Around lunch this friday I came to the conclusion that it was time to open up the game for global travel between servers.

The controversy this brings is that raiding parties from neighbouring servers may attack your settlements. The invaders have strong penalties and it will be an extremely hostile environment they arrive in. That does not matter much to the existing players though who often settled on the home servers because of the lack of PvP.

This change is something that I have wanted and known would come since day one, but which has been impossible due to the mingling of basic and premium accounts. I have hinted about it and written posts stating that the game would go in that direction. I did not give warning the day it happened. Not to the players, not to the staff. The obvious question is why not?

There is not one single answer to that question. The move was a mix of frustration, stress, enlightenment, timing and determination. I was not interested in discussing the decision at all. I got the feeling that it was time. It had to be done. When that happens I usually give in. I would gladly discuss things that I am unsure of but not this and not this time. It was unfortunate that it was a friday though and that I was tied up with family stuff all weekend.

Now it is done and I am happy that it is. Now we start to see how bad or good it is. I am glad that we don't have to wait until next Monday or the week after because I am eager to move forward.

Wolfram wrote to me that he was afraid that I was ripping the heart out of the game. I think that it is well put. I hear that a lot of the nice players and staff members that make up the caring core of the home servers already have or consider to quit because they just don't want to be close to PvP. I respect that and I am glad if I made the decision easy for you. It is sad since if I had given warning and discussed it a lot of you may have stayed and maybe realized that you can cope with it. Some may even have started to enjoy the benefits the change will bring.

The goal is not to remove the feeling of security on the home servers. It will be lower in many places but it is not a goal in itself.

Wurm is still not at version 1.0. I try to make this clear. I'll present some kind of roadmap soon. This had to change to get to what I always thought Wurm 1.0 needed to be. It is too early to let the vision be ruled by you the customer. I must have faith that I see things that many of you do not.

I hope that right now you assess the situation and take it for what it is. See if you actually do get raided and how bad it actually gets. If you don't do that I know you have good reasons for your decision.

Hope to see you around,

Rolf