Recent Posts

I like this idea too.
So go for it!
And by all means make the reduction a substantial one, to motivate the players to look for the specialist trainers.
There is a list of those on the webpage, I think the header is 'Location of the trainers'.

But I assume this is a coding issue, at least it would nead a flag added in OLC to fob most of the work over to us builders.

Sort of like class mastery now, but more advanced? What would be a couple class examples? Let's flesh through warrior, gypsy, and priest so we can get a grasp on what this involves.

Something we might want to consider this is from Fallout series is to "tag" 2 classes and you get the benefits of those classes with the various masteries. It is still the same idea as the 8 remorts but you would get special bonuses for your tagged classes. Not sure if it fits in this discussion. Or maybe we could have special abilities which can be tagged from the classes.

For example:
1) If you tagged cleric you can have for example a bonus to healing spells or your buffing spells last longer (Remember this is off top of my head so it might not make sense right now)
2) If you tagged warrior you can have a bonus to your combat skills or you can have a bonus to your AC which makes you more of a defensive tank like character. Or you could choose more damage and be a damage dealing tank.

Prometheus.
I'm going avoid the trap of saying weather or not we should get rid of GM.

Not a bad idea.

Prometheus

A new trigger!!  Let's shake that magical eightball.  Yeah, I stole it from The Builder's Academy, but Rumble makes such neat triggers.
This one is very well documented on what it does and how, I just thought it had to be here.

Name: 'Obj Command Magic Eight Ball - O47',  VNum: [    6], RNum: [    6]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Objects
Trigger Type: Command , Numeric Arg: 2, Arg list: shake
Commands:
* By Rumble of The Builder Academy    tbamud.com 9091
* Numeric Arg: 2 means in character's carried inventory.
* Command trigs do not work for level 33 and above.
* There are 20 possible answers that the Magic Eight Ball can give.
* Of these, nine are full positive, two are full negative, one is
* mostly positive, three are mostly negative, and five are abstentions.
*
* Check arguments if they match. /= checks abbreviations.
if ball /= %arg% || eightball /= %arg%
  * Echo text to everyone else in the room and the actor.
  %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% shakes %self.shortdesc% vigorously.
  %send% %actor% You shake %self.shortdesc% vigorously.
  * Use a switch to choose a random response (1-20).
  switch %random.20%
    * Send the answer! %self% is the 8ball, or whatever the trig is attached to.
    * Only the actor sees the answer.
* Case is what we are trying to match. Does %random.20% == 1?
    case 1
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Outlook Good
      * We are done with this case so check the next one.
    break
    case 2
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Outlook Not So Good
    break
    case 3
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: My Reply Is No
    break
    case 4
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Don't Count On It
    break
    case 5
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: You May Rely On It
    break
    case 6
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Ask Again Later
    break
case 7
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Most Likely
    break
    case 8
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Cannot Predict Now
    break
    case 9
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Yes
    break
    case 10
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Yes, definitely
    break
    case 11
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Better Not Tell You Now
    break
    case 12
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: It Is Certain
    break
    case 13
%send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Very Doubtful
    break
    case 14
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: It Is Decidedly So
    break
    case 15
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Concentrate And Ask Again
    break
    case 16
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Signs Point To Yes
    break
    case 17
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: My Sources Say No
    break
    case 18
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Without A Doubt
    break
    case 19
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: Reply Hazy, Try Again
break
    case 20
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% reveals the answer: As I See It, Yes
    break
    * Every switch should have a default. A catch-all if the cases do not match.
    default
      %send% %actor% %self.shortdesc% explodes since your question is unanswerable.
    break
    * Every switch must have a done! Just like every if needs an end!
  done
  * The actor didn't use the command shake with arg ball or eightball.
else
  * Return 0 allows the command to continue through to the MUD. The player will
  * get the Huh!?! response or the shake social if you have one.
  return 0
end

In the range of 1-10 Im going to give it a 7.

As I said before the alignment system is a nuisance not a feature. It's just an annoyance and keeps players from enjoying the game they want to play. Fixing this system can bring in new sets of skills/spells and can directly relate to fixing our combat.

 It limits character customization, and in a way FORCES RP on you. I want to be an evil class. I want to be able to use evil spells all the time because Im evil and thats the role I wish to play. Just because I decided that my just as evil friend Rahkz is stepping out of line and I kill him doesnt mean Im trying to be good alignment. Just means he pissed me off and I decided I was sick of being around him and his followers.

Ill bust out a subskill drainblood. As most people know subskills are not exactly the most easiest thing to find in game. But hey I found it. Ive gotten to uses it about none. I must be evil align to use this subskill. Now of course there is certain places in game I can use it all the time, but other places I go i can only use it for 10 mins or less. Why force the player to only be able to stay evil alignment in those places? It limits where a player can go and do stuff. It limits their imagination and can cause the player to not even bother.

We have absolve for priest and evil eye for esper. These are the only two classes with the ability to change their alignment. Which makes it alright to play as a GOOD priest or a EVIL esper, because you can just cast those spells to change your alignment every few mins. But thats annoying, I shouldnt have to cast absolve every 10 mins to stay good while Im killing a good align mob. Those goody two shoes could be someone that taken my sister away for a a sacrifice to god. Now I go slay 20 of them and im forced by the code to be evil? Im forced to play the game a way I dont want to play with in 10 mins of doing something in a certain area? Why cant I play as a evil priest and use my awesome spell demonshriek for more then 10 mins in half this world?

