came across this on another MUD regarding sdescs

Started by Manhattan, August 26, 2006, 04:10:12 AM

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August 26, 2006, 04:10:12 AM
* No eye colour is allowed (simply because eyes are closed when sleeping).  
(this is to prevent the appearance of messages such as "a tall elven woman
with green eyes is asleep here")
A foreign presence contacts your mind.
August 26, 2006, 04:17:32 AM #1
The only issue with having eye colors in descs is when you see someone three rooms away with 'the blue-eyed man' as an sdesc and then you have to describe him to others who didn't see him.
August 26, 2006, 05:09:47 AM #2
The curly-haired boy is standing here.

>look boy

The curly-haired boy is wearing:
<head> a motheaten turban

How do I know his hair is curly if it's all wrapped up?  A few locks might be peeking out, you say?  Okay, what if he's wearing a helmet?  There are plenty of hair-concealing items.  What if he's "the freckled boy" and he has warpaint on his face?

You can apply this same logic of eye-color to nearly any feature used in an sdesc and in so doing reject it.  That the imms on this other MUD you mention actually implemented such a policy demonstrates that they weren't putting much thought into it.
August 26, 2006, 06:18:19 AM #3
Well, it's alittle easier to see hair then eye color on any circustance. Same goes with freckles and just about about anything else.

Eye color sdesc's really irritate me, because you have to rely solely on their ldesc to have even the slightest clue what their characters look like. Which I think from afar especially and even up close, eye color isn't something thats' noticed that quickly most the time. I don't like it in sdesc.



Creep
21sters Unite!
August 26, 2006, 07:48:28 AM #4
What Creeper said, cept double.
A gaunt, yellow-skinned gith shrieks in fear, and hauls ass.
Lizzie:
If you -want- me to think that your character is a hybrid of a black kryl and a white push-broom shaped like a penis, then you've done a great job
August 26, 2006, 08:06:48 AM #5
Lately, when I tried to avoid putting the eye color in sdesc, I could not, because whatever words or synonims from the mdesc I tried they simply passed over 35 characters and I gave up trying.

I wish we had a little more character allowed for sdesc, I think it could help avoiding eye colors to a degree.
some of my posts are serious stuff
August 26, 2006, 08:30:48 AM #6
I don't mind eye colour as long as it is one of the first things I'm going to notice about your PC when I look at them. If they are pretty average, pretty plain looking, but have flourecent green eyes, or eyes that constantly change colour, or something like that... I think that is fine to use.
Fear not death, for it is your destiny.
August 26, 2006, 09:13:44 AM #7
I really don't like seeing eye colors in the sdesc, unless it's something unusual that you'd notice quickly. But I don't think there should be a rule against it.
b]YB <3[/b]

August 26, 2006, 09:40:44 AM #8
I had eye color in the sdescr once - because they were yellow. I couldn't really tell you the eye color of any of the people I see daily IRL, that's why I don't like them in sdescriptions - unless they're of some extreme color, they definitely aren't one of the firdst things you notice. Besides, you'd have to come really close.
A rusty brown kank explodes into little bits.

Someone says, out of character:
     "I had to fix something in this zone.. YOU WEREN'T HERE 2 minutes ago :)"
August 26, 2006, 09:58:43 AM #9
I'm totally gonna make an anime-eyed PC.
b]YB <3[/b]

August 26, 2006, 10:02:00 AM #10
Quote from: "Hymwen"I'm totally gonna make an anime-eyed PC.

Good luck getting it approved. :D
August 26, 2006, 11:45:54 AM #11
As I remarked in another thread, I have no problem with eye color in the sdesc.  I've done it myself before.  Chances are I'll do it again.

It's not the sdesc's primary purpose to tell someone what your character looks like 3 rooms away... or sleeping... or covered in clothing... or whatever.  It's mainly an objective (ie not a name) identifier for our characters.  When you see "the blue-eyed man" either you as a player recognize "the blue-eyed man" as your buddy Amos, or you just see some male human you've never met before.  Other uses and information provided is secondary, in my opinion.  If you want to know what he looks like, consult his mdesc.

