Ask Me Anything: Answers

[BB_Saqui]

Ask Me Anything Answers - Eleventh Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our eleventh batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 101: Ar-Aphanuzir, Spain

Years ago it was announced that you were thinking of creating a skill tree for geologists, explorers, generals and for the island, now that are working on the skill tree for the general. Will you make a skill tree for the island? Or has that idea been left?

BB_Alex: Ideas change and evolve, they don't die easily. The skill tree for generals, for example, evolved from the initial idea of years ago to what we have right now. The initial idea did not include unique traits for generals and had completely different skills, because we did not have elite units or the level cap raise yet. The game evolves and we have to adjust those ideas to fit and support this evolution. Back then, there were no such things as island wide buffs, which had quite the impact on the initial idea of an island skill tree. No, the idea is not discarded or dead, it is just not fitting anymore and has to be adjusted or possibly completely reworked. There are so many interesting opportunities and directions in which such a skill tree can evolve. Will a skill tree for the island or a similar skill tree make it into game? I don't know, honestly. We are not focused on such a skill tree right now, so there is no way to tell you if we will make one in the future.



Question 102: jcuzzuol, Brazil

Why not naval battle?l? Offering rewards in missions?

BB_Alex: Ships & Naval combat was always more related and fitting for Anno instead of Settlers. The decision to keep both games different in combat was made to support the unique difference between those games. The Settlers Online has land combat, while Anno Online has naval combat. So, no, we do not plan to introduce naval combat into Settlers Online.



Question 103: lkrocek, Czech Republic

Hello what about upgrading the troops? I loved do upgrades in another games, eg. do an upgrade for some archer units which will be able to attack twice or triple times.

BB_Alex: Such upgrades are benefits of a skill tree for generals and possible unique traits of a general. Those and the island wide buffs allow us to cover many possible challenge or situations. All the tools are already available and we want to put our efforts into the usage of the current system to generate interesting challenges and opportunities. The skill tree for generals and buffs like those in "Lost City" are just the beginning, as we plan to expand the functionality even further in the future.



Question 104: melodie44 , France

What % of trade offers actually end up getting bought?

BB_Alex: It depends on the time frame and day, of course. Around 80% of posted trade offers are accepted in the first 6 hours. This includes friend trades.



Question 105: Pardalot , Latin America

Do you plan to raise the rewards for level up? There is little reward for so much effort and people would be more concentrated to raise the level, thanks

BB_Alex: No, there are no plans to raise the reward for level ups. Our goal is to provide more interesting content and gameplay instead of just a simple resource reward. Your progress should give you more cool and fun things to do and experience in the game. We see a higher benefit and motivation with this approach.



Question 106: philus71, France

Would it be possible to hold a fan meeting in France?

BB_Pandur: Cher philus71, we cannot conduct fan meetings in countries where we do not have a "ground base". The organizational effort would simply be too high. But let me assure you: Je ne demande pas mieux !



Question 107: TTNRoby, Italy

The excelsior rumored to be at level 1, so I'd like to know if you're planning an upgrade for this building

BB_Alex: No, there are no plans to have upgrade levels for the Excelsior. The visualization of the level for the building is a bug and will be fixed during the update next week (this update is already deployed in France).



Question 108: Matz25, Germany

How often are you really annoyed by us?

BB_Pandur: We cannot describe the feelings we sometimes have towards our most precious asset - our community.
Let's be honest: When the community is split and both sides are bashing about one topic, it's really hard for us to keep calm and sometimes even not to be annoyed. Imagine half of the players are in favor of solution X, the other half, of solution Y. Both sides demand that we implement "their" solution ASAP. They are bashing the other side as "Blue Byte fanboys" and sometimes even presume that Blue Byte employees are among these players, influencing the discussion. Yeah, that's pretty annoying – not only to us, but to every forum participant really. That's why calm and reasonable discussions are always more helpful for everyone - and our moderators won’t get tired of reminding the community of it, even if it’s about "hot topics".



Question 109: Scared_Bunny, Germany

Do you have an office mascot that you'd like us to meet?

BB_Pandur: Of course we have a mascot. The TSO team office is known throughout Blue Byte and Ubisoft as "Hoffice" - why? Look here http://ubi.li/cm924



Question 110: NikoDrynn, UK

BB_Saqui, do you like pie?

