Idea re: Quitting/Offline Activity

[Ktavialt]

Okay, so I've been in the situation countless times when Joe Schmoe
Officer (or recruit) hasn't been seen in ages, but you never know whether
he's truly dead or not. In most cases, you can find just about anyone with
the Way whenever you please, so it seems odd that you can never tell
for months periods of time whether or not so-and-so is dead. On the other
hand, sometimes people do not want others to know they are still around,
sooo here's my idea to kinda work with these two, wonder if anyone else
thinks its neato:

First as Joebob...
> em yawns, looking for a cot to sleep in.
Joebob the Recruit of Tenneshi yawns, looking for a cot to sleep in.

> quit (carrying out regular Tenneshi Guard duties throughout the week)
You have quit, and you have designated that offline, you are carrying
out regular Tenneshi Guard duties throughout the week.


Then as Officer Munchkin...
> em glancing around, @ looks about the barracks, searching the halls.
Glancing around, Officer Munchkin looks about the barracks, searching the
halls.

> offline Tenneshi
The following people are around as VPC's:
Joebob the Recruit is carrying out regular Tenneshi Guard duties
throughout the week.
Billy Jo the Guardswoman is performing hunting expeditions every other
day and returning at night.
Lord Fancypants is checking up and bitching at his underlings on a daily
basis.

Everyone will have an option to put the extra offline quitty thing if they
want, or otherwise they aren't shown. I suppose the only drawback is the
OOC usage of (hey! This guy isn't letting us know where he is! He must be
a magicker/assassin/cutthroat backstabber) or somesuch, but hey maybe
the upside is worth the drawback.

What do you all think?

- Ktavialt

Edited to add: I can't spell this late at night.

[bloodfromstone]

I actually like this idea a lot.

I suppose the only drawback is the
OOC usage of (hey! This guy isn't letting us know where he is! He must be
a magicker/assassin/cutthroat backstabber) or somesuch, but hey maybe
the upside is worth the drawback.

This is not a drawback to me. If your character is unaccounted for for a long period of time, it is easily brushed aside because of playability reasons. I mean, who wants to come back from having their computer rebuilt to have their sergeant flay their hide for skipping duties? However, if your character should ICly be unaccounted for during this time, that would be great! I've deserted a clan or two in my time, and it always felt a little funny that it takes people a while to notice. Of course, as players, we don't know if that person has vanished, died, or simply hasn't had time to play lately. I'd much rather have people trying to get in my head, asking me why I'm late for training when I'm hiding out in Red Storm.

EDIT: The drawback, imo, would be that some people might not remember to or know the usage of it, and it would end up getting them bitched out for OOC reasons.

[Agent_137]

work out an IC reason with your commanding officer, and post on the forums that you're back in play.

this has never been an issue for me, and I have a habit of dropping off the face of the earth abrubtly for a month or two at a time.

But, then, I don't see this is really being something negative, so if it gets coded, cool, whatever.

[Nao]

I like it.

But - what if lieutnant malik originally planned to be away for a day or tow, posted that he's doing his duties and then disappears for months? Then all the recruits will be standing around twiddling their thumbs and can't really employ a new leader through 'old malik didn't show up in a shile' because well, ICly, he's around and everything is fine, even if OOCly it isn't and the other players are getting bored.

[Ktavialt]

I like it.

But - what if lieutnant malik originally planned to be away for a day or tow, posted that he's doing his duties and then disappears for months? Then all the recruits will be standing around twiddling their thumbs and can't really employ a new leader through 'old malik didn't show up in a shile' because well, ICly, he's around and everything is fine, even if OOCly it isn't and the other players are getting bored.

Well, generally the recruits don't pick who the leader is, the Imm-controlled
NPC's in the clan do, I'd imagine, or the nobility? An easy way around it is
to say "XXX Leader" even though he's performing his clan duties leading
people like an officer should, has been temporarily reassigned to another
unit, and then another one should be appointed?

This is not a drawback to me. If your character is unaccounted for for a long period of time, it is easily brushed aside because of playability reasons. I mean, who wants to come back from having their computer rebuilt to have their sergeant flay their hide for skipping duties? However, if your character should ICly be unaccounted for during this time, that would be great! I've deserted a clan or two in my time, and it always felt a little funny that it takes people a while to notice. Of course, as players, we don't know if that person has vanished, died, or simply hasn't had time to play lately. I'd much rather have people trying to get in my head, asking me why I'm late for training when I'm hiding out in Red Storm.

That never occurred to me. I suppose the thing I said was a drawback could
be a good thing.

Ktavialt

Edited to add: comment to bloodfromstone.

[Nao]

I know it sounded like it, but I meant the clan can't employ a new leader. Your solution works well though.

[Kalden]

I like it a lot.

[Maybe42or54]

Logging out Is ooc. I dig it.

[cyberpatrol_735]

I dig.

[Majikal]

Awesome Idea.

[Resurrect]

This actually would have prevented a lot of BS for me on one PC in particular. Would probably be a great idea to implement.

[Moofassa]

Really neat idea.

[WarriorPoet]

I'm all for this idea as well.

I remember numerous drunken days, celebrating our poor departed friend who used to log on every day for months, but suddenly stopped. Obviously he's dead... Nope. There he is two weeks later, showing up for the RPT. This would be prevented by this idea.

-WP likes.

[Intrepid]

I like it too.

[FightClub]

Edited, because I can't read.

I approve.

[Bebop]

Hrm, I don't think it's necessary.  But I like it.

I think you should be able to like type clan vnpc or something, because while I like the idea of being able to virtually see who is on duty or just gone.  I don't like it that I would be a vnpc openn to dying while quit out.

