Player Associations Archive
Thread: Are we going to get any updates on the PA's in the next patch?
Written in red are my guesses as todifferent code elements that would have to be created from scratch to make this work....
LeBob wrote:
I think the problem you describe could be solved by giving the guild leader/hall owner a set amount of time to get the number of memers that are needed or reduce the number of extra lots he/she is using...
1. Code to add extra lots to the PA Leader's account when the guild is over "n" members.
2. Code to email the leader when these additional lots are available.
3. Code to watch when the guild drops below "n" members
4. A timer setting that starts ticking down when the guild gets below "n" members
5. Code to email the PA Leader as this time starts ticking down
if after this amount of time the lots were still in use, then the latest structures that had been placed would become 100% inaccessable for another N amount of time... after this second 'fix-it-or-lose-it' time had passed then the structure in question would poof
6. Code to track how long each structure in game has been placed
7. Code to disable structures
8. Code to find the most recently placed structure on the PA Leader's account and disable it when coundown is 0
9. Code to email the PA Leader about destroyed structures
10. Code to shurt off the countdown
11. Code to recognize when the leader has changed or left the guild
12. Code to start a different type of timer with no shutoff switch causing a non-guilded or non-leader character with bonus accounts to lose their structures after the time is up.
13. Code to recognize when a past leader has had their bonus lots removed so these lots can be given to the new leader
14 - ??? Many other things I am probably missing right now
Lingering issues....
1. What if the most recently placed structure has 6 lots, but the PA Leader will only end up losing one "bonus" lot? Do we add yet another piece of code so that it can pick a different structure, or do we just tell the PA Leader "too bad".
2. Customer service issues of when a PA Leader goes on vacation and loses structures. Right now the system is very supportive of vacations so long as structures have enough maintenance, but this would be a system that isn't supportive of vacations.
3. The emails regarding the bonus lots would probably have to go to the whole guild, creating spam. This would be the only way to make sure a guild didn't lose structures due to an inactive PA Leader.
4. There would still be an exploit of paying to invite characters that don't play on the server
5. There would still be an exploit of paying people who do play characters but want to remain solo to rejoin your guild once a week and reset the timer
6. The guild system doesn't keep track of inactive characters very well. Some guilds have hundreds of members but only a handful are active. This would have to be addressed before any system that works off of the number of guild members could be put into place. This is a huge feature request in and of itself.
Keep in mind every one of these elements has the potential for being bugged or creating a severe bug somewhere else. I appreciate the effort here, but I hope I'm doing a good job of illustrating what a can of worms this would be. It would be such a large can of worms that even if the devs did decide to do it, PAs wouldn't see another single feature or advancement for 6 months or more.
Xyrdre wrote:
Jascentia wrote:
Here's what little I know about storage limits...
I think they will belooking at storage in all structures throughout the entire game and tweaking all of it at the same time. I have no certainty or timeframe for this, and I can't say if it will come out as something we all love, or all hate, or a mixture of the two.I can only say that I look forward to makingsure they take a hard look at the PA Halls during this process, whenever it occurs.
If we simply had storage in direct proportion to the number of lots used, the whole thing works. No need to try and get fancy; if a small Generic uses 2 lots and gets 150 items, and a small Naboo uses 1 lot and gets 75 items, we have our ratio. Leave the lot costs as they are, and just make each structure hold 75*(lots used) items. Then there aren't any games to play with the 5 small houses vs. PA hall thing.Those are my wishes. Now back to your regular programming.
This is not true. Due to my knowledge, large naboo houses take 250 items, and are 6 lots. 75 x 6 = 450. Now if we did follow the table, it would go like this:
Smalll Houses, (exception of small round naboo): 150 items
Medium Houses: 150 items
Large Houses: 450 items
Tatooine PA Hall: 525 items
All Other PA Halls: 675 items.
Any word if we are getting any new PA Hall designs? They all get kind of dull....
BlacOtaku wrote:
Xyrdre wrote:
If we simply had storage in direct proportion to the number of lots used, the whole thing works. No need to try and get fancy; if a small Generic uses 2 lots and gets 150 items, and a small Naboo uses 1 lot and gets 75 items, we have our ratio. Leave the lot costs as they are, and just make each structure hold 75*(lots used) items. Then there aren't any games to play with the 5 small houses vs. PA hall thing.Those are my wishes. Now back to your regular programming.
