Simple land claim fix idea

[Captain Trenchard 26]

There's a lot of ideas out there. Obviously not everyone will be happy with all of them. Some won't be happy with any of them. 

Claim limits solve some problems, but create others. Let's say that claims are limited to one per company (remember that even a solo player is a company of one) plus one per member. This would require a few additional changes:

First a system that automatically removes inactive players from a company (of more than just themselves) after x number of days offline. Let's say 21 as that's the current claim timer anyway.

Second is upkeep. Upkeep on a limited number of flags need be nothing more than time (the most valuable resource there is). Players should have to interact with the flag to reset the timer. 

These two go hand in hand as they allow the company to decide what they are going to keep before the claim timer expires. And it keeps mega companies actually active. Say you are a company of five with 20 claims. You do upkeep on 5 flags, when you go for number six, you get a system message that says you are at your maximum number of flags and must declaim a flag before you can update another. Of course you could also pickup another member and thus be entitled to flag number six.

Third. No flag contesting. Timer expires and the flag/claim vanishes. End of story. If you couldn't be bothered to upkeep for 21 days, don't complain when it goes away.

Next, any builds outside of claimed territory decay in 4 hours. I.e you can still build in lawless if you need to... you just can't live there (no more pillar or foundation spamming.).

Finally put an upkeep requirement on ships with decay for those that are not actively being upkeeped so they can eventually be sunk. 

 

Let the flaming commence.

[MeatSammich 214]

Only real problem I have with that, is that solo companies only get 1 claim. If companies were allowed 5 to 10 claims, plus 1 per member, it would make it a lot more palatable. Main reason being is that 1 claim is far too limiting, in terms of you either get half a beach with no resources (once you put down buildings) to make your claim reach into the water to place a shipyard. Or you have no deep water to place a shipyard, and still block half the resources on that claim when you build there.

[Nutcutt3r 173]

2 hours ago, MeatSammich said:

Only real problem I have with that, is that solo companies only get 1 claim. If companies were allowed 5 to 10 claims, plus 1 per member, it would make it a lot more palatable. Main reason being is that 1 claim is far too limiting, in terms of you either get half a beach with no resources (once you put down buildings) to make your claim reach into the water to place a shipyard. Or you have no deep water to place a shipyard, and still block half the resources on that claim when you build there.

Yeah like playing solo isnt far too limiting either...not that I agree with the idea anyway. Simple fixes dont take 4+ paragraphs.

[CazzT 68]

4 hours ago, Captain Trenchard said:

No flag contesting. Timer expires and the flag/claim vanishes. End of story. If you couldn't be bothered to upkeep for 21 days, don't complain when it goes away.

I'd like to modify this idea to make it more palatable and fair.

Keep flag contesting.  It's a good thing for PvP.  Still unsure of its benefit for PvE since I can't really see a way to contest without PvP becoming a part of the equation.

As for the claim disappearing, that's a great idea.  But let's change something that will make things more fair for all, especially on PvE.

A claim flag in PvE should become contestable after 14 days.  If you can't log in for at least a few seconds in a two week period, you've got bigger issues in your life and gaming needs to take a backseat anyway.  After 21 days, the flags are removed from the world and any buildings that were on the previously claimed land begin to decay, opening the land for active players.

[MeatSammich 214]

1 hour ago, Nutcutt3r said:

Yeah like playing solo isnt far too limiting either...not that I agree with the idea anyway. Simple fixes dont take 4+ paragraphs.

Its really not, on PvE. Haven't found too much that you can't do as a solo. Even counting the limitations there are, thats no reason to impose such a crippling one as "Solo? You only get one claim."

13 minutes ago, CazzT said:

As for the claim disappearing, that's a great idea.  But let's change something that will make things more fair for all, especially on PvE.

A claim flag in PvE should become contestable after 14 days.  If you can't log in for at least a few seconds in a two week period, you've got bigger issues in your life and gaming needs to take a backseat anyway.  After 21 days, the flags are removed from the world and any buildings that were on the previously claimed land begin to decay, opening the land for active players.

I would suggest a day or 2 over the flat 14 days. People take 2 week camping vacations, National guard has their yearly 2 week trainings, Hell, i've had 2 week trainings at work without a laptop available. Nothing ridiculous, just an extra day or 2 to account for that.

[CazzT 68]

24 minutes ago, MeatSammich said:

I would suggest a day or 2 over the flat 14 days. People take 2 week camping vacations, National guard has their yearly 2 week trainings, Hell, i've had 2 week trainings at work without a laptop available. Nothing ridiculous, just an extra day or 2 to account for that.

Fair enough.  Those are outliers, but I can't argue with adding a couple extra days to the timer.  I do think the current 21 day timer is too long for contesting claims, though.

[war machine 28]

there isny enough land to not build in lawless,

 

so that idea is crap

[awakatanka 73]

I will build a foundation and bed near the flag. Do a beam me up Scotty to the flag and refresh is. Not a good idea the upkeep. I make a company with friends claim all flag we can do. Disband the company except 1 player and do the same again. Small companies lots of claims.

1 claim that grows bigger if there are more members in it.  Downside if you started small and get bigger and have neighbours it can not grow bigger. 

Losing members the claim shrink and free upland. Also inactive after x days is counted als losing member.

