Idea: Waiting and RL matchups hindering plots

[Evilone]

As for finding gmh, have we put merchant trainee ranks too far up the chain? Personally I think it should be a first level rank if people want to do that. Don't give them access to the warehouses, but let them sell. A couple gmh atm have very few sellers, and they cant cover a large range of playtimes, and even then, they need to not just be vending machines and actually have some fun doing other stuff too.

[Riev]

I'm kind of on board with the "leave a message with someone at a 'messaging post' location" idea, only if messages are passed via whisper from the NPC on a script. That way, people CAN hang out in the message post and listen in on who is looking for who, and why. Its FAR better than the 100% imperviousness of mindworms.

[Majikal]

I'm kind of on board with the "leave a message with someone at a 'messaging post' location" idea, only if messages are passed via whisper from the NPC on a script. That way, people CAN hang out in the message post and listen in on who is looking for who, and why. Its FAR better than the 100% imperviousness of mindworms.

the message room [NESW]
A message-delivering npc
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*
*a strange shadow is here, idling*

[Riev]

Honestly, I'd be all for that. It didn't stop other high-karma PCs from doing similar things in game. I'd assume most of the messages left would be cryptic anyways, or information about GMH orders? Who knows! Better than shadowing into an apartment and overhearing a whisper and then they log out.

[Desertman]

I would rather see this facilitated via PCs hiring other PCs to deliver messages for them.

Failing that I would rather see this done via literacy.

Failing that, I would rather not see this.

[bardlyone]

stuff

I actually really like the idea. My playtimes prevent me from being on from about 3-9pm server time damn near any day so if I want to get in touch with someone who only plays during "peak times" I'm pretty screwed.

I'm all for more literacy, d-man. Even if it's something you can only have once you're lifesworn to one of the big boy houses/families in game to get. Having played a different RPI with it and gotten to come back across writings one pc of mine had left over a RL year later and having them factor into evidence of a plot regarding murder most foul: hell yes, literacy plz.

[Desertman]

stuff

I actually really like the idea. My playtimes prevent me from being on from about 3-9pm server time damn near any day so if I want to get in touch with someone who only plays during "peak times" I'm pretty screwed.

I'm all for more literacy, d-man. Even if it's something you can only have once you're lifesworn to one of the big boy houses/families in game to get. Having played a different RPI with it and gotten to come back across writings one pc of mine had left over a RL year later and having them factor into evidence of a plot regarding murder most foul: hell yes, literacy plz.

What prevents you from hiring someone currently to act as your peak time messenger?

[bardlyone]

stuff

I actually really like the idea. My playtimes prevent me from being on from about 3-9pm server time damn near any day so if I want to get in touch with someone who only plays during "peak times" I'm pretty screwed.

I'm all for more literacy, d-man. Even if it's something you can only have once you're lifesworn to one of the big boy houses/families in game to get. Having played a different RPI with it and gotten to come back across writings one pc of mine had left over a RL year later and having them factor into evidence of a plot regarding murder most foul: hell yes, literacy plz.

What prevents you from hiring someone currently to act as your peak time messenger?

Being one of any number of clan members who receive no pay. Being one of any number of pcs with no viable money making skills and the restriction of not leaving the city.

For the pcs with literally no income: what are you supposed to be hiring these people with?

And, just allow me to interject here, this is not an issue specific to the current character I have. This is a set of circumstances that should be taken into account given that 1/2 the starting positions with gmhs, all byn starting positions, come with this opening salary: 0 coins, but food and shelter.

What part of that do you pay messengers with?

[Desertman]

stuff

I actually really like the idea. My playtimes prevent me from being on from about 3-9pm server time damn near any day so if I want to get in touch with someone who only plays during "peak times" I'm pretty screwed.

I'm all for more literacy, d-man. Even if it's something you can only have once you're lifesworn to one of the big boy houses/families in game to get. Having played a different RPI with it and gotten to come back across writings one pc of mine had left over a RL year later and having them factor into evidence of a plot regarding murder most foul: hell yes, literacy plz.

What prevents you from hiring someone currently to act as your peak time messenger?

Being one of any number of clan members who receive no pay. Being one of any number of pcs with no viable money making skills and the restriction of not leaving the city.

For the pcs with literally no income: what are you supposed to be hiring these people with?

And, just allow me to interject here, this is not an issue specific to the current character I have. This is a set of circumstances that should be taken into account given that 1/2 the starting positions with gmhs, all byn starting positions, come with this opening salary: 0 coins, but food and shelter.

What part of that do you pay messengers with?

