An Idea about Waying Offline People

[musashi]

I was thinking ... what if you could set yourself when you went to log off as either being available or trying to hide, and while you were off-line and set to available people could still contact you and send you way messages that you could read when you came back.

To the player sending the way it would be as if you were online. They just found your mind and psi'ed you a message and you didn't get back to them.

If you were set as trying to hide maybe the contact attempts could check your barrier skill as though you had it up, and only let you contact them if you could beat it.

I was just thinking that something like this might make it a lot easier for people to coordiante things entirely IC.

[AmandaGreathouse]

I imagine this would be awesome. Though it would be great if the backed messages had some sort of tag that told you when your PC got them. Like, you know "Emergency, trapped in a pit and dying!" from four days ago... is probably less urgent than if it's from the hour before you logged in. Because there's a much better chance said pc is still alive. And I'm a slight bit worried at exactly 'how' spammy this might be for leader pc's when they first log in. Also, if it's checking for a barrier on your end, and it fails, does that affect your barrier skill in the same way that it would if you were logged in?

Just, you know, some thoughts.

[musashi]

Yeah. I would trust in the coding staff to make sure that all the checks and balances of it weighed out. The basic idea just sprug up from a thought I was having awhile back. You can always way an NPC, and psi them something and sometimes IG days later staff will pop into that NPC, find your mind, and answer you ...

But with PC's that isn't possible, when it seems to me like it totally should be. So I'd really like if it some kind of system like that was in place to make it feel more like PC's were around all the time, just like the NPCs of the world are.

[Synthesis]

I like it.

[Cutthroat]

Code Select Expand

You suffer from use of the Way.
You contact the tall, muscular man with the Way, but he is not available right now. Please leave a message after the beep.

*beep*
                              _______                                ___
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                           (~)           ~-_ ~-_            _-~ /-~      
Welcome to Armageddon!     (~)              `~-_ ~_======_--~~ __~        
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You may:                    ~-       __--~`_    /   _-~         ~.     ~_
(N) Create a new account           -~        \     _~       ___,  \ ~-_  \
(C) Connect to your account      ,~ _-,       ~  _~         \   \  | , \ \  
(V) Toggle ANSI/VT100 mode      / /~/      -~   /            ~  /  /  \~  \
(B) Toggle 'brief' menus        | | \     _~    |        __-~  / _/  \~  '\
(D) Documentation menu          \ ~-_~   -   |  _      ~-____-~ .~  \~    |
(X) Exit Armageddon             /`.  __~~   ~   `_          __-~   \~    \~
(?) Read menu options           \_ ~~   .  |  .   ~-____--~~   \ \_~   _/~  
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Read the documentation        { |\     __ _           _-\   \  \\~~\\~~\\~~\
menu before creating your     | ||~_ /`    ~\  /    _/~  )   | |\\~~\\~~\\~~
character, please.            | ||  \|"""""""|_ __-~     ;   | |~\\~~\\~~\\~
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Armageddon is OPEN.



Could maybe use the mudmail system to keep track of messages sent to you. Maybe.

[Lizzie]

Way, way, way too easy for abuse. It's hard enough as it is, responding to the demands of "important people" over the Way, if you're new, or if you just have sucky contact, or if their barrier is up...

But you're giving those same people a built-in excuse to kill you, or kill your girlfriend, or empty out your shared apartment, or fire you, or fire your partner...

all because you refused to answer them - and they KNOW you got the message. But they had no way of knowing you were off line.

[Cutthroat]

Way, way, way too easy for abuse. It's hard enough as it is, responding to the demands of "important people" over the Way, if you're new, or if you just have sucky contact, or if their barrier is up...

But you're giving those same people a built-in excuse to kill you, or kill your girlfriend, or empty out your shared apartment, or fire you, or fire your partner...

all because you refused to answer them - and they KNOW you got the message. But they had no way of knowing you were off line.

Log out with barrier. Barrier stays on when you log back in. Preferably, barrier will keep out these unwanted messages (and not get crushed while offline).

[spawnloser]

How do you make sure the message goes to the correct character.  How characters and the Way works now, I don't think this is feasible.

[mansa]

I like the intent of the idea.  It can be coded a billion different ways, be that a mail box system / npcs / mudmail / bio entries / way messages before you actually enter into the game.

[Rhyden]

I too like the intent of this idea. Maybe only allow one way per PC while the receiving PC is offline. This could also help coordinate ooc times through IC means.

[Synthesis]

I too like the intent of this idea. Maybe only allow one way per PC while the receiving PC is offline. This could also help coordinate ooc times through IC means.

Limiting it to once would be foolish.

> rest
You rest your tired bones

> contact big.boss
> You contact the grey-bearded, one-eyed man with the Way.

> psi  Hey Boss, I just figured out where Solid's been hiding out.  He's got a secret room hidden by a trash-pile in the third alley past the jakhals.
You suffer from use of the Way.
You send a telepathic message to the grey-bearded, one-eyed man:
     "Hey Boss, I just figured out where Solid's been hiding out.  He's got a secret room hidden by a trash-pile in the third alley past the jakhals."

Blood wells up in the back of your throat as someone stabs you with a steel-bladed combat knife!

> key snake

In the room:
1. the rugged man with a mullet

> psi Shit, he's killin' me right now! He must've followed me back from his hideout!
You suffer from use of the Way.
I'm sorry, that mind is busy at the moment.

[Halcyon]

Would it be more preferrable to have a templar run message service in game, where you can pay a few coins to leave a message, people can pick up their messages by going there, and possibly sneaky or templar skills allowing a player to "sniff" other people's messages?

