Official Servers are community spaces full of abusive bases

I would like to make this post as a counterpoint to the people who love to build Dubai-style buildings on the official PVE servers. These people complain that Funcom comes along and prohibits them and that the rules are not clear about what can and cannot be done in terms of base building in this game.

Excuse me for the word I’m going to use; after all, it’s a bit harsh, but there’s no way not to use it. But the complaints from these people are, most of the time, lies. Yes, it is a lie, because the rules are very clear: don’t build more than necessary, don’t close paths, don’t fence off resources, bosses and other game content. Keep in mind that the official servers are shared spaces and, therefore, a player or group of players cannot interfere with the experience of other players.

Look, just because Funcom makes new building pieces, new decoration items, etc. available, it doesn’t mean you have to build a new mansion in a new style on the official server. After all, the goal is not to collect mansions. You can build as much as you want in single player mode or on private servers that allow it (maybe the Property Brothers play on a private server focused on renovating their old base, or building new bases in a better neighborhood in the exiled lands, lol).

In addition, it is completely possible to play the game by building smaller, functional bases, whose purpose is to allow the player to evolve to face the challenges of the game. This does not mean that smaller bases are “poor”, or “uglier bases”. What’s wrong with small bases? There are countless videos teaching how to build small, functional bases (and beautiful ones, by the way).

I always played this game in single player mode and recently went on an adventure on an Official PVE server and I’m still playing. And, by Crom! There are areas of the map that really look like Dubai, full of huge buildings next to each other. The game even freezes in some places. So they’re talking about Dubais in slow motion, which is very sad.

In addition to the insane constructions that cause FPS drops, there are also those players who block paths, forcing detours between points of interest.

I noticed that there are also many players who create paths and bridges in their gigantic bases, but this is also not allowed by Funcom’s rules (which are clear): it turns out that these bridges, roads, etc. are a way of abusing the game’s land claims and are constructions that are on a path used by other players: after all, I’m playing a survival game to survive and be forced to face the challenges that the game’s “nature” offers, not to cross a signposted and illuminated avenue that takes me from one side of a mountain, a lake or a cliff to the other.

So, while the “let me build Dubai without getting banned” crowd complains on their side, I think the other side’s complaint is also super valid: I want to play on the online server without having to put up with FPS drops or encounter megalomaniacal buildings that are there simply to “show how big they are”.

Honestly, no one cares how big these buildings are: anyone can turn on creative mode and build big, beautiful, and mind-boggling bases in single player, so those looking for online servers are looking to explore the game in partnership with other players.

It’s no wonder that the server I joined was pretty empty (most of the server list is). There are rarely more than 6 players there, and I met a few of them once (a nice bunch, by the way). But I don’t know if they were there to build condos in the Exile lands or to venture into their dungeons (I didn’t spend much time with them to find out).

I honestly understand the desire to build from players who complain about getting banned or having their beloved castles destroyed, but the online server is not for building insane castles. Still, it’s possible to have fun building there, as long as the base isn’t (unnecessarily) huge, doesn’t block paths, resources, etc.

For example: focus on making more optimized bases that are beautiful, functional and that blend in with the game’s scenery.

I played for a few days on the online server and with a simple camp and two or three huts located in strategic points (and as far away from view as possible) I managed to evolve to level 60 and still obtain great resources (weapons and armor). You have to look carefully to find my bases in the landscape.

I can already survive in the far north (although it still has difficulty).

As I progress in the game, I intend to destroy some of these huts and invest in a small fort and one or two more huts in strategic areas.

When the new update comes out soon, I intend to start from scratch in the single player and, who knows, in the online server as well, in the hope of finding a server with less absurd bases.

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If you’re on PvE don’t look at conflict. It’s worse over there.

The thing with the mega bases is they’ll eventually decay. My own server has been rife with them over the last two years. They get bored, migrate to a different server or different game. Or someone reports them off the map and they come back having learned nothing.

