Re: skill 'scan' - Please add blur to keywords like shadow

[Yang]

When I scan I can see shadows and target them with commands, but blurs are more difficult: I can't seem to type look blur, or kill blur. Also, it appears that blurs are much harder to notice than shadows, even impossible during instances where the blur is speaking often and basically staying put.

This imbalances the game in favor of magickers to a degree that I am personally uncomfortable with, and I'm no fool to think that others are starting to agree.

Let's hear some feedback on this particular imbalance, or call it balanced, and show to me why, because I can't see it. (pun intended)

[Marauder Moe]

Are you saying that you don't like it that someone who is magickally invisible is harder to see and hit than someone who is, say, hiding behind a box or in a dark shadow?

This imbalances the game in favor of magickers to a degree that I am personally uncomfortable with, and I'm no fool to think that others are starting to agree.

*boggle*

Magickers are not supposed to be balanced compared to mundane classes...

[Yang]

I'm saying I'm under the impression that you can't use 'blur' as a keyword though I'm not certain -exactly- what it is of course as I can't personally look at the code. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to target 'blur' and I am hoping I'm wrong of course, and that some anomaly made it so that shadow works for me as a keyword with shadows, but when a blur is around, I don't seem to be able to use 'blur' to target.

[Hymwen]

Someone else brought this up a while ago and I think it was said to be a bug. I don't remember exactly what was posted but I'm pretty sure you're meant to be able to target blurs and that a staff member looked into it and confirmed that something was wrong. Personally I think it might be a bug with your scan value vs. their invisibility value.

[Dakkon Black]

What kind of freaking balls does your char have to be attacking a blur anyways?

Most of my chars would have waited for an army on their side before trying that. It's a freaking blur.

[Hymwen]

What kind of freaking balls does your char have to be attacking a blur anyways?

Most of my chars would have waited for an army on their side before trying that. It's a freaking blur.

That has nothing to do with it, and who says he doesn't have an army with him?

[rgbrook]

Without going into any specific detail, I have used blur as a keyword several times in the past couple of months.  It does work.  It did seem to be more difficult than dealing with a shadow, but I will leave the details concerning why it is harder and how to effectively deal with it for you to discover IC.

[jstorrie]

While a character would generally be nuts to start swinging at a magical blur, I do agree that the code should at least support the possibility of trying. Of course, invisible targets would have stratospheric defensive advantages, but you should at least be able to take some swings and hope against hope that you'll hit something.

[Yang]

Alright, I'm wrong then if you can target blurs. I guess it was to do with other things which I will find out about IC. Thank you everyone for your posts, they are all helpful.

[Paris]

Alright, I'm wrong then if you can target blurs. I guess it was to do with other things which I will find out about IC. Thank you everyone for your posts, they are all helpful.

I'll share some advice in another favor, the problem is a well known one. I see a
blur because I am a perceptive vengeful templar. I see you in the room but when I type
look blur I miss it, it changes every little moment in the game. I would type look blur,
nothing hit ! nothing ! and I see it. The code here favors those that can type off a look
blur just as they hit the room. It's a truly HnS feeling to me. If it has a fading effect then
I would at least like it to roll if you see it a little longer apart then multiple times in the span of a few seconds.


That is my opinion anyways, I think rather your typing kill blur, or smile blur,
that is your character's ic thoughts. The code in this case shouldn't only favor you if
you can type fast.

[Rhyden]

Fear of magickers and magick invisibility aside, I think that magickally invisibile characters have a slight advantage in that they're not only invisibile, but invincible to anyone who doesn't have the ability to see them (which is probably few). This makes a huge imbalance for invisible magickers vs mundane which, is only making that imbalance bigger than it already is. I think people with high enough scan skill should be able to see and attack invisible magickers.

But this brings up another question. -How- invisible are invisible magickers? I'm sure everyone's seen movies/games where people are completely invisible but then there's some where you can barely see the outline of said invisible person (ie. Halo with active camouflage). If this is how invisible our unseen magickers are, then, yes, I'd say a high scan skill could see these blurs and attack them.

And, since scan seems to be able to pick up invisible magickers as a 'blur', I'm guessing our invisible magickers -are- like actively camouflaged Master Chiefs. So, I stay by my point. Make blurred invisi magickers seeable and attackable by those mundane people who have good eyes, are extremely observant and most importantly, have a high scan skill.

[spawnloser]

Rhyden, explore the game some, huh?

[Rhyden]

Spawn, I have. Make more useful comments.

[spawnloser]

I thought my comment was helpful but necessarily vague.  I guess it was too vague for you, though.  I'll add this:  explore the game some, because there are ways for mundanes to perceive invisible magickers.  Find out IC.

See, I was trying to avoid having to say that.

[Rhyden]

but invincible to anyone who doesn't have the ability to see them (which is probably few).

Dude, I have. I know. I'm responding to the point Yang is making and reinforcing some of what has already been said.

Your comment was vague but not helpful to me. Thanks anyways.

[spawnloser]

Scan IS how perceptive someone is, though.

[Yang]

Perhaps listen should have an affect too. If the unseen person is basically standing still, talking in a quiet, cramped alleyway (as had happened recently in a situation), shouldn't my scan and listen combined give me some sort of advantage in a non-crowded room, at least in attacking, if not hitting successfully and whatnot.

Maybe if the person has blind-fighting -and- listen, it shouldn't matter if they can't see their opponent?

[spawnloser]

I like that idea, but I'm not sure how it'd be executed.

[Flaming Ocotillo]

In my experience with scan, the higher your opponent's hide skill versus your scan skill, the less chance you will be able to look at the shadow, even if you could see the shadow in the room. I.e. if you spam "look shadow" over and over, you will get one echo for when the shadow actually doesn't pop up on that attempt at looking, and you'll get another echo for when you actually did manage to see the shadow, but the game doesn't allow you to target it. They're both very similar echos.

With blurs, the same thing probably applies to how powerful the invisibility level is of the person who is invisible. If they have like, a super high invis spell cast on them, you may be able to see the blur but not target it properly, just like people with super high hide skill.

The whole scan skill and how it works is extremely confusing and no documentation exists on how it functions, but this is my experience on how it works. Being unable to target a blur even though you can see it is not limited to blur. It's about the hide skill or invisibility level versus your scan skill.

[Halaster]

You can already target blur, it's just more difficult than it used to be.

http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19867&;

My suggestion would be to employ the use of the watch skill.

[rgbrook]

I was hesitant to say more in my previous post since I did not want to cross any potential IC/OOC lines with a discussion of the use of coded commands to view invisible magickers.  Now that Halaster has suggested the use of watch, I feel comfortable enough to elaborate a bit on my previous post.

Over a period of a couple of RL months, my previous character interacted quite a few times with invisible magickers.  I could see them fairly regularly, but I had difficulty targeting them until I started to use watch to focus on them.  Once I was watching them, I had no problems targeting them at all.  On the downside, when I was focused on watching them, I was unable to keep an eye on whatever might be stalking us in the surrounding bushes.

[Agent_137]

which is, in my opinion, perfect.