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Difference between revisions of "FiresideChat"

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I am looking to improve some of the aspects of communicating things to the players.  Several people have suggested the idea of a weekly fireside chat around when I run test passings.  I have created a new Microphone Channel called Fireside for the this purpose.  I will accept suggestions here for topics for each week.  I would like to keep the discussion on topic as much as possible with as many questions submitted here before the event.
 
I am looking to improve some of the aspects of communicating things to the players.  Several people have suggested the idea of a weekly fireside chat around when I run test passings.  I have created a new Microphone Channel called Fireside for the this purpose.  I will accept suggestions here for topics for each week.  I would like to keep the discussion on topic as much as possible with as many questions submitted here before the event.
  
Q: Why do you want the questions up front and not during the event?
+
'''If Weekly Fireside Chats aren't working (as evidenced by the fact they aren't happening) can we have them scheduled at some other iteration?  Bi-Weekly?  MonthlyIt's good to hear about the state of the game.'''
A: Because historically the ENN chats have started well but got worse the longer they go on. If I get the questions up front, I can think about the answers and not do quick off the cuff answers that tend to upset someone or another.
 
  
Q: Can I have a unicorn?
+
'''Q:''' Why do you want the questions up front and not during the event?
A: No, stop askingIt was funny the first 200 times, but now you are more likely to get a snarky answer that causes someone to point out that Pluribus is a meany and he shouldn't talk to the players that way.
+
<br>'''''A:''''' Because historically the ENN chats have started well but got worse the longer they go onIf I get the questions up front, I can think about the answers and not do quick off the cuff answers that tend to upset someone or another.
  
Q: How do I submit idea for topics and or Questions that I would like answered.
+
'''Q:''' Can I have a unicorn?
A: Add them to the sections below. (+1 any question that you are interested in that was previously posted)
+
<br>'''''A:''''' No, stop asking.  It was funny the first 200 times, but now you are more likely to get a snarky answer that causes someone to point out that Pluribus is a meany and he shouldn't talk to the players that way.
  
Q: How long will these chats last and is there any chance of taking questions during the event?
+
'''Q:''' How do I submit idea for topics and or Questions that I would like answered.
A: I am shooting to make them about 30 minutes long.  Questions submitted during the event may be answered at my discretion. Posts that are off topic or meant to just be inflammatory will just be deleted rather than posted.  (Yes it is censorship, deal with it)
+
<br>'''''A:''''' Add them to the sections below. (+1 any question that you are interested in that was previously posted)
  
Q: How do I see the discussion as it is happening?
+
'''Q:''' How long will these chats last and is there any chance of taking questions during the event?
A: During the event, just /join Fireside and the microphone channel will be added.  If you can't be in game, it will be logged with the other microphone channels.
+
<br>'''''A:''''' I am shooting to make them about 30 minutes long.  Questions submitted during the event may be answered at my discretion.  Posts that are off topic or meant to just be inflammatory will just be deleted rather than posted.  (Yes it is censorship, deal with it)
 +
 
 +
'''Q:''' How do I see the discussion as it is happening?
 +
<br>'''''A:''''' During the event, just /join Fireside and the microphone channel will be added.  If you can't be in game, it will be logged with the other microphone channels.
  
 
== Topic Ideas ==
 
== Topic Ideas ==
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== Questions Per Topic ==
 
== Questions Per Topic ==
 
=== State of the Game ===
 
=== State of the Game ===
* So, it is 6 months into the first telling that you have run.  What things do you feel that you got right? What things do you feel that you got wrong?
+
* Would you consider adding vanity titles for passing >7 tests in a discipline ("Pharaoh's Idiot")? It would encourage some of us to keep playing. -Istwan
* It feels likes all you do is slow things down, why can't you just give us everything we want NOW
+
* If the barrier to doing a kickstarter is the time required on your end, why not source ideas from the community and get community involvement in running the campaign?  I've started throwing together some ideas [[Kickstarter|here]] -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
* Why don't you do a kickstarter to fund a new graphics engine?
+
* How large of a team is currently working on ATITD?  What sort of things are you needing help with that the community might be able to step in and assist?  We all love this game and want to see it flourish. -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
* Why can't you make the game free to play?
+
* What is the biggest challenge you are seeing in attracting new players to the game? -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
* For Events, instead of one 12-hour marathon, how about 3 or 4 copies of an event, each shorter, and spaced around the clock? This allows people from all different time zones as good of a chance to participate, without people feeling obligated to play for a full 12 hour stretch. Yes, one person could win multiple events. I think most of us are willing to take that chance, though. -Somebob +1 Asnath, +1 Kastou
+
* What percentage of active subscriptions are the full-telling subscription purchases? - [[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
** Would it be possible to create an auto-exclude list that would allow a player to participate in 1 round but not in others? (if event = herbs with 3 rounds and they collect 1+ herb in round 1, they cannot get credit for round 2 or 3) Or to have the player select in which rounds they want to participate(ala Demi-Pharaoh) -Zhukuram
+
* (Nerdy Questions)How are you tracking various work items/doing project management for this (and the other) games?  What system (if any) are you using as a code repository? -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
* Eventhough this is really a game made for "Guild play", lots of people are really playing in small guilds / solo players and its really getting more and more difficult not to say impossible to solo play, because of the costs of so many buildings and such. do you intend to keep it that way ? - Asnath +Zhukuram
+
* What is the status on the store/billing issue? How are things coming along there? - Maxion
* Are you happy with the size of the player base, both financially and from a gameplay standpoint? - Khephren
+
 
* Compared with the past history of ATITD what is your vision for future editions of the game. Are there areas of the game you would like to upgrade or adjust (eg graphics, audio, interface)?  What options do you envision as player areas (since Unicorns are O U T)?  -Zhukuram
+
=== Gameplay ===
* At this stage, do you envision there being an 8th Tale?
+
* Why can't fertilizer be used to fertilize soil? - Lisanna
 +
* Can we have add other ways for flavour finding with Vineyards (like Herb pots find aqueduct locations without building aqueduct towers, beer kettles can run yeast tests) [[User:Silden|Silden]] 16:09, 24 July 2016 (EST)
 +
* A lot of the game relies upon using the wiki for information, since in-game information is lacking/non-existent - is there a way to integrate a form of wiki or other information base into the game? [[User:Silden|Silden]] 04:31, 27 July 2016 (EST)
 +
 
 +
=== Existing Test Improvements and Changes ===
 +
* Some test have rewards, while others do not. Is there any chance to add some reward to every test, even just a small one. - Balthazarr
 +
** Architecture - Since each passed test allows an addition 14 cells to a compound, this discipline is pretty much covered. Plus the various houses that you can build after passing tests, and Monuments Towers, too.
 +
** Art - Since each passed test gives an improved Artistic Touch for Blacksmithing, this discipline is pretty much covered.
 +
** Body - All but Banquet give a stat boost, maybe a Perception boost could be the reward for Banquet.
 +
** Harmony - Gives no rewards for anything, other than the Offering Vault becoming an oversized warehouse. This is probably do to Harmony being a late addition to the game.
 +
** Leadership - Gives rewards for 3 tests Hegemon, Demipharaoh & Mentorship. What about some reward for the others?
 +
** Thought - Gives no rewards for anything. I can think of no reason why this original discipline was left out in the cold.
 +
*** Maybe something like Artistic Touch for Glassblowing or some sort of boost of that sort. - Balthazarr
 +
** Worship - Since each passed test increases the yield by 10 barley, this discipline is pretty much covered. Plus a few tests have an extra benefit given to the passers.
 +
* Bedouin is the only test where the player is ignorant about how near is the goal when it was not reached. In all the others it is known. That could be fixed saying each day in system the 3 (or 4) top scores: the 2 that advanced and one or two more. - Sabuli
 +
* Marriage - There needs to be some way of configuring how much sharing there is in your marriage.  One reason I'm not keen on doing this is I don't want to give unrestricted access to my stuff to another player, especially when I am offline.  Some concerns:
 +
::DP Ban powers should not be accessible by the spouse.  We didn't elect them, we elected the DP (and/or make it configurable, but I'm a fan of no ban powers with spouse login)
 +
::Restrict/configure access on buildings (e.g. maybe I want my spouse to be able to access guild buildings at my access level, or perhaps I want them to use their own access level on all things.  Maybe be able to toggle certain buildings as spouse inaccessible)
 +
::Restrict the time they can be logged in as you, or prevent them from spouse logging.  I'm really not that much of a fan of being able to pretend to be someone else, even if its your spouse.  -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
 +
 
