One thing that seems to be getting a lot of attention in the new and upcoming MMORPGs is the building feature for settlements and housing. MMORPGs like WildStar, Camelot Unchained, and Dragon’s Prophet have their own take on player-made buildings and/or towns, but Pathfinder Online is looking to make player input an integral part of settlement design and something that will require a bit of thought when it comes to creation and placement.

In a new developer blog, Goblinworks developers Tork Shaw and Lee Hammock discuss the process of developing and upgrading settlements buildings in Pathfinder Online, and how the community can aid other players in their creation to make a little scratch on the side. The short version is that assigned players can place and begin construction of new buildings for a settlement, but this isn’t a process that happens instantly. Once a building has been assigned as a project to build or upgrade, resources are set aside for the project and a job order will be posted. Other players can then sign up for the work order if they have the needed skill and contribute to the project while offline. Once complete, the allocated coinage is distributed to those that aided in its completion based on contribution.

Settlements are made up of several plots that players will need to carefully consider what to build and where. Some buildings will benefit structures sharing a district, so placement can be important for efficiency. But don’t worry; it’s not a simple grid puzzle.

"Settlements in Pathfinder Online are essentially groups of plots into which buildings are designed to fit. These plots are grouped into several large districts, each with its own potential building sites for buildings of various sizes. Some structures gain a benefit from sharing a district with other structures of similar or linked purpose. Settlement layouts aren't grid puzzles like the game Cathedral; they're more like planned subdivisions with curving roads, some predefined open spaces and lots of various sizes. The largest and most important buildings can't all be crammed into the same district, but deciding which buildings you want, which districts to put them in, and which plots in the districts to build on will provide settlement leaders with plenty of customization options."

There are several variations of buildings based on their plot size and requirements. These can be upgraded by investing more into the settlement. Obviously the lower-tier buildings are weaker and can be destroyed rather easily, but there are things that can be put in place for defense. Not to mention the obvious upgrades to structures as the settlement expands and improves.

You can read more about building structures in Pathfinder Online in the dev blog. We’ve also included an embed of the brief building video from the blog below for your convenience.

Source: Pathfinder Online Building Basics



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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Stacy "Martuk" Jones was a long-time news editor and community manager for many of our previous game sites, such as Age of Conan. Stacy has since moved on to become a masked super hero, battling demons in another dimension.

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