Aliases/Nicknames

[Qzzrbl]

Armaddict, what if the code were tweaked so that one could not contact with an alias, but rather had to use your sdesc or truename?

I like this.

[Lizzie]

Armaddict, what if the code were tweaked so that one could not contact with an alias, but rather had to use your sdesc or truename?

I like this.

That would reward, even more than now, people who get around this by using obscure words to make their sdescs, or who have sdescs that either don't match or poorly match their main descs, -and- don't add keywords. Yes, there are people who do both.

look figure
This guy is amazingly tall for his race. So tall, that he stands out in a crowd. He is also barrel-chested, but mostly tall. His blue eyes gaze out over a plain, scarred and tanned face. His shoulders are uneven and his torso twists as the result of some kind of deformity, giving him a gruesome appearance.

assess -v figure
He appears the same height as you (which is just about average for your race)

tell templar
Yeah it was that guy who you saw here just a minute ago who ran out. Really really really tall, although, maybe he's only around as tall as I am. One or the other. And he's all twisted up and deformed. He's a real gruesome looking guy.

And the templar starts looking for the tall, twisted deformed man...

and never finds him, because that player picked "the blue eyed humanoid" as his sdesc.

[roughneck]

Needing a real name to use the way would be alright... I wouldn't have any objections anyways.

As far as not adding alias' to your keywords - it's just a piss off OOC'ly and although I understand why people feel the need to do it I generally react pretty strongly IG when it happens.  Especially in a place like the 'rinth where everybody wears the same effing thing anyways, you need be able to target your emotes/attacks correctly and efficiently.  I don't care if you don't trust me not to abuse your alias, if we had a conversation, saw you, heard your voice that oughtta be good enough to go off of for me to be able to recognize you.  If you want to be cloak and dagger rely on your skills, not manipulating keyword code.

[Elgiva]

First I thought "Oh, needing a true name sounds cool!"

And immediatelly afterward: "Wait. But perhaps I use -this- fake "true"-name and I want everyone to believe I -am- truly Amos and I don't want them to know my true name is Tektolnes."

[Winterless]

Armaddict, what if the code were tweaked so that one could not contact with an alias, but rather had to use your sdesc or truename?

I like this.

No... no no no. Bad.

[palomar]

First I thought "Oh, needing a true name sounds cool!"

And immediatelly afterward: "Wait. But perhaps I use -this- fake "true"-name and I want everyone to believe I -am- truly Amos and I don't want them to know my true name is Tektolnes."

Agreed. There are also some cultures in Zalanthas that do not use true names but rather prefer various nicknames. Tribal groups are the first that come to mind, but I'm sure there could be others as well.

[Forest Junkie]

That's why using someone's sdesc would be allowed when contacting them.

[Elgiva]

That's why using someone's sdesc would be allowed when contacting them.

I'm sorry, but contacting "the tall, muscular man" (or anything similary vague) just by sdesc might be a little frustrating OOCly.

Just IMO, of course.

[jhunter]

I don't think it makes sense really. So you've met someone...spent time talking to them face to face, and simply because they gave you a false name and were wearing a cloak with the hood up it makes them impossible to contact? Fake names and hooded cloaks shouldn't make someone invisible to The Way.

[Desertman]

I don't think it makes sense really. So you've met someone...spent time talking to them face to face, and simply because they gave you a false name and were wearing a cloak with the hood up it makes them impossible to contact? Fake names and hooded cloaks shouldn't make someone invisible to The Way.

I do agree. I have never been a big fan of The Way anyways.

I would like to see psions have use of all of the Way skills sure.

But I would like to see basic pc's have only two abilities....Barrier, and Expel.

I hate "Contact" and sending messages through The Way. Sure, it makes shit easier from an OOC standpoint, but I dont nescessarily like easier.

It seems to me The Way was put into the game as a "way" (no pun intended) for people to get together, like an in game Yahoo Messenger, if you will.

Now, we have things organized well enough, and we have a large enough playerbase, that I dont think The Way is needed any longer.

I want to -have- to send messages by courier, I want to -have- to leave word at the tavern I am looking for "Jack the Crafter".

I have never liked everyone having "The Way".

In 2.Arm literacy and thus the use of written messages should be more prevelant in the world, and I would hope we can get rid of this Way in game messenger shit.

[jhunter]

I very badly want to see literacy much more common. I would love to be able to pay people to deliver a message or be able to play a messenger pc, etc.

[Forest Junkie]

I very badly want to see literacy much more common. I would love to be able to pay people to deliver a message or be able to play a messenger pc, etc.

Eh, I tried doing it with a templar back in the day. It was a way to encourage rp and bring other pc's into it, give them something to do.

All I'd get were wasy from people saying "lolz why didn't you just way me ding dong?"

Perhaps for non-psionicists, contacting someone over the way should be -severely- limited in range. As in..within ten rooms of each other or something.

[Elgiva]

I very badly want to see literacy much more common. I would love to be able to pay people to deliver a message or be able to play a messenger pc, etc.

Eh, I tried doing it with a templar back in the day. It was a way to encourage rp and bring other pc's into it, give them something to do.

All I'd get were wasy from people saying "lolz why didn't you just way me ding dong?"

Perhaps for non-psionicists, contacting someone over the way should be -severely- limited in range. As in..within ten rooms of each other or something.

I sometime play in times when there is +-15 people around. The Way often is the only chance to actually -find- one of them.

[Desertman]

I sometime play in times when there is +-15 people around. The Way often is the only chance to actually -find- one of them.

Thats true too.

Its a hard balance I guess.

I am a peak player only, so I wouldnt have this problem, but I can sympathize.

