3rd Q&A with Aleš

[ocnoglittle 760]

Hi everyone! In case you missed the third Q&A, here are the links:

Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/986223523

Youtube - 

(Subtitles should be autogenerated by tomorrow for YouTube) 

Summary:

1. From JohnMFSteel: Aleš was saying that all the detail is created by manipulating the polys, so adding custom models would make more sense than textures. What about adding a workshop for adding custom models?
   • Good question. We are thinking about adding something like that. It might become necessary. Maybe something from 3D modeling software.
2. From Ruinous: Can the players use the battery system from YWD for the propeller packs instead?
   • Currently, we aren't happy with the propeller pack. We are going to adjust it. We might chang it to either this or some other rechargeable method
3. From arceushunters: Can the players have coolants for the propeller pack?
   • Maybe just submerging it in water. Cool idea (pun intended)
4. From JohnMFSteel: Can the players have a branch of the tech tree for refining oil? (https://ylands.com/community/topic/29873-oil-tech/)
   • I need to ask the designers. The players can ask again in 2 weeks.
5. From JohnMFSteel: Custom region maps? the new Exploration has 3 different levels to the map World, Region, Local. Currently, the Region map is used to split up the biomes. However, if creators had the capability to create new region maps it could open up new possibilities for custom games. Some examples: Having all the maps in Region be multiplayer and the start map to be a player hub and all the other maps to be mini-games. This would allow players to play a variety of games without hopping back to main and searching. Story-driven custom games that span multiple maps. Small scale custom exploration games where some maps are custom and some can randomly generate to designated conditions like in real exploration
   • When we let creators put editor-made maps in Exploration, we won't let everything go in Exploration. But we can definitely do regions with similar worlds. it is too early to know
6. From arceushunters: Can we pose the NPCs in the Editor?
   • Making the NPCs sit down is on my list
7. From Jchobs: Ranged NPCs, please?
   • Maybe later this year, but we will see
8. From Arceushunters and Jarda: Can we have a chainsaw?
   • Cool idea. Why not?
9. From spiritchaser28: Will it be possible to block people entirely on the forum?
   • I know who you might be talking about. We will work on it. I sent it to Nikki to deal with it.
10. From Yo_has: here it is anyway I'm working on a big build in the editor to later place in explore and i'm having some flickering textures. They are known to cause lag in mp. So my question is: Would they still cause lag if they would be covered up with another block? (The whole thing is gonna be blueprinted so that means the blocks will be welded together)
    • I am not sure why this would cause lag. I will ask. It might just be from having a large number of blocks. If any scenario isn't working properly, please send it to us.
11. From spiritchaser28: Can the players have more slots in the toolbox?
    • Not sure. I will have to ask.
12. From spiritchaser28: if not wallpaper, then maybe could it be possible to color different sides of the blocks?
    • If we allowed players to do this, there would be too much data, so probably not. It would slow the game down too much. Maybe custom models could address this.
13. From berzeger: Who is your favorite programmer?
    • Phillip because he is listening.
14. From empeorgame3(2): can we have bicycles?
    • No. It is too difficult.
15. From Ocnog (follow up about caves): Would it be possible to have “better” caves in the custom islands?
    • We discussed this with the cave guy today. We will improve the caves. We are also focusing on bringing mountains back, as well.
16. Ocnog means custom handmade caves in Custom Scenarios.
    • I will pressure the designers to make better caves, but we are worried about the AI still
17. From jchobs: Aleš (Editor question, more like a suggestion, sorry) can we have a "get position" from thrown objects? like an arrow shot from a bow, or grenades? (unless it's possible now.. haven't tested much 1.6)
    • We will ask the programmers. Anything that needs to happen very frequently is very intensive for the game. I am pretty sure it is possible.
18. Follow up from last time, from Beam003: Will we be able to customize the appearance of the new vendors?
    • I am still not sure about this. We want to finish developing 1.7 for the next week or so. And then we can ask them about this. We still plan on releasing the roadmap once things settle down a little bit.
19. From Spyler: At this time the tool to adjust the water to the terrain, also fills the caves with water. Will this be fixed?
    • I know what you are talking about and I need to ask about it.
20. From Spyler: we also need a function to detect when a player is pointing a weapon, it would be really useful
    • Naru: Ask Lukáš. It should be possible.
21. Inspired by Bojo: Could it be possible to get larger stacks for stone chunks/sandstone chunks/logs etc?
