lugdunon wrote:- Cleanup scripts that could be run periodically that would remove items placed by players whose activity falls below a certain threshold.
Cleanup scripts could just run NPCs that wander around picking up and removing stuff? Makes the world seem a bit more alive.
Removing stuff that belonged to a former player is a bit riskier. If someone has built upon something a former player created then that will also be destroyed.
gabeux wrote:There's also the option to implement decay, damaging the item daily after some set period that no activity of the player has been detected, and different item categories (not sure how/if you classify items like this) could decay slower or faster.
Decay is fine and all, but constantly running around fixing stuff thats low on durability will get boring. I suggest a "rot" system instead; clutter on the ground will be covered in soil (sand/dirt/moss) which will be possible to retrieve with a shovel or another similar tool at a later time (archeology). Buildings will deteriorate when not used (this will regenerate when used), creating ruins.
Example of this system:
A group of players decide to set up their own town, but after a while they all leave the town for various reasons. 2 years later a player wanders into the desolated town which now only consists of the stonework of the houses that once stood there. Nature has regained most of the area as wild trees, moss and other plants have sprung up through the streets and buildings.