Welcome!

This post is the first of many to go over the new biggest features for Season 3. As the title says, this post covers the Logging Camp Revamp and the Island Queue. I will also be crediting those who have played a large part in development and testing in the coming posts.
These features solely belong to Unknowncmbk, one of the other founders of IC. He continues to work teaching and showing our devs the ins and outs of the server he made from the ground up. Credit to Aiboh for pulling me out of the balancing nightmare I was in, making a simple solution to what was my nightmare! Uncurse for helping me chop logs for hours before and after the fact. And for ShadowTan, MadaYume, and Aiboh less hours chopping!

First up is the Logging Camp revamp!
Note: Regarding the Island Queue. Even if you are not interested or worried about getting into an island, please read to stay informed so you can help our community grow. If you want to play IC, it needs people, let us help people to play the game!

Logging Camp Revamp

The Logging Camp never stood up to the Mine regarding player interaction. However, we are limited with the space of the Logging Camp without changing the building, and how you gain logs. So thus, the revamp was born! Some of you may have seen this image on our Twitter when the revamp was being designed a long time ago. It looks funky, but it has its functionality!

Increasing player participation

Firstly on the agenda, how do we allow more players to participate in the activity? This was the main reason for updating the Logging Camp. The efficiency of resource collection with more than 1 player fell quickly. A second player was not even needed, one person could do it all alone with the log spawn timers. Whereas with the Mine, more players could participate before efficiency diminished. We wanted to replicate this in the Logging Camp, making it efficient to have more than 1 person in there.

Different attributes were added with variables that change depending on how many players are in the building and what tier it is. The length of logs spawning, the speed at which they move, and the speed at which a new log would spawn. The ‘log’ refers to a trunk of a tree, the tree trunk is broken down and sent to the Logging Camp to be chopped up. Adding these attributes, making it scale with players, and taking into consideration, so many other factors was and still is a pain. Balancing is still being done, and I’m sure it will continue on into the season. The more players you have does not equal more efficiency. With the Mine, if you have 9 people, there are not enough ores to go around, it is inefficient. This is what we have attempted to replicate for the Logging Camp. It is a pyramid of efficiency. Example efficiency: 1 player = bad, 5 players = perfect, 10 players = bad.

More logs!

Birch is old and dated, it was about time to add new log variants! Each log is different, giving you different amounts of planks and even some effects.
As follows -

Oak - 1 plank given. Available at T1+
Spruce - 2 planks given. Available at T1+
Birch - 2 planks given, has a 10% chance to spawn sawdust (see sawdust below). Available at T2+
Dark Oak - 3 planks given, takes double durability off of your axe. Available at T3+
Acacia - 4 planks given, has a 10% chance to spawn TNT (see TNT below). Available at T4
Jungle - 4 planks given for mining the log, it then spawns jungle wood which gives 2 planks. 6 Planks given in total. Available at T4

We showed the two mini-events on the launch trailer and Twitter if you want to see them.

Sawdust.
Birch logs now and then get infested with pesky Termites. If not broken in time, they will spawn and attack you. They don't drop anything, just a nuisance in general.

TNT.
This is particularly fun, Acacia can have explosive properties, and TNT can spawn in place of a log, if not broken in time, it explodes, emptying your whole collection. The explosion will shoot everyone into the air. The TNT also damages your log chute, no logs will spawn again until the fire is put out manually. It is worth letting it explode a few times just to be shot into the air.

ISLAND QUEUE

I’m sure every long-term player has seen someone complain about being unable to get into an island or make their own due to islands having a price. Giving free islands is a bad idea, I won’t go into why here, just trust it’s a bad idea.
It is so important that players who come onto Island Clash get to play the game. I’m sure we have lost hundreds of people due to being unable to play. That is, unfortunately, a big downfall of our server. So how do we get new players into islands to play the game fast? We made quickjoin, which would put players into open slots on islands, this worked to some extent but did not allow parties of two or three to join the same island.
To help combat this, Island Queue was created.

The Queue

In essence, the queue will form full islands from parties of players in the queue. If not enough people are in the queue to form an island after x amount of time, they will be put into existing islands, keeping players in their parties. The option to queue is found as a new button in the party menu or through the regular create/join /load island menu at Captain Adama.

Here is a basic outline of the algorithm:

• Once a player(s) enters the queue, start the timer.
• At intervals, the server will check if a full island can be created (6 players), if not, the definition of a “full” island will be decreased by one. However, if found, create a free island.
• The server will check first for the largest number ≤6 at each decreased increment.
• At the end of the timer, if no island can be made, players can opt for quick join, which puts them into any open island.

There are some limitations to this. Free islands will not be made if the server is at 80% capacity of island slots. For example, we have 100 island slots, but 90 are currently loaded, a free island with queue will not be made. Players will be shown to quickjoin instead.
Obviously, any party member cannot be a member of an island, including locked islands (emperors of islands from previous seasons).

Island created, what now?

/rename will be available to the island's emperor so the island members can decide on their own name. Emperor is given to the party leader of the biggest party. If there are multiple parties of the same size, it will be given to the leader who has been in the queue for the longest. Please rename your island, if not, you will be disowned by the community for keeping ‘freeisland1233456970183651930’.

This does not change some already available features. Parties of 6 will still be able to create a free island, and parties below will still be able to purchase one with the cost split between members.

That's it! That is the Logging Camp Revamp and Island Queue. I haven't decided what the next post will feature, but it will be arriving around the 5th of January.
See you here next year!