Topic

is glitch awesome or awful or both?

glitch is beginning to really bore me.

.. and yet at the same time ..

glitch is becoming more and more interesting to me.

when it comes to projects and skill building and item acquiring and leveling .. i'm done. i'm bored as piggy plop with all these things, and the weather is just too good to even try to like them.

projects suck. there's just not enough player input versus player effort. too much work, next to no creativity or even choice. there's too much competition, and while collaboration is still extremely strong on certain projects... meh.

the quests suck. well, most. the racing ones are really good, and some of the timer based quests are alright .. but in general they are all too similar to one another. same thing, different animations, over and over... yawn.

skill accumulation is actually pretty decent, and i love the timer based component and even the progressively longer learn times .. but with projects and quests being so unappetizing that acquiring skills seem rather useless.

subscriptions .. were a let down to say the least. the introduction of teleportation tokens last test session merely cemented my perception of subscription price not matching player value unless you like clothes. i wouldn't pay the money glitch is asking for their top tier subscription even for 10k teleport tokens.

i've lost pretty much all interest in these core aspects of the game.

.. and yet ..

great balls of jellisac has the game UI improved, and it wasn't even that bad to begin with. from recipes to maps to chat, every UI element demonstrates careful refinement. the way recipes and chat have improved demonstrates extreme cleverness and responsiveness on the part of the devs.

recently added collaborative elements to have been a bright light to me. it was fun just to follow other miners around and, well, help them! everything transcendental radiation promised to be, cooperative mining actually is. also, the random kindness item is even closer to what transcendental radiation promised to be, but wasn't. some small but very good and very recent collaborative developments.

player creativity and social scene has improved. the synchronized diving. the dev jumping. the people dressing up like trees. the quality personalities making status updates between tests. i've done some portraits of people's avatars and had a random person ask me to draw theirs. all of this is fun, engaging, social, creative stuff that holds the attention for a long time.

the art keeps getting better. okay, Bortola is rather boring, but it comes after the amazing work on Alakol, Tower, Mirch and Heights. the clothes keep getting better, and the hat + hair combinations are a great improvement. i'm not partial to the *look* of the frog but overall the game has never looked better.

.. anyway ..

despite great potential that engendered great enthusiasm from me, the projects and quest have been so boring for so long with so few exceptions that i've largely given up hope on them ever appealing to me. i see them as grind fests for those who enjoy grinding, and that's about it. sure projects could be improved but their foundation doesn't inspire much hope.

it feels like the game holds interest for me *despite* the major gameplay elements. the ad hoc, game unsupported creativity. the little collaborative mechanisms they struggle to take root in the seams of the game - like teleport buddies, barnacle parties, cooperative mining. i'm hoping, desperately, the group housing enhances both collaborative gameplay and .. well .. just hanging out being creative and social.

it is almost like everything about the game is awesome, except for the game itself. which is increasingly awful.

ok, shouldn't end on a negative. everything else *is* awesome, after all.

Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • +1 Cefeida, extremely well put. 
    Posted 18 months ago by welshcorgi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • thank you for the reply stoot.

    my particular boredom is about the two core game elements. one i have hope for, the other i do not.

    in the case of quests, it is clear that the problem is a lack of dev-time. it isn't that quests are getting worse, just that they are in a holding pattern. "more dev time" for quests is good. while the quests bore me to tears right now - with the exception of a handful of quests, particularly races and rook egg - more dev focus should only improve the situation.

    in terms of projects, however, i have little hope. what began as a great idea that gave players a social activity to do together has become progressively worse through dev input. first losing even the shallow player control over the resulting street, then the phases/trophies and finally the extreme requirements required to buid even the most basic streets. as i said earlier, projects began as fun things for players to do but are now treated primarily as a brake on world expansion.

    this is not to say that the world needs to expand more quickly, but projects could simply appear less often in order to provide that necessary brake. i worry about projects specifically *because* of dev involvement which seems very interested in perfecting projects as an expansion brake requiring constant grindy player effort to push through - as opposed to being developed from a philosophy of player fun first, expansion brake as a side effect of distracting players with fun.

