Facewrap description

[Salt Merchant]

We really need an additional description that appears when a figure wrapped in a cloak, hooded and with a facewrap on is looked at.

And another for the completely masked.

Sure, most of us know better and will try to ignore the hidden portions of the full description, but it still can be a bit of an OOC spoiler.

Or is it just twinkish to look at people wearing these things at all?

[Shoka Windrunner]

Yes.

I often feel the same.  And then I don't...and then I do.  But honestly...I think it would make the game better overall if it were as the OP says.

[Desertman]

If you mean facewraps hiding a persons main description as well as thier short description. I would be for that.

People can say...

"Well that might be abused. What if there are other features about the PC that would make them recognizable?"

Well it has been being abused for years the way it is now. Changing it would only alter the fashion of the abuse. Better to try and change it, than leave it the way it is knowing it gets abused how it is now. *Shrugs*

The way it works now...Someone wearing a deep hooded cloak, a facewrap, and full body coverings raids you...nine out of ten times you will still have the victim running into taverns shouting....

"A man with green eyes, a scar on his chin in the shape of a donkey, and a dragon tattoo on his chest with maroon eyes and blood dripping from its teeth raided me. He also had a bite mark on his penis and he was missing two toes on his left foot! 1000 sid bounty to the man that kills him!"


The way it works now, if you LOOK at a raider codedly, they really are kind of forced to kill you codedly. Better to kill you, than hope you wont abuse the fact you could read thier main description.

I would much rather be ABLE to leave people pc's alive.

[Marauder Moe]

Would it?

I'm honestly not so sure.

Do we really need to give raiders/thieves/informants/whatever impenetrable shields of anonymity?

I think it might be better to err on the side of downplaying the practicality of raiding rather than making it too easy.

[Fathi]

impenetrable shields of anonymity?

As long as there's "contact figure" there's no such thing.

[Desertman]

Would it?

I think so.

I'm honestly not so sure.

Do we really need to give raiders/thieves/informants/whatever impenetrable shields of anonymity?

If someone wearing a full body cloak/duster, a hood, and a facewrap walked up to me IRL, I very likely wouldnt know them, even if it was my own brother. Unless I specifically looked for thier eyes which would be familiar to me already.

I think it might be better to err on the side of downplaying the practicality of raiding rather than making it too easy.

It wouldnt make raiding any easier. Pulling off the job would still be just as hard. It would however prevent people from RP'ing they have extremely detailed information regarding someone who they have only seen thier eyes, if that.

I know you have seen movies where those desert raiders, all decked out in facewraps and cloaks come in to attack the wagons, they all look like the exact same guy. Imagine adding a full hood to that wardrobe. When you went back to tell on your raider all you would be able to tell them IRL would be..."He had dark eyes, and wore desert gear."

[Desertman]

impenetrable shields of anonymity?

As long as there's "contact figure" there's no such thing.

Yeah, which Sanvean has pointed out is a very poor way of RP'ing you know what someone looks like.

[Shoka Windrunner]

impenetrable shields of anonymity?

As long as there's "contact figure" there's no such thing.

Yeah, which Sanvean has pointed out is a very poor way of RP'ing you know what someone looks like.

Tell me you haven't seen someone describe the onyx-skinned, surly man who raided them to a templar because the contacted them as thus...

"He had dark skin...like onyx.  And was sort of surly.  Looked human."

Or give details they had NO way of seeing, because it's included in their mdesc.  Yeah...he has a tattoo of a dragon on his neck...which was covered with a sandcloth wrap, beneath a greatcloak with a hood up and a sandcloth facewrap hanging down over the already sandcloth wrapped neck.

Or should all raiders only have in the mdesc their eyes and eyebrows and bridge of their nose?

If you haven't...I want to give you a hug.  Your innocence...makes my heart grow two sizes to big.

It's nearly impossible to play a raider with any sort of success.  How many successful raider companies do you recall.  I can think of two.  One of which...weren't 'necessarily' raiders, just territorial.

I certainly hope this happens in at least ARM 2.

[brytta.leofa]

Do we really need to give raiders/thieves/informants/whatever impenetrable shields of anonymity?

I think it might be better to err on the side of downplaying the practicality of raiding rather than making it too easy.

There's an easy non-psionic way around the anonymity: subdue the raider and rip off his facewrap.

Has anybody really been complaining about excessive, unrealistic raiding?

[Qzzrbl]

Do we really need to give raiders/thieves/informants/whatever impenetrable shields of anonymity?

I think it might be better to err on the side of downplaying the practicality of raiding rather than making it too easy.

There's an easy non-psionic way around the anonymity: subdue the raider and rip off his facewrap.

Has anybody really been complaining about excessive, unrealistic raiding?

Exactly.

[Marauder Moe]

Has anybody really been complaining about excessive, unrealistic raiding?

Not lately, but that may have been the reason the staff removed description-concealing facewraps in the first place.

[Shoka Windrunner]

Do we really need to give raiders/thieves/informants/whatever impenetrable shields of anonymity?

I think it might be better to err on the side of downplaying the practicality of raiding rather than making it too easy.

There's an easy non-psionic way around the anonymity: subdue the raider and rip off his facewrap.

Has anybody really been complaining about excessive, unrealistic raiding?

Probably not.  But then again, that's probably why you hear very little about raiding.  And with the way things are...it makes it easier to do so, and leave them alive so you can do it to them again.  Or to RP out a scene without having to kill them because they will look at you while you are RPing.

