If you were a builder, what would you build?

[Taven]

Awhile back, we had the "Builder" role introduced to accommodate the willingness of players to help assist on a lot of staff-related things that didn't include facilitating IC storytelling. They assist with writing descriptions and items for various staff projects. There was a lot of player enthuiasm for the role, and while only a few positions were accepted, there were a lot of applications, as I recall.

So I had a question for you all: If you were a builder, and got to pick what you built, what would you build?

Remember that these qualifications would have to apply:

• It's something being built, not coded. It can't be a coded change or initiative in that regard. It can, however, be new items, rooms, or take advantage of existing code.
• It couldn't be something that would benefit your current PC, or give you an advantage in the game--Instead, focus on things that would help other segments or players as a whole

Note also that this thread is 100% for fun and has no actual bearing on anything being built, nor is it intended to pressure anyone. Just have fun brainstorming!

[whitt]

Some sort of shady hole in the wall fighting-pit / brothel / gambling den in the Commoner's Quarter.  Somewhere that was just shy of entering the Rinth as far as questionable activities.

[Taven]

If I was a builder, I would build...

• More non-silk, higher-end outfits in southern fashion
• More variety of very cheap, run-of-the-mill outfits, that super poor PCs or your average NPC would have
• Recipes for existing GMH crafts that currently are uncraftable
• More interesting echoes/any echoes for inside of various clan compounds. If codedly possible, make these different depending on time of day.
• Talk scripts for more NPCs
• More Storm-focused trade goods that involve richer PCs/are marketed to richer PCs (silt pearl-based and other silt items)
• Echoes for the village of Morin's in areas that are lacking them
• More variety of tribal items traded in Luirs
• More clan-crafts for tribes (Sun Runner, Al Siek, Arabet, Soh, and Akei Ta Var)
• More tattoos for everywhere, but especially focusing on rinthi tattoos/intentional scarring

[Molten Heart]

I'd add civilized settlements and surrounding wastes and wilderness areas to the Silt Sea.

An island pirate stronghold (Port Royal style) open to like minded visitors, but rough and dangerous like the Labyrinth or a slightly more lawless Red Storm Village.

At least one city or settlement on the far shore allowing trade across the sea to be something players can participate in, not just virtual. Players (and the rest of the virtual world) could compete over trading in raw and finished goods there while negotiating all of the dangers.

[Old Kank]

• Caves.  Lots and lots of caves.  A whole subterranean network, possible settlements, all that fun stuff.
• More in-depth ruins that you can actually explore, rather than just vague, "the ruins of an old encampment are here" type things.

[Kankfly]

Steinal!

Or at least the ruins of Steinal. It has to exist somewhere. Right??

[Eyeball]

Several set piece scenarios that staff could spontaneously hook up to the world and provide some unexpected adventures, for one.

[Narf]

Several set piece scenarios that staff could spontaneously hook up to the world and provide some unexpected adventures, for one.

That would be fun! And if they were generic enough you could probably keep using them about once a year or so.

[Malken]

Not sure if it's a builder's job, but I would turn every non-craftable objects I can get my hands on into craftable ones.

[Patuk]

ctrl+c ctrl+v Almoxene docs

A crammed building, some lady elf with a rhomphaia, some kid handing out dried meat

celf clan 2015

[Jihelu]

I would make it possible to piss in jars and keep it.
Or something.


I am not a smart man.

[Erythil]

Loads and loads of ruins and points of interest that make travel more rewarding and encourage exploration.

[Majikal]

Loads and loads of ruins and points of interest that make travel more rewarding and encourage exploration.

Would be tight to just have a spice patch type of code with ruins and poi popping up across the known.
But no coded ideas.


I would DEFINITELY focus on making the uncraftable craftable, I like building items.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

Lots of different food recipes from both extremes and the middle, from dried rat meat to a modified ceviche (with citron leaves and raw meat rather than citrus and fish). I've dreamed of making different foods that could fit into our desert low-tech world, that people would use for the luxurious and taste or the ease of packing on the go or cheapness.