BB_Saqui, UK CM: Pies? Pies! What kind of pie!? Hot pot pies? Creamy chicken pies? Steak and pepper pies? Maybe something a little less traditional, like pizza pie. Oh and for dessert: Apple pie! Rhubarb pie! Banoffee pie! Yeah - I guess you can say I like pies.



Question 111: Vlad, Russia

What meal do BB employees prefer: Fastfood or self made?

BB_Kumakun, DE CM: This depends on the day, time and colleague. If you do not have enough time, of course you will favor fast food. But we also have some colleagues who can cook and bake awesome food. Sometimes we get lovely cakes, or cupcakes in our office - sweet and homemade. Even outside of our work we are influenced by the discussions we had at the office. I remember a discussion about the "very hyped" unicorn-chocolate. Later that day, I prepared unicorn-noodles at home and had to show it to everyone the next day.

[BB_Saqui]

Ask Me Anything Answers - Twelfth Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our twelfth batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 112: blondehexe, Germany

Will there be an event in the future where guilds will have to compete against each other to show their teamwork?

BB_Alex: We thought about such an idea and we liked it so much, that we even considered introducing it into the game as a core mechanic with seasons instead of an event. However, there are no detailed plans yet. It is a simple idea and requires a lot of attention before we will be able to present it. So will there be such an event in the future? Maybe, I don't know. It does sound cool though.



Question 113: Eldrtich1, Germany

Are there plans to change the chances for a follow-up adventure?

BB_Alex: Our latest evaluation showed that a change of the drop chances for follow-up adventures should be combined with other changes to increase the impact on the economy and on the mood, in general. Such a possible change should also include a change to the drop chances of epic rewards, it should cover the loot boost for co-op adventures and it should tackle the high amount of high tier resources (platinum ore, mahogany wood, magic beans), which are getting into the game through adventure rewards. The reason for combining those changes relies in the positive impact on the game economy and on the community's mood. This would allow us to reduce the amount of high tier resources in adventure loot and maybe even remove some resources which can be already produced at that point in progress (horses), to improve the core gameplay loop explained in one of the previous answers. The reason for this is that we are increasing the chances for other rewards and maybe even provide alternative new rewards in exchange. Such an adjustment is also working better in combination with new sinks and, in the best case, it should be done close to an introduction of a huge sink. This requires us to develop a good plan for such approach, maybe even splitting it into stages with smaller updates. Regardless of what we decide, it will be communicated to you accordingly. We haven't developed a plan yet, and it will take time to do so.



Question 114: Graaflin, UK

I'm really wondering if that Excelsior is staying forever?

BB_Alex: The Excelsior is staying as long as The Settlers Online is up and running. Forever would be awesome.



Question 115: Ivan-Asen-II , UK

Hi, is there any chance for me to win a manuscript recipe?

BB_Saqui, UK CM: There's certainly a chance, and you might be closer than you think! We introduced a new guaranteed loot system a couple of months ago: this will give you rare loot, like the manuscript recipe, after so many attempts. So keep it up, and soon you will be rewarded!



Question 116: preindi , Germany

Is a filter or archive function for the in-game messages planned?

BB_Alex: The are no plans to introduce a filter or archive function in the near future. However, we still want to improve the handling of mails at some point.



Question 117: jochenf , Germany

I'm stuck in the TSO world! How can I get back to the real world?

BB_Ondgrund, DE CM: First you have to use "Bottled Innocence" and catch a unicorn. Then you have to wait for a rainbow, find the end of the rainbow which is not guarded by a leprechaun, and then ride over the rainbow with your unicorn. Or you could just close your browser, but that would be boring.



Question 118: Yuuriko, UK

I suck at romance. Can I also ask you tips on how to improve my love life?

BB_Saqui, UK CM: I'd make yourself a trusty TSO Love Potion - it's said that 60% of the time, it works every time!



Question 119: Jafool, US

Is BB hiring and if so, would they be willing to pay me in gems and grout?

TSO Production Team: Yes, BB is hiring! You can find all our vacancies here: http://www.bluebyte.com/en/career/vacancies We only pay real money though .



Question 120: Woookie, Germany

Do you actually read all of these questions?

BB_Pandur: Yes, but we are not able to answer every single question. We decided to pick out questions that appeared more often.



