Changes to Directional Watching

[Taven]

I would really like to see some changes to "watch".

When I watch a direction, I want to be able to see emotes people do in that direction, not just commands.

If I'm watching a direction and also using listening skills to listen in on the conversation, it's frustrating when I can't tell who is speaking. For example, if you have two female people speaking off in a direction you're hearing two female voices. Unless they sound different, you can't tell who is speaking, even if you're watching the direction. When you watch a direction, I think you should be able to see emotes and when someone speaks.

[jhunter]

Agreed. Has been my biggest complaint about watch since it was implemented.

[MeTekillot]

How about a 'voice' option in chargen, where you write how your voice would be heard from a distance?

such as

a sultry contralto
a monotone timbre
etc.

[Marc]

How about a 'voice' option in chargen, where you write how your voice would be heard from a distance?

such as

a sultry contralto
a monotone timbre
etc.

Separate but also cool

OP.  +1  Watch needs some love.

[Riev]

+1. Watching a direction should give you either 100%, or a chance to see people's emotes in that direction. Talking, I don't agree on, because you might not hear what they say from a league away, but you almost certainly could make out what they're doing.

[Semper]

Or at least get a chance to see regular emotes and semotes as a hemote. People at a distance should have no chance at seeing hemotes however.

[a strange shadow]

Or at least get a chance to see regular emotes and semotes as a hemote. People at a distance should have no chance at seeing hemotes however.

This seems like a good compromise.

[Celest]

I hope this isn't considered giving away code information, and if it is please delete!

This already exists. You can see emotes from adjacent rooms, if your skill is high enough.

[Majikal]

To my knowledge you can only see social commands.

>nod
>laugh

etc.

[Marshmellow]

Yeah, you can see the so-called 'socials' of which we have very few left.  A couple examples are 'nod' and 'kiss' and such.  You can see coded things, like combat and foraging.  Actual 'emotes' though?  No.  You should.  I think you should be able to see people talking (in all iterations) too, and the emotes attached to them, but you wouldn't get dialogue unless your 'listen' is good enough to pull it in.  (To the west you see: The hardnosed templar speaks, raising a fist as he calls out loudly.)

[Celest]

To my knowledge you can only see social commands.

>nod
>laugh

etc.

I'm pretty sure that I've seen full emotes from an adjacent room, but I might be misremembering.

[Wasteland Raider]

You can see full emotes only from certain rooms with watch-like functionality built in: balconies over roads, walls above roads, alleyways, et cetera.

[Taven]

+1. Watching a direction should give you either 100%, or a chance to see people's emotes in that direction. Talking, I don't agree on, because you might not hear what they say from a league away, but you almost certainly could make out what they're doing.

Hearing what people say is in no way related to watch. Seeing when someone talks is something that's logical.

Or at least get a chance to see regular emotes and semotes as a hemote. People at a distance should have no chance at seeing hemotes however.

If someone is emoting running around in circles and waving their arms frantically in an adjacent room, I think it's silly that you'd only have a chance to notice it as a hemote. I do agree that people at a distance should have no chance of seeing hemotes.

[Riev]

+1. Watching a direction should give you either 100%, or a chance to see people's emotes in that direction. Talking, I don't agree on, because you might not hear what they say from a league away, but you almost certainly could make out what they're doing.

Hearing what people say is in no way related to watch. Seeing when someone talks is something that's logical.

The only reason I disagree with it, is that a lot of people don't use tell emotes for "tell man (as he walks around, cloak fluttering in the wind)", its usually an emote describing the manner in which they talk. Softly, chuckling, etc. Perhaps a general emote such as "blah blah blah says something, but you can't decipher his words", but then it would need to work with listen, and which takes priority? (I know the answer but it might not be so easy to code).

Also I think people asking for "chances" to see things, are doing so because it is nigh impossible to raise the Watch skill, and anything that offers a chance to fail, offers a chance to raise the skill.

[Taven]

The only reason I disagree with it, is that a lot of people don't use tell emotes for "tell man (as he walks around, cloak fluttering in the wind)", its usually an emote describing the manner in which they talk. Softly, chuckling, etc. Perhaps a general emote such as "blah blah blah says something, but you can't decipher his words", but then it would need to work with listen, and which takes priority? (I know the answer but it might not be so easy to code).

Also I think people asking for "chances" to see things, are doing so because it is nigh impossible to raise the Watch skill, and anything that offers a chance to fail, offers a chance to raise the skill.

Please correct your quoting, it's all funky. You put what you said in my quote box! 

How watch and listen works now:

(my listen echos may be slightly off, but you get the idea)

Code Select Expand


Listen: On
Watching: North

look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
The female huntress with big boobs.
The squat hairless dwarf female.

You hear a female voice say to the north:
    "And he's just so sexy!"