This is not true. Due to my knowledge, large naboo houses take 250 items, and are 6 lots. 75 x 6 = 450. Now if we did follow the table, it would go like this:
Smalll Houses, (exception of small round naboo): 150 items
Medium Houses: 150 items
Large Houses: 450 items
Tatooine PA Hall: 525 items
All Other PA Halls: 675 items.
Any word if we are getting any new PA Hall designs? They all get kind of dull....
Actually, it is true. You may have missed that I said a small Naboo, not a large. And I should have added the *round* 1 lot version, not the 2 lot version, which has storage of 150 items like their other-planetary cousins.
Of course, the whole storage-lot size thing comes down to projected server storage space required to remember all those items. It may not work for that reason. Perhaps a lower lot-storage ratio to keep the total numbers down, but with 1 and 2 lot structures hard set outside of the ratio at 75 and 150 items respectively. With a 50 item/lot capacity, and the set values for smaller structures, we'd have:
Small round Naboo (1 lot): 75 items
Other small houses (2 lots): 150 items
Medium houses (2 lots): 150 items
Large houses (6 lots): 300 items
Tatooine guildhall (7 lots): 350 items
Other guildhalls (9 lots): 450 items
Lot counts were taken from the advanced guide to player housing from this site.
These numbers aren't a dramatic increase on server storage space across the board over the current numbers, but guildhalls get weighted up a bit to cover the dual-purpose that is needed by PA leader/guildhall owners to cover the decorations and personal effects/guild storage issues. And by implementing a known ratio, a guide would be in place for future structure development to ensure reasonably equitable storage solutions for owners of those structures.
My main point behind this is that as a PA leader who has to cover the 9 lots needed for the hall, we are forced to sacrifice an awful lot to be able to provide a PA for the enjoyment of others. The hall must be decorated, and personal effects stored in that barn as well... and 250 items for that much real estate just isn't doing it. Sure, I could consider moving my PA to Tatooine to take advantage of the lower lot requirements on the Tat guildhall, but should every PA have to be based on Tatooine as a workaround? I don't even like Tat that much... 
Should PA leaders be "forced" to buy additional accounts just to be able to provide guilds for players and still be able to pursue their own gameplay with comfortable item storage the same as any other player? I personally don't think it should be that way. Can I ask some guildmates if they're willing to share some of their unused lots so I can have a small house conveniently near the guildhall for my personal effects? Of course, but there's the risk that if their account is deleted for any reason, I'll lose anything stored there for good, and the risk that they'll need those lots back later (if they decide to pursue crafting professions, for example).
In the end, I'd just like to see a little closer to the same storage chances as I would if I weren't leading a PA. As it currently stands, I get total access to store 425 items (250 for PA hall + 75 for round Naboo house + 100 for bank safe deposit), which must be split between decorations for the hall and personal stuff as mentioned. If I weren't a PA leader, I'd have access to 850 item storage (5 small houses*150 = 750, plus 100 for safe deposit).
Okay... I've said plenty. Sorry if some of my posts get a bit long... I tend to have a lot to say at times.
Jascentia wrote:
(snip) These numbers aren't a dramatic increase on server storage space across the board over the current numbers (snip)
Keep in mind how they nerfed melons. Even 5 extra items, compounded by the number or players was a hugedrag on the database. I am hoping and asking for astorage increase, but the cap for any structure right now is 250. To release us from that cap they will have to analyze storage as a whole throughout the entire game, and determine whether or not it is feasable...
Yes, I know this could easily be the case... and noted that acknoweldgement buried in my last long post. I'm just hoping that it can work out, and trying to play with ideas that might help. If they don't, so be it... at least I tried. As I've said before elsewhere, I'd rather throw out 10 ideas and have 9 of them be bad or not work than miss the chance to get that 1 golden one.
So here's hoping!
Please please, some loving to make managing the PA easier, i.e. to change a PA leader, the voting system needs to be more like the city hall and mayor, where we can see how many numbers have voted for each potential leader.
Also, would be good if there was an easier way to see when "election day" was for each PA. So we could plan around it so to speak.
Just a few small things that would make some of us happier