 +
=== Test Rebalance For Solo Play Or Consistency ===
 +
The goal for the game has never been for one player to complete all tests (though this has happened) but there seems to be no consistency in terms of difficulty for a test.  The following rebalance ideas are offered for consideration (offered by [[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]] in the hope of game balance and improvement):
 +
====Architecture====
 +
* Principles - Architecture principles is a little time consuming at newbie tech levels (takes a couple hours to grind out all the materials, especially if you don't get things like improved brick racks, hackling rakes, and carpentry shops built in your compound before expanding it).  Improvements recommended here would be to make the expansion smaller, and maybe include building some of the simpler compound buildings.
 +
* Test of The Obelisk- Instead of making this "tallest wins when held for x time" make it point based like other tests.  If you have the tallest of this type of Obelisk, and are holding power, you earn x points per day.  You earn proportionally less based on how much smaller your obelisk is (exact formula is left to the designer).  In theory, even if you've never had the largest obelisk, you still earn points.  Multiply points by a factor for the type of obelisk (e.g. 1 for desert, 2 for metallic, 3 for cut stone, etc).  The goal is to improve the test for everyone and make things like queues redundant.
 +
* Throne of the Pharoah- Making this more solo-friendly would be to allow anyone to attach a decoration to the throne.  When done by someone not in that throne's group, the throne group gets a half the normal points, and the soloer gets half the normal points.  Alternatively make it on a timer so that for the first X hours only group members can do this.  Similar to the recommendation for obelisk, make passing based on points instead of best throne wins a pass (or add a secondary pass based on points for those not in a throne group). 
 +
* Test of Towers has a good balance and is soloable.  No changes recommended at this time.
 +
* Test of the People's Pyramid - Pyramids take a lot of manpower for one person to get a pass.  Pyramids also provide some small bonuses to Egypt as a whole, so there's no real risk of them not getting built eventually without this test.  My thought is this test should be removed, or its mechanic replaced by some kind of points system for helping build a pyramid (or like other tests, maybe earn points by blessing a pyramid in some way, and whoever has the most points on a given day gets a pass on the test).
 +
* Test of the Megalopolis - I like the flavor of this test, but I envision this as an ever-growing site.  Restict Megalopoli to one per region.  A Megalopoli is completed when the central building is built, but can be added on to by any player.  Megalopoli can expand indefinitely, and grant benefits to the region they are built in, but a player can only ever add one building to a Megalopolis.  Region Megalopoli should compete with each other, and you earn 1 point per building in your megalopolis per day (from the time you add yours).  The x people with the most points every week pass the test.
 +
* Test of the Funerary Temple - This test is mostly ok.  I'm not a fan of the overall demand of Raeli tiles in the game, so I'd recommend being able to add other "decorations" to the temple in a similar manner (fish scales might be fun, used in the same way as tiles, as would paint, but worth fewer points).
 +
* Test of Life - This test works very well the way it is (once the grow attempts vs actual grown counting bug is fixed next telling).  It is possible to "split off" an existing aquaduct and make your own branch (even for one tower and bulk grow your own veggies).  While you can't strictly solo this, you can do a decent job of passing without being involved in the big groups.
 +
* Test of Seven Phoenix - I don't have much of a comment on this test.  Its ok as is.  It requires group participation to reasonably pass.  Maybe reduce points needed based on activity levels?
 +
* Test of Octec's Ghost - This is an ok test, but I really don't like it for Architecture.  It doesn't have the right feel for it.  This is more of a Harmony test.
 +
 
 +
====Art and Music====
 +
In general, these tests are voting based, and so we have large "galleries" of art near CS.  Failure to put your art there tends to mean you will not pass as quickly as those that do.
 +
* Principle: This really should be a test on its own, as sculptures are usually very well done.
 +
* Test of Khefre's Children: Reduce the number of judges needed to a function of how many active players there are (with some minimum).  This way we can actually get passes even if there are few people playing.
 +
* Test of the Raeli Mosaic - More Raeli requirements.  I'm not a fan of the high amounts of Raeli tiles that get used in ATITD in general, and they cause some stiff competition for Raeli spots.  I like the test otherwise.
 +
* Test of Pyrotechnics - I think the passing requirements should be a little different, maybe point based with whoever has the most points over a certain threshold passing.  Additionally, you should be able to program the fireworks so you don't have to be there to set them off.  Maybe set them off every egypt night for a week, and anyone nearby can quickly register before they start and vote.
 +
* Test of the Formal Garden - Quills only being sourced from Ibis is an issue I think in resource requirements.  Otherwise I love this test.  One thing I would "add" to it is a mechanic to "Tour Local Gardens" to be transported to various non-passed gardens from any other garden.  Treat this like the Welcome Island transport where your inventory is locked and you only are there for a short period before going to the next one (being prompted to vote first).  The mechanic needs to be coded properly so there's no ability to abuse the free teleport.
 +
* Test of Flight - There's no reason to have Raeli Tiles be a requirement here (can nothing else "protect the mechanism?".  I like this test, as it has a great visual image.  One issue I see is setting them up in a place that will get enough traffic for votes, but also enough clear space for a good show.
 +
* Test of the Prismatic Opticon - Lots of cut gem requirements (which I've never been any good at, but shouldn't be an issue as there are many people who are).  No real comment here, except the need to place them in high traffic areas.
 +
* Test of the Windsong - The usual "people with hearing issues/can't use sound have a disadvantage here" comment.  Otherwise, this is a good test.  TBH, the only really Music test of the Arts and Music discipline.
 +
* Test of the Dancing Waters - Runs into the same problem as other tests here: you need it in an accessible, frequented area to get enough votes to pass.  Also needs to be in an area where it won't kill the FPS of everyone that comes by.  This is a cool test.
 +
 
