Random idea: no intro, no way

[Lizzie]

Barrier and contact aren't on/off skills. They're skills with levels of profiency. If my "contact" skill is higher than your "barrier" skill then of I'll be better at getting through than you'll be at preventing me from getting through.

[musashi]

What if in those cases it returned with "You contact the figure in a dark cloak." rather than revealing their sdesc?

This would make me such a happy panda. Although I would really like to see it taken just one tiny step further ... where when you put on a mask or put a hood up, your PC's list of keywords is completely replaced by those provided by the cloak or mask. That way people couldn't just "keyword <character name that I've heard of even though I've never actually met them or been told what they look like>" to discern someone's identity.

[Synthesis]

Problem:

'rinther gets a Tor-emblazoned cloak

'rinther adds keywords "Lord Uberthagus Tor"

'rinther raises hood of cloak

Now 'rinther -is- Lord Uberthagus Tor over the Way, and nobody can tell, if all people see is "the figure in a Tor-emblazoned cloak."

Edited to add:  and yeah, if the cloak replaced all the keywords, it would be impossible to contact people whenever they had their hoods up, unless they had a totally unique hood.

[jcljules]

Musashi, I like that idea except for the fact that it would make all Byn contracts and many other clan outings miserable and impossible.

[Lizzie]

What if in those cases it returned with "You contact the figure in a dark cloak." rather than revealing their sdesc?

This would make me such a happy panda. Although I would really like to see it taken just one tiny step further ... where when you put on a mask or put a hood up, your PC's list of keywords is completely replaced by those provided by the cloak or mask. That way people couldn't just "keyword <character name that I've heard of even though I've never actually met them or been told what they look like>" to discern someone's identity.

And what happens if <character name that you've heard of> happens to also be your best friend/sister/lover/mother? Why -shouldn't- you be able to contact them using their name when they have a mask on?

The problem sounds like more of a complaint about certain people taking too much advantage of a code that most people don't take too much advantage of. And that sounds more like a player complaint, than a code issue. Honestly, the staff has weighed in on this numerous times. It is OKAY to be able to identify someone with their hood up using the Way. It is OKAY to be able to identify other people, period. The game is set up to do it, the staff says it's okay to do it, and it gets done, regularly.

Now, if people are ABusing this..rather than just using it, then it calls for a player complaint. Not a change in the code. The code is doing exactly what it should do, in the way it should do it. If the players aren't using it in the way it was intended to be used, then the players need to be brought back in line. You can't adjust the code on every little thing that bothers every player about every possible subject on every possible command. At some point, you have to trust the players to behave themselves, and resort to complaints if the player betrays that trust.

[musashi]

When talking about having the keyword replaced, I was talking more about when someone looks at you or uses the keyword command. Not contacting telepathically.

[Yam]

I think the way is fine as it is. With the emphasis on names and psionic connections in Arm, I figure it is reasonable that people can conjure up either a name or an image in their mind to try and find someone's brains.

[flurry]

What if in those cases it returned with "You contact the figure in a dark cloak." rather than revealing their sdesc?

It would be interesting, I think. Probably would change some things for the better, and maybe some for the worse.

For instance:

New problem: How do you know who you're really in contact with, if you see them as hooded?
Possible solution: What if you only saw the altered (hooded) sdesc for contact, but if they psi you back, only then do you see their actual sdesc?

What I mean is something like this:

Code Select Expand


>contact amos

You contact the figure in the dark cloak.

>psi Amos? That you?

You send a telepathic message to the figure in the dark cloak:
    "Amos? That you?"

A foreign presence contacts your mind.

The tall, muscular man sends you a telepathic message:
    "Of course it's me. What can I do for ya?"


That would both prevent sdesc fishing, but also prevent people from using a hood to engage in anonymous psionics.

[Zoltan]

I think the way is fine as it is. With the emphasis on names and psionic connections in Arm, I figure it is reasonable that people can conjure up either a name or an image in their mind to try and find someone's brains.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I agree with flurry's concept.

[musashi]

I think flurry has a good idea.

[Thunkkin]

I like flurry's idea.

[Synthesis]

I think flurry's idea is how it actually used to be, many years ago.

[Dar]

Can simply make it a toggle.

Make it so you have to intro to someone or them to you to be able to contact them directly, if you toggled "intro only".
But if you are a public figure and wish to be contacted easily, just toggle the intro only and then you can be contacted like anyone else, 'maybe' even at an 'easier' time then now.