Question 121: Lotte_2009, Germany

Do the MODs and BB employees belong to guilds?

BB_Pandur: With our hidden ninja accounts we all do enjoy the game at its best. I do, but of course we won't say anything more about this. Just know the fact that we do indeed play the game in private, with friends and most of us since a very long time.



Question 122: PanicMan, Germany

Who decides if a player's suggestion makes it into the game and why doesn't the community get involved in those decisions?

BB_Alex: It depends on the level of decision. High-level decisions, like what will be developed next, is done by Project Managment based on feedback and suggestions from the whole team. Decisions on a lower and more detailed level are done by the different departments or even by a single person. Game Design decides how to structure mechanics, systems and balancing, while Programming decides on the use of the database, structure of code and certain other approaches. Art decides on the art style and asset development structures, while Community Managment decides how to excite and approach the community. While the decision about the art style is done by the Art department, it is heavily influenced and enriched by feedback from other departments, since everyone is looking for feedback constantly. The community itself is always involved when providing feedback to features on the test servers or giving suggestions inside the forums. Involving the community directly demands additional effort. The decisions have to be communicated clearly and openly with all the benefits and downsides. The results and feedback have to be collected and summarized. This process will put the whole development of a feature on hold if the decision is related to a critical gameplay mechanic. An additional important reason is the number of people making a decision. Cooking a meal with too many cooks will harm the taste instead of improving it. The best scenario so far is to let one cook do it and allow others to provide feedback or suggestions. The final decision should always be done by one single person or an agreement between just a few of them.

[BB_Saqui]



Ask Me Anything Answers - Thirteenth Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our thirteenth batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 123: Alienearth92, Germany

Are there features in game that you implemented with a scope, but players are "misusing" them? If yes, what is the biggest thing that players changed (example: Blocks / leech for fish etc.)?

BB_Alex: You can say that (b)locking was one of them in the past. We learned to work with (b)locking as a strategy. It made us more thoughtful when creating new content or even mechanics, such as the skill tree for generals. (B)locking is not that much of an issue right now. It's still not supported by us, since we can't ensure its functionality, and is not a core mechanic of the game. There is one benefit of keeping (b)locking as a strategy: it enhances the game by adding more complexity to it, and for many of you fun does emerge out of this complexity. In this case, (b)locking manages to enrich the gameplay from the mechanical point of view.
However, things are not the same when it comes to leeching. Leeching doesn't contribute to the complexity of the game and does not enrich the combat gameplay itself. We do accept that it is happening in the game, but we won't support it.
There is a third issue, and this is the biggest one, for me, personally. The ability to move resources from your storage to the star menu. It's basically limitless storage and works directly against the core gameplay pillar and challenge of an economy building game. The challenge of such a game lies in handling limitations, such as building space or storage. This almost nullifies some of the challenges. In my opinion, even huge sinks won't be as challenging as they should be, because this limitless storage will always work against any sink, regardless of how big it is.



Question 124: annotom60, UK

Hi, why do we have a cost for moving buildings? If it was free, rearranging island would be much better.

BB_Alex: Managing your resources and limitations is the most crucial pillar in an economy building game. It's basically the reason for such a game. We wanted to apply this resource managment factor to moving buildings too. It increases the challenge to move as many buildings as possible in as few steps only. You have to think ahead and plan accordingly to succeed in this task. And it's a resource sink.



Question 125: B-Drewery, UK

The ghost camp on expeditions is very useful to plan your attack. Are there plans for this to be added to all adventures, so we can test and find new routes?

BB_Alex: This is still on the list of things we would like to see in the game at some point. We do not have any plans right now, but it might come up in the future. We will keep an eye on it.



Question 126: Chaquelin, Germany

Is it possible to change one day the avatar name or the avatar picture?

BB_Alex: This is something I would love to see in the game at some point. The priority for such an update is very low, since it's more of a "nice to have". Maybe someday.



Question 127: flaskodavid, UK

Will there be in the future an improved recycling manufactory?

BB_Alex: We do not have plans to introduce an improved recycling manufactory at the moment. Those plans might appear in the future.



Question 128: Maulwolf, Germany

Are there ideas to counter the devaluation of map fragments? In the past they were useful, but now they are useless.

BB_Alex: Yes, we have some ideas to increase the sink for map parts. Those include the introduction of new adventures available for map parts, but also a general re-balancing of the pricing. Right now, those are just ideas, and require additional work to define all the details.



