Talk to the Team: Warehouses

[Frosthide]

Hello Istarians! Today I'm coming to you for some feedback on a structure called a "Warehouse".

A Warehouse is a structure we have considered to attempt to try to reduce the number of silo farms in the world by compacting them into a single structure. This is not only easier on people who have to play musical silos for bulk storage, but reduces structure count too (and consequently - lag).

A drawback that is currently known is less control over permissions (one structure versus many - you can have varied permissions on a silo farm versus a warehouse being one structure).

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Firstly, I'd love to hear some feedback on some sizes we have considered in efforts to try to make them flexible enough to reduce the need for large silo farms:

- 10x10
- 10x15
- 15x15
- 10x20
- 15x20
- 20x20
- 25x25

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Additionally, another bit of feedback requested is on how best to approach their functionality. I've created a poll on the thread for the options below to try to gauge what people might prefer. Here are some of the options that have been considered:

- Option #1: Have two kinds of warehouse.

One is a food warehouse, the other is a supply warehouse.

The food warehouse offers the same bulk and stack as the same number of storehouses that you could place in its footprint and can only store food and ingredients like storehouses.

The supply warehouse holds your craft materials or whatever else a silo could normally hold, and offers the same bulk and stack as a similar number of silos that you could place in its footprint.

Both would cost slightly less resources to build each than the number of storehouses or silos that could be placed in the warehouse's footprint. Possibly available for each tier 1 through 6 and only needs that tier's resources, making them easier to build.

- Option #2: Have one kind of warehouse.

It offers the same stack count as the number of storehouses that you could place in its footprint, but the same bulk as a similar number of silos.

This option is pretty powerful - so I suspect to incentivize building it over silos is an option to offer a slight boost on the bulk/stack, but it costs a bit more to build too. This warehouse might only be available every even tier, and need both the same tier and last tier resources to build... kind of like a dragon lair chamber.

- Option #3: Warehouses are resource type specific.

It offers the same stack count as the number of storehouses that you could place in its footprint, but the same bulk as a similar number of silos.

It costs a little less to build than the storehouses and silos that could fit in its footprint, but you can only store one kind of resource in it at a time. This means that you could have a stone warehouse, or a cloth warehouse, and you can't put cloth in the stone warehouse and vice versa. These would be more suited to plots close to one type of resource field.

[Dracaena]

I am blind, I only just noticed this thread. I voted for option #2.

One of my bipeds is confectioner, alchemist, and future tinker. I'm currently trying to round up all the mats for making all the different colored dye kits. Lots of stacks for the ground gems, confectioner takes up many stacks and I have a feeling that when I start tinkering the resource parts stack count will explode again. In many cases in this example I don't always need a ton of bulk but lots of different stacks. Though it tends to be more bulk than will work very well with a house and I don't have room for a bunch of guild houses. This sounds like a very good idea.

[Sindala]

The issue I have now is that I have 23 silo's to build on my plot.......and now I don't know if I should bother or wait?? :'(

[Pryzm]

Same problem here. I dunno how the warehouses will look like so i dont want to decon my grand guildhouse cuz i gotta replan the plot XD

[Sindala]

I'd prefer option 1 or were just gonna be in the same place but with warehouses.

Perhaps a 4th option to think about would be an NPC (give him a little warehouse to stand in) but he acts like a "plot vault".
Call him the Warehouse keeper and he has access to a separate vault you can store all resources in, you could make it act just like a vault for anyone linked to the Plot and even offer upgrades for gold or Loyalty tokens?

This way we could all stop worrying about having the biggest plots too and perhaps get back to making them a pretty sight to look at when passing rather than a land of Industrial workhouses. ;)

Edit, if the "vault" option is a no go, how about a version of a consigner but with no item limit and no time limit?

[Smaug]

Interesting concept, would require me tearing down and completely redesigning and rebuilding my plot to implement. One thought, however it goes, could each warehouse be compartmentalized. Meaning when you open the warehouse you see compartments (sorta like pouches in inv/vault) that can be labeled and then specific items can be grouped togeather, like a compartment for metals, another for stone, a 3rd for cloth, etc. Not totally sure how could do this as each compartment would need to hold all Tiers of each material, differant size warehouses would have differant total amounts.