    • I need to get over the shock of the crazy blueprints that need 10000 stone chunks or glass. How big would the stacks have to be for this? We want them to have to sail somewhere and mine ores. We don't want them to just carry everything in their inventory. We plan on doing containers for your horse, as well. The most important thing about Exploration is the core game mechanics that are there. Once Editor comes into play, this might be really annoying. But we want the containers on the ships to be the way to move resources around. We do not want a player having 50k resources in their inventory.
22. From Jchobs: can we have an option to name containers like we have for keys? Example: potion holders, let's say I want 1 potion holder to have only HP pots. Could we have a way to change the name of that potion holder? (instead of painting it to "recognize it")
    • Naru: I asked Lukáš, so we are planning this.
23. From John Steel: "Hey, What about a hand cart for carrying large loads of resources across land? Maybe a trailer for cars? The parts to build them would be best I think."
    • You will see the containers for horses first.
24. From Mello: Will it be possible to create groups using a script? if so, will it be in 1.7 or later?
    • I need to ask the experts.
25. From Ocnog: about the horse containers, can I have it with a Rhino?
    • It is something we need to discuss. We have so many animals to ride, so who is to say that only horses get animal containers.
26. From ComR: Please, add "Take All" icon/option. I know it could make problems (for example picking up things by mistake), but mostly during the game I'm collecting seeds and logs... "Take All" could be locked for safety and work only if you hold "ALT" (or other defined key) for example. Then "TAKE" would change into active "TAKE ALL". Also, it would be nice if we could select for example log only and click ALT+"Take" and only all logs would be taken. How about this?
    • It would be easy to implement this, but there are still problems. We don't want it to feel like playing the piano with all the keys you have to press. ALT is already reserved for something else. We need to do a poll about these so we know what is important to the community.
27. From Ocnog: what is the best way to ask about the community's priorities? You wanted to ask how many people want each of these suggestions. The forum is such a small subset of the community.
    • Aleš: I don't know if we have a good polling system on our forum or what would be best for this. Maybe we should use a 3rd party solution.
    • Naru: I think this is something the new community manager could solve.
    • Nikki: Yes for sure!
28. Someone (Ocnog can't find it ?) mentioned the idea of having the map auto-update when large areas of trees are chopped down or buildings are constructed. Is this possible?
    • There will be slight changes to how these maps are now generated. There is a problem with them how they are now. We want to be able to show entities and provide custom maps. In 1.7 we will change this. But it will be internal changes first. In 1.8, we will have creator-generated maps. Maybe something where you can export terrain data to photoshop and then edit it. And creators can use scripting to add icons to the map.
29. From jchobs: Can we get a grey scale height map to generate terrain?
    • Yes, we are already doing this. Probably in 1.8, it will be added.
30. From Jarda: Many players would like to share the map (the one that comes up when the players press M) with their friends/allies that are playing the same game. Is this possible for the future
    • We need to discuss this.
31. From Lady_whynot: Can we change it so we can zoom out in the local map (M) in new Exploration so that we can take a screenshot of the whole world?
    • Sure. Why not?
32. From spiritchaser28: Crafting power boots going to be an option in the future?
    • We don't want to imbalance the game, like with the propeller pack. They might have to be charged or something, so it isn't a permanent boost. Maybe when we bring back the repair system and items degrade, we can add it to Exploration.
33. From Spyler: When we can connect the maps to the exploration, we can add all kinds of programming or it will be somewhat more limited in this regard. The size of these maps will be unlimited, or we will have to limit ourselves to universal maps?
    • We imagine people will use scripting when they are making custom maps linked to exploration, so it will be fine. About the size of the maps, we need to discuss it. We haven't announced this yet, so we need to see. You will have the option to create larger maps than you have today.
34. From jchobs: Are we bringing back the repair system?
    • We want to make sure it is done well. This is a low priority but still on the backlog list.
35. From Shadow: Are there any plans to allow us to get the player's position and rotation of the camera in multiplayer so we can more accurately raycast where they are looking?
    • I need to ask the programmers, especially for multiplayer.
36. From Ocnog & others: Can we get a way to paint grass in Exploration?
    • It can be done. If the players make fewer changes to the terrain, then they need less data processed and saved for the game. We don't want to cause lag and issues. I will ask. We had a similar idea where we wanted you to be able to carry one unit of water and add that water to the map.