    when KitkatCat says "The only interesting things in game seems to be jumping over the balcony of my house." and i find myself very close to agreement, there is a big problem.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Being as I am a healthy level 21, I do feel as though I have seen a good chunk of the game but I have only been in beta for a month now. On Sunday, I did find myself wondering, "OK, now what?" I had a 1day+ wait on Mining III and most skills are weighing in a 6+ hrs. The couple of quests that I did get over the weekend, I finished in about 10 minutes, now that I have the hang of the game. I did feel a lot more excitement and I felt more active for the first 10 levels.
    I am greatful to stoot for sharing the insight that yeah, things really slow down by lvl 20 or so. I'm glad to know that my experience is on target. I have tried to assist on projects but like others have stated, I don't have the skills/recipes/supplies needed at the time.
    The other question I would like to pose is, "Is this a 'hardcore, quest heavy grind-fest' or a 'casual do what you please and enjoy the scenery game'?" I am under the impression that there is no "end game" like many other MMOs but I am interested to find out what the "elder game" has in store. I do like the sound of team quests. Even the quick "dig out a peat bog in under 9 seconds" quest was fun because it got a group of us working together for a little bit and everyone got the quest done.
    I guess I just feel like the target audience needs to be for people who want to invest a few hours a week into a game and feel like they can contribute and for the people who want to "power-level" and then complain because they are bored, need to find a game that is more hardcore than what I see Glitch as being. Of course, I am referring to future players who blow through the completed version of that game that stoot referenced as taking shape in the next 6-12 months.
    Posted 18 months ago by Jepro Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Jepro, i don't want to just enjoy the scenery and i also don't want to grind or power level.

    i'd be perfectly happy with an "area a week" to pop in, hang out with friends and work to complete, then pop out. so long as the resulting area was significantly unique either aesthetically or from a gameplay perspective. very casual.

    maybe it isn't an area, but an expansion of our group house. that'd work too.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • While there are lots of activities for lvl1-15 players to engage in, I find the limit comes from the content framework itself.  There's a veneer or hinting at creative outlets (elements, alchemy, etc.) but there's no REAL creativity.  I cannot create my own in-game items and create my own rules for their usage.  Granted, that could lead to the mess that is SL, but I wonder if there's another model?  

    I long for a game that sets up a framework that allows me to make my own way in the world.  For example, even if I can't invent new foods, would it be a stretch to start a small business as a sandwich vendor?  I could do the work (or pay others) to gather the materials, and I'd create a stockpile of goods and sell them at a location.  I can even see the need to complete quests to acquire the necessary permits.  :)  Then the business could fund other adventures, like buying a storefront or warehouse.  Other players could even choose to live their lives as couriers, delivering goods between other players.

    Once the community is humming along, the devs could even start to remove the NPC vendors and a real economy would develop.  Players could even set their own prices in response to market forces...or just give things away if they're feeling generous that day.

    That's just one example, but it wouldn't require the devs to give up control over content.  They'd still design the building blocks both functionally and visually, but let players craft some of the universe using those blocks.
    Posted 18 months ago by Jifka Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Jifka, there is already a player economy that you speak of via the auction system, the only difference is the lack of on street storefronts. still, i get your point.

    you bring up content, and that is another thing i feel i will get bored with quickly. the current ideas out there seem to be that players will vote on player submitted designs to get them implemented into the game. sort of like threadless. that sounds great and all but isn't very creative for the wider player base.

    give us a 10x10 pixel grid with which to design simple wallpaper and clothing patterns, and it would keep people occupied and entertained for significant periods without the devs ceding design control .. coz it would be just patterns on specific items within their design framework.

    or even just stickers. i'm sure we could hack arrangements of simple sticker designs into something beyond 'creativity by way of shopping'.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "give us a 10x10 pixel grid with which to design simple wallpaper and clothing patterns, and it would keep people occupied and entertained for significant periods without the devs ceding design control .. coz it would be just patterns on specific items within their design framework.

    or even just stickers. i'm sure we could hack arrangements of simple sticker designs into something beyond 'creativity by way of shopping'."