You think:
    "Please please please Highlord let it be Taila who said that, and not the stump!"

You hear a female voice say to the north:
   "His ass is amazing!"


How watch could look, in combination with listen:

Code Select Expand


Listen: On
Watching: North

look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
The female huntress with big boobs.
The squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female tugs on the female huntress with big boobs' quiver.

To the north: The female huntress sighs, rolling her eyes as she looks down to the squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks, oblivious to the female huntress' reaction.
You hear a female voice say to the north:
    "And he's just so sexy!"

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks, dreamily.
You hear a female voice say to the north:
   "His ass is amazing!"

You think:
  "Fffffffffffffffffffff--"


You're saying that you don't like how you can see the speaking emote. I don't think it's an issue. If it really was, you could have something like this:

Code Select Expand


Listen: On
Watching: North

look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
The female huntress with big boobs.
The squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female tugs on the female huntress with big boobs' quiver.

To the north: The female huntress sighs, rolling her eyes as she looks down to the squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks.
You hear a female voice say to the north:
    "And he's just so sexy!"

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks.
You hear a female voice say to the north:
   "His ass is amazing!"

You think:
  "Fffffffffffffffffffff--"


[Gunnerblaster]

Awesome, Taven. Exactly how I was thinking it should work.

How it would work, without Skill_Listen.

Code Select Expand


Listen: Off
Watching: North

look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
The female huntress with big boobs.
The squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female tugs on the female huntress with big boobs' quiver.

To the north: The female huntress sighs, rolling her eyes as she looks down to the squat hairless dwarf female.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks.

To the north: The squat hairless dwarf female speaks.


[Taven]

Awesome, Taven. Exactly how I was thinking it should work.

How it would work, without Skill_Listen.

Spot on, exactly.

The only question is, do we want to be able to see the emote attached to the speech when watching?

I would prefer it. There's a ton of emotes you can put in speech that aren't just tone.

For example, if you can't see the emotes attached to speech if someone did:

Code Select Expand

The buff, scarred man tells the wimpy lost merchant in sirihish, lifting his sword threateningly as his lips twist into a sneer:
     "Hand over your boots, or taste my blade!"

You'd just see:

Code Select Expand

To the north: The buff, scarred man speaks to wimpy lost merchant.

Instead of:

Code Select Expand

To the north: The buff, scarred man speaks to wimpy lost merchant, lifting his sword threateningly as his lips twist into a sneer.

The first, you might assume nothing has happened and merchant guy is fine, until buff man attacks. The second you can charge in screaming a war cry to save the day (or get stabbed in the gut yourself, as the case may be).

[Gunnerblaster]

The only question is, do we want to be able to see the emote attached to the speech when watching?

I say have it affected by distance.

Code Select Expand


look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
The buff, scarred man.
The wimpy lost merchant.

To the north: The buff, scarred man speaks to wimpy lost merchant, lifting his sword threateningly as his lips twist into a sneer.
You hear a male voice to the north say,
   "Hand over your boots, or taste my blade!"

Code Select Expand


look north
North of here is the desert. It's pretty sandy.
[Very far]
Nothing.
[Far]
The buff, scarred man.
The wimpy lost merchant.
[Near]
Nothing.

To the north: The buff, scarred man speaks to wimpy lost merchant.

[Taven]

The only question is, do we want to be able to see the emote attached to the speech when watching?

I say have it affected by distance.

The echo in your second one should be "far to the north," but I approve.

+1

[Cindy42]

Using the watcher's intelligence stat in helping to determine the percentage of emotes that are seen?

[Taven]

Using the watcher's intelligence stat in helping to determine the percentage of emotes that are seen?

I don't like this. Intelligence has nothing to do with if you see something a room away. Seeing something a room away (or two) could be connected with your skill at watch, which you'd learn faster and be better at if you're smarter (the wisdom score), but a direct connection makes no sense.

[Ocotillo]

Maybe charisma could help determine if your emotes were more easily seen from far away.

[BleakOne]

Maybe charisma could help determine if your emotes were more easily seen from far away.

There's coded charisma?

[Ocotillo]

Yeah, it's listed right underneath intelligence.

[Gunnerblaster]

I'm curious as of to what Morgene's opinion on this being implemented is.

[Morgenes]

I think the idea has merit.  I honestly can't tell you why some emotes show up via watch and others don't, I'd have to look and see.  Adding the speak emotes would probably be more tricky, but certainly far from impossible.

That said, it'd require a coder with time and desire to work on it.

[Yasbusta]

*waves his hand in the air* Sign me up,

Computer geek for life

Emotes in watch would be amazing

[Marshmellow]

I think he meant a coder that is on staff as they'd still have to go through any code given to them by anyone else.

[Kalai]

This does sound like a really nice idea.