Edited February 26, 2019 by awakatanka

[Vegetto 59]

Another thread on same topic. Why can't you guys use existing threads?

Devs daid they are revamping the claim system and will tell about it in next captains log so just wait and see what they changed. And for the love of god don't create 100 threads for that same claim system suggestion topic.

[Captain Trenchard 26]

12 hours ago, MeatSammich said:

Only real problem I have with that, is that solo companies only get 1 claim. If companies were allowed 5 to 10 claims, plus 1 per member, it would make it a lot more palatable. Main reason being is that 1 claim is far too limiting, in terms of you either get half a beach with no resources (once you put down buildings) to make your claim reach into the water to place a shipyard. Or you have no deep water to place a shipyard, and still block half the resources on that claim when you build there.

1 was just the example. It could easily start at 5. That does not provide an incentive to join a company however. 2 solos would get 10 claims, but as a company they would only have six. 

[Xaric 2]

A large box on the ground lasts 16 days and you want the claim to last less than that?

[Vorxius 249]

14 hours ago, Captain Trenchard said:

any builds outside of claimed territory decay in 4 hours. I.e you can still build in lawless if you need to... you just can't live there (no more pillar or foundation spamming.)

 

Lawless bases are the only reason my friend and I were able to get any traction in the game.  After scouting for seemingly like an eternity of claimable / flag spammed regions, we looked to lawless.  I found a deserted stretch of coastline, marsh and over grown with small berry trees so, made a small clearing, built a 2x6 hut, and now it's a thriving port base.  Would never have happened otherwise.  If lawless was taken away as a valid place to live, we'd be up creek with no paddle.

[Captain Trenchard 26]

Making lawless unavailable for long-term living would only be acceptable IF a claim limit were implemented FIRST and land was opened up. 

I also live in lawless because there is no where else to go. 

Nothing in the original post can stand alone. All of the changes have to be made, or it won't work.

[Kidori 143]

There is an even simpler solution that will solve many of the game's issues.

Make beds personally owned. Company members can't use them, only the person that placed it, and implement a limit of three beds per person. One for your home, one for your ship, one to use as you see fit (outpost, a second ship, company's main base, respawn point for raids etc.). That will make it so only occupied land is held, instead of barren islands no one goes to except to refresh the flags.

Once the timer on a flag is up, it becomes contestible and begins to decay. As it decays it becomes easier to take, and once fully decayed it just vanishes.

Outright limiting the number of flags a company can hold isn't a good option, as it will make the game's vision of empires spanning the breadth of the atlas impossible to achieve. But limiting beds will leave it still possible but only if you actually intend on having an occupying force.

[CazzT 68]

51 minutes ago, Kidori said:

There is an even simpler solution that will solve many of the game's issues.

Make beds personally owned. Company members can't use them, only the person that placed it, and implement a limit of three beds per person. One for your home, one for your ship, one to use as you see fit (outpost, a second ship, company's main base, respawn point for raids etc.). That will make it so only occupied land is held, instead of barren islands no one goes to except to refresh the flags.

Once the timer on a flag is up, it becomes contestible and begins to decay. As it decays it becomes easier to take, and once fully decayed it just vanishes.

Outright limiting the number of flags a company can hold isn't a good option, as it will make the game's vision of empires spanning the breadth of the atlas impossible to achieve. But limiting beds will leave it still possible but only if you actually intend on having an occupying force.

So I sail around to the various zones where I have flags instead of bed-porting there.  All you did is make it take 10 minutes longer to do the same thing.  Limiting beds is not a solution.  But I agree that limiting flags is not good either.

 

Flag upkeep is the only solution that provides flexibility and fairness.  And the upkeep can be tweaked far more finely than limiting flags/beds.

[Kidori 143]

I agree that limiting beds may not be the end-all-be-all solution, but it will certainly help. I'm currently in one of the mega companies and I can assure you that if we couldn't fast travel there more than half our claims would be freed up because it's simply not worth the time, effort and manpower to sail there. I also think fast travel via beds is an issue in itself that it would help address.

I do think that some form of upkeep needs to be implemented as well, and should have to be manually delivered to each flag. Even if it's not any resources and just has to be interacted with.

Make people decide what's worth their time and effort and a lot of the problem goes away.

[CazzT 68]

1 hour ago, Kidori said:

I agree that limiting beds may not be the end-all-be-all solution, but it will certainly help. I'm currently in one of the mega companies and I can assure you that if we couldn't fast travel there more than half our claims would be freed up because it's simply not worth the time, effort and manpower to sail there. I also think fast travel via beds is an issue in itself that it would help address.

I do think that some form of upkeep needs to be implemented as well, and should have to be manually delivered to each flag. Even if it's not any resources and just has to be interacted with.

Make people decide what's worth their time and effort and a lot of the problem goes away.

I can actually see how limiting beds could create a need for multiple bases throughout the world for keeping up with outpost bases.  Not sure this is how it would end up being used, though. lol

[awakatanka 73]

9 hours ago, CazzT said:

I can actually see how limiting beds could create a need for multiple bases throughout the world for keeping up with outpost bases.  Not sure this is how it would end up being used, though. lol

In pve no problem you can dock everywhere and be save, exploits excluded. PvP has a problem but good company politics could help and give powerful alliance's