[Delirium]

Tons of caves and ruins and subterranean tunnels, and air rooms for the red desert. Lots of details added to existing rooms that make it rewarding to stop and explore and look around and pay attention to your surroundings. Write up the stories for any new places and dig up the ones for places that do exist and make sure they're all discover-able in-game somehow, but not all in one place, so you have to ask around and involve a number of people before you can find out.

Tweak and balance the animal / NPC population until they are a good, close approximation of the virtual balance (so, maybe cut down on a few critters and add in others, and add in roving elven and raider NPCs in appropriate areas, as well as human tribals and northern/southern hunters, etc, etc, etc.)

I'd take a look at the markets and add in shops (especially hide buyers), lower selling prices across the board but make sure anything you have can be sold.

So yes, you can sell all of those chalton hides, even if it's only for 5 sid per.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

It is kind of ridiculous what they will sell chalton horns for, and there's only five in the city you can buy. People have to leave them lying around, which isn't very desperate-hunter like.

[In Dreams]

Could a builder find a way to add support for simple variations on basic crafts?

If I can make a tregil-carved flower vase, why can't I make a flower-carved flower vase, or a quirri-carved flower vase, or a chalton-carved flower vase? Etc etc.

There needs to be more support short of "mastercraft it" to make simple things, and simple variations on things (purely for flavour) that PCs would be able to make with their crafting.

[Taven]

Could a builder find a way to add support for simple variations on basic crafts?

If I can make a tregil-carved flower vase, why can't I make a flower-carved flower vase, or a quirri-carved flower vase, or a chalton-carved flower vase? Etc etc.

There needs to be more support short of "mastercraft it" to make simple things, and simple variations on things (purely for flavour) that PCs would be able to make with their crafting.

I don't think builders can actually MAKE new MC objects, but they can certainly write them up.

However, what you describe sounds like a significant code change that would require changing how MCs function. Which would be pretty neat, but require a massive overhaul of everything, I'd imagine.

[Lizzie]

If I were a builder I'd tweak the NPC merchants this way:
1) They now recognize PCs. (they already do - so this step is complete)
2) They will buy 2 of "each" of whatever that PC has to sell that the NPC typically buys, per RL week.
3) Instead of kicking the PC out if the PC over-haggles, they will return to their initial offer, and stick with it, for the next 24 RL hours, on that particular item.
4) They will not reject offers for other items from that PC, if they have resorted to #3.
5) This will be for both buying and selling from and to the NPC.

If I were a builder I'd have the scripting tools to do the above. In C++ it involves arrays, but arrays can be made into user-friendly scripting tools by the coder. The tools would need, therefore, to be built by the coder - but once those tools exist, any builder assigned to that task would have access to them.

[Fujikoma]

I'd animate Tektolnes and feast on the blood of the living!

I mean, wait. I'd make all kinds of crafts for players to discover. Is there even a use for Kagor leather? I'd go through potential components and make crafts for them. There's no reason a player, who has to wait a RL MONTH, should have to blow their one mastercraft on a leather buttwipe in order to expand a hide's usefullness beyond zero. I'd also try to fix the markets, if the option was available.

And honestly, I'd force all dwarves to start with a false beard on their face.

EDIT: I should say, I highly approve of the new Stormer gear, and have sent in kudos for it, still have yet to discover all the recipes. I'd like to see more things like this, with other materials. Considering mastercrafting anything can get your long-lived PC ghosted, it's refreshing when staff adds these sorts of recipes for independants to explore and tinker with. I mean, what, some weapons and shit armor? Who's Salarr going to fuck up for /that/? You want to get pissy, GMH, take it up with staff, there simply weren't enough recipes.

Also, starter shop items, I'd make the most popular ones craftable, then work on the least. It's a rediculous hunt, IMO, to find something that makes your c-elf concept work.

[Alesan]

leather buttwipe

Someone make this happen.

