Europe 1300

[Murzim]

The stamina bar always appears full except when it reaches 0, when it appears empty. (There is no proportional change)

As you said, after a point, all you do is cook/dig/etc. This starts getting boring quickly.

[Chris]

Stamina bar fixed.

More things to do
I think I have 3 options to improve it:

1) adjust to stamina cap & regeneration, it has some drawbacks and I don't see it solving it significantly

2) add activities that are not actions, like reading things, observing the market, buying & selling, gambling

3) add a completely new module, like duels or adventure mode, although this will add complexity (could scare a new player) and will be disconnected from the currently existing system (it can't use stamina)

[Murzim]

I think you need to decide (or make it clear to me at least ) whether or not you want to keep the players on the game for a large time per day or not.

As it is now, someone can play in 1 minute. It is certain that you should want him to keep playing for at least 10 minutes. Perhaps 10 minutes, twice a day ? Or you would like him to spend some hours per day on the game ?

Which are your intentions ?

[Chris]

I'm quite indifferent when it comes to daily play time for this project. I'm mostly concerned with the long term play (I aim for a player to stick for 6-12 months). As for daily, well, let's say I would not want it to being "check every 10 minutes because energy filled up". Right now it is targeted for once per 16 hours minimum and I would find it perfect if players logged 3 times per day (or 2 if they are busy, definitely not less than once per day). How much time they spend when they login, I don't really care.

[Murzim]

I'm quite indifferent when it comes to daily play time for this project. I'm mostly concerned with the long term play (I aim for a player to stick for 6-12 months). As for daily, well, let's say I would not want it to being "check every 10 minutes because energy filled up". Right now it is targeted for once per 16 hours minimum and I would find it perfect if players logged 3 times per day (or 2 if they are busy, definitely not less than once per day). How much time they spend when they login, I don't really care.

I would then vote for a content rich and with a main button newspaper ( among your top priorities).
Let players advertise their nobility there for vassals too. List all main wars. Put big market sales. All major office assignments. Elections, etc. Let players write their own articles (for roleplay).

If you add more systems, I would say add them to stamina system and increase the stamina earned + stamina pool at the same time. This can increase playing time. Alternatively, reduce stamina cost for various actions (although I find the costs okay.)

By putting more stamina and pool at the same time, you increase the playing time while keeping the player on same daily routine (how many times he logs in). Perhaps though you also slightly increase his interest to remain on his keyboard which is always a great thing in my thinking as long as you keep it balanced for the person who will only log in twice a day.

[Chris]

What could be the use of gold (gold sinks)?

The system of earning gold is quite complete and fun but spending the gold is highly limited (only nobility and mansions).

[Murzim]

What could be the use of gold (gold sinks)?

The system of earning gold is quite complete and fun but spending the gold is highly limited (only nobility and mansions).

I think it is quite good as it is. Just don't put any limits to mansion and nobility.

The only problem with current system is that after a point (I am speaking for longetivity, not aware if you will run it with rounds or never ending world? ),  income will reach its peak while expenses will keep soaring. It is good to always have more expenses than incomes but there needs to be more ways to increase income rates.

For extra ideas to spend your cash:
-Pay to spoof elections (per election, cost increases per extra vote). This would have a bigger meaning if in the long run add more than 1 elected position.
-The military equipment you had is a good idea. PErhaps you can add more in the same nature (limited use). Like axes, shovels, carts, each one increasing your performance somewhere (this can also lead in income booster as you grow). Playing with qualities, wear time and prices can be very interesting too.


Nothing else comes at mind right now.

[Murzim]

Name: Murzim (Knight)
Kingdom: Kingdom of Athens
Home city: Athens

Influence: 10 Prestige: 24
Nobility: 10 Glory: 150 Fame: 0 Honour: 0 Piety: 0

Level: 18
Experience: 3065/3240

Age: 19 days



-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-

So after a close of 20 days, here is a small breakdown:
-I have been entering once a day. Perhaps twice sometimes.
-I currently mostly trying to find ways to increase gold income; not many options.
-I want to increase my skills faster: not many options either
-I want to fight more: I see some improvement in combat points still dependable on new wars which are not always there.
-I want to increase my Influence but all options have became disproportioanally expensive and this constitutes in slower increase which in turns decreases my interest on this.

Suggestions:
1.Allow skills to grow to greater levels. Perhaps Kingdoms can spend gold to increase the maximum level for a skill on a target city. Cost to upgrade a maximum level, should raise for every skill point raised in this city as a total, regardless of the skill level (this will result in specialization among cities). Perhaps skill level should also play a role but total skill points raised must be more important.

Skill increases will both increase gold increase options and interest for specialization versus the other users. It will also add an extra option for nations, increasing the interest for players running them.

There should be an option to reduce learning points cap, either by stamina or gold. If someone wants to focus more in studying, he should be able to it, in the expense of production. This is what really happens irl too.

Alternatively or additionally, you can introduce a skill that helps you in learning to add more strategy on the whole learning part.

2.Allow pacts between nations (I see something already exists) and allow players from allied nations to fight for their allied nations. Also charge movement points when this happens.

Some discussion:

What is the mean of multiple mansions ? The option to sell them must exist. I read that you have in mind something like this.

XP + Level needs some rework except if you have done the current system with the awareness that the one that plays more always has the highest level.

[Chris]

- The game is everlasting, no resets (except after the alpha and beta stages ends)
- Yes, older players will have higher level (and many other things) than new one. That's the price for a game being everlasting and has to be accepted. I won't attempt to fix it (I could merely soften it, but never really fix).

- Reasoning behind multiple Mansions: http://community.bbgamezone.net/game-design/preventing-hostile-takeover/msg25495/#msg25495 Yes, I could add the option to sell it, but... I would rather provide some secondary use of these somehow.
- Generally, I'm thinking of making some mechanic that would promote investing infrastructure in various cities not in home city only (like shops, taverns).

- Equipment (swords/armours), this one is troublesome since it is inconsistent with the workshop production. I decided to add instead weapons and armours as resources, and remove the "item weapons" to avoid confusion and in sake of consistency. Besides, the "expiring" items were not that great in the first place. Probably I would replace it with upgraded personal weapon level (you spend 10 weapons, 10 armours and 100 gold and you get +1 to your personal combat equipment). Similar personal clothing upgrade would exist (prestige bonus, require spending various cloths and imported goods like silk).

- Lack of wars is a social issue. The rulers are lazy I will add an option so other people in a kingdom can start a war too (like the citizen which holds the Marshal office). And probably I will enable an everlasting battle against infidels (crusade) which would be always available to everyone (less profitable than normal battle).