Sparring NPC's!

[jmordetsky]

They only got mad when the sparring dummy chases you around the sparring halls.

Seconded. I don't really see the problem with a sparring dummy that allowed skill gain of all skills. I mean - if skills are truly time sensitive, then my time with dummy is no better/worse then my time with a PC and if there are no PCs in my clan - well - what is the big?

[RogueGunslinger]

Well that was a good one guys. Concluded that idea. We'll send it to the staff, gift-wrapped, on Christmas day. 

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I'm with this idea. I'd add a few things.

#You can spar said NPC 1 time an IC day. He keeps track of this, and sets himself as no-kill for you thereafter.

#He operates on the same schedule as the training dummy.

#He will only take x-amount of HP damage to himself or you. After that, he becomes no kill.

#He will compare his skills to yours, and tone himself down or up appropriately.

With this in place, I would love to see a sparring NPC, by all means. This would help those old and new characters alike, by always have an appropriately talented partner. The limit of once a day should more than keep it from being twinked out.

[musashi]

I don't really see why your suggestions would be needed 7DV. I mean, as I understand it skills only increase once and then set a delay timer based on wisdom before they will go up again; and if the sparring NPC were to keep the same hours as the training dummy ... I believe that even sparring non-stop from the moment it came out to the moment it went in would only result in the same skill increase as doing it once anyway, right? So if the person wants to try and go for a few rounds instead of just one ... meh, let them.

And I would prefer he did not adjust his skill to yours for two reasons: One ... that might be hard to code for staff and thus make them less likely to implement the idea all together ... and two ... I would rather folks hoping to get their combat skills up from compentant to legendary go through the risks of fighting actually dangerous things, rather tha just becomming epic in the sparring ring.

[IntuitiveApathy]

I actually like the sparring NPC idea best, but in order to cut down on the potential abusability, perhaps combining it with a script where the NPC could only be summoned by the neglected trainee if you haven't sparred (ie. gotten a skill increase) in X amount of time might be one way to go.  This procedurally generated NPC could also be tailored to the summoning PC as well: you could have it randomly pop an evenly matched NPC to have a fruitful sparring match, or a much more skilled NPC to not spar, but give a useful, scripted lesson to the PC.

[musashi]

Again, where is this potential abusability, and the subsequent need for really complicating scriting and or code, coming from?

So someone can non-stop spar from early morning to late morning every in game day ... ... sooooo what?

[Spice Spice Baby]

Again, where is this potential abusability, and the subsequent need for really complicating scriting and or code, coming from?

So someone can non-stop spar from early morning to late morning every in game day ... ... sooooo what?

What this dude said.

Sparring dummies in most of the clans I've played in only spawn for very small windows of time. If the same spawn times were applied to training NPCs, I don't see how it could be abused aside from like... people gangbanging one and deciding to kill it. Which doesn't make much sense anyhow.

[Delstro]

That would be an easy fix. Once it gets down to a certain level of HP, it "flees" and becomes a VNPC.

[Gunnerblaster]

And, realistically, if someone tried to kill the NPC - Things would be handled very ICly. It'd be just like killing another PC in the same clan. Even if your "alone" with that NPC in the sparring area, your never actually "alone" from the VNPC population of recruits/soldiers training.

[RogueGunslinger]

Staff?

[jmordetsky]

Again, where is this potential abusability, and the subsequent need for really complicating scriting and or code, coming from?

So someone can non-stop spar from early morning to late morning every in game day ... ... sooooo what?

What this dude said.

Sparring dummies in most of the clans I've played in only spawn for very small windows of time. If the same spawn times were applied to training NPCs, I don't see how it could be abused aside from like... people gangbanging one and deciding to kill it. Which doesn't make much sense anyhow.

Seconded, I mean - forget all the complexities of NPCs - just increase the agility of a dummy so it's possible to miss them and make them hit back. Ie, make them bludgeon and throw out an emote like "the dummy's wooden arm swirls at you". Give them a club and a shield. Might need to make them invulnerable to disarm as well.

That would allow some level of training and if there are day caps, there is no real risk.

[IntuitiveApathy]

And, realistically, if someone tried to kill the NPC - Things would be handled very ICly. It'd be just like killing another PC in the same clan. Even if your "alone" with that NPC in the sparring area, your never actually "alone" from the VNPC population of recruits/soldiers training.

You'd be surprised.

I had a PC in the Byn.  I was AFK during morning sparring - no other PC's were about.  Newbie PC X comes in.  Newbie PC X decides they want to spar my PC.  Newbie PC X proceeds to attack my sitting, unarmed PC with sparring weapons.  Newbie PC X decides this isn't fun, puts away their sparring weapons, and pulls out real weapons.  Newbie PC X finally kills my PC after another 10-20 rounds of combat.

I asked for a resurrection after the fact, citing exactly your thoughts.  Apparently things were handled IC'ly.. afterward.  But that was little consolation to my dead PC, or to me.

[Gunnerblaster]

And, realistically, if someone tried to kill the NPC - Things would be handled very ICly. It'd be just like killing another PC in the same clan. Even if your "alone" with that NPC in the sparring area, your never actually "alone" from the VNPC population of recruits/soldiers training.

You'd be surprised.