 +
====Body====
 +
In general, I'm not a fan of permanent attribute changes being tied to tests.  They should be gained by other means.
 +
* Principle: This is almost too easy of a principle, and only demonstrates that Body tests involve running around everywhere.
 +
* Test of the Acrobat: This is a decent test for Body.  I'm not sure there should be any changes here, except maybe better communication that there's no chance you will learn anything from someone.
 +
* Test of the Archaeologist: Arch. Sites seem to only spawn where people have been, and there's no way to "force" them to occur.  This is really less about archaeology and just a treasure hunt.  Maybe have some change to the test so you have to perform some action to find arch. sites?
 +
* Test of the Bedouin: I like this test.  You can run around all of egypt if you want to pass quickly or just make sure your nearest 3 altars are annointed by you every now and then for a slower passHowever, you need to be able to see your cumulative score.  Maybe even see how many altars are currently annointed by you.
 +
* Test of the Singing Cicada: This test actively penalizes players who cannot play with sound enabled or have hearing issues.  It is the only source of permanent speed, and is set up in such a way that ensures players will keep "playing" the test for a long time to get 14 speed.  Add in things like placing cages where they are only accessible by airship, needing to find 4-7 cages to even set up you own, and it is difficult to get started.  Perhaps add in an option to "buy" a cage from U. Body once a week/month for some non-inconsequential cost.  This would allow players who don't have luck finding cages a chance to still earn points.
 +
* Test of the Darkest Night: As someone who hates shrooming, I'm not a fan of this test in general.  However, one change I would recommend is having the ability to "refresh" one of the mushroom requirements (changes to a new, random shroom, but you lose any progress you made on the previous one), or having any completed requirements get replaced by a new shroom, with the test passing once you complete 35 mushrooms (by eating 7 of each from the ground).  Every 5 shrooms you complete you get 1 endurance.
 +
* Test of the Safari: I'm not a fan of scavenger hunts, but this test is ok as it is.  Only complaint is, like the other Body tests, this restricts strength which is a key stat (because its tied to default carry ability).  There's a huge difference between being able to carry 500 weight and 1000 weight.  I would personally make it so that you can get any combination of 28 animals (maybe with a limit of 7 each instead of 4) so that if you have a particular kind you hate hunting (Otters always laughing at me) you don't *have* to do it to pass.
 +
* Test of the Oyster Catcher : Issue here is that there's programs to perfectly "solve" the oyster beds.  This makes half the test trivial.  The other part, figuring out how to build your necklace, is the fun part.  Like every other body test, I'm not a fan of tying an attribute buff to completion of the test.
 +
* Test of the Ritual Tattoo: This test is cool in concept.  It can be very time consuming to find the right herb if it is rare.
 +
* Test of the Banquet: I like this test a lot, but I feel like the previous tellings of it make it a very easy test (unless you get some ludicrous requirement, but since you can get a menu from each university until you find one you like....). 
 +
 
 +
====Harmony====
 +
Harmony in general is not a favored discipline of mine.  Its a lot of random predictions, and greatly benefits those who have been playing the game for some time (in most cases).  There's so much more that could be done with a set of tests than this.
 +
* Principle: This principle seems highly divorced from the reality of the tests in this discipline. Meeting people is not the same as predicting what other people will do (which is what most of the other tests are about).  Also, like the leadership principle, its pretty much chatting into a region/microphone/etc to get to meet everyone on your list.  This list is easier a couple weeks into the telling than any other time, as there are more people around with more of the requirements (beginning of the tale you might not find an initiate of six or more for a day or two, but unlikely). 
 +
* Test of Chains - For the "first" Harmony test, this is different than the others, in that your predictions must be immediately relevant or "break" your chain.  I'm not a fan of this test, as it requires you to be consistently accurate.  The good news is that this is a *really* easy test to pass as its highest scores without a 8+ way tie.  Easiest way is to get married and pick yourself, then level.
 +
* Test of the Freeman - This test is slow, but I like the principle of it.  However, I think there should be a wider spread on points (make it within 20-30% instead of 10%) to make it more interesting and reduce ties.
 +
* Test of Marriage - This should not be a test.  Imagine a test that requires you to give someone your login to your account, and full access to all your stuff.  Marriage is a wonderful mechanic, but should not be the basis for a test.  Better would be something like Test of the Guild Master or something that provided challenges that could only be accomplished by a group of people, or test passes by people in your guild (since you can be in infinite numbers of guilds that would be hard to balance mechanically).
 +
* Test of the Prophet - This is an ok Harmony test. 
 +
* Test of Souls - There's too much overlap with Test of Chains.  These two tests are far too similar for them to be separate tests.
 +
* Test of the Critic - This is a good Harmony test.  This should remain unchanged.
 +
* Test of Balance of Goods - This is an odd Harmony test.  I like the test, as anyone can do it, it doesn't require rare materials (but they help), but I don't feel it fits in Harmony, as you are trying to outsmart other players.
 +
* Test of Reason - This is far too similar to Test of the Critic for my tastes to be a separate test.  I get that they cover two very separate areas (artistic taste and thought skill), but it seems like a lot of test coverage for the same mechanic.
 +
* Test of Promotion - Too similar to Test of the Prophet for my liking.  It's pretty much the same test with scoring based on their rank rather than number of tests passed.
 +
*
 +
 
 +
====Leadership====
 +
* Principle: This is an annoyance when server populations are low or mid-telling.  Maybe have the number needed fluctuate based on number of online players or number of players active in the last X days.
 +
* Test of the Demi-Pharoah: No....this should not be a test.  DP is a big responsibility and has a lot of power with the potential to ban players.  This should not be the goal of a test, and should only be pursued for altruistic reasons (wanting to help the community).  Ideally, Egypt would keep people out of the DP position if they did not have Egypt's best intentions at heart, but people can be fooled.
 +
* Test of the Kingmaker: This is more of a Harmony test than a leadership one.  I'm not a huge fan of it in general, especially since DP elections are scheduled and somewhat rarer than a test should require.
 +
* Test of Mentorship: Another one that really shouldn't be a test.  There are rewards for mentoring new players that can be redeemed.  That should be enough.
 +
* Test of the Retired Pirates: This is more of a Thought test than a leadership one. 
 +
* Test of the Covered Cartouche: This is more of an Arch test than a leadership one.
 +
* Test of the Beaurocrat: This is a real leadership test, but people being able to overthrow the whole structure is a little off to me.  Maybe require votes or only be able to overthrow those directly above you instead of upsetting the whole beaurocracy. 
 +
* Test of the Hegemon: Not sure what format this will take this telling.  I'll reserve comment til then.
 +
* Test of the Plantation: I'm not sure how I feel about this test.  It seems like a good test, but I'm not sure how leadershippy it is.
 +
* Test of the Coalition: ????
 +
 
 +
====Thought====
 +
In general, Thought needs some UI improvements.  The various puzzles need an option to pop up a menu or HUD to do the tasks, as well as a better way of finding "recently passed" items for principles than using the Wiki.  Like Art and Music, there's the issue that unless your puzzle is near a CS, you probably won't get as many votes.  Finally, the fact that only those that solve your puzzles get to vote implies that there's incentive to make the puzzles relatively easy, instead of the devilishly hard puzzles this discipline should represent.
 +
* Principle: I hate this principle.  Either make a Set's ladder not require a Pyramid of the People, or change the goal to another kind of puzzle.  Guess what....not a whole lot of Set's Ladders have passed in the last 60 days, so....how do I get past principles (Answer: you beg or borrow a Set's Ladder, which kinda defeats the purpose of the principle)?  There's a reason in T3 the initiate of thought challenge was changed to a cheaper puzzle, and why a cheaper puzzle stuck around until this telling (there's no good reason to restrict who can pass principles).
 +
* Test of the Pathmaker: I like pathmakers.  They are cool tests.  They need a UI desperately.
 +
* Test of the Venery: Well made veneries are very nice, but I think there should be a distance requirement.  E.g. everything has to be in x coords of the venery (or at least show on the venery how far away the furthest item is from the venery start point). 
 +
* Test of the Bijou: ugh....gemcutting.  These are largely cool, but I really don't like gemcutting.  Test is good as is.
 +
* Test of the Constellation: This desperately needs a UI.
 +
* Test of the Tomb of the Immortal: This needs a UI to make it easier to play. 
 +
* Test of the Empty Hand: This is stupidly expensive to build a decent puzzle.  This should also be renamed the Empty Warehouse or something because you cannot reasonably fit those blocks in your hand (I've heard from older players this is the original model/size.  Having joined in T4, I prefered the small puzzles that were everywhere, but I really like empty hand puzzles in general, just not the ginormous models).
 +
* Hexaglyphs: I don't have experience with these, but I bet they need a new UI. (they don't. - Maxion)
 +
* Test of the Pulse of the People: This is a Harmony test, not a Thought test.  Also, there's no reason you should need a token to play.
 +
* Riddle of the Sphinx: There are a lot of technical problems with this test.  Making it multiple choice would solve a lot of issues (based off T4 data).
 +
 
