sDesc concealing greathelms

[James de Monet]

This is kind of a random tiny code want, but I'd like to see greathelms, helms with faceplates, etc, conceal the wearer's sDesc.  It probably makes more sense to do this as a mask, but I'm not sure how the mask code works.  It may only work for things worn on the face (I know the OLD mDesc mask code worked on hats, but I'm not sure if that is still in use).  Hats can have a hood option, however, and that would give players the option to keep their armor on, but not conceal their desc, maybe by pushing the faceplate up/down, or by pushing up their helm, like so:



-or-



Anyone else agree?  Seems like it would be easy to have the pbase typo them for flagging, but I could be wrong.

[TheWanderer]

make it so helmets do what masks do - the figure in a fur-lined, chitin helmet.

VIVA LA VIDA 2016

Viva la revolución, mi amigo. Muy bueno.

[Harmless]

already exists, find out IC

[James de Monet]

I'm talking about all such items, not just one.

[Lizzie]

On the one hand, I'd love it if any item that is mdescribed as face-concealing, be coded to do so. On the other hand, in the Gaj: Byn Runner #476 has training daggers wielded. Jade Saber recruit #9972 has training axes wielded. Kadian crafter recruit is drinking ale through her facewrap, while wielding her stone rasp. Random Breed is eating scrab steak through his obsidian face mask.

It'd be just another one of those things you'd have to remember to NOT wear.

I'd still love it, but I couldn't guarantee that I'd remember to take it off when it's not appropriate to wear it.

[James de Monet]

I was going to ask some people who voted 'no' to elaborate on why, but I can see that reasoning.  Hmm.

[BadSkeelz]

It'd be just another one of those things you'd have to remember to NOT wear.

I'd still love it, but I couldn't guarantee that I'd remember to take it off when it's not appropriate to wear it.

I found the desire to avoid these kind of faux pas to be good motivation for remembering that my PC was wearing such a thing, and that I should roleplay it appropriately.

I wouldn't be opposed to food and drink being disabled when wearing a facewrap, mask, or full helms. But if I feel you're going to roleplay a trait that's defining your character's appearance and behavior, you should roleplay all of it.

[Beethoven]

If the item description says that it covers the face, then you should be roleplaying accordingly (such as taking it off before drinking or eating) even if it doesn't change your sdesc. Changing the sdesc will just make it easier to remember.

[Lizzie]

If the item description says that it covers the face, then you should be roleplaying accordingly (such as taking it off before drinking or eating) even if it doesn't change your sdesc. Changing the sdesc will just make it easier to remember.

It really doesn't make it easier to remember though. The object could have the most insane, far-falootin, mind-blowing sdesc ever written but if I don't use the "emote" command, it's likely I won't see it - and therefore there's nothing there to remind me that I'm wearing it.

buy #7
hold mug
drink mug

none of these things returns an echo to me including my sdesc.

Even drink mug (waving at ~amos) won't return my sdesc to me.

I've forgotten before, and I've seen other people forget theirs MANY times. Again - it'll be just one more in a list of things people will forget they're wearing, and it'll be just one more item in a list of things that don't really make sense *icly* to forget, even though OOcly we forget them.

[Harmless]

If the item description says that it covers the face, then you should be roleplaying accordingly (such as taking it off before drinking or eating) even if it doesn't change your sdesc. Changing the sdesc will just make it easier to remember.

This is a good point. For the record I voted yes already but now I feel moreso after reading this.

[Beethoven]

If the item description says that it covers the face, then you should be roleplaying accordingly (such as taking it off before drinking or eating) even if it doesn't change your sdesc. Changing the sdesc will just make it easier to remember.

It really doesn't make it easier to remember though. The object could have the most insane, far-falootin, mind-blowing sdesc ever written but if I don't use the "emote" command, it's likely I won't see it - and therefore there's nothing there to remind me that I'm wearing it.

buy #7
hold mug
drink mug

none of these things returns an echo to me including my sdesc.

Even drink mug (waving at ~amos) won't return my sdesc to me.

I've forgotten before, and I've seen other people forget theirs MANY times. Again - it'll be just one more in a list of things people will forget they're wearing, and it'll be just one more item in a list of things that don't really make sense *icly* to forget, even though OOcly we forget them.