37. From Nico: "Adding villages, not everywhere, but maybe once in a while finding an island with a little village, maybe a port? Or maybe a native village.. There are so much
    • We are already working on this with custom scenarios
38. From Spirit: How often do they plan on uploading the Custom Scenarios?
    • Quite often, since they aren't tied to the game updates
39. From Lady_whynot: how will you make a balance so the peaceful players can build, farm, practice forestry, etc. and the players that want to fight are both happy? Especially concerning both groups of players exploring/traveling, trading, and earning recipes (in the future crafting system).
    • We know some players want to stay in single-player areas and some want to be social without being aggressive, so you can set the rules on the island. It is not finalized yet. The rules will be enhanced.
40. From Spirit: Can we rework the rarity of the different metal ores and coal? (Note from Ocnog: was the rarity of coal and copper changed in 1.6?)
    • I am not aware of changes, but I will check. I know we changed what the mutants dropped but forgot to add it to the changelog. It was our fault. It would be so awesome to have some system where players could say their opinions about any changes to the ore rarity, and other changes like this.
41. From Sacha: "Hello is it possible to model assets with blender or other to import them into the game? ok maybe later in the evolution then ^^ it would be cool to add assets in the workshop or other ^^ (just a suggestion in no hurry)"
    • Already answered in question #1
42. From Ocnog: Can we have bird particle effects like the fish particle effects?
    • That sounds possible.
43. From Shyruban: In Editor, can creators have options for the paintbrush size?
    • Yeah, good point.
44. From jchobs: we can ask them to make engines work underwater. That way, in the editor we can make submarines (sorta)
    • No
45. From JohnSteel: Can we have more emotes?
    • Yes
46. From Bobo and Ocnog: can the players have an easier way to get eggs? Maybe from ostriches or a chicken coop?
    • Sure. Why not?
47. From Jarda (as a follow-up to the last one): we still want bees, and it would still be good if we could plant mushrooms.
    • If Naru doesn't like bees, then no. Kidding. It would be nice to create a beehive and from time to time go there and get the honey. About the mushrooms: sure, why not?
48. From 12 people on Reddit + Ocnog: Can we have dinosaurs?
    • We want to add a lot of monsters in the future. So far, we did a lot of realistic creatures. We might do small dinosaurs that are cute.
49. From Ocnog/Spirit: Can the dev portraits be added to Random Encounters (but still make them very rare so we can feel accomplished when we collect all of them)? Thank you!
    • Naru: maybe we can make new ones
    • Aleš: we can add the existing ones to Random Encounters. We can also add new ones since these were made so long ago
50. From Spirit: can we have more mythological animals (Wyverns, Griffins, Pegasus, Chimeras, denglong, the xiao, the Luduan or the Mo, Quetzalcoatl, Minotaur, Medusa, and the Kraken)?
    • Yes, we are already working on this
51. From Shadow: When sharks eventually return down the line can there be a rare version that have laser beams attached to their head?
    • Sure, why not? We definitely want to bring sharks back
52. From Spirit: can we make the wendigos, crab monsters, Atlanteans and elves appear at night?
    • Yes, we can do this
53. From yo_has: how many people are in the Ylands team as of now?
    • 36
54. From Lady_whynot on the official Discord: Can we use the Paintgun while in Building Mode with the Building Station? (Right now you can only free place the Paintgun)
    • Sure, why not?
55. From Ocnog: How does the “report player” button work? Can you only use it when the player is on your map?
    • You should be able to report the player from the list of players in the current game. It takes a screenshot and sends us the recent chat messages.
56. From Ocnog: What if they log off?
    • You can't report them using this system, but send it to Nikki or talk to us through the forum.
57. From Your World Explorer on Twitter: When is Ylands going to be featured on the Playstation Network? From Spirit: What about Xbox? 
    • We need to focus on Exploration for 1.7 and 1.8. Maybe after this, we can think about going to consoles. We need to think about it.
58. From empeorgame3(2): Can we equip shields or two-handed swords in Ylands in the future? 
    • No
59. From Jchobs, Yo_has, Nico, and Ocnog: Can we use the compass while riding animals/flying potions/cars?
    • It wouldn't be a problem. I will ask
60. From empeorgame3(2): Many players would like to see calvary in Ylands. Are there any plans to include this? (Note from Ocnog: last time we asked about ranged weapons from horseback, but what about spears and swords from horseback? Is that also set for 1.9 or later?)
    • It is possible, quite a lot of work and AI adjustments. Not anytime soon
61. From Ocnog (about a bug from JohnMFSteel): Is the propeller pack returning to the original color scheme a bug or intended or unavoidable because of the overheating system? Any idea why the Barbute Helmet won't dye either?
    • Naru: I think it is a bug
    • Aleš: I'm not sure

