Server updates 9/19: Land Claims changes and Other updates!

[Sparkle]

Dear ArcheRagers! Please take a minute to check changes and updates we prepared for you.

To apply them, server is going to be restarted on 9/19 at 7 am.
Estimated maintenance time: 40 minutes.

List of updates:​

• Land Claims changes:
  • When land owner removes his house/farm, land becomes protected for 60 seconds. Only he can place new property on it during that time.​
  • In case land is available for claim, at first attempt of land claim a 20 sec timer starts. During this time all players that try to claim that land are added to the participants list.​
  • After 20 seconds starts rolling. Participants numbers they rolled, as well as the winner's name, are posted for all participants.​
  • After the winner is announced, land is protected for 60 seconds. During that time only winner can place his property there.​
  • Player can participate in rolling and land claim once every 10 minutes.​
  • Player can have no more than 5 properties for sale simultaneously.​
  • All above limitations (land protection, sale, claim) are set per account (not per character).​
• Inventory Chest updates:​
  • The following items can now be placed into Equipment Enhancement Chest:​
    • Yordan's Wisdom, Gedlon's Strength, Herstan's Resilience, Demigod Essence;​
    • Ewan's Rune Rank 1, Ewan's Rune Rank 2, Ewan's Rune Rank 3;​
    • Serpent Scale, Bound Resplendent Tempering Charm Box, Bound Clear Synthium Crate;​
    • Resplendent Weapon Regrade Scroll, Resplendent Temper Ticket.​
• Other Updates:​
  • Added livestock NPCs to Wonderland.​
  • New achievement "The Overlord of Magic" is added. Obtain custom pets - Akilit and Imani. Reward: 20 Merit Badges + custom Housepet: Imani. For the achievement go: Achievements --> ArcheRage --> General --> Pets/Mounts.​
• Bug Fixes:​
  • Fixed "Farmer's Contest" quest (ch 101 q1) bug.​
  • Fixed Autumn Lore Festival quest "A Time of Tales" bug.​
• Marketplace:
  • Weekly Marketplace is updated [LINK]​
  • Collector's Mysterious Crate is added [LINK]​
  • New powerstone added to marketplace Permanently [LINK]​

 

[Aviendha]

• In case land is available for claim, at first attempt of land claim a 20 sec timer starts. During this time all players that try to claim that land are added to the participants list.​
• After 20 seconds starts rolling. Participants numbers they rolled, as well as the winner's name, are posted for all participants.​

Sad, will be hard to sell demo plots now, e.g. mushroom house plots, beanstalk plots, etc. :s

 

[Liz]

 

[Tiptoe]

The other day, as I was wandering through a housing zone, I spotted a free 8x8 plot, so I quickly placed my little Scarecrow Garden. Will players still be able to do this after the update? Can they instantly claim any free land they find? Or will they now have to wait 20 secs before they can claim the spot?

 

[Aviendha]

The other day, as I was wandering through a housing zone, I spotted a free 8x8 plot, so I quickly placed my little Scarecrow Garden. Will players still be able to do this after the update? Can they instantly claim any free land they find? Or will they now have to wait 20 secs before they can claim the spot?

The applied changes affect the time after demolition only, so I'd assume that if it had been demo'd, for example, 15min prior, anyone would be fine to place their design. I believe the 20sec to "place" a design to be part of the lottery only takes place right after the first 60sec in which the owner can place.

 

[Sparkle]

The applied changes affect the time after demolition only, so I'd assume that if it had been demo'd, for example, 15min prior, anyone would be fine to place their design. I believe the 20sec to "place" a design to be part of the lottery only takes place right after the first 60sec in which the owner can place.

You are wrong. It doesn't matter if land is just after demolition or it's been a free spot for a while, it's still 20 secs timer after the first attempt to claim it. If no other participants in claim except of you, then you'll auto-win in 20 secs and have 60 secs protected for placement.

 

[Aviendha]

You are wrong. It doesn't matter if land is just after demolition or it's been a free spot for a while, it's still 20 secs timer after the first attempt to claim it. If no other participants in claim except of you, then you'll auto-win in 20 secs and have 60 secs protected for placement.