If money is your issue how are you going to be able to pay the messenger NPC? You already don't have money to pay a PC. Is this NPC ran by a Zalanthan charity?

[bardlyone]

And, just allow me to interject here, this is not an issue specific to the current character I have.

[Riev]

I am all for anything that increases the need to communicate with players and PCs outside of your current norm. I'm not a huge fan of implementing methods that remove the need to talk to other people.

However, if I need to talk to someone (a superior, say) in my OWN CLAN... and I don't mesh playtimes with them, what do I do? Hire a messenger? That seems foolish. Post on the internal GDB? Send them a PM? Communicate in methods outside of the game?

Does my characters plotline have to skew off because I am suddenly unable to communicate with people I technically should have access to every day?

I saw that, because the issue has been brought up before, and that is the playerbase's answer. Change clans. That shouldn't be the option because I cannot communicate with a single person.

[nauta]

The more I read this thread, the more I like the idea of an NPC messenger.

I think it's something Reiloth said up above, namely, that often the messages are the sorts of things you want to read, sort, then get on with the RP, e.g., "Bob wants to contact you about the order", "Suzy died to scrab.", "Sam says it doesn't fit".

I've played (once upon a time when I had really high playtimes) the messenger PC, and, yeah, you spend about five minutes when your Leader logs in just giving them reports.  It isn't really that interesting in terms of RP.   What's more interesting is the conversation had from one or two items out of that report.

Here are some more pros:

o It would allow PCs to accomplish things in a realistic manner -- no more waiting sometimes IG years to get ahold of someone.

o It would prevent that weird thing that happens to off-peak players: something big happens in your unit/clan, but you didn't manage to log into peak to find out... for an entire RL month.  So you find out from enemy clan that your boss died in a public execution a year ago, or whatever.

o In general, the spread of information is the spread of plots: you keep plots alive by talking about them.  If you can't connect with your boss to tell them that so-and-so is planning something big, then that's a plot that just died.

The cons, however, are:

o Some plots might become more insular.  There's a big temptation to 'keep it simple' when playing a villain, for the more people that know are the more people that might betray you.  Hence, the urge to use the way, or whisper, or never leave your castle, and so on.  This would encourage that urge to the insular.

[Desertman]

And, just allow me to interject here, this is not an issue specific to the current character I have.

Then consider the question a universal "you" not related to your current character. You proposed the issue is these characters don't have money.

So the question still stands.

[Desertman]

I am all for anything that increases the need to communicate with players and PCs outside of your current norm. I'm not a huge fan of implementing methods that remove the need to talk to other people.

However, if I need to talk to someone (a superior, say) in my OWN CLAN... and I don't mesh playtimes with them, what do I do? Hire a messenger? That seems foolish. Post on the internal GDB? Send them a PM? Communicate in methods outside of the game?

Does my characters plotline have to skew off because I am suddenly unable to communicate with people I technically should have access to every day?

I saw that, because the issue has been brought up before, and that is the playerbase's answer. Change clans. That shouldn't be the option because I cannot communicate with a single person.

Send a standard message on your clan boards that you need to arrange a time to meet up with whoever you are trying to meet up with. I've seen it done many times. Works great.

If the issue is that you two are forever and without exception bound to never be able to see each other in the game no matter what for eternity....then staff can probably help you.

However, I would think that's the extremely rare exception to the point of absurdity and might venture to say it's not even a real issue.

[Desertman]

The more I read this thread, the more I like the idea of an NPC messenger.

I think it's something Reiloth said up above, namely, that often the messages are the sorts of things you want to read, sort, then get on with the RP, e.g., "Bob wants to contact you about the order", "Suzy died to scrab.", "Sam says it doesn't fit".

I've played (once upon a time when I had really high playtimes) the messenger PC, and, yeah, you spend about five minutes when your Leader logs in just giving them reports.  It isn't really that interesting in terms of RP.   What's more interesting is the conversation had from one or two items out of that report.

Here are some more pros:

o It would allow PCs to accomplish things in a realistic manner -- no more waiting sometimes IG years to get ahold of someone.

o It would prevent that weird thing that happens to off-peak players: something big happens in your unit/clan, but you didn't manage to log into peak to find out... for an entire RL month.  So you find out from enemy clan that your boss died in a public execution a year ago, or whatever.

o In general, the spread of information is the spread of plots: you keep plots alive by talking about them.  If you can't connect with your boss to tell them that so-and-so is planning something big, then that's a plot that just died.