Question 129: shitti, Germany

Which feature from the original Settler games would you personally add to the game if you could?

BB_Ondgrund, DE CM: I would add some form of "divine intervention" mechanic into the game. It would allow you to sacrifice resources in a new (and expensive) religious building and gain manna for it. With the manna you can call for help from the gods. This would come in the form of temporary buffs for your home island or an adventure. It would be a nice resource sink and could be expanded over time with new buffs.



Question 130: kulfon76, Poland

What is Penelopa's shoe size?

BB_Penelopa, PL CM: 39 And yours?



Question 131: tutnichtgut19, Germany

If you could make one TSO character come to life which one would you choose and why?

TSO Project Manager: I'd make the Intrepid Explorer come to life because I'm a project manager and love how fast and efficient she is. Always getting things done.



Question 132: Bommel1234, Germany

Will roads ever be more than just decorations?

BB_Alex: We definitely thought about creating a mechanic for roads and make them relevant for the economy. After a short evaluation of the effort, we realised it's not a small task. A lot of the code related to roads has to be rewritten to make this happen. Because of this reason we decided against the implementation of such a mechanic.

[BB_Saqui]

Ask Me Anything Answers - Fourteenth Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our fourteenth batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 133: Dark-Dirk, Germany

I am visually impaired and I think I am not the only one. Is it possible or planned to change the graphics so that even visually impaired people can still enjoy the game? At the moment I play on a 100 cm desktop and I still have to zoom in for 175%, and it all becomes so unclear.

BB_Pandur: The game and the graphic engine were not designed for use in connection with assistance for the visually impaired. It would be a very huge effort to implement such adjustments. We wish for everyone to be able to play "The Settlers Online". Unfortunately, the game's age and underlying technical aspects don't provide much flexibility.



Question 134: dr-g-house-md, Germany

Hello, I've been play Settlers for 10 years and I can't help but wondering, why do we get experience points only from fights? When will you get to the point where we can get XP from other achievements? The game is called the Settlers, not the Conquerors! Other platforms have changed this, only you hold on to this war like existence.

BB_Alex: Combat has always been a crucial part of the Settlers formula. The goal in the game is building an economy and using it to dominate the map. The Settlers Online was initially developed with the goal to provide the Settlers experience in a browser. However, we are interested in additional ways of progressing through the game and opportunities to gain experience not only from combat. Scenarios and quest buffs like "Invitation to a Royal Wedding" or all the content inside the letter category of the Excelsior aim to provide more of these opportunities. Even if combat remains an important part of the game, there are additional ways to earn experience points and progress through the game.



Question 135: fausti21, Germany

Since there are buildings from the desert region from the 1001 Nights Adventures: Are you planning island extensions with a different landscape design which fits these buildings and decorations?

BB_Alex: We do not have any plans to introduce an additional island expansion at the moment.



Question 136: JMREC, UK

Why isn't it possible to be in 2 loot spots at the same time?

BB_Alex: There are three reasons for this one:
The first is related to adventure slots being limitations, and as mentioned before, we see limitations as challenges which have to be managed. These involve decisions such as "Which adventure to start?" and "Which invitation to accept?"
The second reason is related to progress. More adventure slots means a faster progress through the game. This increases the chances of you getting bored for reaching the goal too fast, while we have less time to create new interesting content with new goals, which again will be reached faster.
The third reason is mentioned in the previous batch of answers. Leeching is not contributing to the complexity of the game nor is it enriching the gameplay directly. We accept that it is happening in the game, but we won't support it.



Question 137: kevinessi, Germany

Will the maximum limit of manuscripts for the geologists and explorers stay the same or do we get a higher limit soon?

BB_Alex: This limitation is an important part of the design. Not having the possibility to unlock everything drives decision making - and this is one of the main challenges in the game. You have to manage building space, you have to manage resources and you have to manage skills. An increase in this limit will work directly against this. No, it is very unlikely this limit will ever be increased.



Question 138: KingCannon, UK

Hi BB. My question is this: Why do some players have a lot more luck than others? What I mean is that some will drop "rare" goods regularly, whereas others, hardly ever.