    Great ideas. 
    Posted 18 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree. We need some type of framework for design that is limited to our own avatar/house/designated area to give us a creative outlet without intruding on the overall look and feel of the game. I also like the idea that we could sell our wares at a storefront or other in-game feature which, IMO, would be more fun and satisfying than the auction system.
    Posted 18 months ago by Riverwalker Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Maybe I'm thick, but the auctions seem like an afterthought.  They're basically a glitch-specific Ebay, not a real economy as far as I can tell.  I mean, resources are not limited -- if I don't want to buy something from an auction, I can just go find it at an NPC vendor or make it myself from raw materials.  And auctions are not integrated into the gameplay itself.  It'd be more engaging if you were required to be as a specific location in order to complete a transaction.

    Oh and I forgot to mention - how about purchasing or crafting items to decorate your home with?  How about making spare keys to give to friends?  

    I know it's easier to list the features that Glitch lacks than it is to give credit for what it doesn't.  But I think it's a sign of success that we're invested enuf in the game to be asking for change instead of abandoning it altogether.
    Posted 18 months ago by Jifka Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Jifka said: "I know it's easier to list the features that Glitch lacks than it is to give credit for what it doesn't.  But I think it's a sign of success that we're invested enuf in the game to be asking for change instead of abandoning it altogether."

    Very true! And it's obvious that the devs listen. That's part of why we're here.
    Posted 18 months ago by Riverwalker Subscriber! | Permalink
  • it isn't necessarily a sign of success, but a sign of sunk time on the part of the testers that they don't want to go to waste and who are so invested that in order to actually have fun with the game will invent games out of jumping, since that is one of the only flexible game inputs they have.

    to play devil's advocate.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm still enjoying myself pretty well, although I definitely agree that there's not enough game content for higher level glitches. Most of my fun comes from me entertaining myself. I do still have some quests to do that I've let languish, such as the races. I do plan to do those eventually, and it's nice to still have some to change things up if I wish.

    I've never participated in a project. They seem much too annoying to be enjoyable for me. I also usually wait to explore new areas until after they appear mostly finished. I like to wander around in them, but some I find kinda annoying, so I don't necessarily want to visit them too often just to visit new streets.

    I bought a subscription, but I agree that I do not currently believe the value is there for the price. Didn't matter to me right now, but will for sure when renewal time comes up. By then, I hope there's more than appearance to buy with the credits, because I like the way I look, and don't change clothes much.

    Unrelated: hello other Martian! I received thanks from someone the other day for something you had left for them. I'm passing them along now. ;-)
    Posted 18 months ago by Martian Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I still think that this game is awesome (tho, admittedly, I came over with the FS group of entrants so I doubt it's been long enough for me to have gotten bored :)  )
    But I've hardly done much of the game...I'm addicted to the kitchen part, atm, so there's quite a bit of the game left for me to explore and do.

    Most of the other things in the game don't appeal to me right now - but, who's to say that in a few years from now  (:D :D :P ), cooking and bartending  won't bore me and maybe projects and the other things will draw my interests by then.

    But then, I'm pretty easy to please...just the upgrade to some of the food stacks has my antsyness to get back into the game at the "ready to go splodie" level, now :D :D :P
    Posted 18 months ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I hate to keep comparing Glitch to Animal Crossing (Nintendo game for Gamecube, DS, and Wii), but they're very similar: get a house, learn to do some things, collect stuff, sell stuff, visit friends (NPCs and real people who you can connect to via online "friend codes"), and so on.  One of the most enjoyable aspects of that game is the ability to design clothes, wallpaper, flooring, etc. via a simple color-the-pixels tool.  The designs can be shared with friends, so occasionally a design from someone else's console will appear in the clothing shop (provided that you have connected to other people online).  Another adorable bit of the game is constellation design: draw your own, connect to friends, and their constellations will float across your own game's night sky, alongside yours.  As striatic said, a little tester-made art would go a long way toward keeping people entertained.
    Posted 18 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Cefeida: You have said what I was thinking perfectly.  There are some things you can do for yourself in the game, but like other people have mentioned, its not enough to keep my interest.  I have a real life that involves school, member of a co-ed service fraternity, working two jobs as a nanny for twin boys who are 1.5 (I'm sure you parents out there can understand how hard this can be) as well as a job working for a little boy with autism.  I am working for a Master's degree and of course being in college there are parties, pools, drinking, and other shenanigans for me to get into.  I like Glitch as a mental break and something to keep me occupied in my free time or while I'm sick (2 of the 3 tests I've been in have been during a period of time when I was extremely sick!  Perfect way to feel better).  The last thing I want to do is spend my time creating pointless tasks for myself inside the game (other people have created little quests/searches that I had fun participating in, but creating it for myself ruins the intrigue in participating).  I've just about bought everything I want/need, and after that point there will be nothing for me to work towards.  I may log in and out to change skills, but that's probably it.  I'm not here to kill time, I'm here for an escape and not more work for myself.  Hopefully these changes stoot mentioned will fix the gameplay for those of us who are higher levels and have accomplished nearly everything we wanted to accomplish.
    Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Laurali, i think projects were supposed to be the endgame for glitch. basically ongoing things for people to work toward. more rapidly developed behind the scenes than quests, skills, economic ecosystems, etc.

