Smoke Signals

[ThirdEmperor]

Well that's the problem isn't it? I've been trying to think of a way around it, so far all I've got is being able to turn your hearths visibility on/off and making it so you can't see normal fires, that way those who want to remain unseen can but those who want to trade can broadcast their presence.

Of course you'd still advertise your presence whenever you wanted to trade, but if you want complete safety against griefers you would live in a cave surrounded by pallisades and never leave.

[ThirdEmperor]

I just think this game would greatly benefit from better navigation, I myself am stuck in the middle of nowhere without any nearby neighbors or landmarks and no way of finding a town. If being able to find other players is really that much of a problem, then how about star navigation? Essentialy at night you can "scan the starry skies" giving you a view of four stars, the position of these stars changes as you move through minigrids, this would allow you to give people you're trading with on the forums a rough idea where you are without being a griefer beacon.

[Jackard]

If players want to be found, they make themselves known. They leave runestones, roads, buildings and other signs of civilization. They chat with the neighbors they find when scouting. They spawn alts and party them to find the direction of places. In some rare cases they even make charterstones.

You are making a problem seem larger than it really is, based on your limited experience, and then proposing a damaging 'fix'.

[giftiger_wunsch]

You must be very naive. Here is the far more likely scenario:

it would allow people to find others, and fuck with them

I agree. When I was bored and thinking about moving elsewhere, I made myself 4 teapots full of tea, picked a direction, and ploughed off into the distance. Then I decided to stay put at least for a while, and realised a mile-long arrow pointing to my home wasn't such a good idea and nor would be a huge beacon saying --> please murder

If established towns and the like, capable of defending themselves against any likely threat, want to be seen, then that's their choice. They can build a road, runestones indicating where they are, etc. I see no benefits of letting everyone find everyone else easily. As it stands at the moment, the limitation of number of scents you pick up means that it can be difficult even for a ranger to track a thief...

[krikke]

Yes, good idea, but I don't think you should be able to see other hearth fires, only be able to see your own and other normal fires. Else you would be able to find camps a bit too quick to steal items from.