BB_Alex: The drop chances inside the game are the same for every player and the data we have been analyzing fully supports this. However, we understand the disappointment of not getting a cool building after investing so much time and effort into it, so we thought of a drop guarantee after a certain amount of unsuccessful rolls. This mechanic is used for the manuscript, tome and codex recipes, but we do plan to introduce it for more rewards in the future.



Question 139: Krask, Germany

When creating a new adventure and map creators find shortcuts which make the adventure much shorter and easier, do you generally find these shortcuts already in your own play tests, and if not, how annoying is that for you?

BB_Alex: Honestly, not all of them. And yes, it is disappointing sometimes. Instead of being discouraged by it, we try to mobilize it and use it to create decisions for new content. Let's take "El Chupacabra" as an example. In this venture, you can decide if you want to fight against the raging Mayas or cure them from the disease. Our goal is to give you more interesting and fun content and make shortcuts valuable decisions you have to make. You are free to use shortcuts, but you might miss out on experience points, other rewards, or even gameplay.



Question 140: Leatherface, Germany

Some players have become inactive for quite some time. Why can't you delete those accounts or move them to a graveyard server?

BB_Pandur: Every player returning from a time of inactivity shall find the island and friend list untouched. Since the friend list and connections on the original gameworld would be impacted by moving a player from one server to another, this is not in our list of things to implement. On the technical side, there is no reason for us to delete inactive player accounts.



Question 141: Universalbe, US

Will there ever be an endless iron mine available for purchase?

BB_Alex: There are no plans to introduce an endless iron mine at the moment.



Question 142: m-o-p, Germany

What colour are your socks?

BB_Kumakun, DE CM: What does the sock color say about the person? White/light-pink striped socks with a silverline at the top.



Question 143: petra1246, Poland

What kind of books does BB_Anash like?

BB_Anash, PL GM: I mostly read fantasy books written by Polish authors.



Question 144: Brifi, France

To BB_Maxhylere, what is the usual day like for a CM ? Do you work from home or an office? Do you have time for coffee breaks? Do you go have a drink after work with the GameOne team? Etc

BB_Maxhylere, FR CM: There isn't much of a typical day, but here it goes! I start my days by greeting my colleagues and our mod team. Then I get an idea of what is currently happening in the game from chat, forum, mods and GM, and prepare appropriate responses. I gather the community's feedback and package them into something digestible for the developers. I repeat that as often as necessary throughout the day. As for coffee break, I'm more of a soda person. Most CMs in the office prefer coffee though.



Question 145: GilligansDad, US

And someone has to ask - otherwise no one will be able to sleep at night... What is your favourite fridge magnet, Aeyline? ;-)

BB_Aeyline, US CM: I would never want to keep my lovely players from their much desired sleep! So, to put your mind at ease I've grabbed a picture showing some of my favorite magnets. Most of them have a special meaning to me, either because I've visited a particular place or because I received it as a gift from a loved one. In any case, my all time favorite would have to be the pink house magnet, which was given as a maternity gift on the occasion of my daughter's birth, some 15 years ago.

[BB_Saqui]



Ask Me Anything Answers - Fifteenth Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our fifteenth batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 146: Aromadose, Germany

Why does it take so long to fix issues (unless they actually have a negative impact on BB)?

The Development Team: All game issues are being fixed depending on their impact on the game, players and the economy.
Imagine a bug that would allow to "cheat" an endless amount of Gems - this would hurt us, no question, and it could easily lead to the game being shut down. We would have to fix something like that as soon as possible. "Normal" game related bugs are first being evaluated and weighted based on their impact. Being able to recreate the bug on our end (which already might take some time), finding and developing a fix for it would be the next steps on the list. Once we find a solution, implementing the improvement in the test - and final game version (and already being worked on future versions with their own tests again) wraps things up. This process may take 2 months and more.

QA Team: There are several reasons as to why it take so long to fix a bug. Fixing bugs is part of our development process. We try to fix as much as possible, but we also try to deliver new content for the players. Creating content will also take a lot of time until it's ready to go live. Therefore, sometimes it's needed to move some bugs to a later version.
In addition, some bugs are not that easy to fix, as they have an impact on other parts of the game or are not on our side and we are not able to fix them. We avoid creating downtime as much as possible within events (such as the bridge bug in the latest Crisis quest).
If there are bugs which are a recurring topic, contact the GMs/Mods and they will push the bugs for you. We will try to plan annoying bugs to earlier versions, so you can enjoy the game as much as possible.