Single player is probably a safe bet. Not sure what the servers are going to be like after the update but it won’t be pretty.

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Yes, I’m thinking about going back to single player mode (I’ve even deleted my character to start a new one from scratch, but I’m waiting for the new update).

I still want to enjoy the PVE experience with other players. I’m trying, but the FPS drop in areas with a lot of bases (and absurdly large bases) hinders the experience.

I’m going to try other servers too. But if the scenario is the same on other servers, I’m thinking about reporting the bases and seeing what happens.

Of course, as you said: they’ll probably come back later without having learned their lesson, but the fact is that I’m also a bit stubborn about doing things the right way.

thing is, people needs are different.

for instance it is a valid statement to say 1 person needs a full functioning base. as long as such base does not cause issues on the server.
as it is saying every person in a 10 man clan has the right to own a personal fully functional base as long it does not lag peopel out.

on pve what is worst?

10 bases from 10 players with 65 thralls each
or 10 bases with 20 thralls each ?

now for 10 players. you will need at least 160 crafters that leaves you with 40 fightgers (4 for each player)

while a clan withg one member has 16 crafters, and 49 fighters/pets

my maths shows there is a problem funcom has failed to address

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what is a mega base for you? cause there are different answers depending on who you ask.
large bases has been in the game since 2018, now if you build right a large base can be server friendly…

remember there is server performance. and there is client performance.

i hace a pc with a 1060ti 3gb and it runs conan odffificials great at 1080p. now some people go crazy with tor4ches, and pets, and thralls, thats a different story

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Simple question.
Do you understand what “overkill” means?

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again it depends on who you ask, my “overkill” interpretation could more or less extreme if compared against others… that is the reason why the rules are vague as they are subject to interpretation. i wish there were more clarity

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I understand your point of view, but I don’t agree (although, based on my initial text, this was already expected, lol).
The rules are clear about an exaggerated base: taking up more space than necessary, taking up common space, passages, points of interest, etc. If I occupy a place where four bases could be built, I’m abusing it, because other players may need a space that I’m using out of pride (I have a larger plot of land than the others) or because I want to collect items and workbenches from the game. I passed by a base the other day that had several taverns with 30 NPCs inside, and I may be rounding down the count.
Of course, a small base can also be placed in the middle of a path and that is an abuse.
But a base that is too big is also an abuse, because it will take up more land than the player needs to play the game. This is quite clear: no one needs a base with all the furnaces, all the workbenches, all the temples, etc. The player may even want it, but he doesn’t need it.

But let’s think about it from another point of view: a player can make a medium-sized base and put a lot of stuff in it. This is perfectly possible. I’ve seen many bases that were beautiful on the outside and certainly hold a lot of stuff inside.

But I’ve also seen a base that could easily fit five or six medium-sized bases (on the server where I’m playing, this base is between Serpemeru, the Sulphur Lake, and the path where you can do the mountaineer’s journey). This isn’t a matter of necessity, because, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s perfectly possible to progress in the game and face the journeys with smaller bases to build great equipment.

Besides, the idea of ​​playing in a clan is anything but that everyone in the clan has their own mega base: in fact, one of the ideas of the clan is the opposite: people share the same base, or a camp or village.

As for the drop in performance, it also occurs with great equipment, not just with weaker machines. But, obviously, the drop in performance is proportional to the equipment (which doesn’t mean that the drop doesn’t occur).

Not to mention that FPS drops are one of the problems related to the abuse of server space.

Funcom is not only clear about this, but examples have already been given of what constitutes abuse of space. To give you an idea of ​​how clear the rule is: placing a torch in a dark spot on the map that you only pass through a few times just to leave that torch there and “gain practicality” is abuse of space: you will use that torch a few times, but it will prevent other people from building there and actually using that space. In other words, the space must serve a purpose on official servers, which are collective.

In other words, a base with, for example, all available furnace versions, just to collect or mass produce bricks, is something unnecessary and that affects the performance of the server (which needs to calculate all the elements that are present in the game).

