Warning Shot

[LindseyBalboa]

I'd really like to see the ability to make a 'warning shot' implemented.

shoot (with a whistling sound) Balboa west [thunking into the ground nearby]

With a whistling sound, a white-feathered bone arrow with an agate arrowhead sails overhead, thunking into the ground nearby.

It should be easy enough to code, with minimal effort from staff.

It solves the problem of wanting to engage in aggressive RP with someone while giving them the option to run, or engage in RP that may turn violent, by giving them the notice that you're willing to role-play. Could be implemented with daggers as well, and be done in the same room. Someone could also just run off anyway, and that's totally fine. It also allows you to signal you're going to role-play with someone without having to just try and Way them and give away who you are (if they're even not wearing a cloak).

A Bynner shooting a warning arrow at an elf in the distance.
A desert elf shooting a warning arrow at someone hunting in the Pah.
A soldier firing a warning shot at an incoming cloaked figure.
An assassin shooting a warning arrow at a noble to let them know they could've killed them, but they're willing to negotiate a fee to let them live.

[triste]

Awesome idea, love it. Maybe not even requiring a humanoid target could be nice for other RP scenarios (like some sort of ceremony/drill/acting in the arena/leaving signals) but if it would be required to code it in that would be fine.

[Delirium]

>shoot far east

The ability to attach a command emote would be cool, so that it doesn't just look like you missed.

[Bogre]

Command emotes on any kind of ranged attack would be neat.

[Hauwke]

Expanding, command emotes on kill and disarm and such would be sweet too.

[Brokkr]

How on earth would they know it is a warning shot vs you shooting at them?

[mansa]

How on earth would they know it is a warning shot vs you shooting at them?

It's Zalanthas, duh.   If we could describe how the shot was taken, then we can take some dramatic liberties.

[Heade]

How on earth would they know it is a warning shot vs you shooting at them?

Maybe the command could be paired with an automatic "mental" message that it was a warning shot. I mean, everyone has the way, right?

In this way, you could justify it being clear that it was a warning shot while maintaining the integrity of the game world. If implemented, I would just attach a "mental message" element that is static for all targets of warning shots, indicating that it was such a warning shot being fired by "the dark-cloaked man" or whatever, without causing any stun damage to the person giving or receiving the warning. Since it's purely for flavor and to encourage roleplay, I don't think there is any reason to include any of the normal mechanical effects for use of the way.

[SmashedTregil]

If the shot succeeds as if it hit. The target would get "The arrow lands right before your feet." in the desert, or "the arrow embeds itself into a tree trunk right over your head." if it's the forest. Etc.

If the shot fails, then the usual echo of a failed arrow Boom simple.

[Heade]

I'd just prefer that it was clearly a warning shot, even if the target is a new player to the game and doesn't follow the forums, or read every piece of documentation.

[Thomoto]

How on earth would they know it is a warning shot vs you shooting at them?

You wouldn't know for sure, but if you could attach an emote when you shoot an arrow into a room could probably be implied.

A slender wooden arrow flies in from the south with a whistling sound and strikes the ground, leaving it sticking out at an angle.

Vs

A slender wooden arrow flies in from the west and hits the ground or a slender wooden arrow strikes your neck and ganks you from 3 rooms away like the pussy that guy was not using bone swords like a true bynner.

Make sense?

[RogueGunslinger]

I like the utility of the idea for slightly less confrontational "fuck off's." But it doesn't seem terribly realistic for bows and arrows to work that way. I say if implemented it should just be the ability to target a room, like in OP's suggestion. Not specifically fire off a warning shot at a specific PC.

[Hauwke]

 

I like the utility of the idea for slightly less confrontational "fuck off's." But it doesn't seem terribly realistic for bows and arrows to work that way. I say if implemented it should just be the ability to target a room, like in OP's suggestion. Not specifically fire off a warning shot at a specific PC.

You can target a room, or more specifically you can target distance up to the maximum range.

[ScramblesForPurchase]

Could just increase the range of shout to cover a two-room max instead of one? As far as realism goes I'd be fine suspending belief on sound traveling that far, it's not like room distance is always explicitly the same.

> shoot far east
> shout (with a challenging and pissy desert-elf inflection) Get off my lawn!

[LindseyBalboa]

How on earth would they know it is a warning shot vs you shooting at them?