Also, I think people would become to dependant on this.  Wanting everyone to be a VNPC and keeping a tighter reign on something IC that is something OOC:  quiting out.  I really think it's fine the way it is.

If someone is berrating you for not playing regularly IC then perhaps it should be something taken up with the clan IMMs but I for one know I am not going to promote somone to a high level, or ranking officer type of job if they are not playing regularly that comes with the territory of being in a leadership position.  Being around to guide your employees and making it fun for them.

[jcarter]

It also feels like a backwards who c for my tastes.

[Zore]

Totally support. People keep on assuming I'm dead because I'm European. This would help.

[Anonymous]

I think this can be accomplished with clan boards.

And, also, what's to stop someone from putting up a message "is doing foo bar baz" and then not playing for two months just for the heck of it?

Or, what about if someone assassinates your buddy while he's online?  I agree with the person who said this sounds too much like a who c.

[Ktavialt]

I think this can be accomplished with clan boards.

Possibly, although this is a bit more standardized and automated and has
some other small perks.

And, also, what's to stop someone from putting up a message "is doing foo bar baz" and then not playing for two months just for the heck of it?

Not getting exactly what you are trying to say but it seems this can be
abused the same way the emote command works, however I feel that the
vast majority of the armageddon playerbase is mature enough to use it in a
realistic manner.

Or, what about if someone assassinates your buddy while he's online?  I agree with the person who said this sounds too much like a who c.

Sounding or not I don't think it operates in the same way. Clan C gives
you the opportunity to know the exact moment your buddy dies by
spamming "clan c" during certain periods of time, and even that is not a
100% perfect way to check if someone was just assassinated (it could of
course given the right circumstances when you know something could
happen to your buddy).

On the other hand, this command would be for the guy that wants to
reassure his clan members that he isn't dead when he reasonably should
be seen around a lot. Were I to say how I thought it would best be coded
I would make it so that the "quit (offline activity message)" would only
work in particular rooms, namely the barracks of just about every clan out
there, in each city. The message would attach to the room, and any clan
member could then, if they are in the same room (again, usually the
barracks) where the clan member logged out in, check 'who offline' and
see their offline activity message if they gave one.

Going back to the "clan c" comparison of knowing whether your buddy
was assassinated, were I to code this then it would be attached to certain
very important rooms like barracks where an assassination wouldn't
ordinarily happen without everybody in the clan knowing, so if you can't
find your buddies mind you can reasonably think that he just logged out a
ways from the barracks. If he -did- log out in the barracks then you would
reasonably see him around, doing his clan duties (if that's what message
he left) to know otherwise.

This would actually prevent the opposite bad scenario from happening.
Clan member A goes with shady type B into the 'rinth regarding a deal,
everything goes well and he returns to the barracks and quits without you
seeing him. You may end up telling your officer/noble superior "I think A
was killed by B when he met with him." Creating a small amount of
hysteria, some time passes (A is RL on vacation) and everyone assumes
thats what happens and you manage to get a group to kill B for killing your
clan member. A couple RL days after A logs on and says "What's up?" and
you have to RP that awkward "Oh eh... we thought you were dead and
avenged you" sequence followed by A saying "Oh I was just hanging out
around the barracks the last several weeks, you didn't see me around?"
This command would allow A to leave a message of the normal things he
would likely be doing.

To sidetrack off this, using the clan boards to show this stuff has one very
minor drawback that my idea does not have: It may OOC'ly convey to the
person that you are requesting to know is around that you actually care
that he is around for one reason or another.

The other benefit I could see from this is generally knowing when your
clan members are around or on a trip to another city. Customer A asks
Guard B whether Merchant C is around. Guard B is used to seeing
Merchant C around but checks the barracks and finds no sign of him.
Guard B can now tell Customer A that he's probably at some other city at
the time rather than "Oh he's around here somewhere." Or, Squad A
leaves the Kuraci post in Luir's to travel to Tuluk, and all members quit
up there.  Recruit B, still in the Kuraci post, logs on and tries to contact his
squad, no luck. He goes to the barracks, having been used to seeing them
around there with their offline messages, but finds no sign of them, then
can reasonably presume they are all not just logged on, but perhaps on
a small mission or escort trip to another city; in other words, things he
probably would know anyways just being around the barracks so damn
much.

Anyways, said a bunch.
- Ktavialt

[jcarter]

It still sounds and acts too much like a reverse who c function, even if you only made it accessible within the barracks. The problem with who c, if I recall correctly, is that people would log on, who c, then log off when they saw no one else was around. With this, people can still log in and either be in the barracks or pop in, clan c, and quit.

While dealing with virtual time is a pain in the ass, some of it is player responsibility. In the case of "We thought you were dead", a more appropriate answer would be something along the lines of "I got stationed at (other side of city) for a bit" or whatever. All in all, I think this would just create more problems than it would solve. A better approach, in my opinion, would just be player responsibility. Post to your clan board if you're going to be gone for a while. Things like that.

[Maybe42or54]

Jcarter, I think this goes hand in hand with player responsibility. And it makes maintaining your resposibility easier.

I'm digging it.

[Anonymous]

It still sounds and acts too much like a reverse who c function, even if you only made it accessible within the barracks. The problem with who c, if I recall correctly, is that people would log on, who c, then log off when they saw no one else was around. With this, people can still log in and either be in the barracks or pop in, clan c, and quit.

Yeah. Though maybe if your quite message remained even after you log in, than that would solve the problem of people logging in and logging out when they discover that all their fellow clan members are offline?