Sure, we can say that Funcom needs to find a way for everyone to build a planet within the Exile Lands, but then people would abuse it and build multiple planets when the server was designed to only allow one planet per player.

That’s why I’m in favor of creating a configuration that allows you to limit the size of the construction and the distance between the bases (a configuration that can be modified in private and single player), but it’s very useful for administrators to ensure server performance and to avoid abuse in the use of space in the game.

Well, at least that’s how I see it. I’m talking about abuse, not about bases that are adequately sized and have lots of things inside them that serve a purpose.

I’ve seen several bases with great sizes. But here comes the other issue that I’d like to point out: there are many bases of good sizes, one next to twenty or thirty others, and so, together, they cause a problem similar to that of extravagant and unnecessary bases.

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well i guess 99% needs to be banned. there is a decay system im place, a torch is meant to give light in dark places.

this is according to your game style, and it is fine, but it is not an abuse to have different furnaces or several to speed up bricks… wjy funcom has not limited the furnace to be one in 200 foundations? they have not set the lmits, so i am guessing having 6 furnaces to make bricks faster is ok!

they need to upgrade the servers, thjis game launched in 2018 , many thing has been added and we are still playing on old servers and each server runs 2 to 4 virtual machines each running a map. do not blame players for funcom not upgrading and having healthy and modern servers as public ones.

again ther is a thing called semantics, many of the things you consider to be abuse i think its ok, so rules are vague , and not only for me, you can ask @CodeMage and others.

problem solved by having strong modern servers. this is sold as sandbox game, there is no limits, because even a small base can cause a lot of lag , and a large one be friendly to the server…

the more concentrated the problem is, the more likely to have problems.

the game cant hold more than 20 players simultaneously, you cant blame people when 3 years ago we could have a full server with 40 people playing with BIG bases wqithout any issues,. so base size is not the issue, how people uses it is the problem.

storage , is one of the culprits,here. reason why you should always build your storage base out very far out of heavy traffic areas… (among other things) if you build smart, you can get away with big, and cause no issues.

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When I cannot move through an area period is a pretty big indicator.

My own base was one at one point. (Years ago) It was built in A Light to Guide Them Home, stretched up to the beacon on top for seven altars, map room in the sea, and had docks, pens, and boats out to the docks in front of the dungeon.

Multiple squares on the map, rendering dies, et cetera.

Not worried about client, I’m on Series X and hardwired to the internet.

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ahh bases thjat goes over a mapgrid are monstrousities, and those surely not good for any online gaming.

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We get a lot of them over here for whatever reason. I think clans can have multiple bases if they’re spread out; but for now my people are grounded to one. The base is struggling as it is because of storage but I want to see how it fares with the update.

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On the server I’m on a player got banned for basically encasing the entrance to, I think people call it gator river. His suspension is up and he is right back to building the same way in the same spot.

Telith island is empty again; I have a transtone base by jhils{?} roost. That makes 4 people suspended for building there since I came back for AoS.

That is actually reportable, I wont unless it was obviously done on purpose; some know what I mean. I have to lean toward leniency because 1060Ti.

I’ve been on several PVE servers and come to the conclusion that since the factors that contribute to over building are on all servers all servers have 1 or more over builders.

And people need to understand the term “reasonable”.

Why would you need a fully functioning base if you are in a clan? Isn’t part of being in a clan having access to a fully functioning base with multiple people providing mats? Or am I thinking wrong about clans?

It’s not the size of the base that counts :wink:

Torches can be considered land claim abuse.
I thought in Conan you could make and carry a torch :thinking:

Once again the term “reasonable” needs to be applied. At what point does the number of furnaces you are running become unreasonable?

But are 16?

Wont disagree, but are you whiling to pay for better servers?
I mean I think most of us can agree Gportal is just a step above Bob’s bargain servers. But they are just a courtesy provided by funcom. What do you expect for free?

