Artifact Caches (AKA "Booty call")

[Tiernan]

Announcing a new feature in the 17 Feb 2014 release, which adds artifact caches to the world.

Want to bury your spice stash before entering Allanak?   Yes, you can!

Want to seek your fortune scavenging the wastes for profit?   Yes, you can!

Want to find a use for that antiquated 'search' skill?   Yes, well... okay that one's mostly on us.  But you get to enjoy the benefit!



Key aspects of this feature:

• PCs can bury items in a room, creating / adding to an artifact cache.  This is of course based on sector type, as you cannot bury things inside buildings and city streets, etc.
• PCs can discover artifact caches using the 'search' skill.
• PCs using 'forage artifact' will use the cache first before auto-generating code kicks in (where allowed).
• Corpses will decay and deposit their contents into an artifact cache in certain sectors.

Associated helpfiles:

• http://www.armageddon.org/help/view/bury
• http://www.armageddon.org/help/view/forage
• http://www.armageddon.org/help/view/search

Notes:

• Buried items are only retrievable through the use of the 'forage artifact' skill.
• Buried items do not persist over reboots, with the exception of anything buried in a room identified as a 'Save' room.
• Bury items at your own risk! There are no guarantees against discovery by real or virtual characters of your artifact cache.
• Do not taunt Happy, Fun Cache. *
• If Happy Fun Cache begins to smoke, seek shelter and cover head. *

* Still legal outside both city-states.   Accept no substitutes.   Facetious comments apply where required by common sense.

[Barsook]

OMG.  Thank you!

[manonfire]

WHAT

YES

THIS IS AMAZING

[Pale Horse]

I was trying for a poetic reply to this, but instead I'll just put on my silt-hat, grab my skimmer and say:

"YAAAAARRRRR!!!"

[Cutthroat]

This is an unexpected surprise. Very awesome!

[Desertman]

I've wanted this forever. Thank you very much.

[Desertman]

Also, can you bury corpses?

[manonfire]

Can you bury containers with items in them?

[Nathvaan]

Can you bury containers with items in them?

Yes you can!

[Tiernan]

Also, can you bury corpses?

Yes, you can!

Can you bury containers with items in them?

Yes, you can!

[Nathvaan]

Also, can you bury corpses?

Yes you can (if you can pick it up)!

Update: Tiernan totally beat me to it!

[Brytta Léofa]

This is completely glorious.


Won't them pesky elves attempt to grief artifact-foragers by burying hundreds of pebbles? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Saellyn]

Will there be more save rooms added to allow the burying of artifacts and neat stuff for people to find?

[Tiernan]

Will there be more save rooms added to allow the burying of artifacts and neat stuff for people to find?

No additional building is planned to retrofit the world.

[slvrmoontiger]

Wow thank you, this is amazing.

[slvrmoontiger]

One other note, is this going to allow search skill to be part of more guilds/sub/extended subguilds? For instance with this new feature I can think of a few of those that would naturally have the search skill.

[Tiernan]

One other note, is this going to allow search skill to be part of more guilds/sub/extended subguilds? For instance with this new feature I can think of a few of those that would naturally have the search skill.

No, we're not adding it to Ranger, Outdoorsman or any other guild/subguild.   I think it's fine being part of the Scavenger subguild for anyone who wants to take up a career scavenging the wastes for booty.

[Kismetic]

Could it possibly be added to the Ext Subguild Grebber?  Unless it already is.

Wow, this is the best code addition ...  Ever.  I always thought it was a cool idea on the forums, but I never thought I'd see it!

[valeria]

Wow, this is a really cool concept that I have been kind of secretly hoping for forever.  Thanks staff who worked on this!

[Irulan]

Very neat! Thanks for the hard work!

- Irulan

[JustAnotherGuy]

Really love this concept but sorta sad that it doesn't exist through reboots.  Is there any way for us to put requests to get something more permanent with a cache?

Also, what happens if I bury a chest with a ton of stuff in it that I can't lift?  Does the item show up on the ground or go into my inventory? 

[Pale Horse]

Really love this concept but sorta sad that it doesn't exist through reboots.  Is there any way for us to put requests to get something more permanent with a cache?

Also, what happens if I bury a chest with a ton of stuff in it that I can't lift?  Does the item show up on the ground or go into my inventory? 

From what was posted earlier, it seems to me that if you can't lift it, you can't bury it.

And things do persist through reboots..but, like everything else, only in save rooms.

[mattrious]

This is so amazing!!! This code addition opens up so many doors.

Damn it. I love this game. Great job guys!!

[Sephiroto]

Fuck.Yes

[ShaLeah]

This is completely GLORIOUS!