 +
====Worship====
 +
* Principle: I am not a fan of this principle.  It has the potential for a lot of flavor, but falls flat.  This is always the last principle I complete, as its boring and only takes a few minutes if you work with the right guild.
 +
* Test of the Vigil: I love this test.  It has great flavor, but I think the rarity of the objects being sacrificed should be taken into consideration more than the total number of sacrifices (maybe averaged out so a particular sacrifice doesn't matter so much as overall, but enough to encourage rarer materials being sacrificed early).  There should also be some way of soloing it a little, even if it would be easier to do it as a group.
 +
* Path of the Pilgrim: I think you should earn points for this by operating shrines, as well as progressing as a pilgrim.  Sacrifices to the shrines should also disappear from the game instead of being retrievable, and certain items should not be sacrificed (e.g. sand, mud, dirt, clinker, etc).
 +
* Test of Festivals: I've not experience this test in practice, so I don't have a lot to comment on it.  It seems interesting, though complicated.
 +
* Test of the Messenger: This is too easy for all of egypt to do.  Maybe have a restriction that the first x to do the ritual pass, and not require 7 passes.
 +
* Test of the Astrological Alignment: A test that entirely relies on random chance.  Shouldn't this be a Harmony test given its nature? I don't care for this test as its heavily reliant on a high enough server population to find a group of 4 others that are all aligned with you.
 +
* Test of Beacons: I don't like the restrictions on this, but like the idea of actions attracting a god's pleasure.  Maybe instead of bringing down a beacon, make a similar test that has actions in Egypt please or displease a god, with the eventual goal being to get 100% satisfaction (similar to Festivals, but with everyday actions).  You could have an event where, say, one god gets angry whenever someone grows onions but likes it when someone grows leeks.  The overall test pass being reliant on getting each got satisfied to 100% at the same time.
 +
* Test of Leavened Breads: This is an overly complicated test.  The baking part is very Worshippy, but the eating part seems to be far more related to Harmony than Worship.  I'm not sure what should be changed here, but breaking it into two tests would be interesting and would give Harmony some additional tests (as I've recommended removing a couple).
 +
* Test of the Humble Priests: I like the benefits of this test (being able to bless others with cool abilities) but some of the requirements are a little off.  Needing a player with no initiations for example for one of the gods.  This reminds me of the T6 seeding requirement to have the veggie grown by 3 lvl 1 players in a small area in order to seed.
 +
* Remembrance Ceremonies: New test, no ideas yet.
 +
* Test of Visions: This is a cool test, but it sucks that only 7 people can see a particular god.  Perhaps anyone who has had the vision (up to a total of 7) in the last x timeframe should be able to, or perhaps despawn/respawn the gods after a short time of no activity if they've been used at all.
 +
 
 +
=== Ideas for New Techs ===
 +
'''The main issue here here is that we propose techs that do NOT require any new graphic resources.''' - Balthazarr
 +
* Pollution Abatement and Fertilizer. If we could research techniques that would tie into Ecology. For example, after testing for Soil Acidity, if you had learned this tech, you would know how much Lime would need to be spread to mitigate the Soil Acidity. Thank you Lisanna for the suggestion above. - Balthazarr
 +
* Forge & Casting Box Timers. A tech that would allow us to upgrade Forge & Casting Boxes with a timer showing how much time is left on a project, they would update like a chariot, when you clicked on the building. Maybe a new glaziers bench option ''Fine Glass Hourglass'' which along with a handful of other materials would enable the upgrade, once the tech was learned. - Balthazarr
 +
* Greenhouse Technology - Allowing the growing of vegetables, instead of grass. Maybe at 25% of the output of grass. An alternative to offlining or macroing them. - Balthazarr (+1 [[User:Silden|Silden]] 10:36, 15 April 2016 (EST))
 +
* Real McCoy Oil-Drip Cup - Allowing the installation of automatic oil dispensers to machines that can be lubricated. Could be Steam Mechanics Level 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_McCoy - Balthazarr
 +
* Increased capacity Flax Hammocks and/or Drying Racks, either as an initial build (like Greenhouses) or as an upgrade (like Gins), which allow drying of larger amounts (Structure Reinforcement 3?) ([[User:Silden|Silden]] 10:36, 15 April 2016 (EST))
 +
* A use for Cocoa, maybe a Chocolate Making Tech, allowing use to make the Chocolates we get from the Snowstorms, OR Better yet new Chocolates that use real world ingredients that we have access to in game; Camel Milk & Cocoa as the base; Royal Jelly, Honey & Indo Honey as a sweetener; Watermelon, Dates, Citrus Fruits & Coconut Meat as Fillers; Grilled Coconut Meat, Peppers, Grilled Peppers, Salt & Logical Herbs (Blueberry Tea Tree, Camelmint, Ginger Root, Ginseng Root, Honey Mint, Ice Mint, Lemondrop, Lemon Grass, Liquorice, Nubian Liquorice, Mountain Mint, Peppermint, Strawberry Tea, Vanilla Tea Tree) as flavorings. It could be set as a static table that gets randomized each tale. Each chocolate would have Cocoa as the base, one sweetener, one filler & one flavoring, with the option to add Camel Milk. - Balthazarr
 +
* Permanent Excavation or Enduring Excavation: This is a permanent version of a dig hole (so graphic resources can be reused.  Ideally it would have its own graphic to distinguish it as a building).  This building requires some fairly simple resources to build (wood, rope, slate shovels (or perhaps any shovel), and boards).  This building tracks depth.  When used, depth increases slightly, materials are generated, and an endurance timer is started on the avatar.  Resources are dependent on depth of the excavation (depth < 100 only dirt, beyond that, occasional cuttable stone.  At depth > 200 occasional medium stone, with more depth meaning greater chance for either).  Every 100 depth, the excavation "breaks" and requires additional materials to continue excavating (these should be the same materials used in construction).  At some point the excavation becomes unusable (maybe this max depth can be improved through further tech or reinforcing the excavation) (making steam shovels and normal digs more efficient, but requiring more resources or more people respectively).  Excavations should produce pollution, particularly heavy metals, even when not in use.  To remove an excavation, you have to "fill" it with dirt equivalent to the amount removed (plus additional for the stone, bauxite, and gypsum removed at an increased rate).  Removing a permanent excavation refunds no materials, no matter what skills you have.  Potential improvements for this building should be centered around more efficient excavating (2+ depth per use) or deeper maximum depth. -[[User:Dresdor|Dresdor]]
 +
 
 +
=== Events ===
 +
There seem to a number of question showing up about events, I will try and get with nikara (The events team lead) and be better prepared for those questions.
 +
 
