the egg trees - that certainly looks like a place where dirt comes from!  The loam from compost idea is great too.
    Posted 18 months ago by mirth Subscriber! | Permalink