How the claim system needs to work

[Garfy 39]

It's broken right now and everyone knows it. It's basically just pillar spam from Ark but a feature. Here is how it needs to work.

 

1. You need a skill to build a flag. This isn't difficult to unlock but would need maybe level 10 or so before you can reach it.

2. You can build 1 flag, and it takes materials. Nothing too costly, maybe a few hundred wood, stone and fibers. You can only place 1 flag down and if you have one you cannot place another.

3. When the claim is placed down, it gains experience as you do things (like ships do when you use them). If you're in the claim it gets bonus experience.

4. When your claim levels up, you can place down 1 more claim flag. But this flag has to be inside of your current claim. Each new flag you build costs more resources and levelling up your claim takes longer. A small claim might take an hour to level up once, while a big claim might take a day and a huge claim could take a week or more.

5. For someone to steal your claim, they must destroy your flags then build their own flag and start their own claim. Destroying a flag means they must go up to it and hit it until it breaks (shoot it with a cannon ETC). Protecting them with walls and such will be important. Additionally, when your claim levels up, you can select between expanding it with a new flag, or fortifying it which does not let you place a new flag but makes all your current flags harder to destroy.

In PVE instead of destroying flags, players must counter claim them. This is something they build and place inside of a claim, it will slowly damage one flag (the closest to it) until it's destroyed. Only one counter claim can be built and placed at a time but the owner of it can pick it up and move it around after using it (but it'll need repairing). To stop a counter claim, the owner of the original claim must be on their claim, this will stop their flags being damaged, slowly heal their flag and shield it for 30 minutes from further damage.

[MagpieOAO 18]

I like the idea of claims "maturing". Maybe each claim flag allows you to build X amount of structure in an area, which each additional flag (and maturation level) granting a larger area and more structure that you can build there. The maximum area is capped and based on your initial claim. The more mature a claim flag, the larger the flag becomes and it requires upkeep. 

Once all claims are destroyed, upkeep is required on the structures or they will rot and crumble. Flag maturation requires more resources and for you to actually tell it to mature, so you can have a modest base if you so choose. 

[rechetking 0]

The only issue with maturing claims is having a whole island claimed by 2-3 players. In PVP servers this doesn't stop Zerging and huge companies from taking everything over.

[MagpieOAO 18]

4 hours ago, rechetking said:

The only issue with maturing claims is having a whole island claimed by 2-3 players. In PVP servers this doesn't stop Zerging and huge companies from taking everything over.

If the claims require upkeep and can be destroyed, 2-3 people would be pretty hard pressed to both protect and upkeep said claims. A concentrated effort by a few players should still be able to overwhelm a "pillar" base that's just a claim and small buildings. A single person or small group would be better off building a small claim in a hidden location or staying mobile. 

[Garfy 39]

4 hours ago, rechetking said:

The only issue with maturing claims is having a whole island claimed by 2-3 players. In PVP servers this doesn't stop Zerging and huge companies from taking everything over.

This is what has happened right now. Every island is full of small claims.

With a claim that needs time and effort to grow, everyone will be able to snag a small claim but growing it will take time, and the developers/server owner would easily be able to dictate the amount of time needed to grow a claim.

 

Also since a player/company can only expand their claim and not just plant a claim down anywhere they want, even if they do destroy a smaller persons claim, they cannot put down a claim and own it. They need to expand outwards from their original claim location. Depending on how far away they are, this could take months, maybe even years. (Owning a claim would require you be in a company, and if a company disbands or joins another, they'd lose their claims so you can't have 100 players in a company spamming their own claims to land grab)

[TrueAegis 2]

Really like this idea actually. Even better is I think it could allow for legitimate cities to form. Players can place down their initial flag and to expand that territory around they flag they'd have to build pre-fabbed structures like housing. As they get placed the larger the territory gets. This way we have actual towns developing instead of squares huts.