I had a PC in the Byn.  I was AFK during morning sparring - no other PC's were about.  Newbie PC X comes in.  Newbie PC X decides they want to spar my PC.  Newbie PC X proceeds to attack my sitting, unarmed PC with sparring weapons.  Newbie PC X decides this isn't fun, puts away their sparring weapons, and pulls out real weapons.  Newbie PC X finally kills my PC after another 10-20 rounds of combat.

I asked for a resurrection after the fact, citing exactly your thoughts.  Apparently things were handled IC'ly.. afterward.  But that was little consolation to my dead PC, or to me.

I don't mean to Derail but that is a wee bit your fault. I mean, if it took that long for someone to kill your PC - you weren't really just "AFK" for a few moments. Would have been OOC wiser to just log out in a situation where you needed to be gone for that long. Many other PC's have been killed by Newbie PC or NPC while linkdead/AFK but they weren't given resurrections. The only case I see a resurrection being granted is when your killed because of a game glitch, which these days, is a rare occurrence.

[Qzzrbl]

And, realistically, if someone tried to kill the NPC - Things would be handled very ICly. It'd be just like killing another PC in the same clan. Even if your "alone" with that NPC in the sparring area, your never actually "alone" from the VNPC population of recruits/soldiers training.

You'd be surprised.

I had a PC in the Byn.  I was AFK during morning sparring - no other PC's were about.  Newbie PC X comes in.  Newbie PC X decides they want to spar my PC.  Newbie PC X proceeds to attack my sitting, unarmed PC with sparring weapons.  Newbie PC X decides this isn't fun, puts away their sparring weapons, and pulls out real weapons.  Newbie PC X finally kills my PC after another 10-20 rounds of combat.

I asked for a resurrection after the fact, citing exactly your thoughts.  Apparently things were handled IC'ly.. afterward.  But that was little consolation to my dead PC, or to me.

I don't mean to Derail but that is a wee bit your fault. I mean, if it took that long for someone to kill your PC - you weren't really just "AFK" for a few moments. Would have been OOC wiser to just log out in a situation where you needed to be gone for that long. Many other PC's have been killed by Newbie PC or NPC while linkdead/AFK but they weren't given resurrections. The only case I see a resurrection being granted is when your killed because of a game glitch, which these days, is a rare occurrence.

I don't think there's anything wrong with expecting your own clannies not to kill your character inside the clan compound while you take a shower or go somewhere to pick up some food.... So I can't see how you can say it's in any way her/his (Damn your people and your not putting gender in your GDB profile) fault.

[RogueGunslinger]

I agree, the npcs and vnpc's in your clan compound would have broken thigns up, killed the newbie, and you would have lived.

That deserves a res in my opinion. But not staffs.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I suppose those are good points, musashi. That said, I can't imagine getting the NPC trainer in game without similar restrictions. We have a tight-assed staff, and they don't let shit just wander out undigested.

[Eyeball]

Seconded, I mean - forget all the complexities of NPCs - just increase the agility of a dummy so it's possible to miss them and make them hit back. Ie, make them bludgeon and throw out an emote like "the dummy's wooden arm swirls at you".

In other words, effectively make the sparring dummy a NPC.

[musashi]

Seconded, I mean - forget all the complexities of NPCs - just increase the agility of a dummy so it's possible to miss them and make them hit back. Ie, make them bludgeon and throw out an emote like "the dummy's wooden arm swirls at you".

In other words, effectively make the sparring dummy a NPC.

I would rather the dummy be changed to be a flesh and blood NPC rather than a dummy that somehow fights back ... just for the sake of my immersionz but, yeah, basically.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Yeh - I don't want my dummy fighting back - makes no sense.

[Rhyden]

Meh, I always thought sparring dummies were around for the sole purpose of 3 person training when you only have 2 pcs around.

[Riev]

Meh, I always thought sparring dummies were around for the sole purpose of 3 person training when you only have 2 pcs around.

Basically. But the problem being stated here, apparently, is that people can't get -2- PCs around at once.

[Rhyden]

Meh, I always thought sparring dummies were around for the sole purpose of 3 person training when you only have 2 pcs around.

Basically. But the problem being stated here, apparently, is that people can't get -2- PCs around at once.

If you're in a clan with a sparring dummy and don't have 2 PCs, that's an entirely different problem altogether which I don't think can be solved by turning dummies into sparring vending machines.

[musashi]

Meh, I always thought sparring dummies were around for the sole purpose of 3 person training when you only have 2 pcs around.

Basically. But the problem being stated here, apparently, is that people can't get -2- PCs around at once.

If you're in a clan with a sparring dummy and don't have 2 PCs, that's an entirely different problem altogether which I don't think can be solved by turning dummies into sparring vending machines.

People who play off peak are in this situation all the time, even if said clan has 20 active PCs who play during American prime time.

An off peak PC might want to still be a part of a the Byn, for example attend the RPT's and play with prime time folks on the weekends, but not forever be the newbie because when they log in on weekday evenings for them and go about the daily training schedules ... they have to do it solo.

[RogueGunslinger]

I don't think can be solved by turning dummies into sparring vending machines.

Thanks Mushmush, I'd have blew a ventricle trying to form a proper response.

[jmordetsky]

I don't think can be solved by turning dummies into sparring vending machines.

Thanks Mushmush, I'd have blew a ventricle trying to form a proper response.

I definitely wish I had a sparing dummy that was more then a noise generator right now. I'm fairly off-peak.