 +
* For Events, instead of one 12-hour marathon, how about 3 or 4 copies of an event, each shorter, and spaced around the clock? This allows people from all different time zones as good of a chance to participate, without people feeling obligated to play for a full 12 hour stretch. Yes, one person could win multiple events. I think most of us are willing to take that chance, though. - Somebob +1 Asnath, +1 Kastou, +1 Balthazarr +1 Spicy
 +
* Would it be possible to create an auto-exclude list that would allow a player to participate in 1 round but not in others? (if event = herbs with 3 rounds and they collect 1+ herb in round 1, they cannot get credit for round 2 or 3) Or to have the player select in which rounds they want to participate(ala Demi-Pharaoh) - Zhukuram
 +
* Many players are frustrated with long events, be them 12 or 24 hours long. Similarly they are frustrated with a shorter event that is held at a time inconvenient to them. In some past tales, the same event was run 3 times, with the start time of the second event 8 hours after the first and the third being 16 hours after the first. Is there any chance that this could become the norm? (yes this is a rephrasing of the initial question, just with more details) - Balthazarr
 +
* There has been lots of confusion during events as to what the rules and guildlines are. Would it be possible to have that information available before the events? Example, if warps are possible, time travel use, etc. - Brucette +1 Spicy, +1 LuluDivine
 +
** For some events it has even been difficult or impossible to determine what activities would gain points or 'win' the event - can events have a clear set of parameters for what makes a person gain points/advance/win? LuluDivine
 +
* We have megalopolis for player event announcements (eg digs and acro) but how do you feel about player run events with player provided rewards? Do you think these are in conflict with official ATITD events (herbing, smoking etc)?  Do you think there might be a way to help players run partially competitive events like T6 '''Bonfires for SETESH''' or '''Great Herb Dump'''?  Running player invented events manually takes at least 3 players who dedicate weeks in preparation and then SETESH shows up and chaos happens. -Zhukuram
 +
** Increase membership of the events team? ([[User:Silden|Silden]] 10:38, 15 April 2016 (EST))
 +
* There have been serial on-going events where the story line seems to just die out.  Are there ways to help mitigate collapsed story lines or burned out event teams?  -Zhukuram
 +
* Some events have top prizes that are worth very little, even to a relatively casual player - is this an intentional choice? - LuluDivine
 +
* Who is on the Events Team? Is that knowledge secret for some reason? - LuluDivine

Latest revision as of 09:31, 27 July 2016

Fireside Chat Ideas

I am looking to improve some of the aspects of communicating things to the players. Several people have suggested the idea of a weekly fireside chat around when I run test passings. I have created a new Microphone Channel called Fireside for the this purpose. I will accept suggestions here for topics for each week. I would like to keep the discussion on topic as much as possible with as many questions submitted here before the event.

If Weekly Fireside Chats aren't working (as evidenced by the fact they aren't happening) can we have them scheduled at some other iteration? Bi-Weekly? Monthly? It's good to hear about the state of the game.

Q: Why do you want the questions up front and not during the event?
A: Because historically the ENN chats have started well but got worse the longer they go on. If I get the questions up front, I can think about the answers and not do quick off the cuff answers that tend to upset someone or another.

Q: Can I have a unicorn?
A: No, stop asking. It was funny the first 200 times, but now you are more likely to get a snarky answer that causes someone to point out that Pluribus is a meany and he shouldn't talk to the players that way.

Q: How do I submit idea for topics and or Questions that I would like answered.
A: Add them to the sections below. (+1 any question that you are interested in that was previously posted)

Q: How long will these chats last and is there any chance of taking questions during the event?
A: I am shooting to make them about 30 minutes long. Questions submitted during the event may be answered at my discretion. Posts that are off topic or meant to just be inflammatory will just be deleted rather than posted. (Yes it is censorship, deal with it)

Q: How do I see the discussion as it is happening?
A: During the event, just /join Fireside and the microphone channel will be added. If you can't be in game, it will be logged with the other microphone channels.

Topic Ideas

State of the Game

Questions Per Topic

State of the Game

  • Would you consider adding vanity titles for passing >7 tests in a discipline ("Pharaoh's Idiot")? It would encourage some of us to keep playing. -Istwan
  • If the barrier to doing a kickstarter is the time required on your end, why not source ideas from the community and get community involvement in running the campaign? I've started throwing together some ideas here -Dresdor
  • How large of a team is currently working on ATITD? What sort of things are you needing help with that the community might be able to step in and assist? We all love this game and want to see it flourish. -Dresdor
  • What is the biggest challenge you are seeing in attracting new players to the game? -Dresdor
  • What percentage of active subscriptions are the full-telling subscription purchases? - Dresdor
  • (Nerdy Questions)How are you tracking various work items/doing project management for this (and the other) games? What system (if any) are you using as a code repository? -Dresdor
  • What is the status on the store/billing issue? How are things coming along there? - Maxion

Gameplay

  • Why can't fertilizer be used to fertilize soil? - Lisanna
  • Can we have add other ways for flavour finding with Vineyards (like Herb pots find aqueduct locations without building aqueduct towers, beer kettles can run yeast tests) Silden 16:09, 24 July 2016 (EST)
  • A lot of the game relies upon using the wiki for information, since in-game information is lacking/non-existent - is there a way to integrate a form of wiki or other information base into the game? Silden 04:31, 27 July 2016 (EST)

Existing Test Improvements and Changes

  • Some test have rewards, while others do not. Is there any chance to add some reward to every test, even just a small one. - Balthazarr
    • Architecture - Since each passed test allows an addition 14 cells to a compound, this discipline is pretty much covered. Plus the various houses that you can build after passing tests, and Monuments Towers, too.
    • Art - Since each passed test gives an improved Artistic Touch for Blacksmithing, this discipline is pretty much covered.
    • Body - All but Banquet give a stat boost, maybe a Perception boost could be the reward for Banquet.
    • Harmony - Gives no rewards for anything, other than the Offering Vault becoming an oversized warehouse. This is probably do to Harmony being a late addition to the game.
    • Leadership - Gives rewards for 3 tests Hegemon, Demipharaoh & Mentorship. What about some reward for the others?
    • Thought - Gives no rewards for anything. I can think of no reason why this original discipline was left out in the cold.
      • Maybe something like Artistic Touch for Glassblowing or some sort of boost of that sort. - Balthazarr
    • Worship - Since each passed test increases the yield by 10 barley, this discipline is pretty much covered. Plus a few tests have an extra benefit given to the passers.
  • Bedouin is the only test where the player is ignorant about how near is the goal when it was not reached. In all the others it is known. That could be fixed saying each day in system the 3 (or 4) top scores: the 2 that advanced and one or two more. - Sabuli
  • Marriage - There needs to be some way of configuring how much sharing there is in your marriage. One reason I'm not keen on doing this is I don't want to give unrestricted access to my stuff to another player, especially when I am offline. Some concerns:
DP Ban powers should not be accessible by the spouse. We didn't elect them, we elected the DP (and/or make it configurable, but I'm a fan of no ban powers with spouse login)
Restrict/configure access on buildings (e.g. maybe I want my spouse to be able to access guild buildings at my access level, or perhaps I want them to use their own access level on all things. Maybe be able to toggle certain buildings as spouse inaccessible)
Restrict the time they can be logged in as you, or prevent them from spouse logging. I'm really not that much of a fan of being able to pretend to be someone else, even if its your spouse. -Dresdor

