Bulk and Mounts

[Angela Christine]

I was wondering if mounts just look at your weight, or if it is possible to not be able to ride a mount just because you are too tall.  

One time I had a 6 ten-stone half elf, and when she viewed an erdlu at the stables it said it would most likely support her bulk.  But then, after she bought it, it would not support her and she couldn't mount it at all.  Even if she took off most her gear and dropped it on the ground she could not climb onto the erdlu making it useless not only as a mount, but also as a pack animal.

A later character was human, also 6 ten-stone but considerably shorter than the half-elf.  This character had no trouble riding an erdlu, it was a different erdlu of course, but still it seemed odd.

Then I saw a dwarf riding and erdlu.  I didn't ask him what he weighed, but I believe dwarves weigh at least 8 ten-stone.

This chain of events has lead me to wonder if the reason the half-elf couldn't ride an erdlu was because she was too tall, not too heavy.  But that doesn't seem to make sense, as long as your feet don't actually drag in the sand, it shouldn't matter how tall you are . . . should it?  Maybe she was just unlucky enough to buy the worlds weakest erdlu?  I assumed erdlu could only handle light riders, it's pecular to think they may instead only be able to handle short riders.

AC

[Lazloth]

This chain of events has lead me to wonder if the reason the half-elf couldn't ride an erdlu was because she was too tall, not too heavy.

Having played extremely { fat, short, tall, frail } characters in my time, I would posit that (like in many functions) this is calculated based on an algorithm slightly more complex, involving both variables.

Moreover, remember that the mount is an NPC, and its stats are not static from boot to boot.

[Plazgoth]

Yes. I am almost 100% sure that it was stated on the old board that mounts are not all the same, and their stats get loaded each time you buy one. It used to be worst AC, you woud stable your mount and then when you retrieved it, it would not be able to support you any more, I think that aspect of it has been fixed a while now. But they have stats just like PCs do and they don't get a re-roll :lol: So sometimes you will get an erdlu with poor strength or whatever the stat is and you will not be able to ride it.

[Lazloth]

..You would stable your mount and then when you retrieved it, it would not be able to support you any more, I think that aspect of it has been fixed a while now.

Not sure about that, Plaz; last time I used a mount, its carrying capacity would fluctuate.  (Last time I used a mount was still some time ago, though, but within a reasonable span.)

[Anonymous]

..You would stable your mount and then when you retrieved it, it would not be able to support you any more, I think that aspect of it has been fixed a while now.

Not sure about that, Plaz; last time I used a mount, its carrying capacity would fluctuate.  (Last time I used a mount was still some time ago, though, but within a reasonable span.)

I agree.  I think mount stats get rerolled every reboot.  Maybe every time it gets stabled as well, don't know for sure.

I remember something on the old board about them not rerolling out of the stable, but I'm pretty sure if you quit out with the mount, it gets rerolled when you come back in.

[halfbreed]

FYI - just confirmed that even at stable your kank may dramatically change on you.  Just yesterday I took my kank out and it couldn't even carry me and an additional bag (which wasn't that heavy).  Checked it in, and back out again, and lo'n behold... stronger kank.

[Anonymous]

Yesterday after the reboot for immday or before?

[Lazloth]

Yesterday after the reboot for immday or before?

Wouldn't matter, arguably.  No note about it in the weekly update.

[Dan]

Its always been that way, having played a lumberjack ranger who always had like 2-3 chests on his mount... sometimes it could carry them, sometimes I couldn't. If I remember right they explained it by saying most kanks look alike, and you might just be given someone elses which is stronger/not as strong as the one you stabled. As for them changing after you log out and in I couldn't begin to explain why they change there.

[krelin]

If the explanation is that it's because you might've gotten someone else's bug, does that make it non-twinkish to check the mount back in to switch for another stronger one?

[Anonymous]

Yesterday after the reboot for immday or before?

Wouldn't matter, arguably.  No note about it in the weekly update.

