Node-Stufen

Illustration of node advancement from Wildnis (Stufe 0) to Metropole (Stufe 6).

Nodes advance by collecting experience from the actions of players nearby. As players complete content inside of a Node’s Zone of Influence (the area around the node), they contribute that experience toward the Node’s development. The experience given to the Node may then be modified based on certain Events and Accomplishments. When a Node reaches the experience required, it undergoes the process of advancing to the next stage. There are a few exceptions where a Node cannot advance even though it has the required experience - most commonly, a Node can not advance if a Node is a Vassal of another Node and would advance to the same stage as its Parent Node. – Margaret Krohn

Nodes haben sieben (7) Entwicklungsstufen, mit Erfahrungsschwellen für jede Stufe. Sobald eine Node die benötigte Erfahrung (XP) für die aktuelle Stufe angesammelt hat, steigt sie zu der nächsten Stufe auf.

	Node-Stufe.	Symbol	Alternativer Name.	Benötigte Zeit für den Aufstieg.	Spielerbehausungen.
0.	Wildnis			-
1.	Expedition		Kreuzung	Wenige Stunden	-
2.	Feldlager		Lager	Viele Stunden	-
3.	Dorf		-	Wenige Tage	Kleine Häuser
4.	Stadt		-	Viele Tage	Mittelgroße Häuser
5.	Großstadt		-	Wenige Wochen	Große Häuser
6.	Metropole		Metro	Viele Wochen	Villen

Entwicklung der Node

Illustration der Knotenfortschritt von Expedition (Stufe 1) zur Metropole (Stufe 6).

Die Staatsbürgerschaft sowie Aktivitäten von Nicht-Staatsangehörigen Spielern (Aufträge, Sammeln, Raiding, etc.) innerhalb der Einflusszone eines Knotenpunkts zählt zu dieser speziellen Weiterentwicklung des Knotenpunkts (Fortschritt). Es gibt sechs Stufen der Weiterentwicklung des Knotenpunkts.

1. Expedition (Wenige Stunden)
2. Lager (Viele Stunden)
3. Dorf (Ein paar Tage)
4. Stadt (Viele Tage)
5. Großstadt (Wenige Wochen)
6. Metropole (Viele Wochen)

Konzeptionelle Illustration. Ein Knotenpunkt der sich im Einflussbereich eines fortgeschritteneren Knotenpunkts befinden, wird durch den fortgeschritteneren Knotenpunkt in seiner Entwicklung begrenzt.

Die Weiterentwicklung eines Knotenpunkts gibt seinen einzigartigen Inhalt frei, was einen wachsenden Ring an benachbarten Knotenpunkten vom Fortschritt auf die nächste Stufe ausschließt.

• Die Knotenpunkte gelangen schnell auf die erste Stufe. Dies ermöglicht Dienstleistungen von NSCs wie Verkauf oder Banknutzung zum Lagern von Gegenständen.
• Je weiter der Knotenpunkt fortgeschritten ist, desto größer wird seine Einflusszone.
• Weniger fortgeschrittene Knotenpunkte (genannt Vassalen Knotenpunkt), die in den Einflussbereich eines fortgeschritteneren Knotenpunkts fallen, können immer noch XP gewinnen, müssen aber in einem niedrigeren Fortschrittsstadium bleiben als das des dominanten Knotenpunkts.
• Ein Knotenpunkt erhält XP von den Knotenpunkten innerhalb seines Einflussbereichs erst, wenn diese Knotenpunkte ihre Obergrenze erreicht haben.
• Spieler werden in Sicherheit gebracht, wenn sie sich während des Ausbaus der Knotenpunkte mit neu angelegten Objekten überschneiden.
• Bürger eines Knotenpunkts können zur Weiterentwicklung anderer Knotenpunkte beitragen.
• Der genaue Prozentsatz des Fortschritts durch den Erhalt von Gegenständen oder das Töten von Monstern wird nicht explizit bekannt sein, um ein "Ausspielen" des Systems zu vermeiden.