[AdamBlue]

Everything that is made should be craftable. From a broken barrel shield.
I would find an extremely hard to find way for a real character to really actually find metal, even if in small amounts. Likely having to go through an ancient dungeon of ancient evil to try and wrench the grip of a broken steel sword from someone who died thousands of years ago fighting monsters long dead.
I'd create more dangerous places with massive monsters. Cave Mekillots.
I'd make more creatures to inhabit the world.
I'd ensure that there is always a new adventure to be found through suddenly and unannounced locations in commonly visited places.

[The Silence of the Erdlus]

After what Fujikoma said, I'd add at least two practical crafting recipes for every worked leather in the game (that way you've got a choice between boots and gloves for example.) From what I've heard some of the leathers don't even have recipes.

[Desertman]

Scripted commoner NPC's that walk around just being commoners doing commoner things for no other reason than to add atmosphere to the area they happen to be in. (I know we have a few of these already, but the thing I really want to add is MORE of them, and more talking scripts that more deeply detail them as people/give away more of their details.)

A guy who walks from a hovel in the commons every morning to dig dung at the stables, then walks to the poo buyer, then back to his hovel at night. He talks about his job/his thoughts/his little existence throughout his day.

A beggar who sleeps in the dorms of the Gaj who wakes up every morning to go sit outside of the water temple in Meleth's to beg for water before going back to sleep in the dorms every night.

Things like that. Things that don't matter but things that would be interesting to see moving about in their element. If you followed them and actually listened to them you would actually learn things about them/their life/their history just by observing them on their "route".

[Ath]

Scripted commoner NPC's that walk around just being commoners doing commoner things for no other reason than to add atmosphere to the area they happen to be in. (I know we have a few of these already, but the thing I really want to add is MORE of them, and more talking scripts that more deeply detail them as people/give away more of their details.)

A guy who walks from a hovel in the commons every morning to dig dung at the stables, then walks to the poo buyer, then back to his hovel at night. He talks about his job/his thoughts/his little existence throughout his day.

A beggar who sleeps in the dorms of the Gaj who wakes up every morning to go sit outside of the water temple in Meleth's to beg for water before going back to sleep in the dorms every night.

Things like that. Things that don't matter but things that would be interesting to see moving about in their element. If you followed them and actually listened to them you would actually learn things about them/their life/their history just by observing them on their "route".

This might make an interesting project.  Talk scripts are not that hard to add in and I could see a few NPCs being given a random echo script to add a bit of flavor.

[manipura]

Some random thoughts... 

I'd give the NPCs of the Known light sources.  So when a moonless night comes along, there aren't commoners and especially templars and soldiers standing in the street in the dark.

Like Fujikoma said, I'd add at least a couple crafting recipes for certain items in game that just...have no use.  Kagor hides are what comes to mind immediately. 

Also, all those gems that are easy to find but are essentially useless?  I'd make basic recipes for them, or at least make them able to be polished.  Tourmaline, lapis lazuli, beryl etc.

One thing that annoys me is how different coloured fabrics in game don't have the same crafting options.  I should be able to make all the same items with any colour of fabric.
It's horribly frustrating to try to stay IC and explain to someone (usually a newer player who doesn't know how crafting works) why I just can't make them this item in black instead of white. 
Or to explain that I could get them a white linen tent...but not white sandcloth.  A green sandcloth tent, that could be done.  But not white sandcloth.  Or black.

Along those same lines, I'd fix the instances where different coloured items don't behave the same way.  Like when you craft two identical items and then experience:

Code Select Expand

close red.pack
You close a red sandcloth pack.

close blue.pack
You can't find a way to close a blue sandcloth pack.

Oh.  And while it isn't' something in-game...I'd add some sort of notification thingie...so that when a bug was fixed, the player who submitted it would know about it. 
Whenever I see my name on the updates page and then I see some number of bugs/typos/ideas I've submitted have been taken care of, I get all curious wondering just what has been fixed.

