I apologize for once again posting a ‘night time’ picture but for some reason that’s the only time of day I seem to remember to take a screen shot! Pictured above, my newly created Food Hall, complete with oven, food storage bin, and barrels for meats and fish. I still need to create a barrel for water in there, too. Thanks to Arkenor’s generosity I was also able to paint the front walls a beautiful shade of green with some spare dye he had. I spent most of yesterday working on the waterfront. I’ve created a little ‘outlook’ for nature’s sake, it’s pretty. Low stone walls look out over the sea, with some maple trees and a stone bench and some bushes. I plan on creating two docks on either side of that outlook, eventually. Going to take a lot of dirt so I haven’t gotten around to it quite yet.
I really feel like I have to clarify something here for people who have been following along with my posts. I know I tend to write with unbound enthusiasm for whatever my game-of-choice happens to be, and with Wurm this is no exception, especially because the game caters to every single aspect of game play that I enjoy. The thing is I should also mention that wurm is a REALLY tough game, it’s not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of time in-game to get things done (a GOOD thing in my opinion) and it’s got a very steep learning curve, we’re talking EVE and Darkfall here. Although I find it easier than EVE because it’s not as technical (something I personally struggle with). It’s a sandbox game, which means they quite literally teach you the basics in the tutorial – and then drop you off in the middle of Green Dog with a bag of newbie gear and say “have at it!” For those gamers who are often enthralled with sandbox games then Wurm is probably a fantastic MMO for you to sink your teeth into. If you struggle with those types of games you may be better off simply reading about it – and I don’t say that to be insulting but I say that because over the course of time I have played I have seen MANY people in Freedom Chat expressing their frustrations.
A few of my own personal tips for anyone starting out (and I DO encourage anyone who is interested to give the game a go before deciding how you feel about it):
- Learn to love the wiki. This thing is always open when I play Wurm. Every day I’m learning new things about the game. Everything you need to know about playing is in this wiki. Do not try to play the brave hero and not use the wiki. Everyone uses it, even those who have been playing for years.
- Learn to love your neighbours. TALK to players, so far every single person I have come across has been incredibly friendly. Get to know the players on the lands. Be polite. Ask for a cup of sugar (or olive oil, or juice). Be friendly.
- USE the public channels, especially Freedom chat and /CA (the help channel). Lurk in them if you’re not willing to ask questions, you’ll still learn a lot, and slowly, daily, you’ll get to know the people on your server.
- Don’t just dive in, research. If you want a deed, plan where you want it don’t just buy the first place open you come across. Decide what is important to you, water? trees? a mine? Hang around Green Dog a while and work on your skills while you decide what aspects of the game appeal to you.
- Don’t wander around at night! If you log into game and it’s pitch dark out just work on skills some place close to safety and wait until it’s light out! Creatures are harder to see in the dark (go figure) and you may just end up dying a whole lot for no reason.
- USE MAPS. There are maps for every Kingdom on the wiki. USE THEM. LOVE THEM. Learn the layout of the lands by walking along and figuring out what deed you are currently in.
There are probably a lot of other tips I could offer people, but those are my main ones. If you happen to be on the Deliverance server, please feel free to PM me, you can find me there as Arysh (my 2nd account is Stargrace). I live at Darkpaw Harbor, which is directly West of Green Dog. If you’re coming to visit and you’re relatively new, I suggest taking the Northern rout along the mountain and then heading West to the coast, it’s much safer than trying to get to my place via the Southern rout (as I found out).
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
I tried Wurm and it was beyond frustrating for me. I’ve found that my ‘fun’ in games comes from ones where I can throw myself at a problem and fail often to learn the nuances of success and failure to overcome them. With Wurm, the cost of death was high enough that failing even once was too much. The only game I’ve played with a similar cost of failure has been Eve, so I think that’s an apt comparison.
My husband just sent me the link for your first Wurm Online blog, and I am so excited to get home from work and download it! Your posts make it seem like exactly the kind of game I’ve been looking for. I hope you keep blogging about your adventures; I will definitely keep coming back, and maybe see you ingame. :)
I just want to let you know how much I’ve been enjoying you Wurm posts. I love them. I still love Eve online and consider myself a sandbox fan but I just never had the guts to try Wurm myself. Your posts let me play vicariously through them though. Thank you and keep them comming.
@Niall – the game has been around for quite some time, and there’s a LOT of wilderness. That being said, there’s also a lot built up. The coast especially, for trade routs and the closeness to water for ships. Since you can only create stone / wood buildings and stone / wood / iron fences, there’s no loss of immersion, that I can feel at least. Independence server has been around a lot longer, and that server felt completely different to me than Deli. It’s really just something you’ll have to explore for yourself. =)
I am interested, but I have a concern:
I have not been a big fan of non-instanced palyer housing. Too well do I remember practically all of Britannia being paved over in UO, or having immersion totally ruined in Vanguard when you walk into a player made sub-division. I fear that much of the adventuring wilderness will disappear, and you will wind up playing Medieval Sims.
Can a player of Wurm reassure me?
I play on Independence, but I may make a new account on Deliverance to come visit you.
Another tip: If you’re just starting out, don’t feel like you have to deed right away, or even go out on your own right away. Check out the recruitment forums on the website for villages that are recruiting, that’ll give you a place to “hang your hat” while you improve your skills – your villagemates will likely be happy to answer any questions you have about the game and mentor you a bit until you’re ready to strike out on your own.
I tried it a long time ago, and I found it too tough for me to crack. That said, I love that I could build stuff in it, but it took way too much time. Looking forward to something a little less scary, like Archeage, when it comes out. :D