This way, a noble can keep the intro only, and ask their aide to be available through the way, so if anyone wants to contact the noble, they'll be forced to go through the aide. It also solves the problems with recruiters, since they can simply jump from one toggle to another dependant on the situation.

I would even go as far as to say, that if you were not in physical/psionical contact with an introed person for let us say ... 2 game years, you lose the intro.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I think flurry's idea is how it actually used to be, many years ago.

Not exactly. You used to get the message about contacting a cloaked figure, but if you actually used PSI, you got their real sdesc.

[Spice Spice Baby]

I think it's fine as-is, but if changes were made, I'd support flurry's proposal.

[RogueGunslinger]

I think it's fine as-is, but if changes were made, I'd support flurry's proposal.

[Ender]

I think the solution is just to make barrier a more robust and effective defense against contact.  If people start with a contact bonus these days, give them a barrier bonus too.

I'd honestly like to see barrier revamped as to make it very effective against mundane contact even at lower skill levels.

[FuSoYa]

I think the solution is just to make barrier a more robust and effective defense against contact.  If people start with a contact bonus these days, give them a barrier bonus too.

I'd honestly like to see barrier revamped as to make it very effective against mundane contact even at lower skill levels.

I can get behind this izzle.

Brandon

[Spice Spice Baby]

I think the solution is just to make barrier a more robust and effective defense against contact.  If people start with a contact bonus these days, give them a barrier bonus too.

I'd honestly like to see barrier revamped as to make it very effective against mundane contact even at lower skill levels.

Agreed. Barrier can be very effective when wielded in the hands of a long-lived character, but I'd like to see it ramped up significantly. One of the things I've always regretted about Arm is how next-to-impossible it is to fake your own death or hide from authority in any meaningful way, due to how keywords and contact work.

[musashi]

I think the solution is just to make barrier a more robust and effective defense against contact.  If people start with a contact bonus these days, give them a barrier bonus too.

I'd honestly like to see barrier revamped as to make it very effective against mundane contact even at lower skill levels.

Agreed. Barrier can be very effective when wielded in the hands of a long-lived character, but I'd like to see it ramped up significantly. One of the things I've always regretted about Arm is how next-to-impossible it is to fake your own death or hide from authority in any meaningful way, due to how keywords and contact work.

I think that a change in play style could be just as effective when it comes to this. It seems like most PC's train barrier only to the point that it regularly stops failing for them, if they train it up that high at all.

Start asking friends to practice with you, the same way folks spar. Make it an important part of a training schedule or something like that, and it would likely be more effective for younger character's.

[Spice Spice Baby]

I think the solution is just to make barrier a more robust and effective defense against contact.  If people start with a contact bonus these days, give them a barrier bonus too.

I'd honestly like to see barrier revamped as to make it very effective against mundane contact even at lower skill levels.

Agreed. Barrier can be very effective when wielded in the hands of a long-lived character, but I'd like to see it ramped up significantly. One of the things I've always regretted about Arm is how next-to-impossible it is to fake your own death or hide from authority in any meaningful way, due to how keywords and contact work.

I think that a change in play style could be just as effective when it comes to this. It seems like most PC's train barrier only to the point that it regularly stops failing for them, if they train it up that high at all.

Start asking friends to practice with you, the same way folks spar. Make it an important part of a training schedule or something like that, and it would likely be more effective for younger character's.

Those are good points, but I was actually referring to experiences I've had with characters that had long since maxed the skill, or at least gotten skilled enough to branch from it. In my experience, it just seems like the barriers of even super long-lived PCs (even super long-lived psionicists) seem a little too easy to break down even when the skill is capped.

For newer characters, I don't think anything needs changing. I just wish barrier performed more reliably at high levels, for those who have had a reason to practice it frequently.

[ibusoe]

I like this idea.  I think it would improve the game.

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.

[My 2 sids]

The entire point of having the Way is for playability -- something like this would greatly hinder playability.  Thus, if people like this idea so much, we might as well get rid of the Way all together (except for mind benders)


horrible idea

[Qzzrbl]

The entire point of having the Way is for playability -- something like this would greatly hinder playability.  Thus, if people like this idea so much, we might as well get rid of the Way all together (except for mind benders)


horrible idea

>kill strawman

::Edit to add::

Ir -really- gets annoying when you try to play a PC you want to keep out of the public eye.... Because all it takes is for -one- single solitary person to see your sdesc for everyone in the Known World to have an sdesc keyword with which they can use to contact your character.

It happens all the time.

The system as is makes certain roles entirely unplayable.