I dunno, I think it already doesn't make sense icly to forget greathelms that are described as covering the face. The only difference is that other people are less likely to notice. And it's a LOT easier to remember when the code reflects that, at least for me. It's not just emote, but 'look self' that reminds me of my altered sdesc, plus I just get used to thinking of that item as a face-covering item. That doesn't mean people won't forget. They will. But they are almost certainly going to forget less often, even if you will notice more often, which may make things more jarring. I guess whether that's worth it depends on what's more important to you.

When I played a noble, my PC had a servant that wore a greathelm. The desc stated that it covered the entire face. My PC was always telling him to take it off so he could see his face when he talked to him. I don't think the player realized/remembered that it covered the face, or maybe I was the only one weird enough to bother with it, but the point stands that it was already ICly unrealistic for him to be sipping ale through his greathelm. This change wouldn't make any difference with that.

[Lizzie]

I think it will make a huge difference. It already does make a huge difference, with regards to any currently-existing face-covering item. It makes a huge difference to everyone EXCEPT for the person wearing it.

And it's not because they forget that the item covers the face. It's because they forget that they're wearing it in the first place. I know, because my PC wears something almost all the time. I try to remember to take it off but sometimes I forget. And I'll be smiling and chewing food and grinning and crinkling my nose and doing all kinds of things that your character couldn't possibly see me doing, because this thing is covering my face.  The difference it'll make, if this item is changed to change my sdesc, is that it'll draw attention to it, and people will start to RP the IC-impossibility of them seeing it. It'll be even more jarring, because MORE people will notice - not merely the people who take a moment to "look" at my character. Without drawing attention to it, I can eventually notice and recover from the error. Or the scene might change and my emotes/drinks/whatever elses will be forgotten or never noticed by anyone so it won't matter.

When I wear a facewrap, I get a lot of things like:

>The tressy tressed woman looks at you with a curious expression, as though wondering how you are able to drink ale through your facewrap.

Roleplaying what is OBVIOUSLY an OOC error, simply because this OOC error is ICly obvious.

I really hate that and I'd rather not encourage it by adding more things that can cause it.

I DO try to remember to remove these things but sometimes I forget. The forgetfulness isn't an IC thing my character is doing. It's a player error.

[nauta]

I really hate that and I'd rather not encourage it by adding more things that can cause it.

All good points, Lizzie.  I know I try to do a 'look self' and then remove my helm and anything on my face before entering a bar or city, and I often forget.

But.  The suggestion isn't to 'add more things'.  The suggestion and the poll concerns the items that already exist: should we change them so that they change your sdesc or not?

I'm actually on the fence about the proposal, and here's why: people often use sdesc changing items to mask their identity in the wilds (or switch their identities) when doing cloak and dagger stuff.  So, for instance, you toss a knife at someone, then raise your hood, or you toss a knife at someone, then put on a facewrap, and so on.

While I think this is neat, I also think it's a little unrealistic.  Suppose you are wandering around with a bright pink cloak (as Sun Runners do).  Wouldn't the bright pink cloak be what people see, not the facewrap you put on?

So, probably my vote is 'sure, why not since everything else works that way' -- but I kind of think everything else shouldn't work that way.

But in an ideal world?  I'd make it so that only 'raise hood' changed your sdesc.  I'd also add scripts when entering the gates or the bar, something like:

(a) The soldier says, "Oi, take that fuckin' facewrap off."
(b) A few patrons eye you and your giant spider-claw helmet warily.
(c) You try to take a sip but fumble and reverse your own helm instead!

[flurry]

Regarding eating & drinking, maybe such items could be coded so that it's not possible to eat or drink while wearing them.

As to the sdesc-concealing issue itself, I have mixed feelings about that, because why should something like 'the spindly, one-armed man' become 'the figure wearing a jozhal-carved greathelm' or whatever? I guess those sdescs are more the exception, though.

This thread reminded me of another mud where sdescs always had the form 'the adj1, adj2 noun' and there was a clan uniform item (a robe, I think it was) that would conceal one of the adjectives and replace it with something like 'velvet-robed' so you'd have 'the adj1, velvet-robed noun.' Similar concept to templar robes, but not changing the noun.