Question 147: JP2429, Germany

Do the Developers, Game Designers, Support people etc. really play the game like every other normal player?

BB_Pandur: Yes, we all play the game with private accounts. Some of us are members of Guilds and participating as normal players. We do not cheat with these accounts (as in we don't get free stuff).



Question 148: anna2011, Germany

Which is the highest level in the BB team?

TSO Team: Becoming a parent is the highest level to be achieved in life - and we are proud that some team members reached that goal already . In reference to the game, it is level 75 .



Question 149: Emmahermine, Germany

How did you come up with the idea for the Excelsior?

BB_Alex: We wanted to create something special and exciting. Something that would contribute to the evolution of the game and "excel" the gameplay experience. Every feature starts with such a simple vision and grows over time. At its core, there is a gameplay loop and everything should evolve and grow around this loop. Every single idea supporting the vision and the loop has a very high value and such ideas start to appear in every single mind, once the vision has been established and shown. There is more information about the Excelsior development inside the DevBlog.



Question 150: xmauriusx, Germany

2 years ago you had the cross server "Red nose day " event with the balloons. I really liked that. Will something like this come again?

BB_Alex: A server/world/realm wide event does sound tempting. Everyone working together towards a goal and competing against others. The age and the size of our worlds/realms do vary quite a lot, which makes it difficult to get a nice balance. A balance where people won't feel at disadvantage compared to other realms. In addition, there are technical challenges, too. We don't have any plans to run such a cross server event at the moment.



Question 151: antted, UK

Why don't generals get promotions for winning battles?

BB_Alex: To keep the science system consistent, we decided to have the same approach to skills as we did with other specialists such as Explorers and Geologists.



Question 152: ikimiaca, UK

Is there a limit on the number of reapers you can have in total like Santa Claus for example, or just limit per event?

BB_Alex: The limitation of available specialists during events is only bind to the event. It's not a comprehensive limitation, which is used for other specialists such as Master of Martial Arts. A comprehensive limitation will only be applied if we decide to make them available outside of an event. There are no plans to make those specialist available outside of events. We see the importance of having event unique specialists.



Question 153: MadamRamsay, US

1-Why can't we rotate our buildings and decorations so they can face a different direction?
2-Why can't we move the Mayor's House?
3-When will we get more different decorations for our Island?
4- We can blow up rocks and mountains; why not groups of trees?

BB_Alex: 1. TSO is not a 3D game. Our buildings and assets are 2D pictures, and each additional perspective of an asset automatically doubles the amount of pictures which have to be loaded. This value increases even further for buildings with animations leading to a heavy impact on the performance of the game.

2. The Mayor house is also a storehouse. Storehouses can't be moved because they define the owner of a sector. Moving it out of the sector will remove the ownership and delete all buildings inside this sector.

3. We are introducing new decorations from time to time. During events, such as the last Easter event, or with new content such as "Of Songs and Curses". Thank you for mentioning it, we will keep an eye on it during our design.

4. Rocks affected by demolition crew are unique objects, which react to an item. Such an object has to be replaced by us on the map manually. Trees are also wood deposits tied directly to the economy of the game. Making them removable is far more complex and a lot of questions have to be answered. What happens if all trees are gone? What happens, if you suddenly decide you want the trees back and use them as deposits again? Can you plant trees? Can our game handle the mechanic of planting trees? Such a change requires several additional new mechanics to be in place.



Question 154: ChinBad, US

What is the craziest, funniest support ticket you've ever got?

CS Team: There are always tickets that bring a smile to our faces. We selected a few for you, including a recent one related to the ongoing Halloween event: "Hey, so I killed the first gollum with water", oh, poor Gollum, why would anyone want to kill him?

Here are some other examples:

We: - Dear player, please clear your browser cache. [added step-by-step guide]. This is an issue which is solely created by your cache.
Player: - I already did that several times... you do not help at all! You always say the problem is at my end!
We: - This is strange, it is really an issue created by the cache alone. Could you please explain to me how you cleared your browser cache, I might be able to help you out.
Player: - Don't think I am that stupid. I know how to clear the browser cache. On your Desktop, you click on the little trashcan. Right-click and then you click on 'clear trash'.
We: -...okay, this explains many things. Please follow the steps we provided again.
Player: - Now it worked


We: - Please send a screenshot of the error
Player sends a selfie
We: - Ehm... nice picture but I would need the screenshot of the error
Player: It's fine.. the error was me




Question 155: kofa1996 , UK

What are block attacks and what are pros and cons?

