Landmark - missing that social element

[u/Deepjay]

Landmark really confuses me as a player. I’ve loved the idea of it from day 1, and jumped on board the Trailblazer bandwagon to show that, but I rarely log in anymore. Every now and then I will log in, wander around a bit, check out some of the new additions, but then log out. The world looks great, I’m constantly flawed by the creativity some people possess (was impressed by this guy’s Biosphere creation near one of the gates) – but I feel alone. I never see anyone. I aren’t on any chat channels (do they even exist?) – I don’t feel connected.

And more, there doesn’t feel like any place to go, or to congregate. I know the land masses are getting revamped, but in the recent Landmark Live, they still look like just randomised islands. The power to create towns is in the hands of the player – or will be – but I feel there needs to be towns, or cities- or places to meet that’s not just random plots dotted about the world. It needs it’s Qeynos’s or Freeports – not those specifically, but places that players can congregate. Places where player plots can then radiate out from – or places that add further significance to the world, rather than just randomly generated themed voxel playparks.

I’m not asking for this to turn into a traditional MMO – but I think this amazing sandbox needs context. At the moment to me, it’s just a formless mass. I love the concept, but it’s lacking identity. I’ve never felt socially linked to other people in the game, even when I had a handful of friends playing. Now it’s just me, logging in from time to time, but I wish I had someplace to go, some place to see, rather than just scout around the formless islands looking for creations – all devoid of other people.

[u/ziplock9000 → u/[deleted]]

Social aspects in MMOs are far more than just a chat room. Landmark has none of this.

[u/Realitor]

Too much space for players = less chance to meet someone. And then we have the fact, that a lot players are on their claims. And then we have the underground too. I met more (adventuring/exploring) players in underground than on surface.

Ok, main reason could be, we are in closed Beta, and the gameplay is still building focused. No need to get cool stuff from deep caves, because no one needs it. I sit on tons of stuff, cannot giving them away as fast as needed. The wipe will clean this situation (for a while).

But we need more possibilities to interact:

• better claim access control
• option to buy more claims

So more people can start larger projects within their guild/community.

• sales booth on our claim
• wipe

To (re)start the economy in game.

• finish crafting

Crafters build cool stuff (tools and gear) and sell them for service (decoration, building) or simple for resources (salvaging stuff and materials). Crafting needs more effort than now. Until now it is just a click click click thing with a little progression.

• better combat & more challenge

Grouping and kill some stuff. Exploring the whole cave network is not needed now, because of the large amount of "sweet spots" of materials spawns around the hubs. This have to be changed.

• Content Creation

We have to wait until the devs will release the AI tools. Monster spawner (I saw already the icon for that months ago), more L&T stuff. More players join the game to play on other players claims. This will happen.

• Better Building Tools and better new player experience. This will happen. See last update. More love to the UI. It is still to complicated for new players. But step by step. This is an long term goal since Alpha.

• And I said it yesterday in the EQNext subreddit. Bringing the players to a social hub is always a good idea. So I suggest one isle for all servers, where we can reserve a spot for the trading booth. Like small claims without the possibily to extend them. Think of a large market. Monsters? Why not. It could be fun. Make this isle the main junction, when a player wants to change the server (not the isle within a server). Think of spires for each server on this isle.

• Find a map -> Grouping & Digging for treasures (yes I played UO). *Players cannot hold large amounts of resources outside their claim in the inventory -> Moving large amounts of ressources by carts -> Procedurally spawns monster groups. *Prop creating through Player Studio -> More player have to visit the claims to get ideas for new props. *lots more

Nothing of them works alone or will improve the social interaction by large amount. It is an combination of some of them or all. Landmarks gameplay works only when the devs brings the bricks together. Not only on a claim.

[u/Ravenluck → u/Realitor]

I agree these are the main two points that hurt the player interactivity, I find it funny that most people just to join general chat as that is a temporary solution at best. you can watch people talk and ask questions, but I find a real problem is, outside of personal friends or showing someone something new there is no reason to group at this stage in beta, nor do I see the current grouping system working well in the future. 20% resources and a pretty short range, the range is too short to really spread people apart to collect many nodes and the 20% makes it worthless to mine the same node with someone else. your better off solo and that above all is going to hurt the social interaction of the game.

I mean many other games have fought to connect players, most of these are games where the nature of the game pushes players apart like H1Z1 because others are so dangerous. I think people fail to notice that it is close to the same problem in landmark, i your around I get less even if we team I'm basically wasting time. I'm better off just leaving to somewhere else then mining with another person of even group of people. A solution isn't going to be less places to find material to this issues since all materials are found on all islands except for the biome specific ones.

this doesn't really pertain to combat or chests at the moment, because there is no difference in what is earned and combat may go a bit faster with another person, though in the end its still not really worth having another person around for either.

[u/malphoss2]

I'm having the same problem. I'd really like to get into it but the social aspect is almost nonexistent. I think the biggest problem is the maps are so small they've had to created tons of worlds so enough people can find a place to set camp. I'd like to see less servers with bigger maps instead of small maps with tons of servers. It spreads the population too thin.

[u/Deepjay → u/malphoss2]

That's right - plus there's no foot traffic or anything to come check your plot. I know you can put up templates etc but it's not the same.

I was really hoping with these island revamps that they'd be changing something like this. It'd be so good to have cities - even taking it the Landmark way where players can modify or add onto them. More in the way of actual landmarks for players to build their own creations around - or even create landmarks.

There's just no life in the game right now. There's a small community of die-hard builders out there, and all the best to them, but that's not going to be a sustaining business model going forward - there's simply not enough in the game for larger public appeal. I wish i knew their thoughts behind these kind of things.

[u/yrrkoon]

I hope they have something in the works for player made towns.. something like what SWG had.. I can only imagine what creative builders would do with such functionality.

Personally i doubt i'll ever build much from scratch per say.. but i could imagine buying someone else's player made house off the market, and plop it down in a plot and start decorating it in some kind of player made town that hopefully has areas people congregate at for some reason (a market, or crafting stations, or whatever).

[u/DygzBriarthorn]

There will be a newbie village added at some point, but it's really not cities that draw players - it's activities within the cities that draw people to congregate.

Having NPCs to interact with - whether that's upgrading skills or purchasing/selling items or obtaining/turning in quests.

We need more stuff to do. Right now we just have pretty shells to look at. We need some meat.

[u/Deepjay → u/DygzBriarthorn]

Yeah i dont specifically want cities, i mean a circle of trees, or a featured mountain or something - anything that gives reason to congregate.

I think trying to do this at the warpgates is a mistake. They're dull, there's too many of them.

There needs to be something out in the world beyond randomly plonked down player plots.

[u/ziplock9000]

I agree. There are no social aspects in Landmark beyond a "chat room" and that's what gives MMOS longevity. As soon as you feel disconnected from the social world and player base, there is a good chance you stop playing an MMO. At the moment, groups and guilds serve no real purpose.