[Tiernan]

Really love this concept but sorta sad that it doesn't exist through reboots.  Is there any way for us to put requests to get something more permanent with a cache?

Currently, we do not have a persistent world that's backed by a transactional DB.  If we did, we'd also have a decay model so that things would spoil, rot, break down and all that good stuff over time.  I explored ways to add persistence to caches and came to the conclusion that it wasn't feasible given the limitations of our current engine.

Also, what happens if I bury a chest with a ton of stuff in it that I can't lift?  Does the item show up on the ground or go into my inventory?  

Same thing that happens now when you try to forage something and it doesn't fit into your inventory, it'll be on the ground but visible.

[Kankman]

Is it necessary to search and find the cache before you can forage its contents?

[James de Monet]

So awesome. Let the poop burying begin!


Edited to add:
In seriousness, I have been wanting this change for a long time. Should make the wastes far more habitable and interesting!

[Riev]

So, you can use "search" to discover the secret cache... or you can randomly "forage artifact" to pull from it (if it exists)?

Or does Search just let you know that, indeed, there is a secret cache there?


Edit: Clarification:
Can you randomly forage artifact in an area, and it will pull from a cache, if it exists? This would give high-forage PCs a reason to just randomly dig in the ground, at times.

If so, then the Search skill's only use (so far as burying items) is to determine, for a fact, there is a cache without wasting the forage attempts?

[Refugee]

Far out!!!!

[Kismetic]

This is so awesome.

[Tiernan]

Is it necessary to search and find the cache before you can forage its contents?

So, you can use "search" to discover the secret cache... or you can randomly "forage artifact" to pull from it (if it exists)?

Or does Search just let you know that, indeed, there is a secret cache there?

So we're venturing into what you'd consider good use of the code here versus code abuse.  For someone to go back and fetch what they left, they need to be able to forage it up without being reliant on the search skill.

However, I  cannot and will not condone using brute force "forage artifact" in every room you walk around the wastes in as proper and good use of the code.    It would be as bad as using brute force on "open" with every conceivable door keyword to find a hidden exit in a room.  Just because the code allows something doesn't always make it the best option to use.  You can expect the staff's position on brute force foraging to be consistent with our code abuse policy.

[Saellyn]

Okay. One more tiny clarification.

Anyone can forage artifact, that is proven.

So, let me just go off on a slight tangent.

I'm Joe Grebber warrior/hunter, and I bury myself a chest full of stuff in a save room. If I forage artifacts, will it eventually skill-roll to find THAT CHEST with all its contents? Or will it forage for the chest, or its contents one piece at a time?

[Tiernan]

We already covered that you can bury containers with items in them.  By the same logic, you can forage out containers with items in them.

[Voular]

This is very neat, thanks.

[Lizzie]

If I bury a chest..
and someone else buries a chest..
and someone else buries a chest..


and an hour later I return to retrieve my chest..

do I retrieve my own chest by default? Or do I retrieve the most recently buried one, regardless of whose it is?

or do I retrieve the least-skillfully-buried one, regardless of whose it is...

or

are multiple caches not buryable in the same room?

[Tiernan]

One cache per room.  Forage results may vary based on the real and virtual environment.  No semblance of ownership is maintained.  Once you bury it, it belongs to Zalanthas.

EDIT:  Signing off the long AMA about Forage Cache thread here.  I think we've reached a point where you can experiment with it IC and suss out the answer.

[manonfire]

Any plans to add city-based caches to the game? I'm sort of in love with the idea of dead drops in an alley somewhere.

[TheWanderer]

I can't wait to bury all of you.

[Riev]

I am now, ICly, renting out the entire square of space just north of each Allanaki Gate, for you to bury your chests and boxes of spice. I'll even TELL YOU I can guarantee their security, even if I can't! Come on down to Trader Amos' Silly Spice Sacks, today!

[Dalmeth]

However, I  cannot and will not condone using brute force "forage artifact" in every room you walk around the wastes in as proper and good use of the code.    It would be as bad as using brute force on "open" with every conceivable door keyword to find a hidden exit in a room.  Just because the code allows something doesn't always make it the best option to use.  You can expect the staff's position on brute force foraging to be consistent with our code abuse policy.

2 questions :

1. What method other than brute force should I to use when searching an area for a possible, randomly-placed cache?

2. What code abuse policy?  Can I see it?

[Potaje]

This makes me want to quit my rl job and become a treasure hunter.

[Nyr]

However, I  cannot and will not condone using brute force "forage artifact" in every room you walk around the wastes in as proper and good use of the code.    It would be as bad as using brute force on "open" with every conceivable door keyword to find a hidden exit in a room.  Just because the code allows something doesn't always make it the best option to use.  You can expect the staff's position on brute force foraging to be consistent with our code abuse policy.