    basically, something to "occupy" the higher level players.

    trophies were added, along with increased rewards in order to make projects appealing to all players and not restricted to those interested in altruistic collaboration.

    unfortunately rewards are not fun enough. the process to get the reward needs to be a fun process. grinding is not enough fun.

    figuring out how to best slow down players is a bad approach. a better approach is "give players more fun to chew on" first and foremost. otherwise it always ends up the same way .. slowing players down by adding filler. filler sucks.

    focus on fun, not balance or speed or meta-stuff like level production versus unlock speed. if players are expanding beyond the production team's capacity, don't give the players more work to do. give them more fun to have in the meantime. there's no reason why there always has to be a project going, unless that's the only endgame option players have - which it shouldn't be. in fact, an ongoing nature may only serve to ruin the specialness of projects.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • striatic - Fully agree that there is no reason there needs to be projects all the time. Potentially on reason there is now, is because they are testing and tweaking them. Discovering how long they take, etc.. But I do hope that is not always the case. (Although I suppose an active project doesn't affect me because I just wouldn't work it.)
    Posted 18 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for this striatic, and thanks to stoot for the acknowledgement of the pain points.
    Posted 18 months ago by Travinara Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Man, thanks for all the great input. We are lucky to have so many thoughtful testers, seriously.

    Stewart's response above is pretty much spot on, I think but I'd just like to add:

    i) When we finally get around to enabling Groups with some power, I think it will be pretty great. It will allow players to create real culture, provide a solid in-game mechanic for people to build communities and affect the world, and provide better motivation for contributing to jobs.

    ii) Multiplayer quests are more difficult to develop than the single user quests, but I am very excited about the possibilities there. I think when we finally get to go on a development spree with them, they will be a big part of what makes the game fun.

    iii) House decorating, and the ability to design wallpapers and such, is not on our immediate hitlist, but is also something we are very excited about. BTW, nobody should feel bashful at all about comparing Glitch to Animal Crossing; it is admittedly a large influence on our overall game/world design. I don't play it anymore, but my kids do, all the time :)

    iv) The Rook will be coming back, and I for one can't wait! We're not 100% clear on the details yet, but I think it will make a big difference to have a "negative" force in the game.

    v) We have not yet really begun to explore the mythology of the world, but eventually the Giants themselves will have some presence in the world apart from shrines. And we have related skill trees in mind that should be attractive to people interested in uncovering the mysteries of the back story.

    vi) It is very rewarding to hear the praise for the UI improvements we've made. The way we work, we launch features with less than ideal interfaces that can be made quickly, and then we test and listen for feedback and then eventually try to take those lessons and refine and even rebuild where needed. So it is nice to hear that that feeback loop is working well. There are still lots of improvements coming!

    Thanks again for all the thoughtful critiques!
    Posted 18 months ago by eric Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "And we have related skill trees in mind that should be attractive to people interested in uncovering the mysteries of the back story."


