Open Allanak's Gates at Night

[Cind]

The reason for them closing, I think, was because of some gith invasions a long time ago, probably before I started playing--- the 'nakis just didn't want to deal with gith bands at night.

These days, though? Its nothing but a hindrance. Since when does the templarate care about petty crimes done to unimportant people in the nighttime? It would make a bynner's breaking the rules a lot easier. Other people, too. That goody-two-shoes Kadian goes out--- good girl by day, bad girl by night. Hard to do that when the gates are closed EVERY NIGHT.

Had a couple more benefits in mind that I can't remember right now.

[ShaLeah]

Against this.

I can't remember the gates EVER being open at night. Have they ever been? I wanna say no to this.  Nak is supposed to be like a fortress.

Though I could see a night tariff.  500 per rider,  2k per wagon kinda thing.

[Riev]

I'm more comfortable with a "rent" system that lets individuals through the gates at a cost.

The Gates to Nak aren't close JUST because of gith, there are other nasties that they'd rather deal with in the light of day. I do agree its a hindrance, which is why a pittance of paying 100 coins to 'bribe' the soldiers to let you through would be pretty IC.

[Armaddict]

http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,51291.0.html

Another discussion on the topic of night-time hindrances to players.

I'm still firmly in the camp of keeping gates closed at night, though also open to ideas of content -surrounding- that condition.

[Brytta Léofa]

> knock gates
You knock on the gates.

[postern.js] [INFO] no more than two visible entities outside gate
[postern.js] [INFO] no soldiers/templars outside gate
[postern.js] [INFO] ok to take bribe
Someone opens the postern door from the other side.

> look east
The gates are closed.
Through the postern door you see a torchlit guard room.
Several human soldiers of Tektolnes are standing here.

> east
You enter the postern gate.
A Torchlit Guard Room [West South]
A bunch of guards are standing around here, hoping to
provide you with an exemplary customer service experience.
A hard-eyed, jade-adorned soldier closes the door behind you.
A hard-eyed, jade-adorned soldier locks the door.
A hard-eyed, jade-adorned soldier tells you, in sirihish,
  "drop pack"

[WarriorPoet]

Hit up a pc soldier or templar for after hours access.

[Riev]

Hit up a pc soldier or templar for after hours access.

Great idea, in a game that doesn't require you to have similar playtimes with these PCs, know their names, and have them be of sufficient rank to let you in. I'd support it, if we had the population.

A scripted event for this wouldn't be terrible, and if you KNOW someone in the Arm that can let you in, maybe they can do it for cheaper than the guards who don't give a fuck who you are, you're interrupting their game.

[Molten Heart]

.

[Armaddict]

I'd be okay with the capacity to bribe your way in, as long as that bears in mind that sometimes seemingly harmless requests can result in catastrophe.

As in all things relating to 'manipulation' of corruption, they don't always go the way you see them going.  This would be subject to the same uncertainty/risk assessment.

[valeria]

Nah. It's enough that you can log out at the gate these days.

[Delirium]

Change the gate closures from dusk to late at night.

[Grapes]

I understand from a playability standpoint that adjusting close hours would alleviate a little stress, that said...

I'd much rather them function as they currently do compared to Tuluk's old gate policy.

I'm not sure this is an either/or thing here, either. Also, what Reiv said about knowing PCs with particular playtimes, not to mention how long it can take to get from one side of town to the other on the inside. Some kind of other option or just free-for-all leeway would be preferable. If people take advantage of that to lure mega-fauna to the gates then they should likely ICly find themselves facing down a stern, angry Templar.

Myself, I've never had more than a couple issues with this, which were easily mitigated by putting the time of day in my prompt and not being late. That's, a half hour however.

[BadSkeelz]

Hit up a pc soldier or templar for after hours access.

Great idea, in a game that doesn't require you to have similar playtimes with these PCs, know their names, and have them be of sufficient rank to let you in. I'd support it, if we had the population.

A scripted event for this wouldn't be terrible, and if you KNOW someone in the Arm that can let you in, maybe they can do it for cheaper than the guards who don't give a fuck who you are, you're interrupting their game.

If the scripted event only worked when there were less than, say, 15 players online, maybe.

Otherwise you're putting something in that will take away from RP opportunities for the majority of the playerbase just to cater to a few offpeakers who are stuck outside for 30 minutes. Because players of all times will resort to the scripted event over PC interaction, even when they know soldier PCs. It's less risk and effort.

Change the gate closures from dusk to late at night.

This is good.

[Cind]

Paying to leave/enter at night sounds good. What about a smaller or no fee for House employees of sufficient rank?

