Sklotopolis – Day 2

stargrace March 30, 2016 0 Comments

Yesterday most of my time in game was spent wandering around the vast lands, looking for a place to settle. I had a few decisions to make. Did I want to be in the middle of nowhere with few neighbours, or did I want to be within range of the happenings that take place around starter villages. Did I want to create my own village, or join one already established. What resources did I want to have available, and did it matter if I had access to the ocean.

In the end I settled about mid-way through the map, East of the starter town, right by a little lake. The land was anything but flat and I spent the remainder of the evening terraforming it into something I could live on. This process takes a bit of time, even with the bonus of speed on the server compared to the regular wurm online game, and so the next day I went back at it. I’ve only got one corner left to even out and then the deed (at least the land for it) will be manageable and something I can build on. I also want my place surrounded by trees, and the area around my place is pretty barren. I went out harvesting a couple of sprouts yesterday to place around the perimeter, but I’ll need a lot more.

I also want to connect my deed to a main road. Thankfully there is one East that just sort of dies and there’s another one just South of me that joins up to the Eastern road. There’s completed roads that lead West back to the starter town, and lots of roads for me to use to find my way. What I don’t have on-deed in an easily accessible way is a mine. There’s a hill behind my place along the road, so until I figure out where the rock level starts I’ll just use that mine. I don’t absolutely need one on deed, so long as there’s one I can reach without too much trouble.

I did also donate a bit of money to the servers, and got a 2×2 clay tile on deed in return for my donation. There wasn’t any clay that I could spot around my lake, and since it looks like I’ll be here a while I did want to help out a bit. With the deed area flat, and clay in supply, it’s time for me to figure out where I want my building(s). I’m keeping this deed relatively small compared to my previous places, and I love trying to get creative with my space. I imagine I’ll have a workroom on the main floor with storage and living quarters up above. A small farm and pens for two horses should be all that I need. I’ll probably plan things out in Deed planner so that I have some idea of what I’m working with, but it’s not essential.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Sklotopolis – Wurm Unlimited

stargrace March 29, 2016 0 Comments

I bought Wurm Unlimited when it first came out, set up a server, played for a bit, and eventually (like many others) drifted back to Wurm Online. With a baby on the way and other expenses coming up I knew I wouldn’t be able to renew my Wurm Online accounts, especially not since I have 3 total (my main and two priests) that I enjoy playing together. I also didn’t want to turn the game into a job and have to worry about whether or not I’d be able to earn the 10 silver each month. I let the accounts lapse, made sure there was plenty of upkeep to keep my deeds going and checked in periodically to mend things that needed repairs and make sure that all was well.

If you don’t have a subscription to Wurm Online you’re hit with a lot of limitations because your skills can’t go above 20. It’s fine if you’re a casual player just looking to explore a bit, but I’ve been playing for years now, and those caps really hurt. Wurm Unlimited gives me an alternative to Wurm Online even if it’s not exactly the same.

Instead of setting up my own server I decided to explore the ones available. Wyvern was the most populated, but it didn’t really appeal to me. Instead I decided to settle down on Sklotopolis. They have forums, a web site, and of course a post on the official Wurm forums. I spent most of the afternoon wandering around exploring and trying to find the perfect place to settle down. Eventually I found it. I decided to set up Quail Ridge to the East of the starter town, near a lake. (Edit: X1681, Y1053 is my location)

Chat isn’t especially active, but there are folks around. Skills increase faster than they do in Wurm Online but not so fast that you feel like you’re flying past everything. Since the game is buy to play, and deeds on this particular server are free with no upkeep, I can scratch that Wurm Online itch I constantly have without buying a subscription. You can make donations to the server to help keep it running, and you get some pretty neat things in return, like resources on your deed, statues, and guard towers. You can also earn money in game by making sure to bury your kills, and for defeating animals. If you volunteer to place a guard tower or work on roads you’ll also be paid a bit of silver for your trouble. The server community has adopted a no griefing policy, and there are contests and events run by players throughout the year. Overall I feel that this server will be a good fit, even if it is a bit more quiet than usual and I’m having fun setting up my place. I haven’t decided what I’ll focus on yet, maybe something I’ve never tried before, just because.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Wurm Unlimited Releases on Steam

stargrace October 22, 2015 2 Comments

I’ve been playing Wurm Online for many years, and I’ve loved it for many reasons. It’s the ultimate sandbox game, and while aspects of it may seem outdated (graphics, this game uses java after all) it still incorporates every single aspect of a sandbox that I adore. I’ve made some great friends in game and I belong to an awesome alliance. I have three active accounts and two deeds but I’ve owned countless more.

When Wurm Unlimited was announced I was of course a bit concerned. I had visions of population decreases and a lack of development on the ‘main’ game. Then I realized that this version of the game was never intended to entice people who were perfectly happy playing Wurm Online. This version of the game was meant to capture those who have always wanted to play, but didn’t want to pay a monthly subscription, or who were concerned about griefing, or who could never find a nice place to settle down. This game is made to encourage those 5 friends of mine I have who used to play Wurm but left for whatever reason, to come back to the world that they could enjoy if it was only tweaked a little to their specifications.

In that regard, Wurm Unlimited is perfect. Right now I’ve got a dedicated server running with a few mild tweaks. Skill gain is 10x faster than normal. Actions are 5 times faster. There’s no deed cost. I created an adventure server which means there’s still kingdoms and this also enables the starter towns (pre-created) along with treasures and hidden items in the world. There are also quests. The server is protected by a password which I’ve given to a few friends who were interested in playing, and we’ve started our little set up just outside of the Mol Rehan starter town (the mine is pictured above).

There are of course some ‘downsides’ to playing Wurm like this. It’s MUCH quieter. There’s no real ‘community’ aside from those you invite along. The economy won’t exactly thrive in this play setting. The server could poof one day accidentally if my computer dies. These are just things that have to be dealt with.

On the other hand, it could encourage others to try out WO and meet the wonderful community there. It could mean extra money in the pockets of the developers which would be a good thing for both versions of the game. It gets word out about the game which is also never a bad thing.

Over all, I’m optimistic. I purchased the game to support the developers and I enjoy the small server I have set up currently. It’s not perfect, there are a few glitches here and there and the game still has a huge learning curve, but I am hoping that more people come and experience what this game has to offer and that they appreciate it and maybe even enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!