I agree, we should try to have our sdescs unclude prominent features, but I don't think it's game-shatteringly important.

(P.S. I think anyone who watched Stargate last night will have seen a good example of how an unusual eye color really does stand out when you look at someone)
August 26, 2006, 12:47:24 PM #12
Quote from: "Marauder Moe"I agree, we should try to have our sdescs unclude prominent features, but I don't think it's game-shatteringly important.

Right on man.
August 26, 2006, 02:59:51 PM #13
Quote from: "Pantoufle"The curly-haired boy is standing here.

>look boy

The curly-haired boy is wearing:
<head> a motheaten turban

How do I know his hair is curly if it's all wrapped up?  A few locks might be peeking out, you say?  Okay, what if he's wearing a helmet?  There are plenty of hair-concealing items.  What if he's "the freckled boy" and he has warpaint on his face?

You can apply this same logic of eye-color to nearly any feature used in an sdesc and in so doing reject it.  That the imms on this other MUD you mention actually implemented such a policy demonstrates that they weren't putting much thought into it.

Pantoufle that's what I thought to, until I realized that the imm on that other MUD meant for this to apply to the "sdesc" not "equipment". Because sdesc is what shows up in the room everytime, and if you see "the blue eyed man is sleeping here" that's rather more disturbing than looking at someone with spiky-green hair to see a helmet on their head.
A foreign presence contacts your mind.
August 26, 2006, 05:41:56 PM #14
There's also something to be said about logic, here.

If we apply logic to this purely, then we limit possible sdescs to:

the <figure type> <race>
the <skin color> <race>

Because you can't see eyes unless they're open, or from a significant distance. You can't see hair color or type under a cap, helm, or other head covering.

Personally, I'm willing to suspend disbelief and look past the eye and hair thing in the interest of having variety.
nless explicitly stated, the opinions of this poster do not necessarily represent all staff.

Halaster the Shroud of Death sings, in unnaturally gutteral sirihish:
    "S
     T
     F
     U"
August 26, 2006, 05:53:08 PM #15
Quote from: "Djarjak"Personally, I'm willing to suspend disbelief and look past the eye and hair thing in the interest of having variety.

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
August 26, 2006, 05:59:11 PM #16
I wouldn't want any restrictions either, as long as people understand that even if someone three rooms away is looking toward you through a sandstorm, they'll still be able to notice your blue eyes in your sdesc and identify you as such.
subdue thread
release thread pit
August 26, 2006, 06:18:55 PM #17
Quote from: "Jherlen"I wouldn't want any restrictions either, as long as people understand that even if someone three rooms away is looking toward you through a sandstorm, they'll still be able to notice your blue eyes in your sdesc and identify you as such.

Yes, it's ok to later recognize someone later whom you saw 3 rooms away in the desert.  I think it'd be pretty silly if you went around claiming it was because of the person's eye color, though.
August 26, 2006, 09:20:41 PM #18
Code Select
The earless man says in sirihish, nodding to the stoic, fang-jawed Templar.
    "Yeah, I saw him running down the street.  First met him the other day.  You'll know him by his blue eyes, when you see him.  I mean, he's got these tattoos, but I don't know how to describe him.  Really, until you get a real good look at him up close, it's them eyes you notice.  Fecking weird."
Quote from: MalifaxisWe need to listen to spawnloser.
Quote from: Reiterationspawnloser knows all

Quote from: SpoonA magicker is kind of like a mousetrap, the fear is the cheese. But this cheese has an AK47.
August 26, 2006, 09:56:45 PM #19
Honestly, unless someone is a hell of a mutant, describing them so they'd be properly identifiable from their sdesc will be pretty impossible.

For example: The thick, blond-haired young man

This is descriptive. Quite descriptive, and all of it you could claim you saw from a room or two away. However, really think about describing someone like that.

"Yeah, he was pretty stocky."
"About how tall?"
"...I dunno. He was blond, though."
"Blond, huh? How long was his hair?"
"Didn't really see. Didn't look too old, though."
"Oh yeah? He have any identifying scars, tattoos or clothes?"
"I didn't see, to be honest."

