Wurm Online: It’s the Little Successes
I wanted to follow up on my experiences in Wurm Online after yesterday’s initial noob confusion post. Thanks so much to folks who offered suggestions and information! I spent a lot more time with the wiki before attempting the game again. Finally, one of the articles described what I was doing wrong: you don’t equip a shovel to dig… you double-click to “activate” the item for use. This isn’t super intuitive, but it does allow you to use tools without removing your weapons, so I understand the logic behind it.
So, taking this new information, I logged in, activated my shovel and… it’s a success! I’m in ur field, diggin ur grass!
Alright! I’m digging now! I’ve got this!
So I just kept digging, watching as my skills slowly go up with each attempt. I also notice that my tool is wearing down as I use it and that I can’t dig up a storm without resting from time to time to restore stamina.
Eventually, I get thirsty. The game warns me that this reduces my regeneration rate. So I set out to find Newspring’s spawning point to ask for my free refreshments from the bartender. I was happy to find a road that lead me in the right direction. Seems players in the area are busy setting down this road, which I noticed lead back to the settlement I discovered yesterday.
Once I get my refreshments, I head back out to dig some more, watching my skills creep up. This is quite slow… and I can see how it could be tedious if you are only digging to skill and not for a purpose. That’s where the village comes in.
Village Life
Yesterday, I thought I had a random invite from a village that I accepted. Seemed in my noob way, I accidentally declined. That was why I couldn’t talk to anyone on village chat (my bad). Not a big deal, because I saw the very same village, Newspring City, recruiting openly again.
So I contacted them and got an invite. They’re looking to make a really big settlement just outside of Newspring. They didn’t mind that I was a complete noob at the game, so I accepted the warp to the settlement. Ironically, this is the very same settlement I’ve been lurking around and admiring since yesterday. They’ve already set up houses, captured horses, and are working on settling in and expanding.
I’m quite impressed, but also a little intimidated. They all seem nice, but they also seem very experienced — I’m not sure how much good I can be to them as a casual who can’t play all hours of the day. They’re already much, much more advanced than I am!
So I ask if I can help with something. They need diggers. “I can dig!” I offer with excitement.
Only, what they need is for people to level the land, not to dig up dirt heaps. So, one patiently attempts to teach me about leveling the land. This is somewhat difficult in text chat, and while I somewhat grasp the idea, it mostly goes over my head. I know that I’ve seen a wiki post (with diagrams) about this somewhere, so it’s not as easy as it sounds.
After not quite getting it, I decide I need to spend some more wiki time before I do more damage than good to the ground. So I wander off somewhere alone and spend time digging a little hole in shame. But hey, at least I’m digging now.
Other Successes
I discovered the mirror in my inventory! Apparently, you can use this item (once) to adjust your character’s appearance… even if you can’t actually see that appearance. I did hear that third-person view was something in testing, so that’s a good bit of hope for this gaming experience.
Anyhow, there’s not a ton of customization, but at least my character doesn’t look like a deranged granny with a sword anymore. I’m getting somewhere, right?
I haven’t tried chopping down trees yet. I might have more success with that than with digging… who knows. But I did find a log someone left behind. I picked it up and practiced making kindling with it. I could also see where I could make a plank from the wood. Maybe once I get my digging up to snuff, I’ll move in that direction.
Oh, and I’m not quite sure why other reviews I’ve read have been really harsh on the graphics in this game. They’re not revolutionary by far, especially not avatar graphics, but the game can be lovely in its own way. It started raining and a really nice rainbow spread across the sky. I appreciate details like that. I took more than a moment to stop and admire it.
Update: Though I find the world of Wurm Online very interesting, and I know I fell into the best possible starting situation, I’m sadly going to have to end my journey in this game here. I’ve earned a FC status in FFXIV that is going to require more time, and I don’t think I’ll have the time to offer this game due to that.