BB_Alex: Blocking is a strategy where some of your generals are used to block a camp, allowing others to pass the aggro zone and attack the next camp. The benefits are lower losses. The downside is the risk. We can't guarantee a block will work since it is heavily depending on the situation and its parameters. More information can be found in the archive inside the game.

[BB_Saqui]

Ask Me Anything Answers - Sixteenth Batch

Note:

Please keep in mind that this is our sixteenth batch of published answers. Our team continues to process the questions submitted by our worldwide community; additional answers will be provided for selected questions in the future.

Question 156: TIPEX, The Netherlands

We got always a Dutch CM who was born and raised in the Netherlands, with the change of the language of the CM I'm curious what nationality you have.

BB_Sious: If life is a role-playing game and you get to choose one at character creation, I might pick German for more visa-free travel, perhaps Jamaican, learn to play reggae and become Rastafarian, or maybe Mongolian and experience the great wide open on horseback, have an eagle for a pet and roast dinner using a handheld flamethrower.
Back to your question, I have Filipino nationality. At least I have this vivid drawing of a monkey-eating eagle on my passport.



Question 157: hanta, UK

I want to know the secret ingredient! You give our settlers 1 fish platter, and then from the same amount of gold, they do 2 coins instead of one

BB_Alex: One single Fish Plate triggers a unique effect for our Settlers. It allows them to smelt gold so effective they get far more out of one chunk of ore. It's not a secret ingredient, it's the settlers, which are special.



Question 158: Kitek, The Czech Republic

Are you planning to introduce some kind of general which would be useful only for Arabic adventures? It would be great to have such general which would have for example bigger capacity of troops.

BB_Alex: There are generals with a high capacity of troops which also can be expanded even further through skills. On top we also introduced several other unique generals. This combination does reduce losses on Arabian Nights adventures a lot. Besides that, there is almost no way to introduce a general who is great for Arabian nights adventures only, because those generals are automatically better for all adventures, especially with a high amount of troops. Our personal goal for now is to create interesting generals instead of just going more and more powerful. Nusala, Anslem, Vargus and now Mary are generals which have specific benefits and have to be combined to achieve the best outcome for your personal playstyle. And we see this as very important for the game. This approach creates space for optimization and planning, which is a key challenge in an economy builder such as TSO.



Question 159: Siedler-Junkie, Germany

Is it possible to create some kind of trash bin for the Star menu for items that I will never use anyway?

BB_Alex: We do have some gags related to this topic. We even thought of making the new mountain a volcano, where you can burn items. It would be nice to have a mechanic which allows you to get rid of items. Right now it's not our priority and we haven't though of a proper approach for this yet. Maybe someday we might implement such a mechanic into the game. No plans for now.



Question 160: Epilarxos, Greece

Hello, I would like to ask if it is possible to reduce the time of explorer searches.

BB_Alex: Everything is possible. You can reduce the time for explorer tasks through the skill tree. Besides that, we don't have plans to reduce those times. I would rather prefer a valuable loop instead of just a simple decrease.



Question 161: TAG1984, Italy

Why can't we conquer other players' islands?

BB_Alex: Some players don't want their islands conquered. This is one of the things a lot of our players love about the game. Building up their town and their economy peacefully without the fear of losing something due to another player raiding your island. If you want to conquer other islands, try to conquer colonies owned by other players through expeditions.



Question 162: Wirusisko, Poland

I would like to ask if there will be a new Polish server?

BB_Alex: No, no plans for a new Polish server.



Question 163: kke2100, UK

Are there any plans of raising the batch sizes in Barracks from the current 25?

BB_Alex: The same here, no plans for now.



Question 164: Arendyll, US

Why can't we cancel the explorer or geologist if we send them on wrong searches?

BB_Alex: I guess because there is no function supporting it in the game yet. We did not put any detailed thought into such a function yet, so there are no plans to add it. This might change in the future, of course.



Question 165: LioneeR, US

When I first started, I felt like I was taken advantage of in the trade office. People purposely offer insanely lopsided trades in hopes of taking advantage of others. Is there anything in the works for some kind of price guide? I understand we want market economics to do their work, but I think a wide ranging price guide from BB would keep players from getting taken advantage of.

