Shattered Kingdoms

You just lost a huge chunk of respect I had for you, Baldric.

Wow, it's like a race across the desert - there's all these parallel discussions, any of which could be in their own thread. For the sake of everyone who reads these posts, please quote what you're replying to. We've always had creative immortals and players, so it's not surprising we can think of things that 'are bad' or (if coding was not a factor) how to make them better. What's useful in these threads is the collective brainstorming that irons out the problems in the solutions that are offered. For example,

Regarding the cessation of combat:
There is flee, there is retreat... what's wrong with these two? Did you want the ability to not respond to being hit at the outset of combat and/or to just to stop hitting during combat? Did you want the ability to surrender to a PC?

Regarding wastelands/citadel/etc:
In the late 1990s, the wastelands was *the* place to go to get gear. It was reasonably hard to travel around there and you needed a group, there was a lot of good equipment for a wide variety of slots and classes (compared to equipment that was easier to obtain on your own perhaps), so it was a good treasure trove. Risk versus reward.

The fact that another area has taken that mantle is a reflection of the evolution of the game: new affects systems, new options to builders when building equipment, along with quite simply new areas being built. The risk/reward ratio is now better at area B than it was at area A. I'm not sure if you're suggesting making area A easier to move around in or easier to get to [decrease the risk], or simply disperse the gear in areas that are easier to get to??

(now some of my ideas, not speaking as an immortal...)

Re. shopping hours:
** Pay a fee to wake up the shopkeeper (here's some coin for waking you up, good sir) - [means you're not stuck waiting]
** Paragons can use any shop in their homeland at anytime (For you Sir it is no trouble at all! Any time at all!) [generates RP if you don't want to wait, go find a Paragon]

Re. equipment at the end of the rainbow already taken by someone else:
** Perhaps have the reset code add (decent) coin to a NPC that is missing an uber item. (We failed to find the sword of uberness, but we have X obsidian anyway)
** Perhaps have the some method to report (via lore?) about who stole the uber item before you, even if they are offline. (Lara races after the graverobber, who beat her to the artifact only moments before)

--

I would like to make one clear point - reporting a long list of flaws and posturing that they have 'always' been that way and that those who help run the game have 'never' fixed them is a bit unfair. SK has a very active and responsive group of immortals here and almost always has throughout the history of the game. Problems that are reported are fixed. Exceptions usually require coding (limitation of Dulrik's time) and/or affect game balance. Nearly every other acceptable change has been put into the game quite quickly. Bring on the brainstorming!

Game only has one coder, big flaw.

I would like the ability to, after a fight has started, type relent(or something else), and then my character would not participate in the fight, even if she's getting attacked. This would only really serve two purposes: the first would be a quick finish to typo started battles.

Example: just the other day, my character was in a group that was in the Earth plane, a serene female half elf was with us, and our priest tried to "c 'flamestrike' se mithril lion" which targeted the serene female half elf, and hit our group. The leader was quick to tell everyone to aim to stun, but the half-elf in question paniced, fled, and was killed by the mithril lion. The ability to "relent" would have saved us from a little bit of grief in what was clearly an OOC mistake.

The other purpose it could serve is to be a martyr... letting someone wail on you to prove a point. I thought this was a good idea, but as I'm typing it, I realize a sorc or persuasive bard might be able to abuse it...

Oh well, that's what I had in mind, anyway.

Having a way to stop combat would be VERY nice for RP purposes and the ever so popular "adjectives that start with se" and "flamestriking the red-eyed centaur instead of the red-haired human" issues, just as long as it was introduced in a way that prevented abuse from counterstrike and intimidate (And any other skills). Perhaps using "relent" would disable for two ticks any skills that could be used in abuse of the command, like intimidation, counterstrike, cleave, charge, gore, etc: And also prevent leaving the room except via flee, retreat or recall as long as you were in combat: It makes a mess, which is why I understand it not being present.

The request to purposefully choose to be a punching bag and not hit back would be a mess to code, however...

What if there was an item you could get wield that would have a few drawbacks, but that would fix the problem you're describing?

What I'm thinking of would be called "the wand of stupid" and anyone in combat could quickly remove their weapon, wield the wand (which is cursed). The wand would then automatically spring into action (no need for wands skill). It would momentarily transfer the wielder out of the room (combat ceases) then back again. They would also have nearly every stat hobbled terribly and probably some minor affects to wait out (disease or poison perhaps... something annoying like that)

Your party would have to still have to clean up after the mess, but at least you stopped combat and nobody had to flee.

I might be tired but think this is a neat idea... How about a 'dunce cap' that is cursed, poisons the wearer, transports them to a room with Marfik who slaps them in the face before they transport back polymorphed as a new creature, 'idiot' with the adjective 'slack-jawed', and also they become drunk?

EDIT: The 'idiot' race cannot wear equipment, btw. And you are stuck as that race for say 5-10 ic hours.

God, I couldn't agree with the OP more.

1: I don't see it as being possible to argue against this. Sure, you're a cloth-wearing sorceror, but in what kind of stupid universe is a grandmaster of the arcane so frail as to be forced to rely on a store-bought pet to handle average wild beasts? Hell, the ridiculously common nature of pets is thematically shattering in the first place. In no proper fantasy universe will everyone and his mother walk around with a spider, a wolf, or a unicorn. Horses? Absolutely. Give everyone horses. Just don't make it strategically superior (or even viable for fcking paladins and hellions to stand behind their horses while they wave their polearms around like motherfcking pussies.

Jesus christ that pisses me off.

2a/b: The number of times this exact thing happened to me was beyond frustrating. Investigating IC can be a really dumbfounding experience, too; I've had groups of people get together to try and solve obscure problems or puzzles, only to find that there simply is no solution and now we all look like idiots.

However, this is a problem for builders. It's not like we have a comprehensive list of "things in the game that look like puzzles but have no solution or reward". Finding these things requires a pretty complete knowledge of the game, and the people with that knowledge are more often players - players with better things to do than write extensive reports on which areas need looking at.

2c/3/4: Nailed it all. I needn't add any more.

Every sorc, necro or priest I have played ate fadelions, darkbandits, giant spiders, etc etc. for lunch. I don't see what all your problems are.

Saladman, are you playing again?