Suggestions

I don't think I'm alone in feeling like completing archaeology plots is extremely grueling. Checking back into the site every 10 or 15 minutes just to get One item is not a very fun activity, but only digging maybe 2-3 times a day makes getting Arlo items take an honestly ridiculous amount of time.

I think this could be fixed by adding a queue to archaeology. I know it's something people have been asking for a while now.

In the interest of balance, I think it should limit how many digs you're allowed to queue, maybe to 10 or 20. I don't really think it needs anything beyond that because you're limited to gaining only a few tools a day.

inb4 arguments about the sanctity of the economy, this is not going to ruin the auction house and g:t ratio. At absolute worst Arlo items just aren't worth as much anymore. There are other, better methods of income anyways.

cautiously no support - purely because this is automating gameplay with no cost to the player, which is never really fair (even if everyone can do it). its the same reason i wouldnt support a cauldron queue, you get rewards for the time you put in, not because you put a big number in an automated system

(i say this as someone who spends ages in arlo's! before i ran out of magnifying glasses, i was digging a fresh new 50 tile gene daily. time and effort bring rewards. you dont have to be digging frequently, and there are always people who can do more and do less than you. 'tis intended!)

also to add on to atc's no support (same from me) I would be kinda annoyed if it were suddenly easier for everyone else to do something that took me a few months of dedicated playing to achieve (clearing all the plots 1x).

[quote name="Sled" date="2025-04-24 22:00:47" ] also to add on to atc's no support (same from me) I would be kinda annoyed if it were suddenly easier for everyone else to do something that took me a few months of dedicated playing to achieve (clearing all the plots 1x). [/quote] With all due respect I don't think what is essentially "it was hard for me and so should be hard for everyone else" is a very good reason. By that logic, glimmer and gloom never should have been added because it made it easier to reach the fairgrounds cap. They never should have added festival currency to everyday tasks because it makes getting festival items easier. They shouldn't have added the microholidays because it makes it easier to train dragons with the exp boost. My main point that I guess I failed to emphasize that archaeology is an unfun activity. Constantly having to go back is not fun. It's pure tedium. And again, even if they do implement a queue, even if it doesn't have a limit to how many tools you can use, you can only get so many tools in a day. This wouldn't mean people are suddenly clearing every plot in a day every day.

[quote name="@Limgrave" date="2025-04-25 09:32:40" ] By that logic, glimmer and gloom never should have been added because it made it easier to reach the fairgrounds cap. They never should have added festival currency to everyday tasks because it makes getting festival items easier. They shouldn't have added the microholidays because it makes it easier to train dragons with the exp boost. [/quote] this isnt much of a fair comparison, because in all the examples you mentioned, [i]work, time and effort[/i] are still required to a degree. an arlo queue is like asking for a bot that can play G&G for you, a free "get 50 fest currency a day!" button, and allowing scripting in the coliseum during microholidays. these things being added gave more opportunities to earn currency/rewards, but not without effort. a digging queue is effortless besides the energy of inputting a number into a box. i do agree that arlo isnt very fun! its not engaging like coli, and its not a minigame like the fairgrounds stuff. but that doesnt make it a flaw that needs correcting. its a grind, it takes time to gather the resources and time to dig out plots. its one of those "if you dont enjoy it, dont force yourself to do it" things, at no fault of the site's. the fact some people [i]dont [/i]bother is what keeps the arlo-centric economy alive its a very similar concept to familiar bonding - both are tedious and take time, require daily checking in and not every day offers a reward. but, sticking with it will give you what you want in the end. imagine asking for a fam bonding queue- if the idea seems ridiculous, apply that same thought process to arlo's (i say this nicely btw!! ^^)

This is still a giant massive support from me. Very kindly, Arlo's is just poor game design at heart and is an absolutely grueling experience. A [i]smaller[/i] queue system that takes [i]longer[/i] to complete the plots might be a workable idea, perhaps double or even triple the amount of time than if you were to individually complete them. I've had a fair share of painstaking checking every 10-15 minutes and it's... it's not fun. Also very kindly and respectfully to everyone: [quote] its the same reason i wouldnt support a cauldron queue, you get rewards for the time you put in, not because you put a big number in an automated system. [/quote] I think a solution to this is simply adding these sorts of niceties to higher levels of alchemy/archaeology. Baldwin's is a little bit better because every 30min for one pile of goop isn't terrible, and timegates certainly aren't bad for proper alchemy items, but having to use the same pot over and over again is painful. Though this might be difficult since I'm certain many folks are now max level anyways. A similar concept [i]could[/i] be applied to Arlo, but as we can see, the level scaling there is much.. different. There's gotta be [i]something[/i] better. [quote] its a grind, it takes time to gather the resources and time to dig out plots. its one of those "if you dont enjoy it, dont force yourself to do it" things, at no fault of the site's. the fact some people dont bother is what keeps the arlo-centric economy alive [/quote] I really do understand what a grind is like, trust. I just think there is a very fine line between grind and [i]tedium[/i], and this unfortunately is very much on one side. If I don't enjoy it, no, I don't have to do it, but I am otherwise forced to if I want anything from these plots. Soil has become one of my favorite genes, but I see I now have to subject myself to the clicky-clicks just to get even one scroll. Then if I don't, I get that vexing feeling of "inefficiency" when I'm not actually keeping on top of it. Not to mention actually having to achieved lv5, thank the gods I was already about there not too long ago. "Just farm treasure for those genes instead," the cheapest of treasure AH listings for Soil is 80,000 [emoji=treasure size=1], and the rest are 100k+. Trying to max treasure limit in the Fairgrounds is its own discussion, but quite simply, I'm excruciatingly bored of G&G at this rate... [emoji=mirror sleepy size=1] Familiar bonding every day is a good example of what feels much better. I don't have to babysit them for 10-15 minutes every day so they don't stop gaining (or gods forbid, start [i]losing[/i]) affection progress, it's just one moment and they're satisfied for the whole day. I think my biggest point is just... I wanna keep the feeling that I'm actually playing a game. Not checking off boxes on my list of chores, y'know? Edit: @Limgrave based name. Let's take up arms and take down Godrick, that old fool.

