Further... doesn't this reduce a slight benefit of the gems as is, namely hiding presence while -not- on prime? As is, a gemmed person on, say, Water, should still show as off-plane, making it at the very least slightly easier to be there unnoticed. If someone goes to Water, does WHO, finds there is a person on plane but cloaked, well, then the alarm bells can start ringing. Sure, it's probably a minor point... but it's still a nerf.
My idea was to have all cloaked people on all planes show on QW as 'cloaked', which would mean that plane-specific information isn't given and as such wouldn't affect the usability of the gem. That being said, I also like your idea of opening up CW and GW to show off-plane people.
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SylandraJoin Queue for Mafia GamesThe Last Mafia Game
Sometimes I do like to hide. Every so often when someone spots me on CWHO I'm like "curse you gem, we're foiled again."
"Oh yeah, you're a naughty mayor, aren't you? Misfile that Form MA631-D. Comptroller Shevat's got a nice gemstone disc for you, but yer gonna have to beg for it."
Sometimes I do like to hide. Every so often when someone spots me on CWHO I'm like "curse you gem, we're foiled again."
How about a two-pronged approach, then? CWHO and GWHO are opened up to show everyone on all planes, and it becomes possible to toggle manses to hide their occupants from CWHO and GWHO. That way people can still have their bolt-holes to sit in and AFK or whatever, but the people who are active and just off-plane on hunting or raiding trips are still visible and engaged with the org.
I think the idea is that sometimes, people want to be left to play the game without people knowing they are there. The anti-surveillance impulse that grips everyone at times in our post-Orwellian world.
I don't think there's a need to cater specifically to that - it's fine to just make CWHO/GWHO show everyone on all planes except manses - just make it so that manses are the AFK/hiding spot. If someone wants to play the game without being disturbed, they can tellsoff if they really want to.
QW probably shouldn't be changed from how it currently interacts with gems.
The problem of the game seeming more empty than it really is actually doesn't matter that much currently - we don't have enough population for gem users to make a difference. When you see only 4 names on QW, chances are, you won't find any interaction whether or not the gems are hiding names. The bigger problem we should probably be tackling is how to get more people to play this game.
So, I'm still wrapping my head around exactly how curio collecting works, but it seems to me as though the interface is pretty difficult to use so far.
Would it be possible for the following small changes to be made, so that it's a bit easier to manage your collection?
Change CURIOS PARTIAL so that instead of showing a 'Type' of 'Partial' for every row, it instead shows the number of pieces attached out of the total required (eg. '6/10'). This would be so much easier than having to check each partial individually to see which are close to being completed.
Create a new CURIOS POWERS command that lists all pieces and partials with the type of power the completed curio grants (ie, Magical Item, Travel Power, Hairy Influence, Bubble, Cooking, Czigany Collectible, etc). Trying to work this out can be a bit difficult sometimes.
Create a new CURIOS REFERENCE command that lists all the curios that exist (not just the ones that you own), along with the type of power the completed curio grants. This would be so helpful for knowing what's out there.
Can the STABLE PAY command be more intuitive, please?
i.e. using STABLE PAY 36 would automatically detect how much you've paid so far and adjust accordingly, STABLE PAY 36 when you've already paid for 4 months would instead let you pay for 32 months
You cannot pay over 36 months in advance.
You have already paid up to 4 months in advance.
Viravain, Lady of the Thorns shouts, "And You would seize Me? Fool! I am the Glomdoring! I am the Wyrd, and beneath the cloak of Night, the shadows of the Silent stir!"
How about getting rid of the restriction on inter-plane communication? Having a situation where players need to memorize the planar distance table just so they can decipher whether or not a person on a given plane can hear them is ridiculous and only serves to isolate players. It's also really confusing for people on far planes to only hear the parts of the conversation spoken by those who have the highest skill in Planar.
We have been told that opening up Omniscience to more players (a skill that does what you are asking for) is not viewed favourably from the Administrative end of things. We have asked for forms of it quite often over the years.