Via intent. A shot across the bow, a shot close to the ear, any close shot that isn't followed by another. In a world of ubiquitous psionics (I liked that idea someone posted), it seems pretty reasonable.

Although just being able to emote with the ranged action would be enough to facilitate aggressive RP in a situation where the aggressor's identity isn't known, and the victim is allowed the chance to stick around or flee.

[Vex]

I shoot them once, not follow up with a second, and change an ldesc to something like:

The hooded figure stands, bow at the ready, staring east.

Never, ever had an issue, with people misunderstanding the 'fuck off, or die' intent of that.

[X-D]

I am with Vex and Brokkr.

An arrow landing in the room is a warning, even if it is just a miss.

Or, shoot from one room away.
Shout "Get off my lawn or the next few will be aimed at your face!"

[LindseyBalboa]

I shoot them once, not follow up with a second, and change an ldesc to something like:

The hooded figure stands, bow at the ready, staring east.

Never, ever had an issue, with people misunderstanding the 'fuck off, or die' intent of that.

Yeah, and a few months ago, you could smoke your tube of spice, then separately emote it. People didn't misunderstand that. But the option to emote while doing the action was given, as an easily-coded prop for better RP. That's what I'm suggesting.

[Brokkr]

I'm just wondering how this works without power emoting some type of intent?

And, done right, it would be simply adding emotes to the shoot command, for all cases.  So simply seeing an different arrow message would tell you very little?

[mansa]

I'm just wondering how this works without power emoting some type of intent?

And, done right, it would be simply adding emotes to the shoot command, for all cases.  So simply seeing an different arrow message would tell you very little?

An arrow flies in from the north.

An arrow flies in from the north, near but obviously missing the target.
Shot with an expert aim, missing by an inch, an arrow flies in from the north.

So many possibilities.

[Riev]

I think what Brokkr means is:

How do you reconcile your "expert shot" narrative, when you actually codedly missed anyways? Maybe you have novice archery in the first place.

Maybe a conditional. You give the pre/post emotes, but those only fire on a 'hit', which becomes a forced miss?
Or maybe a separate command that shoots a direction, allows pre/post emotes, but can only ever roll a 0 to attack (forcing the miss regardless)?

Even then, how do you emote narrowly missing, when you have a 20/100 skill? Its a little wonky.

[Brokkr]

Shot with an expert aim, missing by an inch, an arrow flies in from the north.[/tt]

I am sorry, but anyone who tries to miss by an inch is a complete idiot.  But thanks for a brilliant example of the kind of power emoting I was referring to.

[Jihelu]

This reminds me of people suggesting to shoot people in the leg for firearm safety and what not.

No, trying to miss someone by an inch won't be a thing. This is how you shoot someone in the face.

[Hauwke]

Shot with an expert aim, missing by an inch, an arrow flies in from the north.[/tt]

I am sorry, but anyone who tries to miss by an inch is a complete idiot.  But thanks for a brilliant example of the kind of power emoting I was referring to.

It really is a poor example emote, sure. But the idea as a whole has merit. Everyone gets so caught up in the realism of things, when we have 12 foot tall men walking around being morons.

Is it really so hard to admit to yourself and the playerbase that and idea is a good one to foster role play, or are you so far stuck in your ways that you absolutely must give the poo-poo to an idea and talk down to someone just because they have a poor example?

[LindseyBalboa]

Shooting an arrow an inch away from someone's face was overly theatrical, but unrealistic emoting can happen with the literal emote command, right now, as-is. I don't think that's a very strong argument against a role-play tool, when balanced against the possibility of easily spurring on more role-play in aggressive situations. I can emote a ninja flip kick anytime I want, but people generally stick to the agreed-upon rules.

If there's a constructive reason why this would be bad for the game outweighing the possibility of allowing a player to give up their chance at a surprise PK in exchange for a potentially cool scene (and a warning shot is a pretty basic tool prop in movies, shows, stories, role-play [an arrow flies from the north, sticking into a nearby tree and quivering there!]), then by all means. If it's simply that attacks don't get emotes as a game-wide rule, even, that's fine, but not implementing something because someone might make a crazy emote is the risk taken with every single thing on a game where people can type what they want.

As is, I think it'd be an easily-implemented, useful tool for role-play.