[quote name="@aceofwands23" date="2025-04-25 23:27:54" ] Support. I've been here less than a year and I still can't understand how often people make suggestions to make some aspect of the site less tedious and how many people pop up to go >:( "no it's meant to be time consuming and tedious!" like why??? This is a game! If there are areas of the site that are currently so much of a pain people don't bother then why shouldn't that experience be improved so people can actually enjoy it?? [/quote] politely: a game feature being grind-y, tough and time-consuming are not flaws, but unique challenges to that feature, and some players being either unable or unwilling (unwilling is moreso the case for arlo) to put in the time isn't grounds for bringing the difficulty down just because people would enjoy a feature/change, doesn't make it valid. i've been playing for a [i]bit[/i] longer and i can tell you i enjoy the arlo grind, and can appreciate the fact it's harder to maintain for some players than others because thats how an economy is meant to function. its [i]not[/i] "im happy people are missing out!", but its "i'm happy the feature is accessible to everyone but the effort to consistently gain rewards from it is hard enough to make some players avoid getting their own because this is the necessary foundations for a stable economy" i think arlo is great as is - check in as often as you can and get free stuff, some of which is incredibly valuable! it makes the achievement of digging a plot feel that much greater. you dont have to, but its there if you want it. i know i'd be let down by a queue feature, as all the hard work i put in would amount to less (item values [i]would[/i] go down- thats part of my livelihood! people kinda need those things to profit off of!) [quote name="aceofwands23" date="2025-04-25 23:27:54" ] Who has time to check back in every 10-15 mins?? [/quote] as a work-from-homer: me! kinda. im sure lots of other players, too. like...maybe not every 10-15 mins on the dot, but often enough to feel significant

@atc

As others have pointed out here, Arlo's is not a fun grind. Calling it a "unique challenge" is extremely generous. Tedium isn't a challenge. It is literally just not a fun feature, it is not designed to be engaging. Most of the player base does not feel any sense of achievement like you do, at most it's "finally I got this one plot done, but now I just have to do it all over again".

And Arlo's is not comparable to those site activities in that way. Arlo's is more like if you could only bond with one familiar every ten minutes. We already have a limiting factor to profiting off Arlo - materials (just like how the limiting factor to familiars is once per day bonding and the progress system). The "once every 10-15 minutes" limit isn't needed.

Also, nothing you do on FR is part of your "livelihood", nobody on this site is doing anything to actually make a living aside from a few who do irl currency commissions. If Arlo items lose monetary value, you can find other methods of profit.

Finally because I need to remind people of this often: your playstyle isn't everybody else's playstyle. Casual players also play this game, but you just don't see them as often because they aren't heavy forum posters. Even among dedicated players, most other people do not get to have a work from home job. I don't think because Arlo's rewards your playstyle in particular means it's a good feature.

[quote name="@Limgrave" date="2025-04-26 09:36:00" ] Also, nothing you do on FR is part of your "livelihood", nobody on this site is doing anything to actually make a living aside from a few who do irl currency commissions. [/quote] well thats just being nitpicky about my words lol. i should specify my [i]in-game[/i] livelihood. and as someone who squeezes as much profit from as many places as the site can offer: yes, losing arlo money (losing is a poor word, i mean like...taking a hit to it) would be borderline irreplacable because i'm already doing practically everything else. also, i say "i" broadly here! [quote name="Limgrave" date="2025-04-26 09:36:00" ] Finally because I need to remind people of this often: your playstyle isn't everybody else's playstyle. Casual players also play this game, but you just don't see them as often because they aren't heavy forum posters. Even among dedicated players, most other people do not get to have a work from home job. I don't think because Arlo's rewards your playstyle in particular means it's a good feature. [/quote] "mine in particular" is a bit much, i'm far from unique when it comes to the time i can put into things like this. also, is arlo not...heavily intended to be a casual feature? given how few resources are given out per day, even if someone doesn't check in often and spends a lot of time off it, it's still relatively easy to use up those few tools - right? (i have a huge backlog of tools so im just taking an educated guess) [quote name="Limgrave" date="2025-04-26 09:36:00" ] As others have pointed out here, Arlo's is not a fun grind. Calling it a "unique challenge" is extremely generous. Tedium isn't a challenge. It is literally just not a fun feature, it is not designed to be engaging. [/quote] something i think ive struggled to articulate so far is...why does it have to be? besides the obvious "fun is subjective", arlos is one of the most hands-off features on the site. its primarlily afk - the goal is basically to [i]not[/i] interact with it 95% of the time its in use. im struggling to imagine how it could be made "fun" in any meaningful way. it looks pretty, cool npc, cool stuff to dig up. for what arlo's is right [i]now[/i], does it even need more? [quote name="Limgrave" date="2025-04-26 09:36:00" ] And Arlo's is not comparable to those site activities in that way. [/quote] that was my last reply's whole point XP