Timed Resources

[62896dude]

Hello everyone,

In the game that I am currently working on, I can't currently decide if I want there to be a time that it takes to get resources (i.e. 4 seconds of mining per graphite rock) or just to not have the resources at all. So I'm wondering if:

a) You would like a game with resources, and a certain amount of time that it takes to get those resources

b) No resources, no problem

c) Resources, but no alotted period of time that it takes, but a limit on the amount you can get

d) Other (explain)

Thanks everyone!
~Kevin

[Jackolantern]

I am not really into timers, even short ones, in PBBGs, and rather prefer mechanics to prevent constant, automated harvesting that causes the resources to become worthless. You could set a pretty high limit per day on how many nodes someone can mine. But then what about creating a "tier" for the resources? Perhaps where the most common mineral mined is nearly worthless and must be smelted something like 50 at a time to get a useful, common crafting resource. But then, based on a random "luck-of-the-draw", players could mine a +1 mineral (maybe 1 in 20), which only needs 10 smelted to be a common crafting resources, a +2 mineral (maybe 1 in 60, or around 2 per daily limit, whatever that limit may be) which is smelted one-at-a-time to make a common crafting resource, a +3 mineral (at a mining rate of about 1 every 2 daily limits) that creates an imbued crafting resource that can make +1 items when crafted, a +4 mineral (at a mining rate of about 1 every 10 daily limits) that creates a special imbued crafting resource that can make +2 items when crafted, and so on.

Wow that was a long sentence!

[62896dude]

Yeah, that makes sense, especially having the different tiers for each resource, I can go pretty deep with that depending on the resource, but otherwise, I completely agree, I personally hate having to wait around to get what I want, I just didn't know if I was the only one that didn't like this

[Callan S.]

The other tradition is to have some sort of energy units that replenish over time, even when your off line (either every X minutes or once a day). You spend those to get resources - so it costs time. You just don't have to spend time waiting, though.

[hallsofvallhalla]

I always use a skill instead of a timer. You have to make a skill check in order to get the resource. Every time you try there is a chance of something bad like being attacked or something. Or it uses food to attempt a resource.

[Zorber]

I don't know if anyone already suggested it, but i'm sure there is a way for it to be kind of like a lottery drawing, and it randomly choose anything between 1-7 seconds, maybe every time you advance a skill level it becomes more likely that you will get a lower number, if you know what I mean .