Watch skill

[Tamarin]

Not sure if this is a good idea, but here goes.

watch north

You begin intently watching northward.

**To the north, a man with a long beard has arrived from the west.
**To the north, a man with a long beard scratches his ass.
**To the north, a man with a long beard walks south.

A man with a long beard has arrived from the north.

###

So basically, if you have this skills, and it -should- be a skill, you can watch a direction, and be notified when anything happens there.  Same as the automatic rooms that already do the same for a given location.

Thoughts?

[flurry]

Something similar has been suggested before, and I think it's a good idea.

However a comment I made before, which I'll make again here, is that I think it should make you somewhat less perceptive to your immediate surroundings.   In other words, if you're watching north, you're paying a bit less attention to your current location.   So maybe more vulnerable to theft, for example.  Or less able to overhear a nearby conversation.

[Lazloth]

http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1802

[Tamarin]

Something similar has been suggested before, and I think it's a good idea.

However a comment I made before, which I'll make again here, is that I think it should make you somewhat less perceptive to your immediate surroundings.   In other words, if you're watching north, you're paying a bit less attention to your current location.   So maybe more vulnerable to theft, for example.  Or less able to overhear a nearby conversation.

I fully agree.

[Callisto]

Not a new idea, but a good one.

I can't count the number of times I've had to more or less spam "l n" or whatever in order to watch for trouble. I would note that I'd rather not see a room echo for such a command, or if it was a skill, make the echo dependant on how high the skill is, so thieves and assassin types are able to be a little more subtle while watching for marks.

I think that would be a neat feature for scan, as well... someone who isn't very good at checking the area would be easy to spot as he gawks around, where as your grizzled bounty hunter is able note things without being obvious.

You could even set it up so two people who are equally able to survey their surroundings could spot each other scanning/watching, but everyone else goes about things oblivious to them.

Just thoughts.

[X-D]

Always loved this idea, Have argued for it on both gdb's, idea'd it a few times, normaly when it would have been useful and more.

To go with laz

http://www.armageddon.org/HyperNews/get/general-archive1996/12.html

Also, Though I think everybody should be able to use said skill/command, perceptiveness for other things around them should be based on class to some extent, and one should be able to watch directions, items, pc or npc.
A watched person would have a harder time hiding or picking pockets, though only the watcher might notice and they can decide if they will do anything about it.

Also, wether the person being watched gets an echo telling them so should depend on their own skill.

But everybody could do it, some would just be better then others.

Oh, and the easy way to limit room perception would be to make it so that entering action commands or look commands break watch excet in the case of very high skill, also have the distance able to watch limited by skill.
By look commands I mean look, look something/someone, assess, examine, peek.

[DrunkenSalarr]

Another potential use for this skill is as a check against palm/steal/plant.

if you are watching someone, thief or victim, you have a better chance at spotting the activity, even if no one else does.

i.e. someone could pull off a completly successful steal, but you happened to be 'watching' the thief, and saw him do it.

Talk about new ways to increase conflict.

[X-D]

Can anybody say "blackmail"?
grin

[Tamarin]

Can anybody say "blackmail"?
grin

Nope, kidnapping.

[drunkendwarf]

The other thing the 'watch' command would get rid of...
Spamming 'l n' is not only annoying in order to look for trouble, but it makes it virtually impossible for anyone to sneak up on you from the north, regardless of how good their sneak/hide may be. There's always that delay between getting into the room, and getting yourself hidden...and with someone spamming 'l n'..there's NO WAY you're going to get yourself nice and hidden before they've looked in that direction and spotted you, even if yer quieter than a mouse fart in the wind, more hidden than an albino in a blizzard...
I've always hated spamming a look in a direction for this reason, if nothing else, but...as of yet, it's the only way to keep watch in an adjacent room.

[X-D]

Hell, I was gonna post that, but Drunkendwarf's post goes for me too.

[Candi]

The watch idea is golden.  
It is a great idea for both playability and RP.  
Once you start watching a direction, you keep your eyes on it until you stop watching, after all.  I know the *l w* spam can get old, and I'm always afraid that when I stop to answer someone's question, we'll be attacked from the west at just that moment.  I'll have to explain why I wasn't watching at my post, which is easy enough, but in reality, you could easily answer a quick question while you continue watching.  And it sucks to have to say that you were shirking your duties chatting even though the talk might be relevent and brief.

[UnderSeven]

On the watching a poteintal thief, that's cool because it could make you less perceptive to other potiental thieves, allowing thief rp to be flushed out in how one could play a diversionary role while a less suspecting one could be sneaking up.  No this is defaintly a cool idea.

[Forest Junkie]

Good idea gooberjazz. I like it.

[Ueda]

Best idea I've heard in a while, I love it! I can't tell you how many times I've... Emo watches ~you... than been stolen from that person, it's really irretating so I would have to add that the person your watching would not be able to steal from you, or at least have a lower success rate.

[X-D]

Not a lower success rate, just a much greater chance of you knowing -who- did it.

Much more fun that way.