Population / Balance System

[TimeAdept]

Put simply: Can we, as the playerbase, get any hints at all whatsoever as to how this works? Right now we only have the barest bones: NPCS accept dropped resources. They may spread later. They may become friendly. Druids can push this balance back and Rangers can look at it. We know killing it pushes it down and leaving it alone ticks it up.

But that's all we know. There's zero feedback as to whether or not anything we do has any effect whatsoever. Do NPCs need food over metal? Stone over cloth? There's no feedback and no meaningful way by which to measure this, because a ranger's message simply says "In Balance" "Out of Control" or "Spreading". But you can dump 25,000 in resources when it's Out of Control and it will still be Out of Control. At the cheapest resource price in the server right now that's 100,000 gold in raw resources you've tossed down the drain to try to affect what is a very, very neat system but with 0 feedback whatsoever - and the worry that a druid hits -balance and undoes potentially hundreds of thousands of gold's work in an instant by doing rest, -balance, rest, -balance.

Can we please get some form of transparency, or at least better feedback in game, on this system? The idea of populations spreading and fighting is very cool, and a way for PCs to affect the environment, and currently the system isd so absolutely opaque nothing happens with it at all. Even something like "The natives accept your resources, but require more food", so we know you can't just throw 50,000 metal at them and be good would be nice. Things like "when dothey become friendly?" "How does spreading work?" there's so many questions about the system that we actually have no way to 'FOIG' because there's simply no feedback at all, or at least, no meaningful feedback that can be used in roleplay.

[TimeAdept]

No input or thoughts or anything at all whatsoever?

[Cerk Evermoore]

I think the system is awesome. Have no idea how it works but it sure is swell.

[One Two Three Five]

As near as I can tell, having played a druid that hung out with another druid that happened to have figured out some of the -balance spots: They're kind of sort of completely unintuitive, for some, and there's very little feedback unless you've got a ranger too. When it works, it's very cool, but getting it to work (at least on the balance side) is trial and error and not real fun.

[Cybernet21]

As near as I can tell, having played a druid that hung out with another druid that happened to have figured out some of the -balance spots: They're kind of sort of completely unintuitive, for some, and there's very little feedback unless you've got a ranger too. When it works, it's very cool, but getting it to work (at least on the balance side) is trial and error and not real fun.

I mean the wiki page on it says that is to encourage druids and rangers to work together so it doesnt feel like trial and error.But i dont know much of the system in person,all i know is i dont see many people talking about it

[Sab1]

Any place I have tried to use -balance has always been in balance and after playing 3 or 4 druids, that's about all I know of the system. I have never seen, read, or heard anyone ever speak of it ig.

[RedGiant]

What I think this functionally amounts to is...
A) PCs can drop resources to NPCs/Hostiles they might want to encourage...
B) NPC populations can balloon of their own accord through neglect...
C) Druids and Rangers can work together to counter A and/or B.
This allows many RP possibilities, but I think most entertaining of these center on PCs actively pursuing A). I think various people have tinkered with this in the past, but its effects seems somewhat muted as hordes of adventures regularly stomp all over the isle.

Oh look, the Talassians are expanding again. THWACK, STAB, SHLACK.