I can see over long period of times continually slaying good mobs you will be evil, but not with in 10 mins of being in an area. This is why it gradually needs to move.

Fixing the way we deal with alignment will also help improve and make our combat system more unique. This in a way is a micro of combat. Steps like these need to be fixed to fix the overall combat and could lead to interesting new features down the road, but also bringing new small improvements that everyone can gain from now and gain from even more later. It over all hinders game play experience from RP to Grinding.

This game is suppose to be about imagination, playing it the way you want to play. Lets not hinder someone and force them to play a different way 10 mins into an zone.

Love the format, very easy to read and understand. I have a pretty simple, yet important question for you:

Between 1 and 10, 10 being phenomenally important and 1 being an idle daydream how important do you think working on this is? Justify your number with concrete reasons. At the end of your reply look over your reasons and ask yourself if the number is correct. If not, change it.  


Look forward to seeing your response.

[Reducing Spam]

Too be honest I cant really think of a whole lot on this subject.

Reducing Spam( we already have a few toggles for this stuff) Maybe expanding on it.
What we have

• 1. Brief Mode
   Turns off room descriptions, you can type look to still see the room
• 2.Compact Mode
   Removes empty lines
• 3.Nobattlespam
   Removes players titles, reduces spam in battle
• 4.Deaf Mode?
  Does it work?

What we could add

• 1. A toggle so you dont see what players are moving in and out of their inventory/dropping?
• 2. Toggle for removing players spammy log ins. Such as people with spells and RP login/logout?
• 3. Toggle for players walking in and out of a room notice.(I know im guilty of running through recall about 5 times in 10 seconds then using some type of recall item that spams even more)
• 4. Possibly moving rooms around recall around. Something like

[Locker Room] > [Healer Room] > [Mail room] > [Recall Room]

This way a player only walks through recall once to get a drink and see the healer rather then:
Enter Recall
Go Get a drink in Mail Room
Reenter Recall
Go to Healer to Heal
Enter Recall
Leave recall to go to a dimension.
That is around 6 or 7 lines of spam from one player.

Now im not sure if we have any existing toggles that does this already from knowledge.

But on top of that I think it would be neat to have small activities/games that they could play. Such as gambling? They can make a little bit of cash but make sure its something thats not spammy. Also this would be something to keep in mind when it comes to creating crafting and skills down the road.

[THE PROBLEM]

THE PROBLEM
 

• Alignment is too easily influenced.
• Killing one mob can swing your alignment up or down by a few hundred points at a time.
• With how easily influenced alignment is, it takes away from RP.(Just cause you killed someone evil doesnt mean your all of sudden should be going good.)
• It interferes with using spells and equipment throughout the game. And overall just becomes a nuisance than any type of game feature.
• Any GM can cast absolve to go good(Tier 1 spell), but only Espers can cast Evil Eye(Tier3 spell) to turn evil.
  
• Alignment also affects your mounts, buying a mount then going around and killing good alignment mobs will reduce your alignment to evil which in returns causes your mount to leave you. And considering the lack of mounts you can buy in game and white stallions are one of the best bought mounts that is good align no evil align mount matches its power. Once again just makes the current alignment a nuisance and not a thought out feature.

Ex. How easily Aligntment is Changed My Aligntment is at 1000
1ST KILL A cityguard in old yorke, it drops 125 points.
2ND KILL A brother in the Monastery drops 85 more points
10TH KILL My alignment is at 396.
27TH KILL I hit evil alignment -355

Most of these mobs I one hit, so it really takes no time for a person to run around and influence his Alignment to good or bad. Those 27 kills gave me a less than 20mil of experience and took me about 2 mins to run around and kill. Now just because of this system I spent all this money training a spell I can only use for 2 mins or hours upon hours doing a quest for 2 mins of being able to use it in this area. Makes the area a typical turn off towards the player.

THE GOAL
Creating a system where it takes more influence to adjust your aligntment up and down, But still allowing a quick fix to meet your alignment requirments(Evil Eye, Absolve, Temples).



Reaching the Goal(Ideas)

• A. Moving Absolve up to a tier 3 spell to match with Evil Eye.
  
• B. Adjusting the formula for alignment to allow for less of an impact when you kill a good or evil mob.
• C. Allow a time frame that keeps other mobs from affecting your alignment after your fist kill.

ex I can kill a Good aligned mob, it reduces my alignment by 50 but I can continue to kill Good Alignment mobs for the next 5 mins before it affects my alignment again.

• D. Bring in a religion system. Something easy and small to start out with 3 different religions one for evil, neutral, and good. If you join these religions it only allows your alignment to fluxate up and down to a certain point.

Evil Religion would only allow your alignment to go from -1000/-351
Good Religion would only allow 1000/351
Neutral Religion would only allow -350/350

   Religion system would be something we could expand on down the road, Maybe allowing -1000 evil alignment to give a bonus to damage or maybe the gods favor you and cast a fireball from hell towards opponent. If you are at 1000 the gods feel pity and can cast a heal on you. But we also need to allow moving back and fourth between a religion. You can start out as joining any one religion but if you leave one to join another you need to donate money; more times you switch the more money you will have to donate.

 This can overall bring in more RP to the game and make a player play his character how they see fit, also help bring in a gold sink.

How can we make this easier? How can we make this more fun? Share your thoughts.