    Love this.
    Posted 18 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • eric, if you check off some of those in the near future, particularly i and iii, I think the game will hold player interest for much longer durations.

    players could also really use activities filling the "something to continually fiddle with" and "something turn based" slots in order to support long term interest.

    lovely response, which articulates things that would make the game more enjoyable in the long term. the only problem is one of omission, since we know so little about the future of world-building in glitch, so reinforces my pessimism on that particular subject.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My vote is: awesome. I've never been much into games except for single-user puzzle games & the only game I've played with a similar quality to Glitch is Enchanted Forest. I have only played this game once so far as I just got my invite mid-May, but I already see how there is plenty to do. It took me until the end of my session to realise that I was missing out on so much just for the fact that I had barely begun. I am excited to play again!
    Posted 18 months ago by Alison Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Morticia Addams, re "With the recent release of new Alakol housing, I did stop to wonder exactly was happening there. When compared to the superior designs at Groddle Meadow for instance, it seems as though the time spent designing unique and unusual properties had been pushed aside for a quicker and easier solution … I just hope this isn't the start of generic batches of graphics, brought out because of the high demand and the fast turnaround time."

    Wow, if you only knew how much longer the Alakol houses took to design and produce than the Groddle Meadow houses ;)

    This is definitely not a sign of quality being pushed out for stuff that quicker/easier to make — it's just a difference of taste (some people love the Alakol houses, other prefer the treehouse vibe, and still others like the firebog apartments). We will continue to create all kinds (including s'more surreal styles, which we are lacking at the moment).
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • FrankenPaula, re "It would be nice if there was a way for players to script a quest with its own special items and dialogue … Perhaps the most highly rated quests could be added to the game more permanently."

    +1! This is something we talked about really early on but is harder to design than you might think. Someday :)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Jifka, re: "I long for a game that sets up a framework that allows me to make my own way in the world.  For example, even if I can't invent new foods, would it be a stretch to start a small business as a sandwich vendor?"

    No! The whole point of all the work to date is to build enough "systems" (ecological, economic, cultural, etc.) so that people can "make their own way in the world" in the broadest sense. That, to me, is the point of the game (and it's our goal; it's where all this is headed). 

    Sadly (because so many people want it) one of the things we're pretty convinced *won't* work (from experience in other games/worlds) is storefront based businesses which sell game-items: a lot of players would like to run one, but no players would like to have to buy from one (going from store to store trying to find the thing you want is a PITA).

    The sellers want to the individuality of running their own particular place, but the buyers want convenience and to know where to go to buy the thing they need. But without customers, the business is not going to be fun to run.

    However, there can be all kinds of ways to make one's way in the world (and maybe even storefront businesses selling game items can be made to work somehow). And there is an enormous amount we still need to do in order to create the framework to allow players to do that. We're working as fast as we can!
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Have to chime in and say that the responses from eric and stoot are fantastic here. The honesty and responsiveness the devs put into this game are a huge part of what makes it so unique...it's obvious you guys LOVE your product and your jobs. I for one am utterly not bored with the game though I definitely think loads of valid points have been made...I'm just someone who is happy to do some "grinding"; tend to be one of those who doesn't get bored easily in life. But knowing that so much is still to come and still in the works is extra exciting. I will enjoy seeing how things unfold, even as we as testers continue to pick away at the aspects that need more work....
    Posted 18 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +++1 RM!! Couldn't agree with you more!
    Posted 18 months ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Good!
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • striatic, re "i think projects were supposed to be the endgame for glitch. basically ongoing things for people to work toward. more rapidly developed behind the scenes than quests, skills, economic ecosystems, etc."

    This is definitely not true … projects were the first step to letting build stuff in the world (i.e., the code/framework with which we'd track contribution towards some threshold which caused a permanent change to geography). But they were just a means, not and end: the same framework will be used for group hall construction/upgrading (and later for individuals' houses).

