Tavern Idlers

[Armaddict]

Alright.  I've been seeing the same guy idling in a tavern, just about twenty-four hours a day, -constantly-.  He's not linkdead, as I see him actually emote something out maybe once every three hours.  My question:

What the hell is the point?  What are you doing, trying to rack up hours so that you can say you lived so long?  What's the deal?  Cut it out.

Either log in and contribute something, or don't log in.  If you've got to idle for long time, at least make it somewhere where you aren't going to have people trying to interact with you.  It's annoying.

[Wintermute]

I happen to do this with my current character quite often.  It's part of my job description, actually.  As long as he's got some reason to be doing it (you really have no idea if he does or not), I don't see the problem.

[Armaddict]

No, I'm not talking about sit there all day.

I'm talking about move into a tavern, and go afk for all hours of a RL day.  If it's part of your job description to just sit there and not interact with ANYONE, nor flick out emotes, nor give any sign of life whatsoever...act like a linkdead PC...you've got the lamest job I've ever heard of.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

He quite obviously is not a powergamer...I mean, he can't be twinking anything other than the listen skill, and I truly doubt he is doing that so...

What is the difference between him and a NPC? Let the fellow be.

[mansa]

He's a mindbender.  Duh.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Heh.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

It happens. I've done it before. Sometimes I wander off and forget I logged out, or my sister needs to check her e-mail and that e-mail checking turns into a chatroom conversation, and that chatroom conversation turns into a music downloading, and that music downloading turns into an essay writing. It happens, and I've often come back to a noble interrogating me or a carru ripping into me or something equally heinous. I repeat: it happens.

Furthermore, as others have said, they could very well be doing something though they appear to not be doing anything. Some things they could be doing? 'listening', 'thinking' and 'psi-ing', just to name a few.

[Bestatte]

I think part of the problem, is that this isn't an NPC that an IMM can animate at will.  It's a PC who behaves like a PC. And Armaddict was being kind in his assessment. It's not just for a few hours. I've seen the one I think he's talking about sit in the same place for over a 24-hour period. Not link-dead, because every 4 or 5 hours or so he'll emote something, then go idle again.

Try interacting with that person..knowing that he's capable of interacting with you..for three days in a row and getting nothing out of him, though when you're not trying to interact with him, you notice him do something that makes it clear that he -does- check the monitor a few times a day.

In this case, I tend to agree with Armaddict. If you can't or won't be able to respond to people trying to interact with your character, the least you could do is take your character out of popular "rooms" in the game. The best you could do is logoff.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I certianly agree that the PC goes afk for extended periods of time. I just don't think it is that big of a deal. *shrug*

[Khorm]

There's a certain noble PC that may or not be still around.. she used to sit idle in a tavern for what seemed like days on end - not doing a damned thing. I even accidently kissed her while trying to "look", and didn't get any sort of response.. so just think god that this person isn't at their keyboard and waiting for you to fuck up!

[Armaddict]

Sorry, I just had to say, Khorm.  Your little MC hammer dude rocks.

[Stroker]

Obviously he does something, he needs food and water to survive, eventually sid will run out and he'll do something. Patience, my fellow followers, patience.

[Idle Bashtard]

I'm an NPC, really!
Ok, seriously, if it bothers someone -that- much that I'm idle a lot of the time, call in a Templar, accuse me of magicking, and have me killed if I don't respond in time.  I honestly won't mind.

The point though?  I find that a funny question coming from someone who calls himself an "Armaddict."  I'm hooked, and while rl duties do not allow me to play actively, I simply like being able to pull up the window and see how things are rolling in Arm.

Bestatte, I see your point that if a PC does need to speak with my char, that can cause a problem.  I tried to avoid this by not becomming clanned/affiliated with anyone or any plots.  Unfortunately, those damned recruiters wouldn't leave me alone, and one did manage to hire me the third or fourth time around.  Your best bet may be to kill my PC and hope I manage to remain a truely unaffiliated PC next time, so there will be no reason to interact with me.  Public execution would hopefully allow for some fun rp, eh guys?  

[Angela Christine]

Use the gone command.  That way if people try to talk to you they will get a message that you are gone, and they can get on with their lives.

GONE    (Communication)

When a message is attached to this command, all incoming communication requests will be replied to with that message. It is useful for instances when no one is aware that you have left your terminal. You will not be able to do anything with your character while he/she is in a 'gone' state. When you return to your terminal, type "gone" by itself to return the character to his/her normal state.

Syntax:
    gone <message>
    gone

Example:
    > gone afk a while, back soon
    > gone

Notes:
    The command automatically appends a period to your message,
whether you have one there already. Thus, "gone for coffee." will give other players the message "<your character's sdesc> is gone for coffee.."

    While you are gone, your character can still be robbed or killed. If
you are going to be gone for a while, it might be a good idea to just log out (see help quit).

[Bestatte]

I'd also request, Idle, that if you -are- going to remain idle for hours and hours, that you please not take up one of the actual tables. You can just as easily use a virtual table, and leave the existing coded ones for people who want to use them actively.

[sarahjc]

I agree Bestatte, though is does urk me that the PC just sits there for what really is days..Its worse when they take up a table. But if it was the couch, the PC would have been dead already.

[Krath]

If anyone sits on my damned couch, days upon days on end..Heads will roll!

[Tavern Idler #2]

What the hell is the point? What are you doing, trying to rack up hours so that you can say you lived so long? What's the deal? Cut it out.

I play a special role that generally needs to meet the needs of other players. I work as a link between players and the imms and make things easier on both parties. While I don't tavern idle for literally 24/7, I might do it for hours at a time. During this time I might pull up an emulator and play a game and occasionally check back or watch TV in the nearby room, checking back every five or ten minutes.