If a warehouse replaced say 8 T2 silos would the total bulk of the warehouse be same as we have with 8 seperate ones now? 32,000 x 8 for 256,000 bulk?

Just how many silos would you be able to fit in a 15x15 structure, a 25x25? An even tiered silo has a footprint of 7x5 so a 25x25 warehouse by my math (granted its old school math so may be far off)would hold 3 deep x 5 wide for a total of 15 even tiered silos. A storehouse has a footprint of 9x6, so same 25x25 warehouse could fit 2 deep by 4 for a total of 8 storehouses? A 10x10 could only hold 1 of either type, unless your doing the math by total sq footage instead of actual footprint. If total sq footage then could get 2 even tiered silos in a a 10x10 warehouse but still only 1 storehouse. Ok enough math my head hurts now.

Also if implemented would this totally replace silos as in couldn't build any single stack silos or 4 stack storehouses like we have now?

I admit I'm probably (no doubt?) the worse "offender" when it comes to silo farms as I prefer to have storage for each resource needed to craft meaning as an example since some formulas call for cut gems and some call for uncut gems and there are 18 types of gems in the world need 36 silos to hold them all. Thats not counting powdered gems and such needed. I've literally spent years building my plot and not sure even with a more efficient storage system I'd want to tear it all down and start over. Being a GMC there is alot of differant materials needed.

Oops didn't see 3rd option for individual warehouses depending on type, sorry. I'd like to change my vote to option 3 :)

Maybe have all warehouses have same footprint but be slightly taller depending on Tier built, like we have now with silos. Maybe different colors versus what they hold or made of different material (in look), if option 3 implemented

[Zoubek]

Just a question, this only applies to plots?

[Sindala]

Just a question, this only applies to plots?

Erm, where else would it apply to? You can only build silo's on plots that i'm aware of?

[Liseth]

Erm, where else would it apply to? You can only build silo's on plots that i'm aware of?

There are lair silos, however, lairs aren't as prone to 'silo farms' as plots are.

(nor are they as much of an eye-sore)

[Sindala]

I'd like to know also as it's stopped my plot building in its tracks...

[Sindala]

Also have to consider that when you say "for the same footprint they would take" that with the new plot rules where you would have had 2 silos you can now fit 20. ;)

[Idana]

Given some of these descriptions... how is a warehouse different than a guildhall? One bulky resource heavy storage space is much like another. I mean, it would be great to just dump all of my stacks of stuff in one place and be done with it, but silos are much easier to work into a plot than a guildhall/barn.

[Tilithia]

So...are there plans for warehouses? or did that idea die?

[Liseth]

So...are there plans for warehouses? or did that idea die?

Ideas from Talk to the Team threads never die, they are mostly food for thought though.

[Sindala]

Can we get a Dev response on a question I've been pondering.
Does this mean the "new" plot placement rules are going to change again? Because at the moment you can place structures in and on other structures?
So I cannot see many people dropping 40 silos that all sit in very small space, only to have more Box building that don't fit on plots.
Think of the Grand GH, place one of these and your not gonna place many "warehouses"?

[Liseth]

Can we get a Dev response on a question I've been pondering.
Does this mean the "new" plot placement rules are going to change again? Because at the moment you can place structures in and on other structures?
So I cannot see many people dropping 40 silos that all sit in very small space, only to have more Box building that don't fit on plots.
Think of the Grand GH, place one of these and your not gonna place many "warehouses"?

I do not believe the "new" rules are in fact official and intended, as I do not recall seeing it come across any notes, public or internal.
I've heard of this before though, I simply haven't had the time to throw it in with the rest of the team

[Sindala]

When you place "incorrectly" you get a message saying something about the planning gnomes agree to look the other way or something.
I'd say that basically gives implied consent?

[Smaug]

According to IstariaReference site even tiers silos have a footprint of 5mx7m. Though they do seem to be square so seems odd. If that is true though you could only get 4 silos physically in a 10x15 footprint, 2x2 or 10mx14m.

[awdz]

Was there a reason the poll was closed so fast? Not that it matters much to me, I'm with the majority on this one. :-)

[Liseth]

An update on the ruling:

It was to allow structures / walls / floor tiles to be placed so they look better. or adjust flower / walls so they have better overlap.

The fact that it also allows for silos and other storage structures to be overlapped is an unexpected side-effect.