watch all

[nauta]

So, this has likely come up, but a quick search didn't get this exact idea.

watch all.  This allows you to watch in all directions, with a significant hit to stun.

Points in its favor:

1. Most of us have an alias 'lookall' to look in every direction, and while out in the wilds, I at least tend to spam this a lot -- so it wouldn't give us much of an ability we didn't have in the first place.

2. When in the wilds, you'll want 'scan' enabled to see hidden dangers.  So it'd be a trade-off: either you have 'watch all' enabled or 'scan' enabled -- but you can't have both.  So there'd be a game balance to it.

3. A hit to stun would also add some balance -- perhaps it could even be whatever hit to stun watch gives times four.

4. If you think 'watch all' is too powerful: You could perhaps have 'watch all' limited to the rooms next to you, whereas 'watch north' (as it is implemented now) has the scope of three rooms in the north direction.

[Ath]

I don't see that as possible, as a human doesn't have eyes in the back of their head.  I mean, there could be a mutation, but that's getting a bit extreme. 

If you're watching a person, you're focusing your attention on them.  You will try to see the normally unseen things they are doing, the minor changes to emotions, whatever it is.  It's a rather large amount of focus, while you can still see more direction actions around you.

Same thing with watching a direction, this is a bit more wider spectrum.  You are watching a certain direction for actions that are having in that direction.  This isn't going to pick up the minor influences that someone that is watching a single person, but at least you'll see something coming before others may.

[Cabooze]

i think being able to watch two directions at once should be the apex of the watch ability, able to be done at about advanced watch skill. Also, the higher in skill your are at scan or watch, the smaller the delay tick should be.... just saying.

[Beethoven]

I just want to be able to know what's to my direct northwest, northeast, southwest, or southeast.


(if I come back again that is)

[Iiyola]

Set an alias, that's what I do

with one keystroke you can l e, l n, l w, l s, l in, l out, l up, l down

[nauta]

Set an alias, that's what I do

with one keystroke you can l e, l n, l w, l s, l in, l out, l up, l down

Yeah, that's sort of what got me thinking about it.  I get Ath's point on realism, but in terms of gameplay, we already can do it with no hit to stun at all (or lag).

The case that got me thinking was when I am outside in the wilds, but want to go semi-afk.  I can have my client beep if something new shows up on the horizon.

[Iiyola]

Not sure if you could set up a script that would do that alias every 5 seconds or so and then beep if it spots something.

[Patuk]

Not sure if you could set up a script that would do that alias every 5 seconds or so and then beep if it spots something.

You could. And gag itself if it doesn't. Easy.

[azuriolinist]

I just want to be able to know what's to my direct northwest, northeast, southwest, or southeast.

This. I always fear that, when stepping into a room, a pack of bahamets walks in from all directions.

With the way the coordinate system works, though, implementing something like that might end up pretty wonky on the realism side without a change to movement and such. If PCs can see diagonally, wouldn't NPCs be able to, as well? But since movement is limited to straight north, east, south, and west at a time, moving diagonally would mean moving two rooms at a time. The NPCs (aggressive ones, at least, because the others have never seemed to pay much attention, anyway) would then be seemingly blind to rooms just one diagonal away, unless they were extremely aggro, because that adds up to two rooms.

I'd still appreciate a way to see diagonally, for playability reasons. Like, how do you explain not being able to see that mekillot to the northeast until you went east and suddenly had the thing on your tail?

Sorry, back on topic. I'm not sure about having a watch all, as that would be relatively instantaneous compared to having a "look all".

[Ath]

Not sure if you could set up a script that would do that alias every 5 seconds or so and then beep if it spots something.

That wouldn't be allowed with our rules on scripting.  Neat idea though.

Watch has the potential to give more information than look, that's why it is different.  Look does give more information if used in conjunction with scan.  Watch and Scan are both active skills, both have a cost to them.  I get where people are going, but I personally think it's already effective as it is, you just have to utilize it properly.  It's surprising how so few people actually use watch.  I know I personally try to utilize it more as I can, and also make sure to toss in the emotes that are applicable to watch.

[Iiyola]

Yeah I figured as much. The alternative is to just make a ranger and log out if you're going afk lol.