I do this to make myself available. It's easier on everyone to wait five minutes while I get back from AFK than spend hours trying to get me that I spend logged off. Now you can either choose to be thankful for this or just bitch and moan about something that doesn't effect you. It's your choice.

[marilla]

#2: My role isn't as special as yours, but I also am in a Tavern a lot to be available.

I probably spend 80% of my time on-line in one spot. Often it is very quiet, sometimes there are no visible PCs, sometimes there are those who are not interested in interacting with my character. I let them be.

I know many will now squeek that I should be 'soloplaying' there, but  I play on average 10 hours a day (trying to cut down). I am there to be available and when something happens I react.

If someone addresses me and doesn't get a reply within three minutes, I was probably in the bathroom, or linkdead. Or very, very busy dealing with the voices in my head. Or, I am typing a response but delete it as you walk out.

As for someone kissing my character all of the sudden, I don't recall that happening. If it ever would though, I would most likely ignore it and assume it was a typo. It would be really silly to get upset over an OOC slip up, wouldn't it?

If you really do want to kiss my character and suffer the consequenses make sure to emote it in a way it cannot be mistaken for 'k woman'. :twisted:

[spawnloser]

I can understand having a special role and being available...but I am currently filling a special role as well, and I don't feel the need to idle my ass off in a tavern.  Really, you shouldn't be available 100% of the time, so don't feel the need to be logged in that long.  If you're a noble, you have family business to deal with.  If you're militia, you have your patrols to do...or Templars to blow, depending on the day of the week of course.  If you're merchant house family, same as nobles, you have family business to attend to.  You're not the only family member, but you also don't only do business with PCs...there are plenty of VNPCs that want to buy/rent your particular family's wares.  Staying idle in the tavern will screw with people and will piss people off...and there are people out there that believe in the 'punishment worse than death' idea and may simply screw you over big time.

[Ralin]

If anyone sits on my damned couch, days upon days on end..Heads will roll!

This should prolly be in the urges thread, but if I walked into the Barrel and noticed that happening, I'd keep tabs on the room until another PC arrived, or hell...maybe not, could entertain an Imm with this...

Just have my PC sit in the other PC's lap and say:
"Did I wear you out -THAT- bad? You haven't moved from this couch in a week and you still have the same smile on your face! Damn I'm good!"

Then just get up and walk out.  :shock:

[aeshyw]

I have a suggestion for those 'tavern' sitters in special roles that feel it neccesary to sit afk in a tavern just so that they'll be available.  Its not a perfect suggestion, but its something I've done on more then one occasion myself, because I also play a role that many people depend upon at the moment.

Rent a house or find an empty place in your clan compound.  If you're available via the Way, that's not just as good, but -better- then being unavailable in a tavern.  If people contact you and you don't answer right away, they'll assume you're in a meeting or standing and walking or doing something else IC that keeps you from an immediate response.  There's no consequences to -other- players at all if you're idling somewhere alone where no one else can get to.  And if you're idling to be there for them, why disrupt their feeling of 'realness' by being visibly away if you can help it?

There's a great term called the 'Suspension of Disbelief' that really applies to Armageddon. The game is at its most fun when you're lost in the story and completely immersed and dying to know what happens next.  No one who really enjoys that wants to take it away from other players...and I think most people who end up sticking around in leader type positions do want to make the game more fun for the people they play with.  So...rent a house..find a room...go to a temple, change your ldesc to 'kneeling in meditation' or something...but give -other- people an IC reason to not have to wonder why you look like a statue with its mouth open.  If you're already playing a leader, you're already trying to make things better for them. Why not take the extra step?

[Bestatte]

I should note to everyone who's talking about people in special roles, that Armaddict's first post starting this thread had nothing to do with any of them.

So far, I've seen lots of "special" characters sit idle, but like Marilla and Aeshyw and countless others, you have all been attentive (with the occasional and reasonable bathroom break/phone call exception).

Armaddict, me, and probably a few others are referring to people of -any- role, parking their character in a popular area for HOURS AND HOURS WITHOUT MOVING. Real hours, not game hours. We're talking between five and 15 hours every 24-hour period, or longer. Even the NPCs in the taverns have ldescs showing that they're doing -something.' Swilling ale, chatting with a friend, racing a cockroach...

And none of these NPCs are taking up a coded table. They're using virtual tables, thus leaving the coded ones for PCs who might want to use them. In addition, the fact that they're NPCs allows IMMs to animate them from time to time.

A PC taking up the biggest table in the room for up to (and sometimes longer than) a real-life 24-hour period prevents anyone else from sitting their clan down to a celebration party, or a hunting party gathering together for drinks before dawn, or whatever else. If the player of a character who does this has no intention of paying attention, then he shouldn't be occupying the table. And he probably also shouldn't be logged on, but I would be overjoyed if he simply removed his PC from the room and plunked him somewhere that people don't normally congregate.

[Sephiroto]

I do a decent amount of idling at times.  Generally it is in one of those 'away' places where I can still be found if things -do- happen.  Otherwise I may spend 20% of my time semi-afk just observing and 10%afk just waiting/eating/watching TV for a few minutes.  I'm definately not a hardcore tavern idler, but nor do I see a problem with it.  That is, unless, you login just to go afk for...an hour or two all the time.  Typically I like to keep those 'idle' periods short so that I can send little emails or whatever or just relax and still have an opportunity to jump into some RP if something happens.  I really don't see what the problem is with it.  If you find one of my characters idling talk to them and give them something to do  I find that much better than logging in, typing who, then quitting because I don't see anyone.

[__Torax__]

Damn, I read this post and I realize how nit-picky and generally fucking moronic most of you are.... Good God...