[Desertman]

Scripted commoner NPC's that walk around just being commoners doing commoner things for no other reason than to add atmosphere to the area they happen to be in. (I know we have a few of these already, but the thing I really want to add is MORE of them, and more talking scripts that more deeply detail them as people/give away more of their details.)

A guy who walks from a hovel in the commons every morning to dig dung at the stables, then walks to the poo buyer, then back to his hovel at night. He talks about his job/his thoughts/his little existence throughout his day.

A beggar who sleeps in the dorms of the Gaj who wakes up every morning to go sit outside of the water temple in Meleth's to beg for water before going back to sleep in the dorms every night.

Things like that. Things that don't matter but things that would be interesting to see moving about in their element. If you followed them and actually listened to them you would actually learn things about them/their life/their history just by observing them on their "route".

This might make an interesting project.  Talk scripts are not that hard to add in and I could see a few NPCs being given a random echo script to add a bit of flavor.

If at some point a ST has time to take it on I will be good for three or four. Just throw up the call/shoot a request.

[Fujikoma]

Add an over shoulder wearloc to all pack items.

[Delirium]

I'm actually not hugely fond of the roving NPCs and world echos. They feel static and forced and actually jerk me OUT of the game more than they immerse me into it. I prefer having a virtual backdrop that can be brought to life when it's appropriate to the scene rather than being deluged with yet another echo of yet another half-elf puking on the floor.

[Delirium]

Add an over shoulder wearloc to all pack items.

satchels and small bags yes. Packs no. hiking packs aren't schoolbags, you don't want to carry 40-50lbs of weight through the desert on one shoulder.

[Fujikoma]

Add an over shoulder wearloc to all pack items.

satchels and small bags yes. Packs no. hiking packs aren't schoolbags, you don't want to carry 40-50lbs of weight through the desert on one shoulder.

I once carried a fat old television a mile and a half through the desert. I was out of shape, wouldn't want to do it again, but I'm assuming the average Zalanthan is made of tougher stuff than I am. There's at least one pack with an over the shoulder wearloc.

[Refugee]

Probably falls under the duties of a coder more than a builder, but I'd like to be able to delete large quantities of things without having to do it one by one.

[LauraMars]

I'm actually not hugely fond of the roving NPCs and world echos. They feel static and forced and actually jerk me OUT of the game more than they immerse me into it. I prefer having a virtual backdrop that can be brought to life when it's appropriate to the scene rather than being deluged with yet another echo of yet another half-elf puking on the floor.

Echos that are about very specific events, are in my opinion examples of echos done incorrectly.  I fear that a lot of the echos in the Gaj fall under the "echos done incorrectly" category.  One that comes to mind is an echo about a female dwarf stumbling near the bar and throwing up. How many vomiting dwarves are there?  Why specify that it's a female dwarf - why specify that it's a dwarf at all?  You get the impression that there are female dwarves vomiting near the bar several times a day, and I'm not sure how realistic that is.  If I were to rewrite that echo, I'd simply change it to something like "You hear the sound of someone vomiting nearby."

Another one that regularly fired in the Sanctuary was about an elf that ran in to steal a bottle of wine and was dragged off by templars or soldiers or something.  How often is that specific event (an elf trying to steal wine and being taken away by the law) going to happen throughout the day, in a relatively classy/well patrolled location?  Are all elves in Tuluk honestly that stupid that they try to steal wine several times a day?

I like echos that are done right, which are ambient, don't reference anything glaringly specific, and remind a player about the environment around them.

The smell of desert-worthy folk surrounding you (you're in a tavern, surrounded by people who are outdoors regularly) the wind whistling in your ears (you're in a high place outdoors), and the fading light that gleams through stained glass windows (there are stained glass windows here, and it's sunset) are all examples of echos being done right, imo.

[Desertman]

I'm actually not hugely fond of the roving NPCs and world echos. They feel static and forced and actually jerk me OUT of the game more than they immerse me into it. I prefer having a virtual backdrop that can be brought to life when it's appropriate to the scene rather than being deluged with yet another echo of yet another half-elf puking on the floor.