Test Rebalance For Solo Play Or Consistency

The goal for the game has never been for one player to complete all tests (though this has happened) but there seems to be no consistency in terms of difficulty for a test. The following rebalance ideas are offered for consideration (offered by Dresdor in the hope of game balance and improvement):

Architecture

  • Principles - Architecture principles is a little time consuming at newbie tech levels (takes a couple hours to grind out all the materials, especially if you don't get things like improved brick racks, hackling rakes, and carpentry shops built in your compound before expanding it). Improvements recommended here would be to make the expansion smaller, and maybe include building some of the simpler compound buildings.
  • Test of The Obelisk- Instead of making this "tallest wins when held for x time" make it point based like other tests. If you have the tallest of this type of Obelisk, and are holding power, you earn x points per day. You earn proportionally less based on how much smaller your obelisk is (exact formula is left to the designer). In theory, even if you've never had the largest obelisk, you still earn points. Multiply points by a factor for the type of obelisk (e.g. 1 for desert, 2 for metallic, 3 for cut stone, etc). The goal is to improve the test for everyone and make things like queues redundant.
  • Throne of the Pharoah- Making this more solo-friendly would be to allow anyone to attach a decoration to the throne. When done by someone not in that throne's group, the throne group gets a half the normal points, and the soloer gets half the normal points. Alternatively make it on a timer so that for the first X hours only group members can do this. Similar to the recommendation for obelisk, make passing based on points instead of best throne wins a pass (or add a secondary pass based on points for those not in a throne group).
  • Test of Towers has a good balance and is soloable. No changes recommended at this time.
  • Test of the People's Pyramid - Pyramids take a lot of manpower for one person to get a pass. Pyramids also provide some small bonuses to Egypt as a whole, so there's no real risk of them not getting built eventually without this test. My thought is this test should be removed, or its mechanic replaced by some kind of points system for helping build a pyramid (or like other tests, maybe earn points by blessing a pyramid in some way, and whoever has the most points on a given day gets a pass on the test).
  • Test of the Megalopolis - I like the flavor of this test, but I envision this as an ever-growing site. Restict Megalopoli to one per region. A Megalopoli is completed when the central building is built, but can be added on to by any player. Megalopoli can expand indefinitely, and grant benefits to the region they are built in, but a player can only ever add one building to a Megalopolis. Region Megalopoli should compete with each other, and you earn 1 point per building in your megalopolis per day (from the time you add yours). The x people with the most points every week pass the test.
  • Test of the Funerary Temple - This test is mostly ok. I'm not a fan of the overall demand of Raeli tiles in the game, so I'd recommend being able to add other "decorations" to the temple in a similar manner (fish scales might be fun, used in the same way as tiles, as would paint, but worth fewer points).
  • Test of Life - This test works very well the way it is (once the grow attempts vs actual grown counting bug is fixed next telling). It is possible to "split off" an existing aquaduct and make your own branch (even for one tower and bulk grow your own veggies). While you can't strictly solo this, you can do a decent job of passing without being involved in the big groups.
  • Test of Seven Phoenix - I don't have much of a comment on this test. Its ok as is. It requires group participation to reasonably pass. Maybe reduce points needed based on activity levels?
  • Test of Octec's Ghost - This is an ok test, but I really don't like it for Architecture. It doesn't have the right feel for it. This is more of a Harmony test.

Art and Music

In general, these tests are voting based, and so we have large "galleries" of art near CS. Failure to put your art there tends to mean you will not pass as quickly as those that do.

  • Principle: This really should be a test on its own, as sculptures are usually very well done.
  • Test of Khefre's Children: Reduce the number of judges needed to a function of how many active players there are (with some minimum). This way we can actually get passes even if there are few people playing.
  • Test of the Raeli Mosaic - More Raeli requirements. I'm not a fan of the high amounts of Raeli tiles that get used in ATITD in general, and they cause some stiff competition for Raeli spots. I like the test otherwise.
  • Test of Pyrotechnics - I think the passing requirements should be a little different, maybe point based with whoever has the most points over a certain threshold passing. Additionally, you should be able to program the fireworks so you don't have to be there to set them off. Maybe set them off every egypt night for a week, and anyone nearby can quickly register before they start and vote.
  • Test of the Formal Garden - Quills only being sourced from Ibis is an issue I think in resource requirements. Otherwise I love this test. One thing I would "add" to it is a mechanic to "Tour Local Gardens" to be transported to various non-passed gardens from any other garden. Treat this like the Welcome Island transport where your inventory is locked and you only are there for a short period before going to the next one (being prompted to vote first). The mechanic needs to be coded properly so there's no ability to abuse the free teleport.
  • Test of Flight - There's no reason to have Raeli Tiles be a requirement here (can nothing else "protect the mechanism?". I like this test, as it has a great visual image. One issue I see is setting them up in a place that will get enough traffic for votes, but also enough clear space for a good show.
  • Test of the Prismatic Opticon - Lots of cut gem requirements (which I've never been any good at, but shouldn't be an issue as there are many people who are). No real comment here, except the need to place them in high traffic areas.
  • Test of the Windsong - The usual "people with hearing issues/can't use sound have a disadvantage here" comment. Otherwise, this is a good test. TBH, the only really Music test of the Arts and Music discipline.
  • Test of the Dancing Waters - Runs into the same problem as other tests here: you need it in an accessible, frequented area to get enough votes to pass. Also needs to be in an area where it won't kill the FPS of everyone that comes by. This is a cool test.

Body

In general, I'm not a fan of permanent attribute changes being tied to tests. They should be gained by other means.

  • Principle: This is almost too easy of a principle, and only demonstrates that Body tests involve running around everywhere.
  • Test of the Acrobat: This is a decent test for Body. I'm not sure there should be any changes here, except maybe better communication that there's no chance you will learn anything from someone.
  • Test of the Archaeologist: Arch. Sites seem to only spawn where people have been, and there's no way to "force" them to occur. This is really less about archaeology and just a treasure hunt. Maybe have some change to the test so you have to perform some action to find arch. sites?
  • Test of the Bedouin: I like this test. You can run around all of egypt if you want to pass quickly or just make sure your nearest 3 altars are annointed by you every now and then for a slower pass. However, you need to be able to see your cumulative score. Maybe even see how many altars are currently annointed by you.
  • Test of the Singing Cicada: This test actively penalizes players who cannot play with sound enabled or have hearing issues. It is the only source of permanent speed, and is set up in such a way that ensures players will keep "playing" the test for a long time to get 14 speed. Add in things like placing cages where they are only accessible by airship, needing to find 4-7 cages to even set up you own, and it is difficult to get started. Perhaps add in an option to "buy" a cage from U. Body once a week/month for some non-inconsequential cost. This would allow players who don't have luck finding cages a chance to still earn points.
  • Test of the Darkest Night: As someone who hates shrooming, I'm not a fan of this test in general. However, one change I would recommend is having the ability to "refresh" one of the mushroom requirements (changes to a new, random shroom, but you lose any progress you made on the previous one), or having any completed requirements get replaced by a new shroom, with the test passing once you complete 35 mushrooms (by eating 7 of each from the ground). Every 5 shrooms you complete you get 1 endurance.
  • Test of the Safari: I'm not a fan of scavenger hunts, but this test is ok as it is. Only complaint is, like the other Body tests, this restricts strength which is a key stat (because its tied to default carry ability). There's a huge difference between being able to carry 500 weight and 1000 weight. I would personally make it so that you can get any combination of 28 animals (maybe with a limit of 7 each instead of 4) so that if you have a particular kind you hate hunting (Otters always laughing at me) you don't *have* to do it to pass.
  • Test of the Oyster Catcher : Issue here is that there's programs to perfectly "solve" the oyster beds. This makes half the test trivial. The other part, figuring out how to build your necklace, is the fun part. Like every other body test, I'm not a fan of tying an attribute buff to completion of the test.
  • Test of the Ritual Tattoo: This test is cool in concept. It can be very time consuming to find the right herb if it is rare.
  • Test of the Banquet: I like this test a lot, but I feel like the previous tellings of it make it a very easy test (unless you get some ludicrous requirement, but since you can get a menu from each university until you find one you like....).