Dam thanks for clarifying that, it read as a step to step explanation of demolition claiming :s

In regards to selling a demo plot, is it possible to insert an option to demo to a certain player like there is the option to sell to a specific person? We brainstormed a little yesterday about that, because some housing you can't cert over to someone else ...

 

[Stellar Stoat]

People in different places who have read these changes have expressed some dissatisfaction about it, so I hoped to chime in.


60 Seconds to modify land sounds great!
It would be nice if you could invite people into your party and they also get to place.
Would help players selling demos and keep things safe when working with friends to make things nice for the decorators and potatoes.

The RNG lottery: Sounds great in theory, but this introduces more problems than it solves. I imagine a lot more people putting together illegitimate accounts simply to have number advantages at demo lotteries. there are other issues I can think of but I don't want to give bad actors ideas. If this change is to be made, I would request that players who wish to enter the lottery must click through 5 confirm menus which would popup in different places, and have the confirm and cancel buttons in different places to make it harder for people to alt their way to advantage. Or like a captcha, they just need to choose the menu option displayed in their popup or something like that.

The 10 minute lockout between property: This sounds risky for someone who wants to swap out 2 or 3 properties to make one larger 44 or something, or break down a 44 into parts.


Is there a protection in place for this? It takes more than 60 seconds to demo 2-3 properties and it would be hard to place 2 -3 down if you removed a 44 Since you would have to wait 10 minutes between properties.

I appreciate the attempt to solve some issues we have as players in this area, but if the interest in this area is to make more land available to new players (which is a great idea)



I propose that we start with just one or two changes and optional third.

First: Absolutely give 60 Seconds for people to modify their land, and give that option to anyone in their party.

Second: Require a certain amount of in game time a week, that isn't spent AFK. Actual in-game playing, to keep paying taxes. Start with 2 hours of playtime. AFK during any 1 hour period should invalidate the whole hour. (hidden to players, but metrics like distance moved, # of interactions, Chatting, or quest completions might be something to take into account.)

Optional Third: If any lottery is to be implemented, make it with a series of 5 window popups with different answers and random screen locations to join a lottery. 1 player could not easily abuse multiple accounts this way.

Any other changes sound superfluous with too much room for abuse. Start small and tune things up, instead of work them down. Please. I like this server and would like to see a healthier population of players rather than masses of empty plots held onto by people who aren't even playing anymore..

 

[Daemonar]

The 10 minute lockout between property: This sounds risky for someone who wants to swap out 2 or 3 properties to make one larger 44 or something, or break down a 44 into parts.

AGREED! My family gathered our space slowly over long period of time. You wouldn't be able to move buildings around with 3 people with such lockout in place. That kills small families like mine. We already have more or less the setup we want but with this change we can never change it again.

Second: Require a certain amount of in game time a week, that isn't spent AFK. Actual in-game playing, to keep paying taxes. Start with 2 hours of playtime. AFK during any 1 hour period should invalidate the whole hour. (hidden to players, but metrics like distance moved, # of interactions, Chatting, or quest completions might be something to take into account.)

This I don't agree with. Since I have time only periodically to play actively I often enter use up labor on something and log out as I don't have time. There are periods where I am active but there are also periods where I log in once a week to pay taxes. And if because of such rule I lose my housing I am out. Housing is the only thing really that keeps me online.


In general the 60 sec protection is nice. Given I would like to share this spot with my family it would be even better with some option for that.
I am not so much a fun of other land claiming changes.

Edit:
I was giving short summary of the patch to my wife and she is great at finding an edge cases.
What would happen if I want to change 16x16 into 24x24. Given you can place your 16x16 so you have a 4 wide space around and then come with 24x24 when you finally get it and you would like to replace it. Will it be covered by 60 sec protection or will this 4 wide boarder be treated as new property and therefore the 20 sec lottery will start?
The same question applies to moving a property. While still 16x16 it can be moved by 4 spaces in every direction.
In short - will you lose land ownership or not if you won't be perfect on spot?

 

[Sparkle]

Dam thanks for clarifying that, it read as a step to step explanation of demolition claiming :s

In regards to selling a demo plot, is it possible to insert an option to demo to a certain player like there is the option to sell to a specific person? We brainstormed a little yesterday about that, because some housing you can't cert over to someone else ...