    When first released, projects were much more popular than expected so we decided to release all new streets via projects. And while this has since gotten boring for people who have been playing for a while, I think it'll be fine in the long term: if projects are all around the periphery of the world and players collective decide the direction in which we should expand the world (e.g., by pushing deeper into the deserts in the north than the forests in the east) they won't "bother" anyone and can just be ignored by people who want to focus on improving/evolving their own area of the world.
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Last, to everyone on designing/decorating/creating spaces: this will definitely happen (we're not working on it yet, but it will be the first/biggest project we'll start on post-beta). It is really important, but it also not simple. And we want to get it right :)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • stoot, it's like 12:30 a.m. for you...perhaps you should quit working and go get some sleep? Said the pot calling the kettle black.... :D
    Posted 18 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • RM, actually Pot is a kind of golden color.
    Posted 18 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • On the idea of storefronts, what if the devs created a limited number of the types of shop you could run, but within a certain framework a player could tweak it? For instance, there would be a list of things they'd be required to sell so people would know they could get, say, honey at a particular location, but if the owner chose to add to their "menu," they could do so. (I'm thinking of the random off-the-beaten-path gas station/convenience store that also sells local handicrafts and preserves, or a daughter that's selling macrame while her parents run the fruit stand on the side of the road. And by the way, they've got some AKC spaniel pups...) 

    Perhaps the shops could be limited in what they sell based on locale, like trees are limited to certain areas? Or you'd pay a premium to sell "imported" goods in your shop? 

    Also: what about a supplier system? Folks who like grinding/collecting the basics (or who got to a project only to discover that the phase they'd collected for is over) can bring their ingredients and sell them to the shopkeeper. If the shopkeeper doesn't have the supplies to make a particular item, the shop can't sell it, which would (ideally) get folks to supply them with the raw materials and alter the prices of materials and/or finished goods. While this obviously wouldn't work for the entire stock of the shop, perhaps there could be a giant-run default/backup supply system, with a 'going rate' for each item to keep the whole system from going totally kablooie. Each type of shop could be "sponsored" by a particular giant! (Which could be the rationale for the "required" stock... Cosma wants all her butterflies to be well massaged, you know.) 

    Anyway, a frontier-fur-trader-like supply system could be a good currant-maker for the low-level players who can only get ahold of basic stuff, as well as for the obsessive chicken-squeezers and whatnot. (Possibility for barter as well, perhaps?) And there's the added benefit of fostering good relationships between different types of players! =) Or glitchen could sell stuff on consignment, or team up to run the different parts of the business (I make the stew, you handle the customers, she makes sure we've got the supplies, etc.).

    Perhaps I should have done this over in ideas. Fooey.
    Posted 18 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • whahhaha RM. Indeed: off to bed you awesomers. ZZZZ...
    Thnaks for all the great answers Stoot. Love to see the game develop/grow. Love it
    Posted 18 months ago by Atlantis Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you Eric & Stoot, your responses are much appreciated. Totally agree with RM.

    I'm not bored yet... still have some streets to visit, and at least one recipe to acquire and generally pottering around for a few more badges before reset. 
    It's cool to know you get some inspiration from Animal Crossing, one of my fave games, I played all three versions. So you're obviously aware of the interest in decorating, and I'm happy to wait.. gotta remember we are testers first.

    Whilst I do help on some projects and have a few trophy parts I dont often go out of my way to do the projects, for reasons many have outlined earlier. Really look forward to some more personal & community building.

    And I adore my new Alakol home with its self sufficiency, just need a bee hive :)
     
    Posted 18 months ago by Teena Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Teena...and fishing ponds...

    With the farming and cooking and bartending, add fishing ponds and you'd have to tack on ten years before I'd get bored :D :D
    Posted 18 months ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ sgio - I added my 2 cents worth for fishing on the ideas http://beta.glitch.com/forum/ideas/2959/  
    Fishing could add to food, a variety of skills, community challenges...
    Posted 18 months ago by Teena Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yah...I had it in my ideas thread too but didn't get much feed back on it so figured no-one else was interested - but I still throw it out there every so often, just in case lol
    Posted 18 months ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sorry I missed your fishing idea sgjo or I would certainly have commented on it. I know some people who would love to go fishing in Glitch.
    Posted 18 months ago by Teena Subscriber! | Permalink
  • stoots: I think Jennyanydots may have been reading my mind a bit.  Requiring players to sell certain items is one way of doing it, but there are others.  Believe me, I know that balancing difficulty and fun is probably the largest challenge in designing gameplay.  Yet, it doesn't mean player-run storefronts can't work.  

    Frankly, while searching the world looking for specific items can be a PITA, it can also be fun when it's not impossible.  There's a certain monotony to going back to the same vendors to restock during a grind.  It could add a new twist of you need to plan out your moves because the vendors run out of stock, or if another play swoops in and buys the last Earthshaker...as long as there's a way for players to find out which stores have items in stock at any given time.

