Realms and localized resources

[Potjeh]

For the next world it'd be cool if instead of building statues to get realm buffs you would need to expand your realm claim over a new type of local resources. These resources could provide buff points that can only be invested in a a couple of different buffs per resource type, so by generating the world with uneven distribution of these resources we would organically get areas with different comparative advantages and hopefully more trade.

Another side of this would be realms competing for territory control over these resource spots, so hopefully we'd get a bit more meaningful endgame PvP. Especially if there's restrictions on building walls in proximity of these resources.

Of course, this wouldn't work at all with the way realms expand currently, because the first one or two realms to pop up would make claim tendrils all over the map and claim all the resources. A way to limit realm expansion would be needed, and I think a good way to do that would be to make realm authority upkeep grow proportionally to the length of its borders. It should scale slower than a square function to allow for somewhat suboptimal realm shapes, but significantly faster than linearly to enforce fairly compact realms instead of ones with tendrils stretching to all corners of the world. That would also mean that only realms in the general area of a resource spot would be able to compete for its control, which would hopefully provide room for more factions in a developed world.

[viznew]

kinda a large scale king of the hill, monuments or wonders type of thing, tree of life, the wise waters, ect would be awsome, mabye could sprout and grow then slowly​ wilt away so thay not always same location (mabye new place like mountain where can't​ alter

[jordancoles]

I like it I think

[ydex]

This could also be an interesting idea.
I'd replace current localized resources with this, making the resources important for villages and bigger players while hermits/noobs aren't really affected.
That would mean salt and iscicles and what have you wouldnt be a problem any more, while ppl would still want to claim the nodes.

Very nice in that case.

[sakiji]

I'd assumed the special buffs were already based on localized resources, was sad when I found out it wasn't the case.

A really good point is the limitation on expansion though, these "tendril kingdoms" we have now are quite unrealistic and frankly even a bit annoying - if you flip flop back and forth in and out of a kingdom while traveling.
It's somewhat understandable, as people are the most valuable resource for a kingdom, currently -you'd want to annex all the villages you can into your kingdom.

2 other options for border expansion could be:
- increased domain range and material cost per cairn, this would fill up areas in between more easily. Conflicts would focus on fewer points of interest.

- setting border stakes, the kingdom domain is triangulated between the neighbouring stakes and the center of the kingdom, filling the whole area. Kinda like territory takeover in Ingress, just with a bit more limitations.
This would eliminate "tendrils", as even if you build 2 tendrils, the domain will look for the closest border stakes and fill up the entire are in between.
Makes realm expansion more strategical, as you can increase realm size more and less efficiently depending on your stake placements, and also balances itself somewhat by increasing the realm size/upkeep cost substentially, without being able to "pick the juiciest bits".

Edit: second idea is already being considered in a comparable fashion:
viewtopic.php?p=687757#p687757

[Granger]

I suggested once that Border Cairn could need regular maintenance to keep the function (both projecting the realm and protection from destruction), ancestoral shrine style with the quality of the offerings requested being the amount of Border Cairns in the realm.

This would turn them from cheap drop and forget to something to think about.

[jorb]

I would not at all mind categories of statues that are effectively natural phenomenon. I have had similar thoughts, and I like it. Good suggestion!