Present Frequency During the Season

[lords8n]

My apologies if there is IC information in this post on the frequency of available presents. I don't know exactly what the schedule is. I am just assuming, but am certain it's not static...

From what I understand, as of yesterday's storm, the frequency one is allowed to access any of the five possible presents seems to be random. After an initial run of all five presents the time till one is able to retrieve another present seems to be some random time interval somewhere between one and two hours. This in itself wouldn't be so much an issue except that once a person retrieve one present the next present, wherever they choose to go to obtain it, seems to be on that same random time schedule. This means, except with some very small mathematical chance, citizens cannot chain their second, third, fourth, etc... run of presents. At some tree(s) they will inevitably have to wait for the random timer to allow access. In mine, and others, opinions this random timing has at least three negative affects.

1) Some of the best times friends and I have had in the city were doing present runs. Because the timing was predictable one would end up seeing the same people at each tree. Then, when the run was done, we would often find some place to hang out, often with our new friends, and interact while we waited on the next run to become available. This has allowed meeting of new people I may have never met otherwise. 

3) Present runs with friends is not feasible any longer. Because the timing is random to the individual (I believe it is this way currently) where one may be able to obtain their present at a given tree, your friend, riding with you, may have to wait a significant amount of time before their present is available. Waiting around for your friend's presents to become available can lead to #3 below.

3) Christmas Trees are now hostage posts. People approaching a tree to obtain a present and finding they cannot because of this random timer have two choices; to leave and come back at some unknown future time, or wait by the tree until the timer triggers. If one decides to wait they become a target for being taken hostage, something staying continually on the move helps prevent.

I don't know the exact reason for moving away from the hourly present availability model, but I think it is a mistake. If hoarding and grinding are a concern I think BLRP should not be concerned with this. Collecting, hoarding, and grinding are what people do...in real life. It is only natural for them to do so in RP to a lesser or greater extend depending on the individual. Making the availability of presents unpredictable, and thus not an activity that can be enjoyed with friends, it may soon become a labor in itself that citizens will just stop making an effort to do because it is no longer as enjoyable as it once was and should be.

I'm not trying to be difficult, but please consider changing the present interval back to a predictable one hour.

[Aquiles Delmar]

see changelog on discord