I'm thinking people who aren't being paid yet (i.e. aren't trusted members of the House yet) would be subject to the same fees as everyone else.

Soldiers/Templars would be free. What do you think?

[Riev]

Soldiers/Templars would be free. What do you think?

Soldiers/Templars do not need it to be free. That is why there is a discussion about KNOWING one who can assist you.

Hit up a pc soldier or templar for after hours access.

Great idea, in a game that doesn't require you to have similar playtimes with these PCs, know their names, and have them be of sufficient rank to let you in. I'd support it, if we had the population.

A scripted event for this wouldn't be terrible, and if you KNOW someone in the Arm that can let you in, maybe they can do it for cheaper than the guards who don't give a fuck who you are, you're interrupting their game.

If the scripted event only worked when there were less than, say, 15 players online, maybe.

Otherwise you're putting something in that will take away from RP opportunities for the majority of the playerbase just to cater to a few offpeakers who are stuck outside for 30 minutes. Because players of all times will resort to the scripted event over PC

I understand you're being facetious, but the script would need to know one of those 15 players logged in was Arm of the Dragon, and not AFK.

Offpeakers stuck outside for 30 minutes is a rare issue at best, but a serious one.

What if the 'bribe' to get in was automatically reported to PCs, like the Jail code? Or written in a LogBook for PC Templars to see who is continuously trying to circumvent gate closure/curfew?

[evilcabbage]

when on an important mission and you hit the gates at dusk...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRUe-gz690

[nauta]

1. Have gates close at night, not dusk.

2. Allow the T'zai Byn Sergeants (and those following them) to open the gates (at a cost perhaps) just like AoD leadership/templars can.

[BadSkeelz]

I was not being facetious, Riev. Automation and scripts are the death of interaction and roleplay.

[Veselka]

I don't see a valid reason to open the gates at night. There's the ability to quit outside of gates now, and the world outside should be dangerous/present dangers to people who don't make it on time. I'd almost wish it was like Pitch Black outside, and the Water Vampires come out to suck your water.

[Vex]

Otherwise you're putting something in that will take away from RP opportunities for the majority of the playerbase just to cater to a few offpeakers who are stuck outside for 30 minutes. Because players of all times will resort to the scripted event over PC interaction, even when they know soldier PCs. It's less risk and effort.

Who are the MAJORITY of the ENTIRE playerbase, that will, somehow, be missing out on RP by a convenient gate script? There are, at best, one or two semi-active Templars, at any given time, and two or three AoD soldiers, whose upper ranks are often just as spotty as their bosses.

FYI we have more than ten players.

[Armaddict]

Mistiming travel and overextending hunting trips for <insert fun reason> should be counterbalanced by the 'urgency' of getting to the gates.

The argument that it's inconvenient and not-fun has never worked for me in any of the discussions of any role-playing game with high standards.

Scripts can be nice when they provide content, but 'convenience' and 'make it easier' scripts and changes have made this game continually less and less interesting.  Thus why I want there to be risks involved with doing so.

I don't care if you don't know soldier pc's.  You probably should.  I don't care if you don't know templars.  I think you should.  If you are hesitant to ask the PC's that -are- around (and consistently, from what I've seen) and you know of, then you should probably be hesitant about asking joe schmoe soldier directly at the gates as well.

Edited:  That's not to say that scripting is bad, or everything needs to be a shithole for players.  But whenever the sole argument for a change is 'I don't enjoy that', I tend to take the stance that if you think things need to be enjoyable or be momentously content driven (i.e. TELL ME HOW THIS INCONVENIENCE BENEFITS ANYONE), then you're looking at a brand of rpg that is easily found elsewhere.  Armageddon's 'niche', the reason it, as a text based game, has any market value whatsoever, is because it is centric on a persistent and mostly-sensible game world that doesn't give a shit about your character.  Character-inconvenience often ties in with player-inconvenience.

[Vex]

The argument that it's inconvenient and not-fun has never worked for me in any of the discussions of any role-playing game with high standards.

[Armaddict]

Not remotely close to contextually correct in quoting, but sure.  Cool memes.

But you can't have a desolate, hardship-ridden world that doesn't in some way inconvenience the player at times without losing hardcore-rpg status and becoming rpg-lite, and thus entering a game design platform with a lot better alternatives than Arm.

[Molten Heart]

.

[Brokkr]

Allanak doesn't really have a sally port.  If you are thinking of a bribe getting you entrance to a castle in the movies....that is probably through the sally port, rather than anyone taking the time and effort to open the big gates, nevermind the risk.