BB_Alex: Prices for goods and items change based on the current status of the economy and content. Having a price guide requires the need to keep it up to date. This includes collecting the data from all servers, since those do differ already and define a price taking all this data into account. All this on a weekly maybe monthly basis. A purchase in the trade office is your personal decision, and we don't want to take it away from you or to influence your decision by releasing a price guide. Checking the market, analysing it, optimizing your economy based on the learnings and benefit from your strategy should be rewards for the time invested into this. You could say it's one side of the game and part of the TSO experience. Besides that, we would like to invest our resources into creating interesting content and bring some small nice additions to the game.

[BB_Saqui]

Ask Me Anything Answers - Last Batch

Question 166: Deleted account

Which setting will the next big adventure have? Will there be any forgotten cultures, maybe the Mayan's from the "Doomsday event" 2012 come back?

BB_Alex: Next we are going to the northern continent, the land of the Nords. The Mountain Clan Campaign is designed as late game content with additional challenges and rewards. I personally love the idea of exploring other cultures in the game. We haven't decided yet what kind of content we want to bring after the new campaign.



Question 167: Drachentier 75, Germany

Coins are always a big issue for small players, so why is there no bank in-game that can offer coins with % payback ratio?

BB_Alex: I find myself asking how often you would be able to loan gold from this bank? We would create an exploit if the amount of offers would be infinite, not to mention the database usage for such an infinite offer. Having a limitation on the amount of offers will just shift the issue you mentioned to a later point in time. There also has to be some kind of a malus. A simple addition during payback won't work because you still can avoid paying it back, so there is a need for a constant malus, but how would it look like? There are more questions to answer and a lot more to tackle. I don't see the benefit of such a bank competing with all the other parts which have to be taken care of.



Question 168: Hakkeborn, Germany

The tavern is useless and I am playing since the Beta. Wouldn't it be possible to create a new function for it?

BB_Alex: Yes, you're right, the tavern loses its value as soon as all specialist have been purchased for coins. We are looking into ways to expand the functionality of the tavern.



Question 169: Mr_Update, Germany

Do you plan to make changes to the yields of colonies so that we can trade/change the overproductions of specific yields for something worthy?

BB_Alex: We are focusing on the new campaign right now, so no defined plans to adjust colony resources. Maybe someday in the future, we might be able to go back to the expeditions system.



Question 170: RosaliexD, Spain

Why are there no items to speed up the construction process?

BB_Alex: There are other ways to speed up the construction process.



Question 171: Invictvm, Italy

When will we be able to disband marshals and generals that we don't need anymore?

BB_Alex: No plans for such a feature.



Question 172: Vanto, Italy

I'm a player with one year of TSO (I feel like a newbie) and I've noticed that from level 50, the progression of XP from one level to another is very impressive. Have you studied some other quest (primary or secondary quests, or guild/daily quest with XP as a reward) in order to quicken the level-up? I think it would be nice for all.

BB_Alex: We are always looking for content providing experience points and we have to keep a balance in this case. Leveling up is already faster compared to how it was one year ago and I assume it will be getting faster with the new content we will introduce in the future.



Question 173: CoyoteNZ, UK

Would it be possible to list all the enemy troops attack and defence orders?

BB_Alex: The target order can be viewed by hovering with the mouse of an enemy camp. The order, in which the units are lined up, is also the target order. The attack order is based on the initiative of units plus the fact that the player always starts first. First strike units of the player followed by first strike of the enemy. Normal strike of the player followed by the enemy, and so on. More information can be found inside the archive in the game. We will think about additional improvements.



Question 174: KnurBojowy, Poland

Does the grain from farms fulfill the EU requirements?

TSO Team: According to all regulations, our grain grows in the direction specified in the European Union Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas 2014 to 2020.



Question 175: Viraxen, Poland

When you are planning a film adaptation of TSO?

TSO Team: Seeing our Settlers coming to live on the big screen would be pretty cool! But currently, there is no adaptation planned so they will stay on our PC screens.

Note:

With 175 answered questions, we would like to conclude our very first Ask Me Anything session. We hope we were able to answer the most pressing questions and that this experience was as meaningful to you as it was to us.