    Also, the gods could keep an eye on the system and make sure there are no major shortages of anything.  If a player decides to stop producing Tinker Tools, an NPC vendor can always start stocking them again.

    Oh, and thanks for all the dev replies.  +100
    Posted 18 months ago by Jifka Subscriber! | Permalink
  • We also want to add fishing at some point :)
    Posted 18 months ago by eric Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I also am very happy to see Staff input in the Forums.  Thank you for reading the posts and responding!

    Regarding businesses, I believe a few enterprising players have started businesses.  that is something that might relieve the boredom for some players.  I cannot, however visualize how storefront shops would work.  I can see streets being overrun with shops so maybe if this feature is implemented there should be a "mall" in each area.  This would be the place for the storefronts.  We would all then know where to find them and could easily see the Malls on the map.  I also like the idea of specializing and selling "imports".  For example, egg plants would be sold in the Chakra Phool Mall.  If a vendor in the Alakol Mall wanted to add egg plants to inventory they might have a 10% markup in price and the vendor would have to pay extra to stock them.  By having Malls, the streets would not become overcrowded.  At least one street in each area, maybe where the sub station is, would have a Mall sign similar to the housing signs.  Click on it and go shoping.
    Posted 18 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Loving the dev feedback. But one thing I'm noticing: everything's going to happen 'later' (quotes: re: fishing "at some point", re: decorations "we're not working on it yet" + "not on our immediate hitlist", re: sellers (sorta) "we still need to do", re: scripting quests "something we talked about really early [...] Someday" re: groups "When we finally get around to enabling", re: multiplayer quests "when we finally get to go on a development spree with them", re: Rook "not 100% clear on the details yet", re: backstory "We have not yet really begun to explore")

    See, I'd love to know what you are currently working on! ;)
    Posted 18 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, several of those things we are working on now (groups, backstory, multiplayer quests). And last week there were many new locations added (in Bortola and Ilemsnkie Deeps), avatar modifications to support hats with hair, the new teleportation skills and tokens, subscription upgrades, auction history, the player-to-player mail/courier service.

    I just looked at there are currently 54 discrete tasks tracked for this week. But mostly this week has been dedicated to fixing bugs and addressing new performance issues. We can't really extensively talk about each thing we are working on, field questions, etc., because then we won't actually get any work done. So … you will have to be patient ;)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @stoot: I understand all you are saying and though I don't really understand how much work goes into changing one particular aspect of the game (I'm sure its a lot more than I realize), I am still slightly worried about some of this stuff before I buy my subscription.  I have spent a lot of time whether I want to buy one or not, so I am hoping that before the tester subscription deal ends we can have a little more concrete idea of what types of changes will be made, if thats possible.
    Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  Oh my!

    @ Teena I'm so sorry that my post didn't come out sounding anything like what I was trying to say but  tyvm for that very sweet answer!  :)
    Posted 18 months ago by sgjo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is a facinating thread, and I'm especially encouraged by Eric's comments.
    Like so many others, I've been slogging through the grindy bits, with the hope and expectation that amazing is waiting in the wings, or at least getting ready.
    There's been much written about projects and potential businesses that already covers my views, so instead I thought I might mention community.
    Groups and chat are the foundation, but activites can do so much more to bring strangers together. I was thinking of all the regions, and housing areas and I'd love to see regional festivals/village fetes. Players could set up makeshift stands:

    tell fortunes,
    sell drinks and crepes,
    prizes for best costumes
    pickup--run and drop ice cube races
    one-jump contests
    maybe gameshow tickets could stack and we could have guessing games with a spin of the wheel for the winner...
    Anyway, I want to see more celebration in the game. I get enough grind everywhere else.
    Posted 18 months ago by caley dunn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I started a store thread for all the store ideas:
    http://beta.glitch.com/forum/ideas/4025/
    Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i'm fine so long as there is relatively consistent progress on the social play angle and upcoming changes to groups [hopefully halls] and multiplayer quests sounds very good.
    Posted 18 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • just rounding these replies off to 100, carry on.
    Posted 18 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink