The wind gets stronger...

[Ghost]

Sandstorms should not last more than a couple hours though

[Kiara]

Aww, it's a fun way to get lost and confused though. In a way it should last a couple of hours IN GAME, but maybe 15 min RL. *shrug*

[Lenny Poppo]

I want to say if the weather didn't get clear on reboot, Zalanthas would be storming forever

this is a code problem

this is how it is every reboot, it's not weather devices or magic

zalanthas is not real and not everything is IC

[Ghost]

Find out who or whatever is responsible, and kill them?

by this token we have to beat the code

come on folks we can do it

[staggerlee]

You guys are missing the point here.

You're assuming the intensity of the weather in zalanthas is an accident, and that if the code was functioning properly it would work the way you feel it should.

Rather than assuming that, why not assume that the staff know what the weather is like in the mud, and are content with it the way it is?

It isn't like anyone can change it, so I suppose it doesn't matter.  But assuming something is broken because it doesn't work the way you feel it should is a bad road to go down.

[Dakkon Black]

Agreed. The point of this game isn't to be able to walk outside and kill mobs to increase your loot with Kadius. It's harsh-desert-survival. Harsh-desert. Harsh. Desert. Desert of harshness.

[Ghost]

Rather than assuming that, why not assume that the staff know what the weather is like in the mud, and are content with it the way it is?

Well actually, I do remember staff themselves posting about the weather code for more than one occasion.  And it is somehow difficult to fix, to the point, the rumor goes that the weather code is a giant black hole, and sucks in whoever mess with it.  So everybody is kind of staying away.

[psionic fungus]

Not only have the staff themselves stated that this is a known bug... It's utterly unrealistic that a sandstorm would make you incapable of seeing -yourself-, let alone the ground around you, -unless- it were a moonless night and you were without a light source (and yes, I know... torches aren't going to function in a sandstorm).

[LauraMars]

I don't want an endless sandstorm on the game, because it's a game, and an endless sandstorm is dumb.

[Salt Merchant]

Not only have the staff themselves stated that this is a known bug... It's utterly unrealistic that a sandstorm would make you incapable of seeing -yourself-, let alone the ground around you, -unless- it were a moonless night and you were without a light source (and yes, I know... torches aren't going to function in a sandstorm).

I've never been in a true sandstorm, but I have been in a snowstorm where the snow was little pellets of stinging ice and the wind was fierce, blowing it horizontally. I could see well enough when I looked well away from the direction of the wind, but trying to look into the wind or close to it was hopeless without goggles or glasses.

That was with water. With sand, I can imagine that your eyes quickly would become irritated to the point where you couldn't see much of anything.

[Dakkon Black]

I don't want an endless sandstorm on the game, because it's a game, and an endless sandstorm is dumb.

I've been playing for a lot of years. I've never seen an endless storm. In fact during that long 6 day uptime I was certain the wind went back and forth from faster to slower.

If you want a game with no sand storms, play SOI.

[Dalmeth]

I play a character who consistently goes out into the wilds, for hours at a time, and I can say that the weather is not constantly in full blown sandstorm.  It moves back and forth, with certain areas more consistently in storm than others.

If anything, it's improved since what it used to be.  There was a time when the wind was always gale-force before each reboot.

[Mood]

Just out of idle curiosity... does anyone actually enjoy the near-constant sandstorms Zalanthas is plagued with? For me, it does more to hurt playability than it does to add atmosphere.

[Dakkon Black]

We're at 2 days of uptime, the winds are down to a breeze from storms earlier on. I still fail to see the problem. And yes mood, I rather do enjoy the sandstorms, they make it seem like there's a mercyless desert out there.

[Voular]

Storms hamper the players who have limited or selective playtimes. Getting hit with full blazing storm 2/4 times you can play in a week would really hurt a collecter or hunting type of character. However, you could always take that IC and say that those professions shouldn't "pay off" - but it comes down to survival of your character and enjoyment off the game (although getting stuck in a storm if fun every so and so session) - this kind of weather would detract people from playing outdoors types (if not highly aware of the storm mechanics and how they function and so on) which would lead in the resurgance of such roles which I have read that people do not want to see.