Echos that are about very specific events, are in my opinion examples of echos done incorrectly.  I fear that a lot of the echos in the Gaj fall under the "echos done incorrectly" category.  One that comes to mind is an echo about a female dwarf stumbling near the bar and throwing up. How many vomiting dwarves are there?  Why specify that it's a female dwarf - why specify that it's a dwarf at all?  You get the impression that there are female dwarves vomiting near the bar several times a day, and I'm not sure how realistic that is.  If I were to rewrite that echo, I'd simply change it to something like "You hear the sound of someone vomiting nearby."

Another one that regularly fired in the Sanctuary was about an elf that ran in to steal a bottle of wine and was dragged off by templars or soldiers or something.  How often is that specific event (an elf trying to steal wine and being taken away by the law) going to happen throughout the day, in a relatively classy/well patrolled location?  Are all elves in Tuluk honestly that stupid that they try to steal wine several times a day?

I like echos that are done right, which are ambient, don't reference anything glaringly specific, and remind a player about the environment around them.

The smell of desert-worthy folk surrounding you (you're in a tavern, surrounded by people who are outdoors regularly) the wind whistling in your ears (you're in a high place outdoors), and the fading light that gleams through stained glass windows (there are stained glass windows here, and it's sunset) are all examples of echos being done right, imo.

These don't bother me. They are atmospheric. I mentally file it away as, "This is an example of the sorts of things that happen here, this doesn't mean it happens every single time it hits the screen.".

That might be a hardline issue for some people, but for me all it is telling me is, "Here is an example of what atmosphere you are in.". Rarely do people actually respond to them and most of the time they shouldn't in my opinion.

If I took it literally as, "This happens every single time in exactly this way every single time it pops up on the screen.", it might bother me....but I just don't take it that way.

Editing to Add: I do see your point and agree this would be jarring if we were supposed to treat this as an actual action taking place forty eight times a day...I just don't think we are meant to.

[Jihelu]

Could you make alternating random things in the background like.
"You hear someone vomitting in the background"
Has a chance to be
"You see a red-headed human vomit and pass out"
Or
"You see a (X) elf vomit and pass out"

[CodeMaster]

I'm actually not hugely fond of the roving NPCs and world echos. They feel static and forced and actually jerk me OUT of the game more than they immerse me into it. I prefer having a virtual backdrop that can be brought to life when it's appropriate to the scene rather than being deluged with yet another echo of yet another half-elf puking on the floor.

Echos that are about very specific events, are in my opinion examples of echos done incorrectly.  I fear that a lot of the echos in the Gaj fall under the "echos done incorrectly" category.  One that comes to mind is an echo about a female dwarf stumbling near the bar and throwing up. How many vomiting dwarves are there?  Why specify that it's a female dwarf - why specify that it's a dwarf at all?  You get the impression that there are female dwarves vomiting near the bar several times a day, and I'm not sure how realistic that is.  If I were to rewrite that echo, I'd simply change it to something like "You hear the sound of someone vomiting nearby."

Another one that regularly fired in the Sanctuary was about an elf that ran in to steal a bottle of wine and was dragged off by templars or soldiers or something.  How often is that specific event (an elf trying to steal wine and being taken away by the law) going to happen throughout the day, in a relatively classy/well patrolled location?  Are all elves in Tuluk honestly that stupid that they try to steal wine several times a day?

These are great points.  Some of the newer areas in the game have some great, unspecific ambient echos going on.  The room echos in many of the games' taverns are awesome, but they're elaborate and specific -- like a guitar solo amid drumbeats.  The drumbeats are easier to integrate into the background, but the guitar solos start to get a little too familiar.

It's a weird analogy, but I was making a texture bitmap tiles meant to represent a marble surface in a game, once.  These bitmaps had to be tiled together, so none of them could be too unique to avoid a repetitious visual effect.

If I were a builder I might try to tune a few of these echoes to be less specific (less about specific vnpcs peeing, more about the scent of urine wafting through the area; less about specific punches, specific bones cracking, and specific teeth flying through the air, more about the swell of noise and shouting from a brawl somewhere in the bar) and -- because I'm anal -- be less than 80 characters wide.

