Too few Mines

[KillerofLawyers]

The only limit to player interaction is ambition. It's not that big of a deal to travel a few supergrids to trade with another big town.

[Avu]

Nor is there much incentive to do so either.

[KillerofLawyers]

Why does there need to be any incentive. If no one wants to travel past their own homestead then that's their own decision. They just should complain about it being like a single player game when it's their own fault for not bothering to travel.

[Elirian]

Why does there need to be any incentive. If no one wants to travel past their own homestead then that's their own decision. They just should complain about it being like a single player game when it's their own fault for not bothering to travel.

Because there is inertia to overcome. Without incentive to travel and trade, players will follow the incentive to stay and develop farms, build, mine, whatever.

Since they have provided incentive to stay still, I don't understand what your objection would be to them providing incentive to travel.

[jorb]

At any one time I see about 300 people playing Haven and Hearth. Is it wise to continue to expand the world? There is a minimal critical mass required per Square of any map for people to feel like they are not simply playing a single player game. Granted this is an Alpha and not a full launch game, but dropping below critical mass for player interaction is usually when most people leave.

I've entertained similar thoughts myself, but I've never seen them confirmed in actual practice. So much so, in fact, that I have come to doubt the validity of that line of reasoning. In any event, let's make the map bigger and see when, or, indeed, even if, that happens.

[KillerofLawyers]

Why does there need to be any incentive. If no one wants to travel past their own homestead then that's their own decision. They just should complain about it being like a single player game when it's their own fault for not bothering to travel.

Because there is inertia to overcome. Without incentive to travel and trade, players will follow the incentive to stay and develop farms, build, mine, whatever.

Since they have provided incentive to stay still, I don't understand what your objection would be to them providing incentive to travel.

Putting people close together isn't exactly an incentive to travel. You're just making it so that in the average area a person might travel in is going to contain other people. What's needed is an incentive for people to actually make long trips, and this is being implemented to a degree with wagons and the likes. Mostly it's just the fact that I perfer people doing things for their own reasons, rather than some set of rewards and punishments hard coded into the game.

[Elirian]

Why does there need to be any incentive. If no one wants to travel past their own homestead then that's their own decision. They just should complain about it being like a single player game when it's their own fault for not bothering to travel.

Because there is inertia to overcome. Without incentive to travel and trade, players will follow the incentive to stay and develop farms, build, mine, whatever.

Since they have provided incentive to stay still, I don't understand what your objection would be to them providing incentive to travel.

Putting people close together isn't exactly an incentive to travel. You're just making it so that in the average area a person might travel in is going to contain other people. What's needed is an incentive for people to actually make long trips, and this is being implemented to a degree with wagons and the likes. Mostly it's just the fact that I perfer people doing things for their own reasons, rather than some set of rewards and punishments hard coded into the game.

Yes, I understood that from your post, which is why I made sure to highlight the fact that there are rewards hardcoded into the game for those who stay still.

Your crops don't lie fallow, your animals don't starve, your buildings don't decay, your silkworms don't die, your saplings don't die, your steel forges, you have access to all your facilities, you may have access to mines, you know where the high quality raw resources are. What rewards are there for travellers to counter all that?

I suspect they're working on adding a greater variety of rare resources like mines though, which does provide incentive to travel and trade.

[Potjeh]

Overpopulation is a more serious problem than underpopulation. A whole world that's one big RoB-like wasteland would completely stop influx of new players. I think the current population density is just about right.

[exewu]

What's needed is an incentive for people to actually make long trips, and this is being implemented to a degree with wagons and the likes. Mostly it's just the fact that I perfer people doing things for their own reasons, rather than some set of rewards and punishments hard coded into the game.

How about looking for mines and HQ soil/water/clay spots?
How about you come join me! I'm lonely, I haven't seen a soul in days

[KillerofLawyers]

Well, partner, I may just have to saddle up bessie on the wagon and mosey on down to see you. We'll have to share any good resources we find, though.