Harmony

Harmony in general is not a favored discipline of mine. Its a lot of random predictions, and greatly benefits those who have been playing the game for some time (in most cases). There's so much more that could be done with a set of tests than this.

  • Principle: This principle seems highly divorced from the reality of the tests in this discipline. Meeting people is not the same as predicting what other people will do (which is what most of the other tests are about). Also, like the leadership principle, its pretty much chatting into a region/microphone/etc to get to meet everyone on your list. This list is easier a couple weeks into the telling than any other time, as there are more people around with more of the requirements (beginning of the tale you might not find an initiate of six or more for a day or two, but unlikely).
  • Test of Chains - For the "first" Harmony test, this is different than the others, in that your predictions must be immediately relevant or "break" your chain. I'm not a fan of this test, as it requires you to be consistently accurate. The good news is that this is a *really* easy test to pass as its highest scores without a 8+ way tie. Easiest way is to get married and pick yourself, then level.
  • Test of the Freeman - This test is slow, but I like the principle of it. However, I think there should be a wider spread on points (make it within 20-30% instead of 10%) to make it more interesting and reduce ties.
  • Test of Marriage - This should not be a test. Imagine a test that requires you to give someone your login to your account, and full access to all your stuff. Marriage is a wonderful mechanic, but should not be the basis for a test. Better would be something like Test of the Guild Master or something that provided challenges that could only be accomplished by a group of people, or test passes by people in your guild (since you can be in infinite numbers of guilds that would be hard to balance mechanically).
  • Test of the Prophet - This is an ok Harmony test.
  • Test of Souls - There's too much overlap with Test of Chains. These two tests are far too similar for them to be separate tests.
  • Test of the Critic - This is a good Harmony test. This should remain unchanged.
  • Test of Balance of Goods - This is an odd Harmony test. I like the test, as anyone can do it, it doesn't require rare materials (but they help), but I don't feel it fits in Harmony, as you are trying to outsmart other players.
  • Test of Reason - This is far too similar to Test of the Critic for my tastes to be a separate test. I get that they cover two very separate areas (artistic taste and thought skill), but it seems like a lot of test coverage for the same mechanic.
  • Test of Promotion - Too similar to Test of the Prophet for my liking. It's pretty much the same test with scoring based on their rank rather than number of tests passed.

Leadership

  • Principle: This is an annoyance when server populations are low or mid-telling. Maybe have the number needed fluctuate based on number of online players or number of players active in the last X days.
  • Test of the Demi-Pharoah: No....this should not be a test. DP is a big responsibility and has a lot of power with the potential to ban players. This should not be the goal of a test, and should only be pursued for altruistic reasons (wanting to help the community). Ideally, Egypt would keep people out of the DP position if they did not have Egypt's best intentions at heart, but people can be fooled.
  • Test of the Kingmaker: This is more of a Harmony test than a leadership one. I'm not a huge fan of it in general, especially since DP elections are scheduled and somewhat rarer than a test should require.
  • Test of Mentorship: Another one that really shouldn't be a test. There are rewards for mentoring new players that can be redeemed. That should be enough.
  • Test of the Retired Pirates: This is more of a Thought test than a leadership one.
  • Test of the Covered Cartouche: This is more of an Arch test than a leadership one.
  • Test of the Beaurocrat: This is a real leadership test, but people being able to overthrow the whole structure is a little off to me. Maybe require votes or only be able to overthrow those directly above you instead of upsetting the whole beaurocracy.
  • Test of the Hegemon: Not sure what format this will take this telling. I'll reserve comment til then.
  • Test of the Plantation: I'm not sure how I feel about this test. It seems like a good test, but I'm not sure how leadershippy it is.
  • Test of the Coalition: ????

Thought

In general, Thought needs some UI improvements. The various puzzles need an option to pop up a menu or HUD to do the tasks, as well as a better way of finding "recently passed" items for principles than using the Wiki. Like Art and Music, there's the issue that unless your puzzle is near a CS, you probably won't get as many votes. Finally, the fact that only those that solve your puzzles get to vote implies that there's incentive to make the puzzles relatively easy, instead of the devilishly hard puzzles this discipline should represent.

  • Principle: I hate this principle. Either make a Set's ladder not require a Pyramid of the People, or change the goal to another kind of puzzle. Guess what....not a whole lot of Set's Ladders have passed in the last 60 days, so....how do I get past principles (Answer: you beg or borrow a Set's Ladder, which kinda defeats the purpose of the principle)? There's a reason in T3 the initiate of thought challenge was changed to a cheaper puzzle, and why a cheaper puzzle stuck around until this telling (there's no good reason to restrict who can pass principles).
  • Test of the Pathmaker: I like pathmakers. They are cool tests. They need a UI desperately.
  • Test of the Venery: Well made veneries are very nice, but I think there should be a distance requirement. E.g. everything has to be in x coords of the venery (or at least show on the venery how far away the furthest item is from the venery start point).
  • Test of the Bijou: ugh....gemcutting. These are largely cool, but I really don't like gemcutting. Test is good as is.
  • Test of the Constellation: This desperately needs a UI.
  • Test of the Tomb of the Immortal: This needs a UI to make it easier to play.
  • Test of the Empty Hand: This is stupidly expensive to build a decent puzzle. This should also be renamed the Empty Warehouse or something because you cannot reasonably fit those blocks in your hand (I've heard from older players this is the original model/size. Having joined in T4, I prefered the small puzzles that were everywhere, but I really like empty hand puzzles in general, just not the ginormous models).
  • Hexaglyphs: I don't have experience with these, but I bet they need a new UI. (they don't. - Maxion)
  • Test of the Pulse of the People: This is a Harmony test, not a Thought test. Also, there's no reason you should need a token to play.
  • Riddle of the Sphinx: There are a lot of technical problems with this test. Making it multiple choice would solve a lot of issues (based off T4 data).