Okay, that's a fair enough scene. I mean, when something happens, you can notice surprisingly little detail about someone. While this description makes it impossible for someone to NOT be able to grab them up by their sdesc, it really doesn't make much sense. If I sent you out into a small town, not a huge city, to find someone with blond hair who was pretty thick-set, you'd come back with 30 or so guys. As it stands, describing someone realistically by their sdesc is nearly impossible, eye color or no.  I'd hate to see a restriction like this go in.
eeling YB, you think:
    "I can't believe I just said that."
August 26, 2006, 11:24:25 PM #20
Why not just say "I don't know. He was too far away for me to identify him clearly" ?

Just because you codedly see an sdesc does not mean you would realistically be able to identify him at a distance of three football fields.
nless explicitly stated, the opinions of this poster do not necessarily represent all staff.

Halaster the Shroud of Death sings, in unnaturally gutteral sirihish:
    "S
     T
     F
     U"
August 26, 2006, 11:33:10 PM #21
Quote from: "Manhattan"* No eye colour is allowed (simply because eyes are closed when sleeping).  
(this is to prevent the appearance of messages such as "a tall elven woman
with green eyes is asleep here")

That unfortunately lowers your options then we will see more posts about
how people hate you using The alopecic, atramentous-skinned dwarf.

I say it's koo*, usually they have more then one item in your sdesc and if they are far away you probably only got they are a human/dwarf/elf anyways unless there is something major in their sdesc (like an extra nose on their forehead) then they sure as hell better be adding it to the sdesc.


*Of course I am always open to a good argument to change my mind but
this has come up so many times in irc or im chats that I have come to see
it as the lesser evil.
ishenko79: yeah, well, welcome to the [explicit deleted]ed up world of the now.
August 27, 2006, 08:30:47 AM #22
Better then twenty PC's on this account and I've Never put eyes in a sdesc.

Ever, not color, shape, size, nada.

And Have never had a problem with it, I even, most the time have 5-9 chars left over to my sdesc line, which, is really sweet since it allows longer change ldesc's.

Screw suspending belief, eyes in sdesc blow, Looks stupid no matter what.

Well, unless the PC is a mutant and has 23 eyes wrapped around his head, or they are on 8 inch stalks or one huge eye 6 inches across and glowing red like a stoplight.

Yellow eyes or some other odd color? Still would not be noticed beyond 6-8 feet even in daylight. FIVE(5) millimeters across folks, thats how big the iris, the colored portion of the eye is, thats the same as a pencil. AND in dark, the pupil (black part in the center) Gets larger, taking up better then 85% of the total area, this means that the colored portion becomes a tiny ring less then ONE(1) millimeter across.

Besides, its simply not very creative (IMO).
A gaunt, yellow-skinned gith shrieks in fear, and hauls ass.
Lizzie:
If you -want- me to think that your character is a hybrid of a black kryl and a white push-broom shaped like a penis, then you've done a great job
August 27, 2006, 10:38:02 AM #23
I really wish people wouldn't use the GDB to troll and completely insult people's PCs ingame. How about trying to be creative yourselves and using tact before you posting your opinions.

That said given Zalanthian clothing, cloaks, helmets, dirty unbathe people, maybe the only thing that really stands out is the eyes (think coal miners). Therefore i really don't like the idea of limiting people sdescs.

Now if we want to continue being creative maybe after 3 rooms instead of seeing an sdesc we see:

a gigantic and thick figure is here
a short and thin figure is here
etc etc

Do we really need this? No, some people can use a little discipline but it is an option thats better then limiting sdescs.
August 27, 2006, 11:05:57 AM #24
Quote from: "bloodfromstone"For example: The thick, blond-haired young man

This is descriptive. Quite descriptive, and all of it you could claim you saw from a room or two away. However, really think about describing someone like that.

Since the character in question is rooms away, you have no idea if they are wearing a hair-concealing item (such as a helmet) or not and thus reporting what you saw as both a thick and blond-haired man would be on par with comparing them by eye color.
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