Multistory buildings

Some thoughts on multistory as it is right now, nothing is set in stone but here is the vision about it as we are working on it;

  • No server map reset is necessary, we will make this available on existing servers.
  • You will be able to add new roofs or walls on a tile by tile basis
  • Roofs & walls will be of different materials. Like thatch made from grass
  • The feature will be gradually added to test server, first custom floors as shown in pictures before, then roofs and second, third floor with additional walls etc.
  • Staircase will be on a specific tile, like an object that you build. Much like the floor loom or the forge.

Let me know any more questions or thoughts

A new type of wall

We have a new type of wall that eventually will find it’s way into the live servers. It is a much requested feature for making designs such as stables. Needless to say, this doorway won’t prevent anyone from entering your home!

 

The value of the simple note

All roofs are made of thatch (dried, grass-based straws) and we currently have no concept of thatch in the game!

After some research, I found out that the types of roofs we have in the game are made of grass that is harvested, dried and made into bundles called thatch. It can be either based from reeds or other grass forms. Since the only resource available is mixed grass – something you used to get from botanizing steppe tiles but now also can get from foraging/botanizing – something drastic had to be done. After all, everyone and their mother is going to want to get their hands on high value grass if they are going to be able to finish their house and sleep in the bed.

So I started adding reeds. Reed is a generic name for alot of different types of grass growing near or in water. It grows on the banks of the Nile in Egypt in the specific form of papyrus and was used for making paper way back in ancient times. This is where the whole thing derailed. I had recently read an inspiring forum post about the value of the simple note and I felt that I wanted to be able to email notes in-game. It  had also been on the wishlist a long time. How hard can it be? Well it turned out a bit more complex than I thought, but finally it has arrived:

Hopefully on the test server this week, you will be able to gather wild growing grasses such as regular grass and reed, and it will give you mixed grass or reed plants. If you figure out how, you can create a papyrus sheet, and scribble some lines on it. The better tools you have for writing the more text will fit, probably up to a good sized page of information. Reed can also be farmed but it will require alot of water. Once you have obtained some papyrus sheets there is one final hurdle: You will need ink – wurm style, and of course something to write with.

Edit: Started a feedback thread, for those who can and will test the feature out on test server and provide improvement suggestions.

/Zcul

A fair warning about indoor walls

It’s been a while in the making but now it is finally available and on the test server: Indoor Walls! Since it sailed up to a clear number two on the list of things most requested by our player base, it was time to do something about it.

Indoor walls will be plannable just like regular walls, and you will be able to create any wall types that exist today.

With this update there will also be some new wall design for stone walls, to make them ready for the two storey buildings – great work by Wox!

New stone wall design

And now for the warning: There are no automatic controls with these new walls that you can actually exit as you build them. You might end up building yourself into a corner!Remember to bring food, water and a large maul just in case!

Some more details about the feature;
- You will be able to create any of the wall types, doors, windows as indoor walls,
- You cannot plan indoor walls if the outer walls aren’t completed,
- Doors will act as barriers and you can attach locks to them,
- Only the writ holder can add new walls.

For questions, discussions, there is a thread on the forums you can also reach me at @zcul. I would like to thank Manny and Brigander and all others at the test server for good feedback and bug hunting!

/Zcul

Unstick my cart, please let me go

Hello

Ever since I started out playing wurmonline several years ago, I was a bit frustrated with how carts always tend to get stuck when you travel near water.

Unstick this cart, please let it go

It makes sense – in a way – the cart gets stuck in the watery dirt and must be pulled out. There is that delicate balance between realism and playability, and in this case the latter wins, so on test right now is a change that increased the maximum depth you can dig without a dredge, while at the same time allowing carts to be dragged, horses to be ridden and hitched carts to be commanded across shallow waters.

For some magic reason, the clearing depth of smaller vessels such as rowing boat sailing boat and knarr, happens to coincide quite nicely with the maximum allowed depth of riding, dragging, commanding ground vehicles.

This means we may see some classic western style shallow water crossing in the near future.

Take care,

Zcul – developer for wurmonline