I can understand why Omniscience can't be given to more people, but I think having Broadcast being locked as a very high skill in Planar doesn't help the new player experience.
Have they ever said why they don't want to open it up?
Not that I've heard, at least.
The Planar skills are inherently and fundamentally flawed, though; they only let what you say carry, they don't help someone else talking at all. Thus, you can be talking on CT from Astral and a newbie can hear you, but if they reply you cannot hear them. And they have no idea that you cannot hear them.
That's why I love Omniscience, it's bidirectional. If they can hear me, I can hear them, no matter what level of Planar they have (and I have the ability as part of my defup script so it is pretty much always on). A version of it that didn't include aetherbubbles would really be just fine, imo, but alas.
It's a little different than Omniscience though, as that includes being able talk to/hear from places like aetherbubbles, not just the far planes. I think only omniscience specifically has been frowned on by admins, in the context of making it a demigod power.
It's a little different than Omniscience though, as that includes being able talk to/hear from places like aetherbubbles, not just the far planes. I think only omniscience specifically has been frowned on by admins, in the context of making it a demigod power.
Note that I referenced a version that did not include aetherbubbles as something that I wouldn't think would be as much of an issue, but that one's been turned down too.
I actually don't mind the communication issue. The only thing I'd maybe suggest there is adding a '*' to CWHO/GWHO names to indicate who can't hear you.
For me, the problem to be solved is the appearance of an empty/sparse world. Being able to see that there are a lot of people online at least solves that, and leaving the communication difficulties in place maintains the feel of planar distance having an impact. There are always TELLs to get around it if there's an urgent need to talk to someone, but that isn't even possible if you don't know who to TELL.
My suggestion was just to change WHO lists frequently showing you as the only citizen/guildmember, which gives the entirely wrong impression for a healthy game population.
FYI, TELL is similarly affected by planar distance, though it fails to send if the target is too far away. I think you may mean MSG, though I always saw the use of MSG to get past geographic barriers to be a bit of an exploit.
Orgs just need to make more use of collegiums to communicate with newer characters, as CGT was purposefully made distance-proofed.
The problem isn't with veterans using CGT or not. Most of them already have broadcast and can be heard on any channel. The problem is novices who might ask for help on CT when everyone else is on an aetherhunt or something and nobody notices.
The problem isn't with veterans using CGT or not. Most of them already have broadcast and can be heard on any channel. The problem is novices who might ask for help on CT when everyone else is on an aetherhunt or something and nobody notices.
Not to mention irritating for any newbies who try to 'tell' people that they hear talking but can not reply. I know it kept me confused for the first month.
Any newbie can tell me from anywhere (as long as I have tells on, at least). I find it quite useful to be able to hear them without having to have the "message" conversation. It's when the established people insist on messaging me from aetherbubbles even though I am responding in tells where it gets a bit awkward. :P
I'm all for making it easier for newbies to communicate.
Let's have a CANDY EFFECTS command to show what all these new fangled candies do. Else I'll just make an alias for rereading the news post! Please and thank you!
Let's have a CANDY EFFECTS command to show what all these new fangled candies do. Else I'll just make an alias for rereading the news post! Please and thank you!
Training Dummies... you can use all attacks on them and they will even have wounds. vitals set at 12,000 each. So you can test your skills, stratagems, and such without having to always ask "Is there someone who can help me test some stuff for the next hour?"
make DIRECTORY <item> usable anywhere in a city or commune, including the price/shop location as usual. However, have it cost a short amount of balance (2s sounds reasonable?) if it's not done at the directory room itself.
I'm just looking for ways to make city/commune shopping more appealing in contrast to the absolute ease of the Aetherplex.
Just curious if it would be possible to be able to make it so you could TOUCH SHRINE of any god to see how much essence you alone have offered to that particular god?
make DIRECTORY <item> usable anywhere in a city or commune, including the price/shop location as usual. However, have it cost a short amount of balance (2s sounds reasonable?) if it's not done at the directory room itself.
I'm just looking for ways to make city/commune shopping more appealing in contrast to the absolute ease of the Aetherplex.
Whereas I totally agree with this, I'd also say that the 'absolute ease' customers would have finding my wares, thus creating a butt-tonne more footfall, is one of the things I considered when buying that horrendously expensive Shop artefact. But you're right: having to walk to the directory, check it for the goods I want, and use the mudlet mapper to find the shop - all the while wondering if it isn't going to be 50% cheaper in somebody's manse shop! - does make commune shopping a little bit more meh than it needs to be. Perhaps add to your suggestion that you could only check shops from your own city/commune from outside the directory room?
Would be nice to see something like a SHRINEOFFER command that can be used at the master shrine (or maybe other shrines even), where you can offer items (like SHRINEOFFER ROSE), doing so would 'destroy' the item, but add a line saying something like "An entrancing red rose has been carefully placed at the foot of the shrine in humble offering" for a few RL days. Certainly leaves a better impression than " An entrancing red rose has been cast away here, forgotten."
Would also result in people not having to remember to turn off acquisitio every time they step into a fulcrux so they don't scoop up things left in offering.
Kiss of the Enchantress hisses eerily, "Let them fear, and despair."
Would be nice to see something like a SHRINEOFFER command that can be used at the master shrine (or maybe other shrines even), where you can offer items (like SHRINEOFFER ROSE), doing so would 'destroy' the item, but add a line saying something like "An entrancing red rose has been carefully placed at the foot of the shrine in humble offering" for a few RL days. Certainly leaves a better impression than " An entrancing red rose has been cast away here, forgotten."
Would also result in people not having to remember to turn off acquisitio every time they step into a fulcrux so they don't scoop up things left in offering.
Back when esteem was a percent, and could be imbued in anything, you could offer any item to a god (while I'm not sure, I don't believe it destroyed the item and was just sent to the gods inv). But now in our number esteem, figurine only, world they have took away the ability to offer items for some reason.
IIRC, they switched to the figurine-esteem system because back then, each item of esteem could only hold...16,656 units (100%)? Something to that effect, really small. This meant that if you wanted to make large offerings, you had to also make a large number of distinct items.
Long story short (the long story is hilarious, but eh), the items made specifically for offerings bloated the game so much that things crashed (people being unable to enter stockrooms, random teleports here and there, etc.).
IIRC, they switched to the figurine-esteem system because back then, each item of esteem could only hold...16,656 units (100%)? Something to that effect, really small. This meant that if you wanted to make large offerings, you had to also make a large number of distinct items.
Long story short (the long story is hilarious, but eh), the items made specifically for offerings bloated the game so much that things crashed (people being unable to enter stockrooms, random teleports here and there, etc.).
Yes, 16656 units was 100%. A really odd number. Oh the days of needles (because it was the cheapest thing you could make) and just having them laying around for offerings or shrine defiling.
Comments
You cannot pay over 36 months in advance.
You have already paid up to 4 months in advance.
The Planar skills are inherently and fundamentally flawed, though; they only let what you say carry, they don't help someone else talking at all. Thus, you can be talking on CT from Astral and a newbie can hear you, but if they reply you cannot hear them. And they have no idea that you cannot hear them.
That's why I love Omniscience, it's bidirectional. If they can hear me, I can hear them, no matter what level of Planar they have (and I have the ability as part of my defup script so it is pretty much always on). A version of it that didn't include aetherbubbles would really be just fine, imo, but alas.
Orgs just need to make more use of collegiums to communicate with newer characters, as CGT was purposefully made distance-proofed.
Not to mention irritating for any newbies who try to 'tell' people that they hear talking but can not reply. I know it kept me confused for the first month.
I'm all for making it easier for newbies to communicate.
Could be manse artifacts even.
Back when esteem was a percent, and could be imbued in anything, you could offer any item to a god (while I'm not sure, I don't believe it destroyed the item and was just sent to the gods inv). But now in our number esteem, figurine only, world they have took away the ability to offer items for some reason.
Yes, 16656 units was 100%. A really odd number. Oh the days of needles (because it was the cheapest thing you could make) and just having them laying around for offerings or shrine defiling.