Most Important Code "Expansions"

[Bluefae]

[Sparked by this thread:  http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,28803.0.html  This may not be the best forum to put this under, but I wanted to keep it near its "parent".   ]

     So, I'm certainly not known for my code-savviness, but the above thread got me thinking - what are the most disruptive clusters of code we have in our shared world?  By disruptive, I mean jarring to the immersion that you feel during good sessions (assuming you do); those times when it's like "What the heck?  That's really bizarre." 
     I happily report that it's unusual for me to get jarred in this respect.  Partially it's because I rarely play characters that typically find themselves heavily reliant on code that hasn't been well-vetted, and perhaps partially because I do my utmost to steer each interaction to a point of OOC, if not IC, trust.  There may of course be other factors.  Regardless, I'm wondering what some of the other players think of as "problem areas" of code, and some possible, code-feasible, solutions?
     Two possible areas of discussion:

     --->  CHASING SOMEONE:  I place a premium on elegance, as when Rindan was talking about the "chase" solution of having a non-unhitchable version of "follow" - seems like a relatively small amount of work for a fairly good fix to that particular problem as laid out.  It works with the tools we already have.

     --->  HIDE:  There doesn't seem to be a consensus on how Hide should work.  I'm ashamed to admit I'd never even considered the idea of "virtual" furniture in a room that a person might be able to hide behind or under.  Is there a way to elegantly, codedly clarify Hide that wouldn't require something as time-intensive as flagging each individual room with a modifier?

[brytta.leofa]

guard <direction> - it doesn't distinguish between the enemy who just slipped past you and your pursuing clanmates who you're now blocking.  And because it seems ridiculously easy to spam past.

flee - because it's so easy to get away from most attackers.

Both things that have been extensively discussed in the various "raiding" threads, I guess.  I think the narrow spectrum of combatish interactions (kill, subdue, mercy on/off) is pretty limiting, and can lead to a lot of disagreement over the proper understanding of the scene.

[Qzzrbl]

I agree with the chase command. IRL, if someone's following you, you can't just 'unhitch' them and have them magically not following anymore.

[Qzzrbl]

guard <direction> - it doesn't distinguish between the enemy who just slipped past you and your pursuing clanmates who you're now blocking.  And because it seems ridiculously easy to spam past.

I think NPC guards should automatically watch anyone who tries to get past them and fail. Maybe even attack after a certain number of attempts.

[Rindan]

guard <direction> - it doesn't distinguish between the enemy who just slipped past you and your pursuing clanmates who you're now blocking.  And because it seems ridiculously easy to spam past.

Unless it has changed recently, that isn't true.  I know in at least two of the clans I have played in, if you guard, your clan mates will always slip through.  You get a message of something along the lines of "you stand aside for X".

[mansa]

Variable Mercy levels depending on the victim.

I want to stop attacking you when you're at 25% of your health.

[Qzzrbl]

Variable Mercy levels depending on the victim.

I want to stop attacking you when you're at 25% of your health.

I say equip said guards with blunts and bludgeon them until they're knocked out. Because the guard will stop fighting, but the aggressor might want to keep beating on the no longer fighting guard.

[jhunter]

I agree with the chase command. IRL, if someone's following you, you can't just 'unhitch' them and have them magically not following anymore.

IRL, you can't just perfectly follow someone who is trying to evade you without any conscious effort on your part either. Without some sort of command that allows for coding that decides if they are able to effectively evade you, the follow  command shouldn't be used to "chase" someone who is actively trying to escape you either, IMO. I don't recall offhand what the exact suggestion was for a "chase" command but it shouldn't be a flawless way to follow someone either.

[Dalmeth]

The chase command as Rindan stated would either be useless or unbreakable in implementation.   There would have to be a much more complicated system put in place to make it something workable.

I think the best code expansion we could ever manage in this game is the elimination of the "n,e" invisibility technique.  I've mentioned my idea for a survey command which would list the bearings of visible folks within a certain area and Rindan has his chase command.  These are all methods to try to ameliorate the faults of our current long-distance perception system.

[Bluefae]

The chase command as Rindan stated would either be useless or unbreakable in implementation.   There would have to be a much more complicated system put in place to make it something workable.

Mm . . . maybe a "chase" command that had a % chance to fail with each room moved, based off such factors as racial speed, agility, and encumbrance?  I know it'd be more work, but you bring up an excellent point.

[Rindan]

I am not sure how you people chase, but I have tried it in the real world.  It is, uh, pretty easy.  If you run faster than the other guy, you will get him.  There really is no magikal way of shaking someone short of acrobatics (climb) or simply being faster (be an elf, wear light armor).  This is true a dozen times over when it comes to wandering around in the open desert.  People who escape are, 99% of the time simply faster.  When a guy runs from the cops and escapes, it is because they just ran faster, not because they have some ninja move that lets them slow down cops.

Make weight have more of an affect on speed, throw in racial bonuses, and enjoy.  If you want to catch people / flee from people, wear light armor,  ride a fast mount, use the terrain (climb) to escape, or flee to safety.  Standing not a chance in hell from escape from raiders on an Erdlu is how the game should be.

I think it could be done easily by tweaking the encumbrance code and revisiting mount and racial speeds in 2.Arm.  I think to do it in 1.arm would be very hard.  You would be messing with the movement system which will almost certainly mess with NPC behavior.  You would also probably want to rebalance things a little to make sure they work right.  It would probably be a big enough project where it is best saved for 2.Arm.

[Bluefae]

I am not sure how you people chase, but I have tried it in the real world. 

Generally with my two good (or so I've been told) legs.   

Seriously, I was mainly envisioning a crowded street (for some reason the first Indiana Jones movie keeps popping to mind, but I'm probably dating myself), where at any moment, the hunter might lose sight of his clever prey.  Of course, not so much in a flat, open desert. 

Make weight have more of an affect on speed, throw in racial bonuses, and enjoy.  If you want to catch people / flee from people, wear light armor,  ride a fast mount, use the terrain (climb) to escape, or flee to safety.  Standing not a chance in hell from escape from raiders on an Erdlu is how the game should be.

In open terrain, these reign supreme.  Even in a packed marketplace, they'd still account for the bulk of probability.

All right, this really is a sticky thicket, and I'm beginning to see why the chasing down of one another has remained such a problem.

Other areas that are perennial bones of contention?