My initial feeling: I'm not happy with how the developers (presumably) distributed the new items. Towns who have been around since the beginning now need to form a sibling town (or another sibling town) with the hope of receiving the new items (and they may not, even then). I've been playing since World 1 was the only world, so perhaps I've been waiting for something like this longer than many -- which is why I'm feeling a bit let down, to be honest.
I was to understand that the developers never intended players to join other towns for the sheer purpose of shopping around (thus the sliding-scale wait penalty); but now, only undeveloped towns will have an opportunity to get the new items. That seems self-contradictive to me. I'm now forced to leave my town a few more times if I want the items (we never even had the opportunity to get the items, unlike with existing items), further adding to my already 18-hour wait time.
Also, two words: town loyalty. This is certainly going to affect town populations. Flaky members (which are better than no members at all) are going to migrate -- especially when future item bundles are released. Towns like mine will be a joke 6-12 months from now. "You guys don't have any of the new items??" If you don't call that a disadvantage mechanically, you must at least admit that it is one, perceptually.
So the questions becomes: are towns simply transient? Does any one town actually matter? It seems that developers are nudging us into annexing other towns and forming massive, unofficial alliances, but this isn't in the spirit of The West, if you ask me. I built a town, and it's important to me! If it's not, then why bother building one at all -- or why play the game, for that matter?
I'm seriously reconsidering my premium accounts, if this is how legacy players and towns are going to be treated. I suspect others may, as well. This was not the best way to handle implementing new items.
:dry:
