Why The Sandstorm Code Is Impractical

[Resurrect]

I don't like posting, but I really don't like the sandstorm code so here goes a nice little list and then I wash my hands of posting for another year or so.

Reasons why the Sandstorm Code is Impractical and Should Be Changed
1) 4 IC Days hunkering down in a blinding sandstorm when you've got places to go RL that you figured you could quit out within 2 hours to go to. It's a game, while I'm all for realism and harshness they should never interfere and put my PC at major risk because I didn't anticipate needing 2-3 hours to get back to a quit_safe location thanks to a sandstorm that won't quit.
2) Of all the classes, only one is useful outdoors now. The rest can become blinded, literally, by a switch of the wind with no knowledge that a storm is about to hit them. Since ranger is a major class and not a subclass, this poses a large problem because what if my character grew up out in the desert as a travelling merchant for a tribe? I can feasibly, at that point, know how to navigate storms but because I need/want to set my main class to something else I'm not allowed that option. So one class has become useful if you travel. Ever. The rest are pretty useless, regardless of race even from what I've noticed.
3) I was in a forest... And there was still a sandstorm. A forest.

Since I won't be posting rebuttals to anything said, here is a list of canned responses that will probably fit most of what's going to be said by ranger enthusiasts and people who are into insane realism.

1) Response: Sandstorm code is realistic. Rebuttal: Realistic or not, it's a game and when you can't quit out anywhere since you aren't a ranger, it makes that game hard to play therefore making the sandstorm code impractical for playing purposes which means it should be altered.
2) Response: Sandstorms are big and cover lots of area. Rebuttal: The nature of forests is to break wind and keep soil down. There shouldn't ever be a sandstorm in one. Especially deep inside one.
3) Response: Zalanthas is harsh, get over it. Rebuttal: Zalanthas is also imaginary and designed to be playable. If it weren't, nobody would live there since there are not (reasonably speaking) enough water sources for life to exist on any scale without the assistance of magick. If magick can make a pair of huge cities continue to live without real water supplies, we can safely assume magick can come up with a way to keep the major roadways clear of blinding sandstorms so that travel is still possible. Magick is, also, quite imaginary so lets use our imaginations and possibly come up with a way to make other classes playable outdoors so that way everyone besides rangers can continue to have fun.
4) Response: Why are you hating on the staffs hard work? Rebuttal: I'm not. I appreciate what staff does and tries to do with different types of code. However, I play this game and when I see something that strikes me as a major fault in playability I feel it is my duty as a player who likes contributing to the game to make a point of the fact that it frustrates hardcore armers like myself who have been around for half a decade or more which means that it'll probably make a lot of others consider quitting. Then you'll have a bunch of rangers running around in sandstorms with nobody to guide. The problem with a game like this is that there's really no way to thoroughly put code into 'test' before it goes into the open playability stage. Meaning that occasionally bad things happen, in this case it's the Sandstorm blinding/misdirection/make me go randomly up or down while im on a road/thing.
5) Response: If you don't like it then don't play. Rebuttal: It's a discussion forum, I rarely post and when I feel like doing it - I'm allowed to. If you don't like it, don't read it. I know I follow that rule religiously or else I'd post a lot more than I do. But to directly respond to that response, I like the game - a lot - just not the sandstorm code in its current variation.

I'm sure there will be other responses to this post that I haven't covered, but I don't have the capability of predicting everyones reaction to what I've said. I'm sure different people will agree on or pick apart different points. The fact is, I felt a need to point out that the sandstorm code as it currently stands reduces playability enormously. I won't give suggestions on how to fix it in a list since, well frankly, I'm tired of writing this post. However I hinted at a few various options up above.

That is all. I'll see you again when I come up with another post to petition.

[jhunter (not logged in)]

The only problem I have with it is that certain subguilds cannot navigate in storms the same way as a ranger. I think that caravan guide is one of them that should also have the ability. Probably only one or two others that I think should have it besides that though.

[Zharal]

I personally think the storm code is just fine the way it is.  You just have to learn to work around it, or play a class that is better suited for such enviorments.  Sands this is such a dead issue.

[jmordetsky]

The only problem I have with it is that certain subguilds cannot navigate in storms the same way as a ranger. I think that caravan guide is one of them that should also have the ability. Probably only one or two others that I think should have it besides that though.

Agreed. I was a very vocal opponent of the storm code, but since the tweaks have been made I think it's alot more reasonable.

However, I'm still sternly for certain subguilds getting a portion of the advantages in a storm that rangers currently have.

[Alberic]

I'm still a big newbie but here's my ill-informed opinion.

I am not a big fan of these sandstorms, but I think that if anything needs to be changed it's the sandstorms not letting more people have the ability to navigate the storms. It seems to me that the defining feature of the Ranger guild is their ability to navigate the storms and it makes them useful. If you make it so other guilds and subguilds get it then it makes the rangers far less appealing. If everyone has the ability to navigate storms then why would anyone hire a ranger? Warriors are better at fighting, rogues better at sneaking, and merchants better at merchanting.

Since ranger is a major class and not a subclass, this poses a large problem because what if my character grew up out in the desert as a travelling merchant for a tribe

In my opinion this doesn't hold much water. So what if you're a traveling merchant? The traveling part isn't the major aspect of your job. What you are doing is dealing with people in different cities and selling/making goods. Rangers, on the other hand, live most of their lives out of cities learning the ways of the desert. If you're a traveling merchant, chances are you would hire a ranger to guide you because he would know far more about the desert than any merchant (traveling or not). Also, if your character grew up in the desert and then became a merchant he was clearly focusing more on learning about being a merchant than learning about sandstorms.

It's a game, while I'm all for realism and harshness they should never interfere and put my PC at major risk because I didn't anticipate needing 2-3 hours to get back to a quit_safe location thanks to a sandstorm that won't quit.

If you aren't a ranger and you need to travel in the desert then hire one. It gives you and the ranger some RP, ensures you won't get trapped in the desert, and is more in-tune with how the gameworld seems to be set up. If you are a merchant, thief, warrior, or something else and you set out into the desert without a ranger guide, plan on getting stuck for several RL hours if a sandstorm pops up.

[amoeba]

I'll lay in my 2 sid for what it's worth.

- First a nicely thought out, well written post. It would be nice to see more done like this.
- I can see some of where Resurrect is coming from.  IMO, roads should be navigatible by everyone, albiet on a vastly slower pace.  Even if the storm was a  blinder, one could get down on hands and knees and feel around for the road.  If the road is visible there should be a high likelyhood of reaching it. They can see it. if it was not, then they should not be able to see it.  One concesquense of the storm code is that when there is a storm, there is virtually no one on the road.  No raiding opprotunities.  Yes, realistic, but limiting.  Making the roads somewhat passable during a storm would make it so that non-rangers could get around. And a reduced speed would make travel on them highly dangerous, ripe with opprotunities for raiding roleplay, as opposed to purley coded responses from the storm code.  Rangers would still be highly valuable.  You want to get somewhere safely (i.e. not the roads) use a ranger, otherwise take your chances.

[Incognito]

Nice post man.....

I just thought I'd add, that there *might* be some guilds who have better-than-normal regeneration during harsher weather, but are now helpless to take advantage of the situation because of their inability/difficulty to navigate during those times when their regeneration is high.....

Might be a tad bit frustrating....

[Tamarin]

My biggest beef with the storm code is that I now have to roleplay characters with sand in their underpants.  What a bitch.

[Revelations]

I'm still a big newbie but here's my ill-informed opinion.

I am not a big fan of these sandstorms, but I think that if anything needs to be changed it's the sandstorms not letting more people have the ability to navigate the storms. It seems to me that the defining feature of the Ranger guild is their ability to navigate the storms and it makes them useful. If you make it so other guilds and subguilds get it then it makes the rangers far less appealing. If everyone has the ability to navigate storms then why would anyone hire a ranger? Warriors are better at fighting, rogues better at sneaking, and merchants better at merchanting.

Since ranger is a major class and not a subclass, this poses a large problem because what if my character grew up out in the desert as a travelling merchant for a tribe

In my opinion this doesn't hold much water. So what if you're a traveling merchant? The traveling part isn't the major aspect of your job. What you are doing is dealing with people in different cities and selling/making goods. Rangers, on the other hand, live most of their lives out of cities learning the ways of the desert. If you're a traveling merchant, chances are you would hire a ranger to guide you because he would know far more about the desert than any merchant (traveling or not). Also, if your character grew up in the desert and then became a merchant he was clearly focusing more on learning about being a merchant than learning about sandstorms.

It's a game, while I'm all for realism and harshness they should never interfere and put my PC at major risk because I didn't anticipate needing 2-3 hours to get back to a quit_safe location thanks to a sandstorm that won't quit.

If you aren't a ranger and you need to travel in the desert then hire one. It gives you and the ranger some RP, ensures you won't get trapped in the desert, and is more in-tune with how the gameworld seems to be set up. If you are a merchant, thief, warrior, or something else and you set out into the desert without a ranger guide, plan on getting stuck for several RL hours if a sandstorm pops up.

Well, you seem to contridict yourself there abit. If I understand correctly, you stated that you would want more classes to be able to navigate inside sandstorms, but just a few sentences later you give a few reasons as to why classes other than rangers shouldn't get as good of an ability to travel in adverse weather. I'll simply follow through with that line of thought, since it's more of what I feel.  :wink:

Currently, in my opinion, the sandstorm code is perfectly fine as it is, and shows exactly how a game based upon harshness and realism in a desert world should be. Perhaps a few subclasses able to maneuver slightly better in sandstorms would be better, but definitely not near as much as the ranger. Here are my reasons.

In a desert world such as Zalanthas, the sandstorms that seems to be a problem here could be equivelent to the blizzards of the Arctic, or a storm on Mt. Everest, with powerful and often times dangerous gales; sand and grit everywhere including in your mouth, nose, and anus; and utter sense of darkness and blindness. Considering the weather conditions alone, I find it quite hard to believe any but the most skilled travellers could even navigate a few yards.

Now to the actual guilds having the sandstorm code, since that seems to be where the main topic is leading at. Warriors, thieves, merchants, and any other class besides the ranger shouldn't be out in the desert alone in the first place, unless you're for certain you have the necessary equipment and provisions prepared for anything such as tents to seek shelter during such storms and water and food. An expedition on Mt. Everest or in the Arctic, even if travelling for a few hours, wouldn't dare travel unless they had a good chance of making it to the next checkpoint and campsite, and even then would still have the necessary stuff for emergencies. So...I seem to have drifted off topic.
Anyways, all these classes wouldn't have as much experience travelling the deserts as a ranger does, who has practically -lived- in the wilds. The experience that a ranger has would far outweigh the knowledge another class might have. Perhaps a nonranger might know the way from Tuluk to Nak, or to Liur's, but they wouldn't know much about where the closest natural water source is, or how to make a protective and decent shelter without the aid of artificial material, or perhaps how to even dress properly for such travels considering the lack of education in the populace. With all these considered, getting hit by a sandstorm would top everything off, enough that people should have the probability of dying in the weather.

And there's also the sense of direction that would be needed to travel in any manner when blind. Even an experienced sailor in RL during a storm wouldn't have much of a clue which direction the ship was heading, none the less a civilian along for the ride. A ranger, being without such benefits as a compass, would have needed to rely upon his senses for his entire life, while a veteran warrior or travelling merchant wouldn't have developed such confidence on their senses. With a hurricane-like wind and stinging sand in your eyes, it would make it that much harder.

In conclusion, if anything was to change about the sandstorm code, it would be to make it even harsher. Yeah, I'm a strong following of harshness, but I also care about playability issues, which is why I don't push for getting small amounts of damage in sandstorms without shelter. :twisted:

Also, I wouldn't mind having some of the subclasses getting some small benefits that rangers do in sandstorms, but not very much.

If there's a compelling reason for being able to navigate well in blind conditions though, then it should be left up for special applications.

Hope that satisfies you nonrangers out there.  :wink:

[Edited to add] Another point I'd like to ellaborate. The current guilds all rely upon having other people around. Warriors focus primarily upon fighting others, whether animal or humanoid, and so need to be in contact with civilization if any use of their abilities are to be made. Merchants need humanoids the most, since that is their primary source of living. All the stealthy guilds need a human population for similar reasons. Of all of them, only a few would travel in the wilds frequently, and only the craziest or desperate would live out there alone. The ranger class, alone, would have spent most of their lives exposed to the rugged life, and would have grown accustomed to its perils. The some subclasses should probably allow some benefits (which this seems to me like the fifth time I've said this) but not nearly as much.

And about playability. Yes, it would make the game more playable to have classes and subclasses that have the travel ability, but not very realistic for the reasons stated above. It wouldn't be very smart either, to have a nonranger class wander out in the desert without an adequate guide, be it a caravan guide or hunter. *hint hint* If you want to play a character that can withstand such trials, then the ranger class is there right for you. Why make the game less realistic and exciting by toning down the effects of the stormcode if you don't need to? It's there for a purpose, and I feel it's doing a perfectly fine job.

Heh, I had one more point, but I got distracted by a phone call, so it seems I'll spare you guys this one time.  :wink:

[williamson]

I am in total and complete agreement with Resurrect.


I just don't think it adds much to the game and seriously hampers playability.
If the sandstorm code is going to stay, I think the navigation should be associated with a skill instead of a class (such as hunt)..

-Williamson

[adgohan]

**Disclaimer: This is meant to be a constructive post about the sandstorm code. I've tried to make everything in here as IC-free as possible.**

We have a problem.

When I am stuck on one side of the world for 2 RL weeks (excluding the day of reboot) then harshness has overwritten playability.

There are two main people who are effected by this code:
I. Desert Elves. (Non-Ranger)
II. Elementalists. (Independent)

Neither of these groups can reasonably "hire" a ranger to escort them around in a sandstorm that lasts several RL days. Both of the groups are prone to wandering. These classes are literally almost shut down in massive sandstorms. I know this is realistic, but it is very difficult for me to have to stay indoors for several RL days and role play because the storm outside is so vicious.

It's realistic to have massive sandstorms, but I believe they should be much less frequent, especially in the north.

Among other classes that also have problems:
1) Warriors who are also hunters.
2) Independent Merchants.
3) Those who wish to masquerade as a ranger but are actually something else. This is now a given OOC way to tell they aren't rangers, and I've watched it used.

Also, when I am 1 room from a gate, literally one room away, guards are there, and I am blown over 20 rooms off course to that gate when it is plain visible sight by the "look" command, this is also an issue.

I think to truly comprehend the power of this code, you need to play a non-ranger class that spends time in the wilds. A city character, an outdoors ranger, or someone who pilots caravans around only - cannot really get the idea behind this. Save major advocators of a harsher Zalanthas, most people who disagree with the sandstorm code are people who have played in it or a while and really have understood the frusteration involved in hours of being blown off course when you may need to log off or have an extraneous circumstance you must address.

The solution to this shouldn't be that I must play rangers or hire one (especially when it is aforementionedly unrealistic to do so) nor should it be to eliminate the code. Rather, I think making these vicious storms much less frequent would still provide a challenge while simultaneously removing the frusteration for a large amount of people playing in the wilds.

[Revelations]

Ah, well if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to have more frequent stormcodeless rooms? Perhaps being in certain vales and thickly vegetated regions in the forest would allow lesser effects of that kind, and have a few quitsafe rooms in the vicinity. That way, ungemmed and the waylaid travellers could seek a respite from the storm if they are close enough to the shelter, and it would also allow a larger field of operations and playability for the independents, as they would have more places to quit safely. There doesn't seem to be enough of the quitsafe rooms, but that is likely a topic for another thread. Anyways, let's try not to limit the stormcode, rather change other aspects of the game to better suite our...wants and needs.

[adgohan]

That is not viable because if I am one room away from a gate, I still cannot get into it. I would have to get lucky being blown off course until I landed in a quit safe room, and for that to happen there would have to be about three hundred new quit safe rooms.

[Vox]

I have to agree with the original poster and those who support his feelings about playability... While at the same time enjoying the harsh reality that the sandstorm brings. Adgohan captured a few other concerns quite well too.

My suggestion as a possible solution is to create 'seasons'. Perhaps the last month of every year is Storm Season... In which sandstorm code is in full raging effect... But the first and second month are totally free of sandstorms.. Natural sandstorms that is.

The concept of seasonal travel would be a great addition to Arm. Travelers scurrying between the cities and doing the majority of their trading in the first two months... Also this would make the appearance of a sandstorm during the other months a unique and special event. Perhaps a magickal sandstorm or something ominous.

As it is, Zalanthas is peppered with almost constant sandstorms and this truly hampers global RP.  How often has the big plan been to get an RPT in your clan to go out and do something awesome only to gather together and discover that there's a blinding sandstorm outside. That's no fun at all and we all know how difficult it is to coordinate RPTs.

So, I push for seasonal storms. Seasonal storms could also affect animal-life, perhaps there are breeds of animal that only hunt during the storms.. Perhaps before the storms come and then they 'vanish'. That way it's no gut-wrenching surprise, we all know it's going to be storm season for 2 rl weeks... As it stands it's ALWAYS storm season. 4 weeks of calm travel seems choice to me.

Seasonal storms. This idea opens the door to many others... but before I get carried away, what do the rest of you think?

[adgohan]

That's a totally reasonable idea, Vox. I would definitely be okay with that solution; as it preserves realism but still gives a challenge to people. I would say that even during the storm seasons, storms a little less frequent than what we've got now would be preferable. But definitely the occasional, "Oh man, look at that, looks like a week of Kruth or so" is tolerable. Just not so predictably every 2 days or so after a reboot until the next one.

Seasons is a neat solution. I'd like to see where we could go with that.

[WarriorPoet]

I think that's the best idea I've heard on this matter so far, Vox. Great stuff. The seasonal storms would create the busy season when the roads are alive with people moving, bandits waiting, and thigns going down, and the off season, when the winds are howling, merchants are counting their coins, and everyone else is laid up, playing darts or preparing goods for next years trading season.

Great idea, in my opinion. G-R-E-A-T.

-WP

[Revelations]

That idea, and also the addition of the ability to navigate in storms for certain subclasses would solve many problem. Would it lessen the purpose of the stormcode though?

...which leads me to thinking what exactly the imms had in mind when setting up the stormcode... :wink:

Anyways, I agree with the seasons.

[sacac]

And it would add more Depth to the game world.

[Alberic]

There are two main people who are effected by this code:
I. Desert Elves. (Non-Ranger)
II. Elementalists. (Independent)

Neither of these groups can reasonably "hire" a ranger to escort them around in a sandstorm that lasts several RL days. Both of the groups are prone to wandering. These classes are literally almost shut down in massive sandstorms. I know this is realistic, but it is very difficult for me to have to stay indoors for several RL days and role play because the storm outside is so vicious.

It's realistic to have massive sandstorms, but I believe they should be much less frequent, especially in the north.

I agree that if sandstorms are lasting for a RL week without end then maybe their frequency should be turned down to maybe 8-9 average hours per day. That way only about 1/3 of a RL day will be sandstorms so they won't totally prevent travel but they will still be frequent enough to be troublesome.

Among other classes that also have problems:
1) Warriors who are also hunters.
2) Independent Merchants.
3) Those who wish to masquerade as a ranger but are actually something else. This is now a given OOC way to tell they aren't rangers, and I've watched it used.

1) If they are primarily warriors then they don't have the skills of a person who spends the majority of their life navigating the desert. They may be skilled at hunting and killing animals but that doesn't mean they should know as much about desert life as a ranger.
2) Hire an independent ranger when you need to move between cities and problem is solved. Again, their focus is not on living in the desert. The desert is just something they pass through on their way from point A to point B so why would they have the same ability as someone who lives in the desert.
3) I don't see how this is an issue at all. No one is stopping you from pretending to be a ranger, but you are doing just that: PRETENDING. There is no reason someone trying to trick people into thinking they are a ranger should have the same abilities as someone who really IS a ranger. Along this same line of thought, everyone should be able to do magick because what if they want to pass themselves off as an elementalist. Or everyone should have the abilities of a Templar so they can pass themselves off as Templars.

I think to truly comprehend the power of this code, you need to play a non-ranger class that spends time in the wilds. A city character, an outdoors ranger, or someone who pilots caravans around only - cannot really get the idea behind this. Save major advocators of a harsher Zalanthas, most people who disagree with the sandstorm code are people who have played in it or a while and really have understood the frusteration involved in hours of being blown off course when you may need to log off or have an extraneous circumstance you must address.

I think that the solution to people being forced into hours of frustration by being lost in a sandstorm while trying to logout could be addressed by giving certain subguilds the ability to camp like rangers and quit in the wilderness. That way if you are a hunter and on your way back to a city and a big sandstorm blows up you could camp and wait it out. I also think that if you have the ability to camp you should be able to make a campsite so other people could log out in the wilderness with you. I believe this wouldn't affect the game terribly and it would give more reason to travel with a ranger or even a hunter or caravan guide (assuming they were given the ability to camp) as they could set up a camp for the group to quit at if they need to.

If I understand correctly, you stated that you would want more classes to be able to navigate inside sandstorms, but just a few sentences later you give a few reasons as to why classes other than rangers shouldn't get as good of an ability to travel in adverse weather.

Um, I don't think I ever said I want more classes to be able to navigate but if I did heres the correction: I'm against any guild or subguild besides rangers being able to navigate in storms.

As it is, Zalanthas is peppered with almost constant sandstorms and this truly hampers global RP. How often has the big plan been to get an RPT in your clan to go out and do something awesome only to gather together and discover that there's a blinding sandstorm outside. That's no fun at all and we all know how difficult it is to coordinate RPTs.

Then might I suggest your clan recruit more rangers? I do agree with the seasonal sandstorms suggestion or, if not that, that the frequency be reduced to 8-9 hours per RL total of sandstorms. Though I must once again point out that hiring rangers to help you travel seems to me to be a good roleplaying solution instead of just having the Imms change the code so every merchant and warrior/hunter can be a loner.

[flurry]

Vox -

That is an excellent suggestion and please please idea it if you haven't already.

I for one think it would make things more enjoyable and return a little more flexibility to non-ranger classes.   I like the harsh realism but right now I think it could still use a little tweaking in terms of playability.

[adgohan]

I can't get into the code on rangers and this board has never been the place for that. I don't want to raise hell or an argument. I stand by Vox's suggestion for seasonal sandstorms and I think what he has said holds true.

I respectfully agree to disagree with Alberic and most supporters of this sandstorm code, and with that I'm stepping out of the discussion.

Another time.

[Anonymous]

I have no experience with the sandstorm code due to having a PC that just wouldn't die, damnit.  However I will say that my previous experience with sandstorms that lasted for forever annoyed me to the point of just logging out.  Red Storm is just not a fun place to be sanded in for a RL day or more, not unless Kurac is having a bubble of activity there.

If Xygax's sandstorm code makes sandstorms more or less vicious I don't so much care about.  If the duration was/is lowered, I can only think that would be a good thing, even if the frequency is increased.

[jmordetsky]

I have to agree with the original poster and those who support his feelings about playability... While at the same time enjoying the harsh reality that the sandstorm brings. Adgohan captured a few other concerns quite well too.

My suggestion as a possible solution is to create 'seasons'. Perhaps the last month of every year is Storm Season... In which sandstorm code is in full raging effect... But the first and second month are totally free of sandstorms.. Natural sandstorms that is.

The concept of seasonal travel would be a great addition to Arm. Travelers scurrying between the cities and doing the majority of their trading in the first two months... Also this would make the appearance of a sandstorm during the other months a unique and special event. Perhaps a magickal sandstorm or something ominous.

As it is, Zalanthas is peppered with almost constant sandstorms and this truly hampers global RP.  How often has the big plan been to get an RPT in your clan to go out and do something awesome only to gather together and discover that there's a blinding sandstorm outside. That's no fun at all and we all know how difficult it is to coordinate RPTs.

So, I push for seasonal storms. Seasonal storms could also affect animal-life, perhaps there are breeds of animal that only hunt during the storms.. Perhaps before the storms come and then they 'vanish'. That way it's no gut-wrenching surprise, we all know it's going to be storm season for 2 rl weeks... As it stands it's ALWAYS storm season. 4 weeks of calm travel seems choice to me.

Seasonal storms. This idea opens the door to many others... but before I get carried away, what do the rest of you think?

I think that is an awesome idea. I've had a few RPTizzles whacked by storms as well.

[Anonymous]

I play a non ranger in the most storm ridden place in the known world, and do just fine.  Intelligence and adaptability are the key.  The weather (direction) command is very useful as well as some simple observation of the weather and its nuances.  In my opinion the storm code is good aside perhaps the sandstorms in the deep forest as mentioned earlier.  I am however for a subguild that imparts some of the ranger navigation ability.  If it's hailing obsidian don't go out without a helmet.

[elvenchipmunk]

Sweet idea Vox. It'll be great to be a raider and -know- when the merchants are going to be travelling. Or be a merchant and -know- when they can and can't travel because of weather (atleast for the most part).

Again, really awesome idea, hope it gets implemented.