I'd also look at items that are meant to decorate rooms (statues, pieces of art, and so on) and try to make those less than 80 characters wide, too.  Just to be consistent.  If rooms are wrapped at 80 chars, the items that are essentially add-ons to the room description should be too.

[LauraMars]

I'm actually not hugely fond of the roving NPCs and world echos. They feel static and forced and actually jerk me OUT of the game more than they immerse me into it. I prefer having a virtual backdrop that can be brought to life when it's appropriate to the scene rather than being deluged with yet another echo of yet another half-elf puking on the floor.

Echos that are about very specific events, are in my opinion examples of echos done incorrectly.  I fear that a lot of the echos in the Gaj fall under the "echos done incorrectly" category.  One that comes to mind is an echo about a female dwarf stumbling near the bar and throwing up. How many vomiting dwarves are there?  Why specify that it's a female dwarf - why specify that it's a dwarf at all?  You get the impression that there are female dwarves vomiting near the bar several times a day, and I'm not sure how realistic that is.  If I were to rewrite that echo, I'd simply change it to something like "You hear the sound of someone vomiting nearby."

Another one that regularly fired in the Sanctuary was about an elf that ran in to steal a bottle of wine and was dragged off by templars or soldiers or something.  How often is that specific event (an elf trying to steal wine and being taken away by the law) going to happen throughout the day, in a relatively classy/well patrolled location?  Are all elves in Tuluk honestly that stupid that they try to steal wine several times a day?

I like echos that are done right, which are ambient, don't reference anything glaringly specific, and remind a player about the environment around them.

The smell of desert-worthy folk surrounding you (you're in a tavern, surrounded by people who are outdoors regularly) the wind whistling in your ears (you're in a high place outdoors), and the fading light that gleams through stained glass windows (there are stained glass windows here, and it's sunset) are all examples of echos being done right, imo.

These don't bother me. They are atmospheric. I mentally file it away as, "This is an example of the sorts of things that happen here, this doesn't mean it happens every single time it hits the screen.".

That might be a hardline issue for some people, but for me all it is telling me is, "Here is an example of what atmosphere you are in.". Rarely do people actually respond to them and most of the time they shouldn't in my opinion.

If I took it literally as, "This happens every single time in exactly this way every single time it pops up on the screen.", it might bother me....but I just don't take it that way.

Editing to Add: I do see your point and agree this would be jarring if we were supposed to treat this as an actual action taking place forty eight times a day...I just don't think we are meant to.

A new player can't tell the difference between a code-fired echo pulsing and a staff member using the "echo room" command.  The first time I saw the wine-stealing elf echo in the Sanctuary I reacted ICly and started talking about it to people, thinking it was actually happening.  Then it happened about 10 more times over the course of the next hour.  The only reason we know these occurrences are not staff or some other event with an active human brain behind it is because we've seen them a zillion times and we OOCly know they're programmed.  It's nice that you've trained yourself to let them sink into the background, but that doesn't mean they're a good example of ambiance.   The best kind of echo is the one you don't HAVE to wonder if you should react to, because there's not a whole lot to react to.

(All apologies to staff members who have written mini-stories featuring specific vnpcs as regularly-firing echos. We can agree to disagree.)

[Alesan]

A new player can't tell the difference between a code-fired echo pulsing and a staff member using the "echo room" command.  The first time I saw the wine-stealing elf echo in the Sanctuary I reacted ICly and started talking about it to people, thinking it was actually happening.  Then it happened about 10 more times over the course of the next hour.  The only reason we know these occurrences are not staff or some other event with an active human brain behind it is because we've seen them a zillion times and we OOCly know they're programmed.  It's nice that you've trained yourself to let them sink into the background, but that doesn't mean they're a good example of ambiance.   The best kind of echo is the one you don't HAVE to wonder if you should react to, because there's not a whole lot to react to.