Well, it would, if he stabled it before the reboot for immday it doesn't really say whether or not stats get changed when stabling since he didn't take it out of the stables until after the reboot.

Looks like Lazloth thought you were talking about perhaps a recent code change, which it seems now that you weren't.

[Carnage]

ICly, you're pretty much getting a different kank. Why? There's probably hundreds of kanks in a stable at a given time, mostly V-ones (Allanak, for example). Do you really think that stablemaster and his stablehands are going to remember which yellow kank out of three hundred is yours? There's probably just a line on the ticket. Maybe a line for a kank, colored with whatever the shell is. And inixes are circles. Whatever.

But keep in mind that this guy who's handling many kanks a day isn't going to remember which kank is Sandy and which one is Sandros when they're both yellow and similarly marked kanks.

[Lazloth]

Looks like Lazloth thought you were talking about perhaps a recent code change, which it seems now that you weren't.

Righto.

[Angela Christine]

Sooo . . . your hight does affect whether a mount can carry you or not?  Weird.

AC

[Callisto]

No, I don't think it counts your height when the code checks to see if the mount can carry your character or not. I'm pretty sure its just a check between your characters weight and the average max weight of that type of mount, since all NPCs get random rolls when they spawn.

I think the problem is your mount could carry your character, just not all of her stuff, too. Its happened to me a couple of times, I'd check to make sure the mount to carry my character and, after shelling out the 'sid, it couldn't handle the weight, but could after I sold off some extra armor the character had been hauling around.

[HaiWolfe]

Something I've always wondered about... I remember reading in the documentation that erdlus are often used as pack-animals.  In-game, though, it seems that there's no way to pack a mount without being mounted on it first.  That doesn't seem very realistic, since there isn't really any reason why you can't just strap the bags onto the bird's back while still standing on the ground.

Same for resting erdlus (or any other mount that won't carry your character).  Someone smaller mounts and rests the erdlu and leaves.   There's no way code-wise for you to get that erdlu to stop resting short of wishing up for immortal intervention.

I guess all I'm suggesting is a code revision that allows commands such as pack and rest to be useable while the mount is hitched to you, not necessarily carrying you.

That's a beautiful idea Haiwolfe, it really does avoid some wierd situations too, like a merchant having to mount up every time they want to get another pack while negotiating a deal... I dunno, I love the idea of being able to unpack pack kank, while it's resting, or rest kank, or stand kank

[krelin]

HaiWolfe's suggestion is -excellent-.  If a mount has saddlebags (or maybe some other type of container), it should be packable while not ridden. (then check the rider's weight before allowing him to mount up)

[Plazgoth]

I want to add my thumbs up to the idea as well. I am not sure how difficult it would be to change the code, but I think it will make the game better. Especially the pack and unpack.

[mansa]

You purchase a kank from the kank seller, you go out on a hunt, and then you come back.

You rent your kank in the stables, and go quit out.
A week later, you decide to go get your kank out, and go hunting again.

However, this time, the kank doesn't hold as much weight.
It seems like a different animal.


Is this true?

If so, then it's safe to say this:  The kank is a different kank each time. The guy at the stables is just getting another kank.

Then it's safe to say this:   You're at the stables, and your kank is tired.  You type 'Rent Kank', and then 'Offer Ticket' 2 seconds later.   Boom!  You're kank looks the same, but is now all refreshed.  It's just getting another kank from the stables.


I remember hearing Immortals say that doing that is frowned upon.

[Lazloth]

If so, then it's safe to say this:  The kank is a different kank each time. The guy at the stables is just getting another kank.

Then it's safe to say this:   You're at the stables, and your kank is tired.  You type 'Rent Kank', and then 'Offer Ticket' 2 seconds later.   Boom!  You're kank looks the same, but is now all refreshed.  It's just getting another kank from the stables.

Mirrored this in the RP Discussion forum since we're moving in that direction.