The Unseen Way and Distance

[RogueGunslinger]

Well, I didn't say always. Just said it can.

[Dalmeth]

Let's look at it this way : how about we increase the strength of barrier with distance?  Yeah?  Sounds good, right?

[Delirium]

Let's look at it this way : how about we increase the strength of barrier with distance?  Yeah?  Sounds good, right?

Elegant. I like it.

[MeTekillot]

What if, like, Zalanthan minds act like cell-phone towers ( i don't think this is how cell towers work but entertain my metaphor/simile )


and the further you are from a group of people, the harder it is to contact you.

but if there are people between you and the guy trying to contact you, contacting you is easier???

[Creslin]

May have been brought up already but the problem with something like this is that the zone lines would screw it all up. Good example, heading half-way to Red Storm - people can be 1 room away from each other and be in different zones. It's also possible that certain "areas" use multiple attached zones while still being considered one area.

They would have to use a modified version of Diku/Circle mobile tracking code to determine the number of rooms away a target is when the "contact" connection is made and based it on total number of rooms away instead of what zone you are in. This can be incredibly taxing code-wise to do frequently though...

Let's look at it this way : how about we increase the strength of barrier with distance?  Yeah?  Sounds good, right?

Again, would have to use code that traverses a path between characters to determine the number of rooms between them, like mobile tracking that Diku/Circle use, and base this on total rooms away but again if done very frequently can be taxing on the MUD.

[kayza]

Perhaps the Way just is not affected by distance.  That seems pretty plausible to me if you are trying to argue that it should be for IC reasons.

[Ktavialt]

May have been brought up already but the problem with something like this is that the zone lines would screw it all up. Good example, heading half-way to Red Storm - people can be 1 room away from each other and be in different zones. It's also possible that certain "areas" use multiple attached zones while still being considered one area.

This can be partially alleviated by making the barrier strength amplifier for adjacent zones minimal... i.e. it really kicks in when its two zones away.

[RogueGunslinger]

Perhaps the Way just is not affected by distance.  That seems pretty plausible to me if you are trying to argue that it should be for IC reasons.

It already is affected by distance.

[kayza]

Perhaps the Way just is not affected by distance.  That seems pretty plausible to me if you are trying to argue that it should be for IC reasons.

It already is affected by distance.

Well fine : p

[AdamBlue]

If you really think about it, the Way is the reason that civilzation in Armageddon hasn't advanced farther, education-wise.
The need for written language arose due to the need to tell someone a message from far away that you cannot immediately talk to. Far away also accounts for time, as stories written down were first made so that those who read it in the future could take the advice and enjoyment from the stories and improve their own lives.

The range of scopes of the uses for language can be as simple as a shopping list, to a poet for a lady you wish to tickle your fancy with but cannot let her father know in the night, to a general sending a message to a sect of the army in his own words and specifying what exactly to do. People found uses for literature far greater then the original want.

The Way breaks everything.

Why do you need to get a messenger boy to tell a friend to say hello? Just contact him. That damsel caught your fancy? 'contact the big-titted, childbearing-hipped broad' and 'psi Hey baby, how about I show you how I thrust with my steak sabre/pork sword/salami stiletto/ribeye rapier?'

With the Way, if you wanna tell someone a story, CONTACT THEM. CONTACT ANYONE YOU WANT. Wanna meet new people? Contact black-haired. Contact girl. Contact muscular. You wanna scream at someone? CONTACT FUCKNUTS. PSI FUCK YOU. CEASE.
Sure, this may get you killed,  but you can still DO IT.
Just a thought.

[Nyr]

The Way works the way it works.  Unfortunately I can't really elaborate on that as it is an IC phenomenon.  We can look at things like "hey, is it too hard for newbies to contact people?"  (we did in the past)  We can also look at things like "hey, are these skillchecks working right?" on our side.  When it gets down into "hey, can we alter or discuss the IC fabric of what the Way is, even if the fabric of what the Way is is actually based on the code itself?" we get into the "...we can't give you an answer on that, please find out IC" territory.