Actually that goes the other way round. The rules are vague so people feel free to abuse them.

But mega bases being a draw on the server really isn’t the issue.
It’s about just how much land do you think is yours to claim on a public server?

It doesn’t matter where it is at, it’s weight is still on the server.

Yet you have quite a good chance of finding one on a public PVE server.

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Had that with a guy covering the Sentinels up to K4ish. Another dude has been wiped 4-5 times but had his perma ban lifted. They really need to explain to people in detail why they were banned.

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A torch is used to illuminate dark places while you are there.

A torch placed on a point on the map where you do not reside is like a flag used to claim land.

Using 100 furnaces to speed up brick production is not the same as collecting furnaces, after all, workbenches can be assembled when needed and disassembled when no longer needed. That is why Funcom did not limit the number of furnaces and other workbenches.

Even though it does not limit them, it is quite clear about the abuse of land claims.

From what I see, the official servers have been used more to play The Sims than Conan Exiles, lol.

Well, on the server I access, even when there are only two players connected, performance drops when you are close to heavily built areas.

On the other hand, you are right about small bases also causing FPS drops: I have had problems with my own (small) bases when placing 9 workbenches close together with many items inside. So, of course, the problem isn’t just about size.

But the problem is also about size, when players occupy very large areas, blocking or modifying common paths.

Now, what for me is proof that they use Funcom servers to play The Sims, is that even on an empty server like the one I’m on, the bases never decay, as if their owners only show up occasionally to visit their winter or summer residence.

Servers with 40 people at a time? Maybe it was possible in the beginning, when Exile was an unexplored land and Funcom reset everything every 30 days.

But with urbanization, Exile is a bit empty.

Or do you know of any popular servers full of brick factories?

I walk around with my repair hammer to measure the life of the bases, and destroy them when I notice that they have decayed, but their owners apparently don’t let them decay.

Honestly, I think the servers would be more lively if Funcom avoided excessive urbanization: even if they limited the size of buildings (and consequently their content) and prevented buildings from being too close together, I think the experience on the servers would be better.

You might say that it’s because that’s my playstyle, and I’ll say that the playstyle of mega base owners violates the rules on space claim abuse.

My style is about leaving the path open for everyone.

started wrong, last time i check most placeableas including torches. dO NOT Claim land, only building pieces does.

i talked about 6 , even 10 furnaces are ok, now hundred or hundrred or thousands athat is a bit xtreme!

funcom has not wiped servers … so i dont know what game are you talking about. fully built server with large bases was seen when game launched , it also a year after siptah was on i played on an official server there were even lines, because server were full, and it was not at the begining.

mega bases is one thing, large bases is another one, again if you build smart its a night and day difference.

Correct rules are needed, for example 7000 blocks of a solid base 50x50. and a ban on construction in all problem areas

Wrong. Torches, ornaments, bushes, animals, thralls can be placed to prevent building because they claim land.

I do believe they did very early on.

And just where does one end and the other start? At what point does a large base become a mega base?
Once again there is that ugly term “reasonable”.

Building blocks are not the issue. They really don’t lag a server like an active bench or storage.

My point is, these are public servers, just how much land do you think you are entitled to?

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I’m not sure why @Hansel decided to drag me into this discussion, but I might as well leave my 2 cents now that I’m here…

Okay, but what exactly is the intention of this post? People who come here to complain about Funcom’s enforcement of the rules are looking for something actionable. We might agree or disagree with them, but at least we know what they want.

I’ve read the whole opening post, and I can’t say I understand what you want. Do you want a change in the rules? Are you looking for advice on how to play on official servers? Are you looking for advice on how to find a nice private server? Are you inviting people to give you a different point of view? Or are you just venting?

I can’t really tell what we’re supposed to discuss here, if anything, so I’ll just treat it as an invitation to give you a different point of view.

And they’re not wrong, either. They have more context than you do. By your own admission, you’re new to official servers, so you haven’t had the chance to experience the things they have.