The cons, however, are:

o Some plots might become more insular.  There's a big temptation to 'keep it simple' when playing a villain, for the more people that know are the more people that might betray you.  Hence, the urge to use the way, or whisper, or never leave your castle, and so on.  This would encourage that urge to the insular.

If you give me and MOST players the option to simply use an instant messenger text message version of email in the game (an NPC messenger) instead of actually look for who I'm trying to give my message to, I am going to go the easy route almost every time.

I'm not going to do it because I want to ruin the game or because I don't want to RP.

I'm going to do it because it's instant gratification with zero risk designed to ensure my goal is completed with the least amount of effort one could possibly imagine.

I agree messengers would be useful in the rare exceptions where people simply CAN'T find each other for IC years.....but it won't be used only for that.....it will be used for almost everything.....because that's how players in games work.

[Chettaman]

What if it were a construct only usable with staff intervention?

[Desertman]

What if it were a construct only usable with staff intervention?

I wouldn't even be opposed to it if it were an NPC only Houses had access to within the walls of their own compounds.

That makes perfect sense to me and would only serve to pass on messages IC'ly that people generally use their clan GDB's for anyhow.

If anything it takes it off of the clan GDB's and puts it actually IN THE GAME, which I can't be upset about.

[nauta]

I'm kind of curious what people think/feel/hemote when they use barrier....  especially when you 'train' barrier.

[Desertman]

I'm kind of curious what people think/feel/hemote when they use barrier....  especially when you 'train' barrier.

I usually just roleplay that my PC feels like having some true "alone time", but I am also curious to see what other people do here.

[Molten Heart]

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[Desertman]

If money is your issue how are you going to be able to pay the messenger NPC? You already don't have money to pay a PC. Is this NPC ran by a Zalanthan charity?

In the case of minions reporting to a boss type, like a templar, or noble (or at least someone affluent enough others expect them to have money) a messenger NPC could be made to have the receiving party pay, in whole or even in part.

In cases of minions reporting to a boss type it seems like we would be better served to just have the messenger NPC in the compound to being with. Then no payment is required since that NPC is an employee of said organization and would be paid virtually.

[nauta]

If money is your issue how are you going to be able to pay the messenger NPC? You already don't have money to pay a PC. Is this NPC ran by a Zalanthan charity?

In the case of minions reporting to a boss type, like a templar, or noble (or at least someone affluent enough others expect them to have money) a messenger NPC could be made to have the receiving party pay, in whole or even in part.

In cases of minions reporting to a boss type it seems like we would be better served to just have the messenger NPC in the compound to being with. Then no payment is required since that NPC is an employee of said organization and would be paid virtually.

If you are clanned already, then the NPC wouldn't serve much of a function, since clannies can PM each other or post a quick rumor.

I see the usefulness being for people without a clan, or for clan-unclanned interactions.

[Desertman]

If money is your issue how are you going to be able to pay the messenger NPC? You already don't have money to pay a PC. Is this NPC ran by a Zalanthan charity?

In the case of minions reporting to a boss type, like a templar, or noble (or at least someone affluent enough others expect them to have money) a messenger NPC could be made to have the receiving party pay, in whole or even in part.

In cases of minions reporting to a boss type it seems like we would be better served to just have the messenger NPC in the compound to being with. Then no payment is required since that NPC is an employee of said organization and would be paid virtually.

If you are clanned already, then the NPC wouldn't serve much of a function, since clannies can PM each other or post a quick rumor.

I see the usefulness being for people without a clan, or for clan-unclanned interactions.

If you give me and MOST players the option to simply use an instant messenger text message version of email in the game (an NPC messenger) instead of actually look for who I'm trying to give my message to (or hire another PC to act as my aide/messenger), I am going to go the easy route almost every time.

I'm not going to do it because I want to ruin the game or because I don't want to RP.

I'm going to do it because it's instant gratification with zero risk designed to ensure my goal is completed with the least amount of effort one could possibly imagine.

I agree messengers would be useful in the rare exceptions where people simply CAN'T find each other for IC years.....but it won't be used only for that.....it will be used for almost everything.....because that's how players in games work.

[Raptor_Dan]

I wouldn't even be opposed to it if it were an NPC only Houses had access to within the walls of their own compounds.

That makes perfect sense to me and would only serve to pass on messages IC'ly that people generally use their clan GDB's for anyhow.

If anything it takes it off of the clan GDB's and puts it actually IN THE GAME, which I can't be upset about.

Yeah, I'm for this. Anything that takes something from OOC usefulness, to IC usefulness, and builds RP potential and increases immersion, I'm all for.

[Molten Heart]

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