Different people have different resources invested in nodes progressing and it would be a little "gamey" if you could know exactly what was necessary at that point because that would disincentivize people from participating. – Steven Sharif

Vasallen-Nodes

Vassal node structure.

This vassal mode structure tells you what it looks like for a sovereign at a level six metropolis stage; and what it can control at a maximum vassal network is two level five nodes, of which a level five node can control one level four and one level three as direct vassals; and then the four can control a three; and every three can control a one or a two. Now if the three gets removed through siege, the one or the two is removed as well. So that's an important distinction between the three's vassals, which technically isn't really a vassal relationship because there's no citizenships possible. Those vassals don't exist between three and X, but they do exist between four and three, five and four, and six and five. And what this also allows is that because there are 85 nodes that are within the world, we have a buffer zone of about 20 nodes that lives in a max server state. So if you had maximum five metropolises form in a world, you will have a number about 20 nodes that can live alongside those metropolis networks; and when or if a metropolis falls, that extra cushion of nodes around the five metropolis structures allows for the map to be redistricted in a way that is unique. It doesn't mean that one of the fives is just going to pick up where the last six left off and form the same exact metropolis structure. From a territory perspective it has ancillary nodes to play with and expand towards that redistricts the map, so that if a metropolis falls there's a significant difference in the layout of the world and the layout of these almost nation-like territories. – Steven Sharif

Village (stage 3) or higher nodes enslave nearby nodes, converting them into vassal nodes.

• A Metropole (Stufe 6) can control up to two Großstadt (Stufe 5) nodes. A Großstadt (Stufe 5) can control one Stadt (Stufe 4) and one Dorf (Stufe 3) node. A Dorf (Stufe 3) can control an Feldlager (Stufe 2) or an Expedition (Stufe 1). If the Dorf (Stufe 3) gets destroyed through a siege, its "vassals" are also destroyed.
  • A vassal network can extend across seas and also include islands.

• Vassal nodes gain benefits from their sovereign node (parent node) even if the node type of the parent is different to the vassal.

It is not a bad thing to be vasseled, it is a good thing to be vasseled. It brings many benefits from the Sovereign, which is the the ultimate parent of that vassal network down to the vassal node itself; and it allows that vassal node to even live outside of its normal mechanics. You get to adopt some of the benefits that the node type of your sovereign is, even if your node type as a vassal node isn't the same. – Steven Sharif

• Sovereign nodes collect taxes from their vassal nodes. These taxes cannot be taken by the mayor or other players.

• Vassal nodes must remain at least one node stage below their parent node.
  • Neighboring/Adjacent nodes from Expedition (Stufe 1) upward block the growth of their immediate neighbors. This was intended to be tested in Alpha-1.
  • Vassal nodes first apply any experience earned to their own deficit (see Atrophie des Knotenpunkts). It then applies excess experience earned to its parent node.
  • If the parent node advances, the vassal is once again able to advance.

• Vassal nodes give excess experience to their parent node and may have their own vassals; so long as they fall within the parent node’s zone of influence.
  • If a node is capped and is both a vassal and has its own vassals, any experience earned from itself or its Vassals is first applied to its own deficit. Experience beyond that is then sent to its parent node.

When the vassal reaches its cap it overflows experience up to the parent; and so it can be very good early on for parents to get vassal nodes that are very productive- that have a lot of traffic. – Steven Sharif

• Vassals are subject to the government, alliances, wars, taxes, and trade of their parent node, and are able to receive federal aid from them.
• Vassal nodes cannot declare war on their parent node or any of their vassals.
• Citizens of vassals are bound by the diplomatic states of the parent node.

If a Node is a Vassal Node and is capped from advancing further, it first applies any experience earned to its own deficit (see Node Atrophy section), and then applies excess experience earned to its Parent Node. If the Parent Node advances and the Vassal is able to grow, it becomes uncapped. If a Node is capped and is both a Vassal and has its own Vassals, any experience earned from itself or its Vassals is first applied to their own deficit. Any experience beyond that is then sent to its Parent Node. – Margaret Krohn

Adjacent/Neighboring nodes

Angrenzende Nodes (Nachbar-Nodes) blockieren ab Node Stufe 1 (Expedition) das Wachstum ihrer direkten Nachbarn .