Worship

  • Principle: I am not a fan of this principle. It has the potential for a lot of flavor, but falls flat. This is always the last principle I complete, as its boring and only takes a few minutes if you work with the right guild.
  • Test of the Vigil: I love this test. It has great flavor, but I think the rarity of the objects being sacrificed should be taken into consideration more than the total number of sacrifices (maybe averaged out so a particular sacrifice doesn't matter so much as overall, but enough to encourage rarer materials being sacrificed early). There should also be some way of soloing it a little, even if it would be easier to do it as a group.
  • Path of the Pilgrim: I think you should earn points for this by operating shrines, as well as progressing as a pilgrim. Sacrifices to the shrines should also disappear from the game instead of being retrievable, and certain items should not be sacrificed (e.g. sand, mud, dirt, clinker, etc).
  • Test of Festivals: I've not experience this test in practice, so I don't have a lot to comment on it. It seems interesting, though complicated.
  • Test of the Messenger: This is too easy for all of egypt to do. Maybe have a restriction that the first x to do the ritual pass, and not require 7 passes.
  • Test of the Astrological Alignment: A test that entirely relies on random chance. Shouldn't this be a Harmony test given its nature? I don't care for this test as its heavily reliant on a high enough server population to find a group of 4 others that are all aligned with you.
  • Test of Beacons: I don't like the restrictions on this, but like the idea of actions attracting a god's pleasure. Maybe instead of bringing down a beacon, make a similar test that has actions in Egypt please or displease a god, with the eventual goal being to get 100% satisfaction (similar to Festivals, but with everyday actions). You could have an event where, say, one god gets angry whenever someone grows onions but likes it when someone grows leeks. The overall test pass being reliant on getting each got satisfied to 100% at the same time.
  • Test of Leavened Breads: This is an overly complicated test. The baking part is very Worshippy, but the eating part seems to be far more related to Harmony than Worship. I'm not sure what should be changed here, but breaking it into two tests would be interesting and would give Harmony some additional tests (as I've recommended removing a couple).
  • Test of the Humble Priests: I like the benefits of this test (being able to bless others with cool abilities) but some of the requirements are a little off. Needing a player with no initiations for example for one of the gods. This reminds me of the T6 seeding requirement to have the veggie grown by 3 lvl 1 players in a small area in order to seed.
  • Remembrance Ceremonies: New test, no ideas yet.
  • Test of Visions: This is a cool test, but it sucks that only 7 people can see a particular god. Perhaps anyone who has had the vision (up to a total of 7) in the last x timeframe should be able to, or perhaps despawn/respawn the gods after a short time of no activity if they've been used at all.

Ideas for New Techs

The main issue here here is that we propose techs that do NOT require any new graphic resources. - Balthazarr

  • Pollution Abatement and Fertilizer. If we could research techniques that would tie into Ecology. For example, after testing for Soil Acidity, if you had learned this tech, you would know how much Lime would need to be spread to mitigate the Soil Acidity. Thank you Lisanna for the suggestion above. - Balthazarr
  • Forge & Casting Box Timers. A tech that would allow us to upgrade Forge & Casting Boxes with a timer showing how much time is left on a project, they would update like a chariot, when you clicked on the building. Maybe a new glaziers bench option Fine Glass Hourglass which along with a handful of other materials would enable the upgrade, once the tech was learned. - Balthazarr
  • Greenhouse Technology - Allowing the growing of vegetables, instead of grass. Maybe at 25% of the output of grass. An alternative to offlining or macroing them. - Balthazarr (+1 Silden 10:36, 15 April 2016 (EST))
  • Real McCoy Oil-Drip Cup - Allowing the installation of automatic oil dispensers to machines that can be lubricated. Could be Steam Mechanics Level 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_McCoy - Balthazarr
  • Increased capacity Flax Hammocks and/or Drying Racks, either as an initial build (like Greenhouses) or as an upgrade (like Gins), which allow drying of larger amounts (Structure Reinforcement 3?) (Silden 10:36, 15 April 2016 (EST))
  • A use for Cocoa, maybe a Chocolate Making Tech, allowing use to make the Chocolates we get from the Snowstorms, OR Better yet new Chocolates that use real world ingredients that we have access to in game; Camel Milk & Cocoa as the base; Royal Jelly, Honey & Indo Honey as a sweetener; Watermelon, Dates, Citrus Fruits & Coconut Meat as Fillers; Grilled Coconut Meat, Peppers, Grilled Peppers, Salt & Logical Herbs (Blueberry Tea Tree, Camelmint, Ginger Root, Ginseng Root, Honey Mint, Ice Mint, Lemondrop, Lemon Grass, Liquorice, Nubian Liquorice, Mountain Mint, Peppermint, Strawberry Tea, Vanilla Tea Tree) as flavorings. It could be set as a static table that gets randomized each tale. Each chocolate would have Cocoa as the base, one sweetener, one filler & one flavoring, with the option to add Camel Milk. - Balthazarr
  • Permanent Excavation or Enduring Excavation: This is a permanent version of a dig hole (so graphic resources can be reused. Ideally it would have its own graphic to distinguish it as a building). This building requires some fairly simple resources to build (wood, rope, slate shovels (or perhaps any shovel), and boards). This building tracks depth. When used, depth increases slightly, materials are generated, and an endurance timer is started on the avatar. Resources are dependent on depth of the excavation (depth < 100 only dirt, beyond that, occasional cuttable stone. At depth > 200 occasional medium stone, with more depth meaning greater chance for either). Every 100 depth, the excavation "breaks" and requires additional materials to continue excavating (these should be the same materials used in construction). At some point the excavation becomes unusable (maybe this max depth can be improved through further tech or reinforcing the excavation) (making steam shovels and normal digs more efficient, but requiring more resources or more people respectively). Excavations should produce pollution, particularly heavy metals, even when not in use. To remove an excavation, you have to "fill" it with dirt equivalent to the amount removed (plus additional for the stone, bauxite, and gypsum removed at an increased rate). Removing a permanent excavation refunds no materials, no matter what skills you have. Potential improvements for this building should be centered around more efficient excavating (2+ depth per use) or deeper maximum depth. -Dresdor

Events

There seem to a number of question showing up about events, I will try and get with nikara (The events team lead) and be better prepared for those questions.

  • For Events, instead of one 12-hour marathon, how about 3 or 4 copies of an event, each shorter, and spaced around the clock? This allows people from all different time zones as good of a chance to participate, without people feeling obligated to play for a full 12 hour stretch. Yes, one person could win multiple events. I think most of us are willing to take that chance, though. - Somebob +1 Asnath, +1 Kastou, +1 Balthazarr +1 Spicy
  • Would it be possible to create an auto-exclude list that would allow a player to participate in 1 round but not in others? (if event = herbs with 3 rounds and they collect 1+ herb in round 1, they cannot get credit for round 2 or 3) Or to have the player select in which rounds they want to participate(ala Demi-Pharaoh) - Zhukuram
  • Many players are frustrated with long events, be them 12 or 24 hours long. Similarly they are frustrated with a shorter event that is held at a time inconvenient to them. In some past tales, the same event was run 3 times, with the start time of the second event 8 hours after the first and the third being 16 hours after the first. Is there any chance that this could become the norm? (yes this is a rephrasing of the initial question, just with more details) - Balthazarr
  • There has been lots of confusion during events as to what the rules and guildlines are. Would it be possible to have that information available before the events? Example, if warps are possible, time travel use, etc. - Brucette +1 Spicy, +1 LuluDivine
    • For some events it has even been difficult or impossible to determine what activities would gain points or 'win' the event - can events have a clear set of parameters for what makes a person gain points/advance/win? LuluDivine
  • We have megalopolis for player event announcements (eg digs and acro) but how do you feel about player run events with player provided rewards? Do you think these are in conflict with official ATITD events (herbing, smoking etc)? Do you think there might be a way to help players run partially competitive events like T6 Bonfires for SETESH or Great Herb Dump? Running player invented events manually takes at least 3 players who dedicate weeks in preparation and then SETESH shows up and chaos happens. -Zhukuram
    • Increase membership of the events team? (Silden 10:38, 15 April 2016 (EST))
  • There have been serial on-going events where the story line seems to just die out. Are there ways to help mitigate collapsed story lines or burned out event teams? -Zhukuram
  • Some events have top prizes that are worth very little, even to a relatively casual player - is this an intentional choice? - LuluDivine
  • Who is on the Events Team? Is that knowledge secret for some reason? - LuluDivine