I suspect the staff has weighted their decision about the weather and its code, we'll have to take it IC somehow. Pray to the Highlord, you heathens!

[Lenny Poppo]

"getting caught in a storm" doesn't really happen anywhere in the game except near red storm, though people keep bringing up how cool it is to be caught in a storm

what REALLY happens is you log in and you can't leave where you are because there's a storm, and it stays like that until reboot, OR.. you see good weather outside when you log in, and make sure you quit out somewhere that isn't boring because you're gonna be stuck there in the days of sandstorm to come

and no, if it's storming in the allanak zone for 4 RL days but it's clear in the grey forest, that doesn't mean the weather code is working fine, please be smart

[X-D]

For me, Sure, I do not find the way weather works to be very realistic, and I definitly  hate the blinding thing...its silly.

But for the most part storms are only a minor annoyance so I rarely bitch about it.

What I do hate is that storm travel is not a skill.

Sure, give rangers the innate ability to travel in pitch black and all that...and I don't think anybody else should get it.

But man, if you have a PC who lives 1800 hours of the 2400 hours you have played him outdoors in the storms and traveling through them. He should learn SOMETHING about not getting turned around in the sand during the day.

It makes me want to scream.

[psionic fungus]

I've never been in a true sandstorm, but I have been in a snowstorm where the snow was little pellets of stinging ice and the wind was fierce, blowing it horizontally. I could see well enough when I looked well away from the direction of the wind, but trying to look into the wind or close to it was hopeless without goggles or glasses.

I was raised in Minnesota and I know exactly what you're talking about... However... Ever use a scarf over your face while you were walking to school (up-hill both ways)?

That was with water. With sand, I can imagine that your eyes quickly would become irritated to the point where you couldn't see much of anything.

Sandstorms happen in real life.  People really walk around in them.  Where sandstorms are frequent, the populace usually has some type of traditional covering protecting their eyes.  Even without such, they may have to squint, or look away from the wind... But humans -really- do walk around in sandstorms. Of course, people really get stuck, unable to see properly or travel, in them as well... It's just not as common as what we see on Zalanthas.  Even in a bad storm, within city walls you should be able to see pretty much everything.

But, as I said, I can see some bad sandstorms (especially at night) blinding travelers.  It just seems like the frequency of such storms is a bit too high and there is no IC way to combat getting virtual sand in your eyes.  Wearing sunslits and/or a facewrap has no benefit but almost certainly should...

Anyhow.  I would like to see storms handled better... And I'm almost certain the current pattern of weather is (still) an OOC phenomena.  But it may have been fixed... I couldn't say for sure.

[Dakkon Black]

I really like the idea of seeing a more leniant storm skill that applied to more than just rangers. Allthough that brings down the value of a ranger some, until it gets to a blistering maelstrom of doom, a 30+ day vetran of the sands should have at least a good storm skill.

[Gunnerblaster]

No matter how bad the weather gets, NPC's can still fuck the shit out of you with their all-knowing vision.

>Blinding, biting sand surrounds you!
>A figure has arrived from the east.
>A figure has arrived from the north.
>A figure has arrived from the south.

think "Oh shit."

>A figure bites you, wounding your head.
>A figure bites your body, dealing horrendous damage.
>A figure solidly claws your neck.

[Shoka Windrunner]

It seems like it is part of the regular type of weather that Zalanthas gets.  I can remember when the wind wouldn't blow for RL weeks, and then it wouldn't stop sandstorming for weeks RL.  I don't worry about it, cause it will go to the other extreme and then Rangers will complain cause they don't have sandstorms that only they can navigate and now the desert has to many people in it and the cities are empty.

Always happens.

[LittleLostThief]

I think if it was an intentional bit of code, and the staff wanted it to be sandstorming always, when the mud booted it wouldn't be clear.

It would still be storming.