Random idea: no intro, no way

[Fnord]

A random thought just came to me: what impact do you think it would have in game to make waying people not so easy? What if you had to make some form of physical contact with a person first. For the sake of argument, talking to them first, or looking at them first.

Would this allow bad guys to be more anonymous, or just be annoying? Again, random thought. Have at it.

[Gimfalisette]

It would make it impossible to Way the Byn sergeant after you just got her name from some guy at the tavern. You'd have to rely completely on chance meetings or intermediaries known to both parties in order to start talking. Bad for game functionality and playability, especially for off-peakers and casual players.

If we had written communication to use instead, this might be OK.

[AmandaGreathouse]

It would make it impossible to Way the Byn sergeant after you just got her name from some guy at the tavern. You'd have to rely completely on chance meetings or intermediaries known to both parties in order to start talking. Bad for game functionality and playability, especially for off-peakers and casual players.

If we had written communication to use instead, this might be OK.

Totally agree.

It's hard enough on off-peakers and people with low/sporadic playtimes without throwing extra difficulty into the mix.

While I like it in theory, I think it would greatly harm playability.

[Pale Horse]

Great idea that I like!

..But can't support, for the reason's stated above.

[MarshallDFX]

My model predicts a Known-Worldwide depression.  Up to a 20% fall in gross domestic product.

edit to add:  But a 50% increase in uninvited touching and feeling.

[musashi]

edit to add:  But a 50% increase in uninvited touching and feeling.

And thus, I throw my full support behind the idea!

Eh, honestly I think it would hurt game play more than it would help, for reasons already stated. If the way were going to be changed, I'd be more in favor of something like the need to share a common language in order to communicate via the Way being introduced.

[MeTekillot]

edit to add:  But a 50% increase in uninvited touching and feeling.

And thus, I throw my full support behind the idea!

Eh, honestly I think it would hurt game play more than it would help, for reasons already stated. If the way were going to be changed, I'd be more in favor of something like the need to share a common language in order to communicate via the Way being introduced.

I think if you don't share languages you get the "Their mind is too foreign for you" or something like that. I'm not sure, though.

[Gimfalisette]

I think if you don't share languages you get the "Their mind is too foreign for you" or something like that. I'm not sure, though.

Incorrect.

[musashi]

I think if you don't share languages you get the "Their mind is too foreign for you" or something like that. I'm not sure, though.

Incorrect.

Incorrect. That's for when you try to contact raptors, bahamets, kylori, and Gimf.

[brytta.leofa]

I think if you don't share languages you get the "Their mind is too foreign for you" or something like that. I'm not sure, though.

Incorrect.

Incorrect. That's for when you try to contact raptors, bahamets, kylori, and Gimf.

And Sandy Claws.

[musashi]

And Yam ... seriously.

[Gimfalisette]

I think brytta just implied I don't exist IRL 

[Bluefae]

I think brytta just implied I don't exist IRL  

    But . . . I always kinda thought you were an avatar for Mistress Ginka . . .  ( )

    Great idea, and it would pretty much kill the "When can I use the Way to get a sdesc?" perennial discussion.  It also has a certain IG logic to it, and would further delineate the difference (presumably) between a 'bender and everyone else.  However, as stated, without written communication, this would have a harsh impact on establishing lines of communication for off-peakers.

    Editted to add:  Although it might give an IC incentive to interact, even casually, with strangers and thus encourage rp.  Hm.

[KankWhisperer]

I feel like a newb for asking, but if you are blocking can someone still contact you?

[Yam]

I feel like a newb for asking, but if you are blocking can someone still contact you?

Gotta find out IC on this one.

[Qzzrbl]

Personally, I love this idea and have heartily endorsed it since I first saw it mentioned.

Need to get in contact with that Byn Sarge? Hang out at the Gaj, ask around, find out when he's usually around, have people pass word along for you-- interact with other people in your quest to find this guy.

I think it would encourage more interaction among the playerbase, even for off-peakers. I mean.... Unless there's literally five people online, and you don't know any of them. But at a time like that, the chances of finding any one person in particular are way down there anyway.

[Synthesis]

Why would they turn around and make it more difficult to Way people, when they just got finished making it -easier- (by boosting newbie contact)?

[FuSoYa]

Why would they turn around and make it more difficult to Way people, when they just got finished making it -easier- (by boosting newbie contact)?

They boosted newbie contact?  I've been gone for awhile so I missed that.  Thread?

Brandon

[Fnord]

Why would they turn around and make it more difficult to Way people, when they just got finished making it -easier- (by boosting newbie contact)?