(All apologies to staff members who have written mini-stories featuring specific vnpcs as regularly-firing echos. We can agree to disagree.)

+1

[Desertman]

A new player can't tell the difference between a code-fired echo pulsing and a staff member using the "echo room" command.  The first time I saw the wine-stealing elf echo in the Sanctuary I reacted ICly and started talking about it to people, thinking it was actually happening.  Then it happened about 10 more times over the course of the next hour.  The only reason we know these occurrences are not staff or some other event with an active human brain behind it is because we've seen them a zillion times and we OOCly know they're programmed.  It's nice that you've trained yourself to let them sink into the background, but that doesn't mean they're a good example of ambiance.   The best kind of echo is the one you don't HAVE to wonder if you should react to, because there's not a whole lot to react to.

(All apologies to staff members who have written mini-stories featuring specific vnpcs as regularly-firing echos. We can agree to disagree.)

+1

I'm trying to think if I've ever seen a single person react to them....I haven't. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I am saying that I've never once seen it. *shrug*

It makes me think it's not a big deal.

[Alesan]

I've seen plenty of people respond to them. But, let's not derail the topic too much.

[Armaddict]

A new player can't tell the difference between a code-fired echo pulsing and a staff member using the "echo room" command.  The first time I saw the wine-stealing elf echo in the Sanctuary I reacted ICly and started talking about it to people, thinking it was actually happening.  Then it happened about 10 more times over the course of the next hour.  The only reason we know these occurrences are not staff or some other event with an active human brain behind it is because we've seen them a zillion times and we OOCly know they're programmed.  It's nice that you've trained yourself to let them sink into the background, but that doesn't mean they're a good example of ambiance.   The best kind of echo is the one you don't HAVE to wonder if you should react to, because there's not a whole lot to react to.

(All apologies to staff members who have written mini-stories featuring specific vnpcs as regularly-firing echos. We can agree to disagree.)

+1

I'm trying to think if I've ever seen a single person react to them....I haven't. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I am saying that I've never once seen it. *shrug*

It makes me think it's not a big deal.

They're responded to often, and are often used as proof of what is happening all the time in a place on the GDB.

I think the labyrinth ambient echoes are stellar.

On topic:  I would definitely build a lot more crafting recipes (I feel like every PC in the known should be able to tailor their own specific 'look' without the price range having to vary so much).  And I would also like 'the wilderness' to be much larger and more expansive, but filled with more small shelters and nooks and crannies and places to explore/survive.  It's not that everyone should be able to just live out there, but it should take longer to travel, and because of this, traveling to the far reaches of the known should be something that takes you out of the city for more than an hour or two.  Make a trip/event out of it.

[LauraMars]

If I were a builder I might try to tune a few of these echoes to be less specific (less about specific vnpcs peeing, more about the scent of urine wafting through the area; less about specific punches, specific bones cracking, and specific teeth flying through the air, more about the swell of noise and shouting from a brawl somewhere in the bar) and -- because I'm anal -- be less than 80 characters wide.

I'd also look at items that are meant to decorate rooms (statues, pieces of art, and so on) and try to make those less than 80 characters wide, too.  Just to be consistent.  If rooms are wrapped at 80 chars, the items that are essentially add-ons to the room description should be too.

When a player emotes it can be longer than 80 characters wide.  So when an echo fires I don't mind if it maintains consistency with emotes since I see them as environmental emotes that happen automatically.

Completely with you on making sure object ldescs are the same length as the room description though.  Gosh darn line wrap, always ruining my day.

I also don't like it when description paragraphs end with a single word on the last line, but perhaps that's just me.  *shiver*

#justanalthings

[FantasyWriter]

Red desert echos are some of my favorites.

[Jave]

If I were a builder, I would accidentally change all the keywords of a dustcloak to the keywords for siltfruit and confuse the hell out of the poor player whose character was wearing one till Nergal and Seidhr came along and fixed my dumb mistake.

>_>
<_<

Hypothetically speaking ...