We'll add a special item that will be similar to the under construction house but with no way to finish building and it will be possible to sell. Will include 8x8, 16x16, 24x24, 28x28 and 44x44 options.

 

[Sparkle]

People in different places who have read these changes have expressed some dissatisfaction about it, so I hoped to chime in.


60 Seconds to modify land sounds great!
It would be nice if you could invite people into your party and they also get to place.
Would help players selling demos and keep things safe when working with friends to make things nice for the decorators and potatoes.

The RNG lottery: Sounds great in theory, but this introduces more problems than it solves. I imagine a lot more people putting together illegitimate accounts simply to have number advantages at demo lotteries. there are other issues I can think of but I don't want to give bad actors ideas. If this change is to be made, I would request that players who wish to enter the lottery must click through 5 confirm menus which would popup in different places, and have the confirm and cancel buttons in different places to make it harder for people to alt their way to advantage. Or like a captcha, they just need to choose the menu option displayed in their popup or something like that.

The 10 minute lockout between property: This sounds risky for someone who wants to swap out 2 or 3 properties to make one larger 44 or something, or break down a 44 into parts.


Is there a protection in place for this? It takes more than 60 seconds to demo 2-3 properties and it would be hard to place 2 -3 down if you removed a 44 Since you would have to wait 10 minutes between properties.

I appreciate the attempt to solve some issues we have as players in this area, but if the interest in this area is to make more land available to new players (which is a great idea)



I propose that we start with just one or two changes and optional third.

First: Absolutely give 60 Seconds for people to modify their land, and give that option to anyone in their party.

Second: Require a certain amount of in game time a week, that isn't spent AFK. Actual in-game playing, to keep paying taxes. Start with 2 hours of playtime. AFK during any 1 hour period should invalidate the whole hour. (hidden to players, but metrics like distance moved, # of interactions, Chatting, or quest completions might be something to take into account.)

Optional Third: If any lottery is to be implemented, make it with a series of 5 window popups with different answers and random screen locations to join a lottery. 1 player could not easily abuse multiple accounts this way.

Any other changes sound superfluous with too much room for abuse. Start small and tune things up, instead of work them down. Please. I like this server and would like to see a healthier population of players rather than masses of empty plots held onto by people who aren't even playing anymore..

• 10 mins timer only works when you claim free spot. But when you do that for your protected spot, there is no such cooldown.
• When you demo your 44x44, you receive protection for that land size for 60 secs and you place even several houses on that space within that 60 secs.
• Same if you demo several 8x8 spots, you can place one 16x16, as all those spots are protected for you as the owner. Just don't forget about a 60 secs timer, and that's it.

 

[Sparkle]

What would happen if I want to change 16x16 into 24x24. Given you can place your 16x16 so you have a 4 wide space around and then come with 24x24 when you finally get it and you would like to replace it. Will it be covered by 60 sec protection or will this 4 wide boarder be treated as new property and therefore the 20 sec lottery will start?

Protected for 60 secs.

The same question applies to moving a property. While still 16x16 it can be moved by 4 spaces in every direction.
In short - will you lose land ownership or not if you won't be perfect on spot?

You can move your property on the half of its size in any direction. So, if you have 16x16, you can move it for 8 any direction and it will still count protected. You'll not have a lottery.

 

[Stellar Stoat]

Could something be worked in to protect players from alts mobbing demos? I have suggested needing to answer 5 questions at random like a captcha to join the lottery.

I am trying to be supportive of changes you see as needed, but part of archeage has always been skill based gameplay including housing demolition grabs. (The cheaters ruin this, but this lottery makes it easier to cheat.)

Also, If I lose a lottery can I join another lottery right away or do I have to wait 10 minutes?

 

[Sparkle]

Could something be worked in to protect players from alts mobbing demos? I have suggested needing to answer 5 questions at random like a captcha to join the lottery.

I am trying to be supportive of changes you see as needed, but part of archeage has always been skill based gameplay including housing demolition grabs. (The cheaters ruin this, but this lottery makes it easier to cheat.)

Also, If I lose a lottery can I join another lottery right away or do I have to wait 10 minutes?

If by alts you mean alt accounts, that is forbidden by our server rules, so you can report them.
As for 10 mins, they are for all participants, not only the winner.