2 questions :

1. What method other than brute force should I to use when searching an area for a possible, randomly-placed cache?

It really depends on the scope of what you are intending.  If you are a dwarf with the focus "dig up all of the things," it is reasonable to place an emphasis on this in your character's life.  Would it be reasonable to do this the entire time your character is logged in?  No, it would not--just like sparring constantly or doing any other coded pursuit constantly would be unreasonable.  If you are suspicious that there might be a cache in a certain area and you're looking for it, search an area methodically, sure.  But if you don't find it in a reasonable amount of time or you start spanning the entire Known World in search of something you are "sure" is there...maybe it's time to take a step back and not do that.

2. What code abuse policy?  Can I see it?

Don't do stupid stuff.  The things Tiernan mentioned are stupid things, gaming the game itself in order to achieve an end that has little to do with roleplay and a lot more to do with "winning."  On the same list would be traveling from one corner of the Known to the other because you can codedly do so, or sleeping to recover from wounds in a really stupid area because HP regen is more important than RP.  Things like that.

[FantasyWriter]

Has it been considered to add something to this effect in rooms for a certain time period?

Code Select Expand

A Room in the Desert [N, E, S, W]
     There is a lot of sand here, it is hot and dry, and something really nasty is probably about to eat your face.
The ground has recently been disturbed.

After a couple days of good weather, the disturbance in the force would disappear.
In a harsh sandstorm, it might disappear after only an in-game hour.

This would make buried cashes a little more risky for the the hoarder and a little more accessible for the scavenger.

[Barzalene]

Thank you.

[FantasyWriter]

Also..... OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG this is so f-ing awesome!!!!

[Kronibas]

Holy shit.

[Kronibas]

I think more numerous rooms in more obscure places would really help with this.

I mean, maybe a few dozen, so there will be more places to go, "Aha, maybe this will be a good place to dig."

Add a couple of dozen in places close to the city states, a dozen or so in mid-outlying regions, and a half dozen to a dozen in "shit, you're either a maxed ranger, sorcerer or polymorphed to get here, dude" places.


The more places there are to hide and dig for loot, the more badass this will be.

[Armaddict]

...why you do this -now-?  Now must play more.  Must lose characters to thirst because I cannot...stop...foraging.

[Lizzie]

Another question since it isn't mentioned in the forage help file:

Can things be buried in the same spot that "artifacts" exist? If they can, and I'm really and truly trying to find artifacts and -not- buried caches... how does the code handle that? Is there a special command for if you're trying to find only the same kind of artifacts as has historically been forageable?

[FantasyWriter]

Another question since it isn't mentioned in the forage help file:

Can things be buried in the same spot that "artifacts" exist? If they can, and I'm really and truly trying to find artifacts and -not- buried caches... how does the code handle that? Is there a special command for if you're trying to find only the same kind of artifacts as has historically been forageable?

• PCs using 'forage artifact' will use the cache first before auto-generating code kicks in (where allowed).

[Lizzie]

I missed that line, thanks. As long as I can keep foraging for my humanoid pinky bone in the ruins of Steinal without having to do something "special" I'm happy.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I think more numerous rooms in more obscure places would really help with this.

I mean, maybe a few dozen, so there will be more places to go, "Aha, maybe this will be a good place to dig."

Add a couple of dozen in places close to the city states, a dozen or so in mid-outlying regions, and a half dozen to a dozen in "shit, you're either a maxed ranger, sorcerer or polymorphed to get here, dude" places.


The more places there are to hide and dig for loot, the more badass this will be.

TO clarify, you are referring to save rooms, yeah?

[IAmJacksOpinion]

Any plans to add city-based caches to the game? I'm sort of in love with the idea of dead drops in an alley somewhere.

Ahem, take a closer look at those allies dude....

[FreeRangeVestric]

Are rooms that are marked only with [quit] rather than [save, quit] safe to bury things in? I'd imagine not, but I just wanted to be sure!

[boog]

Tiernan for president!

(OF MY HEART.)

[Dalmeth]

Are rooms that are marked only with [quit] rather than [save, quit] safe to bury things in? I'd imagine not, but I just wanted to be sure!

It must explicitly be a save room.  Quit-safe is not enough.

[Zoan]

Can you cache it up in the 'rinth? That's the kind of place where you'd want to hide your valuables, not carry them on you.

[Kevo]

Wtf. Awesome. This is just amazing, and while I know some of the generalities have been suggested before, whoever figured out how to code and implement this, kudos to you good Sir/Madam.

[jhunter]

Hmm. I return to see this. Very cool! 

[williamson]

Hmm. I return to see this. Very cool! 

Welcome back.