The two are only related by proxy. There was a skill boost to the started contact skill. What I'm suggesting would make certain things more challenging, such as "contact cloak" (not sure if this still works), contact gith (or random other race), hearing about a bad guy and contact pinging to see if they're in game, and certain other abilities that are possible simply with a name. It would not affect other things, like a recruit trying to contact their sarge, if they've already met. It might also be so inconvenient that it's not viable for playability purposes and I'm cool with that. Thought it would be interesting to discuss though.

[MarshallDFX]

Why would they turn around and make it more difficult to Way people, when they just got finished making it -easier- (by boosting newbie contact)?

They boosted newbie contact?  I've been gone for awhile so I missed that.  Thread?

Brandon

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,35511.0.html

[FuSoYa]

Why would they turn around and make it more difficult to Way people, when they just got finished making it -easier- (by boosting newbie contact)?

They boosted newbie contact?  I've been gone for awhile so I missed that.  Thread?

Brandon

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,35511.0.html

Thanks and awesome.

Brandon

[Lizzie]

I thought the primary reason that contact/psi was made available to everyone (and not merely psionicists) was playability. If you want to take playability away, then just get rid of contact/psi for everyone except psionicists. If you want to retain playability, keep it as is.

"Oh hang out at the Gaj and wait for a Byn Sergeant to come by." Yeah that's great. Except, if the Byn Sergeant is in the Byn barracks dealing with stuff one day that you're logged in, and on a contract the other day you're logged in, and now you're dipping into your Byn fee to pay for food and water, and you spend a RL hour sitting at the bar by yourself because it's off-peak and no one else is there. And you're just sitting there, waiting for someone to show up, because you're no longer allowed to use the Way to attempt to find the mind of someone who is known, and who your character *probably* would've seen in the Gaj plenty of times before you, the player, began to inhabit the VNPC who is now your PC character.

Or how about if you're in Allanak, and trying to find a Kuraci, and you just found out all the Kurac PCs went up to Tuluk. Sure you -could- go up there. Except, you're a Gemmer. So that won't work. You KNOW that the Kuraci's name is Talia-di. You've seen her, but from a distance so you never actually "looked" at her. You've watched her have conversations with other people, but you've never had need to talk to her before so you've never been introduced. And because of that, you -cannot- find her mind and ask her to bring down a full suit of scrub camo?

What's the point of having tavern boards, if you are required to have up-close and personal interaction with anyone you might have need to be in contact with at some point or another? "Word has it, Lord Borsail is looking for a traveller who can provide him with lots of wood. He is a nooble, and therefore doesn't yet have an aide. He's looking for one of those too, and can sometimes be seen at Trader's Inn where grebbers aren't welcome, or upstairs at the Azure Dragon, where commoners aren't allowed to go. Don't bother trying to find his mind, you can't. Bwahaha.

Yeah that sounds like a lot of fun. Not?

[Myrdryn]

I think the idea has merit, but it does have problems that would make it more difficult than it would benefit.

As far as those sniffing for short descriptions, I don't think it's possible to 'contact figure' unless the target is in the same room.  What if in those cases it returned with "You contact the figure in a dark cloak." rather than revealing their sdesc?

But it would be interesting if the people of zalanthas had differing psionic affinities (or magickal) with other people (or things, like possessions or places) based on different kinds of interactions (magickal, physical and psionic).

[Lizzie]

To be a little more constructive than I was in simply shooting down the idea, I think expanding contact to involve other criteria is a good idea.

Not to require it..but to involve it.

1. So, for instance, if you're a rinthi, and you're trying to find someone from the rinth, but you've never met "officially" but know their name/handle, and/or their sdesc..you can find them.

2. If you're a rinthi who's never been to Tuluk, and you're looking for a Tuluki, you could find them, but not as easily.

3. If you're a rinthi vivaduan who's never been to Tuluk, and you're trying to find a vivaduan you've heard lives in Tuluk, you could find them easier than #2, but not as easily as #1.

4. You're a rinthi dwarf vivaduan who's never been to Tuluk, looking for a non-magicker Tuluk elf you've heard of but never met. You have a chance of finding his mind..but it's gonna be time consuming and suck a lot of stun when you succeed.

So there could be levels of mental connection, based on all kinds of things. The more you have in common with the person, the easier it is to find their mind even if you've never met them. You could -still- find their mind if you have nothing in common with them, but you'd find it more difficult.

[KankWhisperer]

Just make it such that if you are blocking then no one can reach you if this is not already the case.

Otherwise:
I almost want to say the old private public name thing.

Someone with your private name can contact you normally.
Someone with your public name cannot contact you while you are cloaked or blocking.