Totems and how they should work.

[MrDDT]

First off let me say Im doing this for many reasons.

Ok totems they are everywhere. I have a vision of changing that, and allowing totems to help trade, economy and allow smaller more active tribes to control more area.

First off, I do not like the idea that totems take no resources to put down yet can claim resources. Also I do not like that to grow a totem you need more players even if they are inactive. Ive seen tribes of 100 people with 1 or 2 online controlling huge parts of the zone.

Now how I would vote to change it is this.

Key is to require totems to take resources, and need resources to keep "protecting" the area.

I think when you want to drop a totem it should first place a ghost totem down, this ghost totem would not protect anything, yet it would not allow anyone else to claim a totem in the area until that ghost totem is removed.

Ghost totems will be removed after % of the resources not put in. IE if you drop a 100 man totem it would require say 10000 units of resources. Ghost totems decay say normally in 48hours but if you drop in 500 units in (5%)of the resources it would extend the decay by 5% or 2.5 hours.

After you get all 100% of the resources needed to then you can click the create, and it will drop a real totem based on the one you picked for the ghost. This will last for 1 week. Every week you have to upkeep the totem. (25% of base cost). Which can be put into the totem and the totem eats up over time. You can also use this totem as a bank for storage.

Things used for resources. Bricks, Logs, Sand, rock, metal, cloth etc. Each would have to have a unit assigned to them.

What this does is mostly allows people to build on land based on needs or even expected growth, without them to just want to "zerg" more members in the tribe.

It will promote trade by removing these resources and maybe even hiring labor to help gather these resources.

Also if an area goes inactive, slowly the totem will eat itself. It should lose 10% of its range a week of not being filled on the resource upkeep. After 10 weeks it will disappear.
This will allow a few members to keep the candle going for a large tribe if they wish. Also allows totems in the world to be removed, if tribes just leave them. Also will help prevent people from dropping a totem without knowing what they are doing, it will also help prevent people from having alt accounts with totems just claiming an area for themselves.

Idea? Comments? Complains? etc

[Tesla]

I agree a system needs to be in place soon for totem decay. It is annoying and there are just too many tribes with felled trees covering their borders. I dont mind working to keep my totem functioning. Active players should be able to clear the debris, so to speak, from those that have moved on.

[subspace]

I agree that the current system needs to change.

In IRC, a system was discussed where in addition to the default adding resources to maintain the totem, you can go out on adventures in the new areas, and quest rewards (maybe tokens or something) could be added to the totem in lieu of resources. These totem tokens could also be tradeable.

So every 50th zombie you kill might give a token.

[MrDDT]

I agree that the current system needs to change.

In IRC, a system was discussed where in addition to the default adding resources to maintain the totem, you can go out on adventures in the new areas, and quest rewards (maybe tokens or something) could be added to the totem in lieu of resources. These totem tokens could also be tradeable.

So every 50th zombie you kill might give a token.

Yep and that token can have unit value to it based on how easy or hard they are to get.

I dont know what the time effort balance would be per unit, and size of the tribe. The the theory is that more people in a tribe would or could split up the duties to gather resources, and also do harder things to get better value resources. So a 100man tribe could easy upkeep a 100man totem, but a 5 man tribe would have to put a lot of work into it to keep up a 100 man totem. But at least this way they would have the option.

Also this will allow decay.

Someone in IRC was talking about "What if I had to go away for a few months" well, overstock your totem, or have your friends pick up the slack.

[Korinag]

Guess I might as well respond to this seeing as how Xsyon booted me while I was in the middle of a fight with a bear

But yea, I agree with this idea 100%

UO used to have a house decay, didn't require paying money, just that you or someone else on house friend list open the door every 7 days or the house would start to decay till it was gone after 2 weeks I think.

I think a resource cost in this game make more sense cause it's sorta representative that the tribe is 'reparing and upgrading' the buildings. Very apropriate and fitting. Plus it does attempt to promote an economy. And if the resource cost was high enough then the local resources would drain gradually and either force tribes to move, as many civilizations have had to in past, or create trade and or colonies that supply resources to the primary tribe.

[Cctcowboy]

Totem needs a "glow ring" to show where your borders will be!

I agree that the current system needs to change.

In IRC, a system was discussed where in addition to the default adding resources to maintain the totem, you can go out on adventures in the new areas, and quest rewards (maybe tokens or something) could be added to the totem in lieu of resources. These totem tokens could also be tradeable.

So every 50th zombie you kill might give a token.

I really like this, as most games upgrade their guild halls or pay upkeep with a system like this! Nice add!

[MrDDT]

Totem needs a "glow ring" to show where your borders will be!

The glow ring is a good idea, but I think the point of the ghost totem is that you can move it around, like you can projects now. It will tell you the range because as you run around it, it will say you have entered xzy area or not. Because you would temp control it. (not able to level the land or anything but prevent other totems in the radius).

Also point of the ghost totem is to prevent people from dropping totem insta, to claim resources or someones stuff. To get that stuff they would have to put resources into the totem, so it would only be done if it were cost effective.
Ghost totems would offer any protection other than preventing of other totems places in its area.
Think of it more of a "I claim this land" but its not active for protections.

[Jadzia]

Paying for tribe land is a good idea, with resources or tokens or anything.

I wouldn't even connect tribe area size to the member count. Let a tribe to upgrade their totem and have more land if they can pay the price and able to maintain it. This way smaller but very active tribes could own a big area, while tribes filled with inactive accounts would shrink.

A homestead totem should be free or require very small amount of stuffs ( like 5 grass or something) to help new players to adapt to the game. Otherwise they would be in a serious disadvantage and that may drive them away from the game.

The higher level the totem is the next upgrade should cost more and more.

[MrDDT]

Paying for tribe land is a good idea, with resources or tokens or anything.

I wouldn't even connect tribe area size to the member count. Let a tribe to upgrade their totem and have more land if they can pay the price and able to maintain it. This way smaller but very active tribes could own a big area, while tribes filled with inactive accounts would shrink.

A homestead totem should be free or require very small amount of stuffs ( like 5 grass or something) to help new players to adapt to the game. Otherwise they would be in a serious disadvantage and that may drive them away from the game.

The higher level the totem is the next upgrade should cost more and more.

Right, I dont like the free part of a homestead. I think it should take some basic resources (50 units with rock = 1 unit) This wouldnt take long to get but prevent people from dropping insta totems helps prevent exploiting.

Also a tribe filled with inactives could also have a few of those actives carry the weight of them if they choose.

I also think because of how totems have issues with growing. Leveling up should have a check to see if it can grow and if it cant, then you can still level up, and it will grow once the check is cleared (like someone moves a totem).

[darkviper1]

+1 to almost everything said in this thread.

I would even consider taking the safe zone out.. put in a non destruction aura, as mentioned by someone, and making the walls with gates provide protection.