[ocnoglittle 760]

Questions for next time:

• From Jarda: Can the players make nests out of hay?

• From Jarda: Can the players have bullet and arrow containers?

• From Jarda: Can the players have weapon stands?

• From Jarda: Can the players pick which side of the map to spawn on?

• From Jarda: In Exploration, when the players plant a seed, can it choose a random variant of the plants/trees? For example there are multiple types of Opuntia but  Also, can we make sure there aren’t 2 stacks of Sakura seeds, coniferous bush seeds?

• From André Wolf on facebook: Will there ever be an offline mode? 

• From JohnSteel: Can the players have a  tool like a glue gun for hardening large groups of objects? I'm building a stone driveway for a house and hardening all those stones to get the effect I want is a pain

• From Bobo: Can the players have any of these new inventory containers: backpacks, lunchbox, something for logs, foraging box for berry's, mushrooms, and maybe sticks, bark, resin, and other plants that won’t go in the herb bag? (Ocnog knows we talked about this a bit, but not these specific containers).

• From Jchobs: Can the potions last longer?

 

Also, Aleš promised to follow up on the questions he wasn't able to answer in the past streams, so we will hold him to it  

[zarwil 393]

Just now, ocnoglittle said:

From Ocnog: what is the best way to ask about the community's priorities? You wanted to ask how many people want each of these suggestions. The forum is such a small subset of the community.

I have a suggestion for this for the next Q and A. Many games display blog post updates within a notice in the game's main menu. You can do this in ylands as well, pinning important forum posts (such as change logs, community polls etc) when players open up the game. This would also make more players aware of the forum.

Edited April 14, 2021 by zarwil

[spiritchaser28 920]

After @ocnoglittle showed how effective the forum votes are in one day and comparing them to Discord, Reddit, etc....I dunno. I will agree with her when she says it represents a smaller portion of the community...maybe there is some way in the game menu to automatically link into the forums......I know they tried this before, but it ended up opening default browsers and depending on the default browser used for the internet , took up more RAM than expected in many cases.....I know when it worked I hated using it because it would open up Chrome, and that meant I'd have to wait at least 10 to 30 minutes for chrome to open......since then I upgraded my RAM to 16 GB, but not everybody has that.....most people have 6 to 8 and multitasking in that manner causes major problems waiting for computers to respond....cellphones as well......maybe if they could have a direct forum in the game???...not quite as extensive as the forums here, but a place to report errors, bugs, make a few suggestions and have votes???

Not a place to post pics, movies, promote other websites,..etc.....just an in game smaller forum??? I dunno just a suggestion....A simple text forum in game where you could vote for things and make a few suggestions and reports with the last output logs for them to analyze? (if that's even possible.....if not maybe an email address where we can attach the logs and pics and examples f the errors.....that's a tough one to think about adding within the game, the output logs I mean)

I also like this idea of a fast post of changelogs within the game @zarwil suggests.....All of these ideas could be incorporated into social.....or even better just have a separate menu option underneath the play with friends option.....I mean separate part of the menu to click...so it doesn't use the same social system.....just a different way to comment and chat with less mess.

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by spiritchaser28

[ocnoglittle 760]

I don't think opening a browser and the game at the same time is an issue for the majority of people ? so maybe linking to here where they used to link to the Biki (Bohemia wiki) would be a good idea.

[ocnoglittle 760]

From Mello/Ocnog: can the ESC button close the custom windows? If not, can it bring up the game description like it did in the past, so people can leave the game/invite friends and not be stuck on an intro custom window?

[Christal 425]

Ocnog I know I said it before in discord but I want everyone to realize here too. You do an amazing job for all of us! ?

[ocnoglittle 760]

Awww thank you, Christal! I needed to hear that. The Reddit Ylanders yelled at me. ?

[Christal 425]

pfff yes I also follow and feed Reddit, just like Steam they can be harsh... Just be attentive but not overly receptive, they don't mince their words  Here know that we support you

[spiritchaser28 920]

6 hours ago, ocnoglittle said:

I don't think opening a browser and the game at the same time is an issue for the majority of people ? so maybe linking to here where they used to link to the Biki (Bohemia wiki) would be a good idea.

I dunno...I have heard from a few people tha opening Chrome with Biki even having 8gb of ram can be time consuming.

[ocnoglittle 760]

From Yo_has: It would be nice if we could rename local maps while we are in them. How it works now is, you need to sail to a different local map before you can change the name.

[ocnoglittle 760]

From ComR: Can we have a button to make Exploration only single-player? Maybe a button to delete the multiplayer map and replace it with a single-player map?

[ocnoglittle 760]

From empeorgame3(2): Can the players and creators have hooks for connecting chassis, ships, or boats, etc. together? We have had some success with doors or free-placed items holding things in place, but it would be amazing to have an official item that functions a bit better.

[ocnoglittle 760]

From Nico: Can we make Howl's Moving Castle in Ylands? (In reference to the boats getting stuck together due to server issues, but in general as well) 

[We might not include this, since it was mostly a joke...]

[ocnoglittle 760]

From Nico: There are shipwrecks that look really similar to Viking ships. Would it be possible to add an actual Viking ship, not only a Viking shipwreck?

[ocnoglittle 760]

From Spyler: Can there be a karma system to help players deal with griefers and aggressive players?

Something like a player level is needed so that a player who has been playing for hours does not have to worry about a new player who is annoying. And to be able to defend yourself from advanced players, instead of avoiding the fight between players, give options to make it enjoyable to fight. For example, the mod to repair the ship is to motivate ship battles, but you can flee without losing your ship.

 

[ocnoglittle 760]

@Nikki Severin Can you confirm the Q&A will happen tonight? Also can you remind people on Twitter/Facebook/Reddit/Discord? I need to get some sleep soon.