• Hierzu sind Tests während der Alpha-1 geplant.
• Vasallen-Nodes müssen immer mindestens eine Node-Stufe unter ihrer übergeordneten Node bleiben.

Node layout and style

Racial architecture of the same Dorf (Stufe 3) node on different servers. Dünir Dwarven influence (top). Kaelar Human influence (bottom). Alpha-1 Nicht NDA Bildschirmfoto.

The layout and architecture within a Node’s development area are determined by influential race. For example, a stage 3 Node with the majority of player contribution being Py'rai would have a Py'rai village with Py'rai architecture. Most NPCs would be Py'rai elves, and offer questlines within the Py'rai narrative. – Margaret Krohn

Each player’s contributed experience is flagged with their character race and other identifiers. When a Node advances, the race with the highest experience contribution determines the Node’s style and culture. This style and culture change can happen at every Node Stage. For example, if a Node advances to Level 2 - Encampment Stage and 51% of all experience was earned by Ren’Kai players, the Node will be a Level 2 Ren’Kai Node. If that same Node advances to a Level 3 - Village Stage Node, but the Py'Rai contributed 62% of all the experience earned, then the Node will be a Level 3 Py'Rai Node. – Margaret Krohn

Node layout and style is determined by several factors:

• Environment (biome) and location of the node.

  The way that the node system is built is that they can exist across a spread of 18 biomes, but at the same time have to represent the cultural influence of these cultures that are intrinsically a part of a specific biome. – Steven Sharif

  • Nodes will adjust the local topography to fit the aesthetic and mechanical requirements of the node.

Currently the way that the platform system is set up, is it's capable of adjusting the topography of the node's footprint, regardless of the surrounding terrain. So the reason for that is we want to have flexibility in the presentation of the node's layout and how it is essentially both from an aesthetic standpoint as well as a mechanical standpoint with node sieges- how it's constructed and that construction should have the ability to take on a variance of different types of topography. So it shouldn't be dependent on the surrounding area. Now that's not to say that the surrounding area isn't going to have some influence over. So for example... we're experimenting a little bit with the platform tech and putting up a node up against the side of a mountain or on the edge of a cliff or something that has a beautiful vista. Those are things that we're going to test out obviously as we continue to work on the node tool and how that platform system works, but the idea is to have the node independent of the surrounding terrain. – Steven Sharif

• Node type.

Some parts are determined by the area it's in. Some parts are determined by the type it is. Some parts are determined by the race it is; and then the rest of it is determined by the mayor. – Jeffrey Bard

• Race that contributed the highest percentage to the node's advancement will alter the racial appearance of its buildings, NPCs, and props.
  • Parent races do not combine their cultural influences. For example, Py'Rai and Empyrean count as different cultures. Their parent race, the Pyrian, no longer exists.
  • This style and culture change happens at every stage.
  • This applies to all nodes, including castle nodes.

All nodes whether they're associated with a castle or associated with normal node structure has cultural influences that replicate over to the buildings that are produced and the NPCs that are present. – Steven Sharif

• The rest is determined by the node's mayor.
  • It should be possible for a node to complete several building projects within a mayor's one month term in office.

Q: How long would you say it will take players on average to fill slash build up a node completely from wilderness to metropolis?

A: It's one thing to get a node to a certain level: it's another thing to develop the node; and I can't really give you an on-average expectation, because there's a lot of variables at play. There's how many citizens does the node have attracted to it; what's the type of traffic that the node is attracting to it based on things like its tax rates, or the specialization that it chose to spec into, based on the building types it's chosen to build. All of those things are variables that can affect the quote-unquote "average build-out time" of a particular node. So it's kind of difficult to give you an average when there's so many variables along those lines. But the idea is that if there is a particular project that players are interested in in developing based on the node stage, that they would have the ability to complete several of those projects as within a single term of a mayor; and a term of a mayor is one month. – Steven Sharif

Siehe auch

• Entwicklung der Node
• Node layout and style
• Fortschritt