by Phaen » Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:49 pm My town has dwindled in activity, and I can't blame them for quitting the game in its current state. However, I don't function well without villagemates. I still play every day, but it's hard to keep myself from slipping into maintenance-mode when the streets of Panio are always empty. I could recruit, sure, but I am weary of leading and have been for a while now. I still love trading, building things together, and teaching others, but I don't really like being the one in charge who needs to organize and decide things for other people.
For these reasons, I've decided to join a village.
I am online every day. The hours vary depending on whether I need to babysit that day. I live in PDT (GMT - 7) and I normally play in my evenings but it tends to shift towards whichever hours are most active for the village. English is my only language. I am 24 years old. For communication, I am willing to use whichever medium is used by the village (skype/ventrilo/teamspeak/mumble/private forums).
My history... well, I tried writing this section a few times, and each time it turned out to be a gigantic boring essay. Just pm me if you want to hear me ramble about my past villages. I've been in five since I started playing in world 4. I learned a lot from each one.
As a sandbox game, Haven & Hearth doesn't have a win condition. So we are all free to make up our own goals. At first we are only aiming for survival, and then later perhaps for quality. But most people need some larger aim beyond that... such as controlling territory or becoming rich through trade. For me, I enjoy the bond that develops between people who work together. It is even more amazing to me in a game like this one, where trusting the wrong person can lead to ruin. I feel successful in this game when I am surrounded by teammates I know I can depend on.
My favorite role by far is treeplanter/carpenter. Lots of math to do, every +1 quality is a celebration, and people seem to really appreciate high q wood. Second favorite... maybe livestock/cheese, but I've only ever produced cheese privately so I'm not sure if it would still be fun to do for a group. I like how it pretty much makes itself. Cooking for a handful people can be really fun as long as they are willing to help forage/hunt ingredients. More people than that would require more cooks or perhaps more efficient methods. Silk is something I spent a few months doing last year. I got burnt out on it, but I'm definitely willing to help set things up and teach someone else how to produce it if they're interested. Farming/Mining, well, I have the capability but I can't really bring myself to do more than my own needs when it comes to these two. If your group doesn't have well-defined roles, that's ok too. I can take care of my own needs and overproduce & share the things I enjoy making the most.
What I expect from a village:
Maturity / Honesty
Respect for Private Property
Trade is Sacred.
Careful Recruiting
Activity. People who play daily and communicate and work together.
Peacefulness. I realize that combat is an important part of this game. I do not look down upon those who have the bloodlust, but I personally do not enjoy being a part of it. I will fight when forced to do so, but I don't want to live with people who want to incite or escalate conflicts. I especially don't want to live with anyone who attacks others for no reason.
Security. I expect people in the village to avoid the common security blunders that can lead to raids.
Brickwall (or villagemates willing to work on building one together bit by bit every day until it's up)
Preferences: (These are things I am more flexible on, especially now since there aren't as many villages in existence anymore)
Scents - I prefer a clear and enforced no scents policy.
Population - The ideal number for me is 4~8 people. Less can work if people have high activity. More can work if it's properly organized. Too many and we start to feel like strangers.
Plot System - I prefer villages that have some sort of plot system. Although I spend most of my time in the common area, I like to have a place to produce things privately on my own time.
Oh and as a side note, I don't really care about how long anyone in the village has been playing the game or what their stats are.
Please send me a PM via forums or skype if you're interested in having me.
Let me know the purpose/direction of your village and what it's like to live there.
I'll make a decision sometime next weekend, thank you for reading