I do believe that taking the Way out, except for psions would make IC coordination a must.

For example...

"Meet me in the Gaj next week at about this time yeah?"

"Sure thing"

If your budy doesnt show up because he is busy getting his guts cut out by a rinthi he screwed over, well, I guess you can always wonder what happened to your buddy Amos instead of getting this...

Amos sends you a telepathich message:
"They are gutting me in the old house just off of Blue Road, three leagues west of the tavern! Get the templars!"

You rush to gather up templars.

But that is a whole different issue. Anyways, I would still like to see the Way taken out, (except for psions) or at the least drastically limited.

I hate tortureing someone to death, just to have eight other PC's suddenly on my ass because the entire time I am breaking some hooker's fingers, she is Waying every pc name she could remember to exact final revenge on me. But again, different issue.

[Mood]

I wish there was a readily available way to prevent a captured victim from contacting their buddies, and hope there is one in Reborn.

[Forest Junkie]

I wish there was a readily available way to prevent a captured victim from contacting their buddies, and hope there is one in Reborn.

YES.

When the body is under stress, make the checks harder the pass. If subdued or at low hp - something like this.

[number13]

To further the derail:

I like the Way as a convenient method of communication.  It is a game, after all.

But there should be methods of blocking it and eavesdropping on it available to the mundane, non-Karma-ed character.  So physical messengers would have to be used for sensitive issues, and the ambushed man wouldn't be able to contact a dozen of his closest friends.

Also contacting over extreme distances should be exceptionally difficult (if not out right impossible), and exceptionally costly on the stun gauge.

[Desertman]

I wish there was a readily available way to prevent a captured victim from contacting their buddies, and hope there is one in Reborn.

YES.

When the body is under stress, make the checks harder the pass. If subdued or at low hp - something like this.

I'm for that.

[Desertman]

To further the derail:

I like the Way as a convenient method of communication.  It is a game, after all.

But there should be methods of blocking it and eavesdropping on it available to the mundane, non-Karma-ed character.  So physical messengers would have to be used for sensitive issues, and the ambushed man wouldn't be able to contact a dozen of his closest friends.

Also contacting over extreme distances should be exceptionally difficult (if not out right impossible), and exceptionally costly on the stun gauge.

Im for that too.

[roughneck]

My only problem with the way is that it's so difficult to barrier/expel someone.  Expel you have to branch and barrier you have to practice enough to be better than someone's contact, plus if you go into a fight or do anything mildly dangerous you'd be stupid to be draining your stun with it anyways.  My whole thought is that it's -your- mind and you should have better control of who gets in there, leave the fancy shit to psions.

As far as people asking for help when you have them in a bad spot: That's cool.  Largely because with the fact that this is an online game there's much less likelihood anyone would know you're around like they would in real life and go looking for you after you didn't show up somewhere.  Also, if you've ever played a captive or a slave the Way can be the only way to fill your days of solo rp in a cage.  I know it's a piss off when someone ways their templar/noble friend to mess with you or even their sorcerer/mul/half-giant buddy but I'm always for pulling more people into the equation and giving PC's a chance at surviving tough situations.

There's also that if people don't way with each other I can speculate that it may limit a psions usefulness as well.  I've never played one so I don't really know.

I'd be all for limiting it, but the way is one of the coolest parts of Zalanthas I think.  I always thought it would be cool if there was a non-psionic race, like if dwarves or something just didn't have the ability at all to be contacted or contacters.

[jhunter]

I'd be all for limiting the range of The Way for non-psionicists. That way delivery systems can be used between cities...but you still have the ability to contact people within the same city, for example. I think that pcs should be able to easily block any non-psionicist from entering their mind also.

[Desertman]

I'd be all for limiting the range of The Way for non-psionicists. That way delivery systems can be used between cities...but you still have the ability to contact people within the same city, for example. I think that pcs should be able to easily block any non-psionicist from entering their mind also.

Thank Jesus.

I am all for this.

[a strange shadow]

All I'd get were ways from people saying "lolz why didn't you just way me ding dong?"

Pretty much, yup.

Literacy is so underused.

[Desertman]

All I'd get were ways from people saying "lolz why didn't you just way me ding dong?"

Pretty much, yup.

Literacy is so underused.

Thats because it is obsolete.

The Way, instant gratification.

A letter, potential for multiple bad things to happen before your message is received, and it takes time.

The Way is the McDonalds of Zalanthas communication.

[Sokotra]

As far as the way goes, as has probably already been discussed, I would still like to see it changed so that you can only see the persons description depending on what they are wearing, etc... i.e. cloak, facewrap, whatever.  Like I said, this has probably already been argued about but it would prevent sdesc sniffing if you see a "dark, hooded figure" and when you contact them you still can only see a "dark, hooded figure".  Only psionicists should be able to see through disguises in order to realize what someones "true mind" actually reveals their sdesc to be.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind delivery systems being available and useful but it's just really hard for people (especially those that don't play constantly) to be able to coordinate with other players if The Way was limited so you couldn't talk to someone across the known world.  I do think that might be more realistic, but it may cause OOC'ish problems as well.  *shrug*

As for literacy... I wouldn't mind seeing it expanded/more available in Arm2, but just as long as it is limited to a certain degree so that the world is not flooded with messages and junk everywhere you go.  I don't want Arm to change too drastically - the outlawed literacy thing was always one thing that I loved about Arm... but I did expect it to be more possible to use it so you could be taking that risk if you chose to do so.  However, I would think that having it too common and too accessible in Arm2 might change the feel of the game too much and cause more problems as well.  Although, if there are actual bulletin boards where anyone can write and post literal notes and things onto it, then you should also be able to tear the notes down and destroy them just as easily.