[Synthesis]

1. Let people leave messages via the Way that you receive upon logging in.

2. Let anyone with appropriate skills have appropriate access to said messages.

3. That's it.  What's the problem?

[Salt Merchant]

I don't want to be still playing the game after I log off.

This is supposed to be a form of recreation, not a reproduction of our 24/7 society where people are virtually enslaved by cell phones and email. Just no thanks.

I *want* to be able to hang up.

[Zoltan]

I don't want to be still playing the game after I log off.

This is supposed to be a form of recreation, not a reproduction of our 24/7 society where people are virtually enslaved by cell phones and email. Just no thanks.

I *want* to be able to hang up.

I agree with Salt Merchant. Also, waiting for a return Waying from a logged off PC would drive me batshit insane with a couple of the characters I've played.

[Cerelum]

Make it toggleable and I'm totally down.

[Synthesis]

I don't want to be still playing the game after I log off.

This is supposed to be a form of recreation, not a reproduction of our 24/7 society where people are virtually enslaved by cell phones and email. Just no thanks.

I *want* to be able to hang up.

Uh, nobody's sending you e-mails or calling you.

When you log in to play the game you get messages pertaining to the game.

If you want to hang up, log out.

[Salt Merchant]

When you log in to play the game you get messages pertaining to the game.

In other words, I get the equivalent of IC emails and all the BS that attends it. Follow ups like "did you get my message?" "why haven't you responded yet?" "why haven't you solved my problem already?" "do you have more important things to do Mr. Commoner?" "why didn't you reply the moment you were available? (i.e. logged in)". And of course, if you're a merchant, "is my order ready yet" x 1000.

The first thing I'd have to do upon logging in is sort through my messages and start responding. You might as well just provide me with an office and some coffee to go with it.

What it all adds up to a further means for people to dig their hooks into you and make you their puppets.

[MarshallDFX]

I do agree it would be a bit too much like having a pile of emails stacked up.  Far more useful is that we choose people who have good availability for important roles.

[Synthesis]

So...it's better for countless other players to have to spam contact numerous times, log in at weird hours trying to catch you, and generally be completely out of touch, possibly for RL weeks, because you can't be arsed to sort through your messages?

self⋅ish
–adjective
1.    devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.
2.    characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself: selfish motives.

[MarshallDFX]

Yes.  I am a self-utility maximizing consumer.  What else do you want out of me?

[Synthesis]

Yes.  I am a self-utility maximizing consumer.  What else do you want out of me?

In a community, maximizing your personal utility typically involves helping others maximize theirs.  Hence the idea of mutually beneficial exchanges.

[MarshallDFX]

Yes.  I am a self-utility maximizing consumer.  What else do you want out of me?

In a community, maximizing your personal utility typically involves helping others maximize theirs.  Hence the idea of mutually beneficial exchanges.

Well, we can debate the differences between gains from trade and holding preferences about other persons' utilities in another thread.

It seems the biggest criticism is what if somebody important is demanding your attention.  Or trying to Way with you desperately that they're being raided.  These emergency things would be kind of awkward to RP out why you didn't respond after the fact.

One way to fix that would be some identifier that lets you know that you're Waying an offline person?  But then if you have that, then you have a kind of stupid way of determining whether somebody is offline (otherwise it could just be barrier).

Is there a less awkward medium for delivering offline messages, as others have suggested?

[Synthesis]

Yes.  I am a self-utility maximizing consumer.  What else do you want out of me?

In a community, maximizing your personal utility typically involves helping others maximize theirs.  Hence the idea of mutually beneficial exchanges.

Well, we can debate the differences between gains from trade and holding preferences about other persons' utilities in another thread.

It seems the biggest criticism is what if somebody important is demanding your attention.  Or trying to Way with you desperately that they're being raided.  These emergency things would be kind of awkward to RP out why you didn't respond after the fact.

One way to fix that would be some identifier that lets you know that you're Waying an offline person?  But then if you have that, then you have a kind of stupid way of determining whether somebody is offline (otherwise it could just be barrier).

Is there a less awkward medium for delivering offline messages, as others have suggested?

I'm fairly confident that most players would be satisfied that at least the message was getting through, as opposed to sitting, waiting, and spamming contact to no avail.  I'm also fairly confident that the playerbase is mature enough to develop numerous plausible IC reasons why a response wasn't immediately forthcoming.

The fact that people go linkdead doesn't break the game, you know.

[MarshallDFX]

Yes.  I am a self-utility maximizing consumer.  What else do you want out of me?

In a community, maximizing your personal utility typically involves helping others maximize theirs.  Hence the idea of mutually beneficial exchanges.

Well, we can debate the differences between gains from trade and holding preferences about other persons' utilities in another thread.

It seems the biggest criticism is what if somebody important is demanding your attention.  Or trying to Way with you desperately that they're being raided.  These emergency things would be kind of awkward to RP out why you didn't respond after the fact.

One way to fix that would be some identifier that lets you know that you're Waying an offline person?  But then if you have that, then you have a kind of stupid way of determining whether somebody is offline (otherwise it could just be barrier).

Is there a less awkward medium for delivering offline messages, as others have suggested?

I'm fairly confident that most players would be satisfied that at least the message was getting through, as opposed to sitting, waiting, and spamming contact to no avail.  I'm also fairly confident that the playerbase is mature enough to develop numerous plausible IC reasons why a response wasn't immediately forthcoming.

The fact that people go linkdead doesn't break the game, you know.

And you would prefer this to something like a bank-like institution, where an NPC takes messages, then your character can pick them up (or not)?  I just like to know that when I find somebody's mind, I've actually found somebody who's online and can (or cannot/won't) respond.