Scribble Command - too short before it disappears

[mansa]

Hey,

In my opinion, the scribble command "disappears" extremely quickly.  So quickly that the players of the game seems to have found in-game work-arounds to avoid using this command, because of the timeout issue.



Players have found out that you can use the illustration command and write on a piece of paper, and then "drop" the piece of paper, and it replaces the scribble command, it keeps it's description indefinitely (as long as the game doesn't crash), and it's relatively easy to find materials to do so.


I propose that the scribble command has a timeout that is increased by a factor of 10, and inside the cities it increases by a factor of 15.

So, if it normally took 90 minutes to start degrading, it should take 900 minutes.   Inside the city should take 1350 minutes.   (that's less than 24 hours)
If you use stuff more powerful than chalk, it should also be increased by 10 and 15 times.


I also suggest that it degrades the message at 15% of the timer left remaining, rather than almost immediately.

Otherwise the alternative is to never use this command, and use the illustration command, because it doesn't become useful for a player to ever use the scribble command.

[HortaCulture]

I would propose that the scribble command be allowed to persist until game reset (in cities/roads/indoors only) just like any item drop arranged ...but only if we had a way to >clean scribble and remove it.

Mind you, I have no clue if a "clean scribble" command is coding hell or not, but if not that's what I'd propose.

Logic as follows:

One can pick up a piece of paper and remove the offending illustration if one so chooses to do so. The same is true for any >drop arranged item. So.. if someone draws you kissing half breeds in chalk, you should be able to wipe that off as well, if it's going to stick around a while and you happen to find it.

If anything I would think the opposite would be true, with paper struggling to survive very long while exposed to the elements in a world with blasting sandstorms.  Chalk drawings can last a long goddamn time.

Not the sand scribbles. The ones you do in sand I feel like those should degrade almost right away. You'd be doing it just to show someone something. Not leaving a permanent marker. Drop arranging rocks and sticks is more viable and realistic materials wise, if you're trying to leave something behind to persist.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I'm down with both the longer lasting version of scribble and the clean scribble command. I have never used the command, to be fair but I have seen one disappear very rapidly.

[BOXCARS]

The problem with the scribble command is that its not terribly specific just where it is and what exactly is being described since the only words to specify its location rub away to nothing, and the drawing is always on the ground otherwise. There's no versatility in representation, it stymies creative use beyond drawing directions.

However as someone who has used the arrange command for drawings made the the illustrate skill I think creative license goes a bit overboard at times and could use a curtail, that's for sure. That's a breach of etiquette that can be resolved with a little bit of staff or personal interaction, depending on your comfort level.

I agree with the primary message that scribbles in the city degrade way too fast. So fast as to practically be pointless, since by the time anyone see's them most of description saying where it was or even looked like has degraded. Chalk scribbles are lacking severely in context, which is something more tasteful uses of arrange (less descriptions of the work, more about how its arranged in the environment) have in spades. I don't see a good compromise.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

As long as scribble logs so that staff knows who did it, I'd not worry about it. If it's offkey, let staff handle dealing with bad scribblers. I choose to believe that most people who play this game have good intentions, and are capable of understanding what staff says (as long as staff is initially polite about it) about something like that. Change scribble to be useful enough to players, and let the chips lie where they may.

[LindseyBalboa]

it's been two years, people want answers. why is scribble set to decay so fast, when you can just ldesc something to include graffiti.

make scribble great for the first time.

[Aruven]

This was fixed right?

[Brytta Léofa]

I have used scribble within the last few months and agree 100% with the original poster.

- Time to disappearance should be 10x longer, 15x in cities.
  - I would add: 50x indoors and underground.
  - But maybe allow people to 'erase' a scribble.
- Message should start degrading when 15% of the time is left. It's comical how fast the scribble mdesc becomes completely unreadable (while leaving a fully readable ldesc).