[th3kaiser]

I personally think it's become more the opposite, the raiders are the ones crying out because of excessive, unrealistic law and order.

[Desertman]

Has anybody really been complaining about excessive, unrealistic raiding?

Not lately, but that may have been the reason the staff removed description-concealing facewraps in the first place.

I never recall facewraps hiding someones mdesc...I am probably wrong. If so, I am sad it was taken out, lets put it back in.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Facewraps as a whole didn't. But there used to be commonly available facewear that did, and no, they were not all masks. I always thought that was ok - I always have wanted them back in.

[Kyviantre]

Why not let facewrap/mask + hood up = lost main long description, but leave clothing visible as per normal.  That way, you can always describe those pesky raiders by the all-over desert camouflage, or fancy silk gloves, or whatever clothing they're wearing.

I am also saddened by psi-contact-fishing...every time it happens, I lose a little faith in other people's RP.  Then again, I do the same when people go, "OMG, you've got a dragon on your face (when wearing a facewrap/mask)/a naked woman on your chest (when wearing any form of covering upper body clothing/armour)/ugly scar on your ass (...assuming you're not butt-naked, thats always an interesting one to work out how they knew - I prefer the response of "...so -you're- the one that has been peeping through my window while I was dressing!")

[Ender]

I am also saddened by psi-contact-fishing...every time it happens, I lose a little faith in other people's RP.

This is one of the many reasons why the skill barrier exists.  Tired of people entering your mindz, then barrier is the skill for you.

If I am not mistaken, being able to use the way to discern the identity of a masked person is one of the 'features' of contact as stated by the imms on multiple occasions unless this policy has changed.  And to counter this feature of the contact skill everyone has access to the barrier skill.

[Kyviantre]

I'm making the assumption that people are purposefully fishing and managing to break that barrier.  Not arguing that it isn't a useful thing, just saying that it doesn't always work 

[Ender]

I'm making the assumption that people are purposefully fishing and managing to break that barrier.  Not arguing that it isn't a useful thing, just saying that it doesn't always work 

That's because it is a skill.  You have to work at it and get better.

[Kyviantre]

That I'm not disputing!  I'm just saying that (and lets keep this -very- simple)...Way-fishing = bad, nasty, ick!  (in my opinion).

[Qzzrbl]

Here's how I look at it when people get your sdesc from "Contact Figure".... Just tell that person to piss off. That they found the wrong mind. If they tell you that they tried to contact that figure that jumped off their wagon with five pieces of gold, tell them you're in Red Storm sifting spice. And also remind that person how much of an idiot they are because there are at least six thousand people with their hoods up.

Also, are raiders and thieves something we really don't want to see abused? In all my time I've played, I can't say I've ever been pickpocketed, or raided. With thieves and raiders running willy-nilly about the streets and sands, that would just make the game that much harsher and grittier, wouldn't it? It's too safe outside the gates.

[jhunter]

I think that neither way is perfect but I believe that the worse abuse is the way it currently works. The right stuff should be able to hide the character's main description. Sure, some people argue that there are things they might be able to recognize some features, but between the two options I think the way it currently works is the worst option of the two. I'm totally willing to forgive not being able to pick out a few minor details that I -might- be able to recognize in order for those who want to remain anonymous to do so. I think that would add to rp instead of a good portion of such rp being ruined completely by people abusing the fact that they can see a masked and hooded person's entire main description.
To my knowledge, noone has ever lost their pc unfairly due to not being able to pick out some minor recognizable detail. I'm 100% certain that would-be raiders have lost their pcs due to people abusing the fact that their main description can be seen unhindered even while taking precautions to cover yourself and hide your identity.
This is something that IMO, has needed to be fixed for a long time now and most definitely should be fixed in the new game.
Maybe add a stare command that has a long delay that will allow people to pick out some of the main description of concealed people, also make it echo to others and able to be interrupted when spotted.

[Maso]

I think that neither way is perfect but I believe that the worse abuse is the way it currently works. The right stuff should be able to hide the character's main description. Sure, some people argue that there are things they might be able to recognize but between the two options I think the way it currently works is the worst option of the two. I'm totally willing to forgive not being able to pick out a few minor details that I -might- be able to recognize in order for those who want to remain anonymous to do so. I think that would add to rp instead of a good portion of such rp being ruined completely by people abusing the fact that they can see a masked and hooded person's entire main description.
To my knowledge, noone has ever lost their pc unfairly due to not being able to pick out some minor recognizable detail. I'm 100% certain that would-be raiders have lost their pcs due to people abusing the fact that their main description can be seen unhindered even while taking precautions to cover yourself and hide your identity.
This is something that IMO, has needed to be fixed for a long time now and most definitely should be fixed in the new game.
Maybe add a stare command that has a long delay that will allow people to pick out some of the main description of concealed people, also make it echo to others and able to be interrupted when spotted.

Seconded. This had bugged me about the game since i started playing.

[Kyviantre]

I've had one raider/thief one time.  They took minimal things, and then ran off.  I loved them, the RP they did, and it gave me happiness inside.  To you unknown raider, you did good, and you're welcome to come hold me up again for water any time

(and I'll try telling them to bugger off, that it isn't me, next time around...still makes me sad that people do it )

[Tisiphone]

Guys.

Find out IC.