Yes, some of these people are posting in bad faith and under false pretenses. I’ve had the opportunity to witness and participate in one of those discussions, where the original poster started right off in bad faith – pretending to not understand the difference between the game and the official servers – and kept arguing in bad faith, frequently changing the story and resorting to all kinds of fallacies.

But they’re not the only ones. I’ve personally had the chance to see detailed screen shots of a base that got removed, and no one could figure out why. That was back in the days when I also assumed that everyone who complained was full of shіt, because no matter the letter of the rules, the spirit of the rules is supposed to be “don’t be a dіck to others and share the server responsibly”, so how hard can that be?

Turns out it can be pretty hard when the enforcement is totally opaque, like the system we currently have to deal with.

The rules aren’t clear, they’re simple. The difference is important.

When the rules are simple, they’re easy to understand. When they’re clear, they’re both easy to understand and transparent.

Funcom’s rules are simple, but they’re not clear. You can read them and immediately grasp their intention, but you still depend on nuance of interpretation to avoid breaking them. For example, if you shouldn’t build “more than necessary”, how do you define “necessary”?

Or to give you a different example, what is considered to be a decorative build and what is considered functional? It might seem straightforward, but it isn’t. There are all sorts of questions to ask and the answer will still depend on the circumstances.

This is where transparency comes into play and why it’s so important. When your interpretation of the nuance ends up being different from Funcom’s, the end result is that you get suspended for breaking the rules. The critical missing piece here is being able to learn from that and adjust your own interpretation.

But Funcom doesn’t let you do that. If you get suspended, you get a canned message that your access to official servers was temporarily revoked, with a generic reason such as “abuse of land claim” or something equally vague. They never tell you the concrete reason, e.g. “your cottage at such-and-such location served no purpose except to look decorative” or “you prevented a T3 armorer from spawning” or anything similarly clear.

So then you don’t get to learn how to avoid repeating your mistake. And no one else can learn from your mistakes, either.

The point I’m making here is that no one here actually knows for certain the concrete reasons for any suspension. Only Funcom has that information, and they’re not sharing it, so we’re all left guessing and interpreting the rules our own way.

If no one knows the truth, we can argue endlessly without any hope of knowing if we’re right or wrong. It’s pointless.

And all Funcom would need to do to fix this is keep a record of the concrete reason for each suspension and present it to the suspended player upon a Zendesk request. :man_shrugging:

That’s another fun can of worms you opened there. What does “optimized” mean? Client performance depends on your hardware, and server performance is extremely hard to reason about. Of course, we have no shortage of armchair experts here on the forums who have no clue about how the servers work, but they’ll be happy to assert their opinions anyway…

And I played for months with a castle that took up slightly less than one quarter of a grid square, and had no problems with it, either. No one reported me, and I even confirmed that it didn’t have any notable effect on server performance, since that was back in the days before they disabled the debug HUD and we could actually see the server FPS and measure drops in it.

Regardless of any of that, neither you nor I can tell people “build like me and you’re not going to get suspended”, because that’s not something we can know.

If I could be bothered to go back and build the same thing on a server, I guess I could do a half-assed test by posting an open invitation for everyone to come to the server and report my build. Even that wouldn’t prove much.


Anyway, this is already long-winded, so let me try to wrap it up.

Yes, there are bases that are undeniably breaking the rules, e.g. by occupying multiple grid squares. Yes, there are people who come here to complain in bad faith.

But there are real problems with Funcom’s rules and, more importantly, with the enforcement of those rules. There are also simple solutions to those problems, but I’ve no faith left that Funcom will fix the problem.

In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they ended up doing the wrong thing – such as implementing a building limit – just because people who keep asking for it won’t shut up about it, no matter how many times other people explain why that’s the wrong idea.

In the end, we all just keep having pointless discussions about this. But, as someone pointed out recently, it seems like that’s what these forums are for.

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