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Topics - Molly

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31
Kvetch raised a subject on the Admin board about the now dangerously low playerbase, and what might be done about it.
It's a sad fact that 4D seems to be slowly dying - a fate we share with many other text muds, but that doesn't make it any less depressing. 

Anyhow, the first thing that comes to mind is of course to ask for input from our players, old and new ones.

So here are some blunt questions that I hope we can get responses to, from both players and imms:
(You don't have to answer all of them of course, just pick the ones that are relevant to you.
And please try to be as specific as possible, we can take critic, but it should be constructive.
The options I put at the end of each question are just starting points).

1A. What made you stop playing 4D?
(game got too hard, game got too easy, too many changes, too few changes, wrong changes, too little RP, too much RP, player conflicts, bad imms, boredom, all my friends left, RL changes, playing WoW etc.)

1B. (for imms) What made you stop working on 4D?

2. What might make you start playing/working actively again?
(new code features, new zones, new quests, better balance of equipment and classes, more interesting Clans, more imm-run events, more player-run events, timered events and quests, more new players, more old players returning etc.)

3. What would make you at least log on to socialise a bit more often?
(4D used to be like a big chat room, where people hung out just to talk with friends. Is there any way we could bring at least the Recall Squatter spirit back again?)

4. How can we attract more new players to the Mud?
In particular I'd like ideas about how to target and reach a new audience. (Even of most of the gaming interest has moved to graphics, there must still be thousands of people connected to internet, who like to read, and might enjoy the more complex atmosphere of a Text mud. But how do we make these people aware that Text muds in general - and 4D in particular - even exist, now that muds are no longer mainstream?)

5. What can we do to make the new players want to stay longer?

6. What do you think specifically turns newbies off our Mud?

7. Some players tell me that 4D was more fun in the old days. Is this really true?
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking? Maybe it was just more fun because back then it was new and fresh to you? Or because there were more active players back then?
But if there is something specific that you think was better before, please share your thoughts here.

8. What was it that first attracted you to 4D and made you want to stay on?

9. Any particular of todays features that you like/don't like?

10. Any particular old features that you miss and want back?


32
Building Board / Building bugs and bad building
« on: October 23, 2010, 04:29:19 am »
When we first started 4D, the entire building staff - including myself - were total newbies at our job. I had only built a Clan HQ in my earlier mud when I was made Head Builder. And the code change from Mythran to Circle didn't make things any easier either.
Consequently, whenever I update one of our older zones, I find loads of annoying mistakes - some of which I caused myself.
Even today some mistakes seem to be rather common, since we still have a number of pretty inexperienced builders.
The errors/mistakes/bugs I notice are mostly with resets and shops, and of course, scripts.

This leads me to think that we need to clean up some building routines, and if any of you guys notice any "bad patterns", especially in old zones, please share the knowledge here.

Let me start with some of my own observations of common builder mistakes, and questions that I often get from new builders:

RESETS:
1. If you put a maxload of more than 1 on a reset object, you always need to put in a remove command before the load command, otherwise the objects will pile up in the room until they reach the max number.
Example:
0 - Remove the fir tree [52735] from room.
1 - Load the fir tree [52735], Max : 999


2. The same remove command should be used for fountains, to make sure that they are always filled, and for containers, to ensure that any item loaded inside them reloads each time the zone resets. (Otherwise the content will only load after a reboot or crash).

3. If you want to load more than one on the same object in a room, it's best to put these objects in some kind of container.

4. Don't set the maxload too low, especially if the object is sold in a shop. It's very irritating when an object doesn't load as expected, because the maxload is reached. (Not only to the players, but also to the imms who have to tend to the bugreports). Usually you should set a maxload of at least 200, more if it is a potion that players tend to stockpile.
Artifacts should alwasy be set with a high maxload, otherwise it may screw up the artifact code.

5. If you load the same object or mob in more than one room, make sure that you set the same maxload on all the loading places.

6. Loading the same sentinel mob in more than one room is generally a bad idea. It works at the first reset after a reboot. But when the mobs are killed off, it can lead to a mob-pileup in the first room, while other intended loadplaces are left empty, since the code always starts with the load in the first room. (If the mobs move around this doesn't matter)

SHOPS:
1. Never put more than one shop in the same room, unless you have some special intention with it. Only the first shop will show up on the list command.

2. Always use the mov vnum as vnum for the shop, not the room.

3. If the shopkeeper is moving around, make sure you set all the rooms he can move to in sedit.

4. Make sure that the objects you want the shop to sell have a price set in oedit, and that they are given to the mob in zedit. Otherwise they won't show up on list and cannot be sold.

5. If the shop is a weapon shop, remember that the code makes mobs wield the top weapon in their inventory directly after being loaded. This means that you'll have to reset 2 of the last weapon you give the mob, if you want him to sell all the weapons he has. (The bottom line of the reset list appears on top in the inventory when the zone resets).

6. If you want the shopkeeper to also buy things from players, you need to set what type of items they accept. Also make sure that the buying rate is considerably lower than the selling rate.

SCRIPTS:
A mob /room/object can only have one script of the same type, if the argument is * or there is no argument at all.
Examples:
- If you put two greet scripts on the same mob, only the first one will trigger.
- a speech or command script with a set arg will not trigger if there is another speech script with the arg set as * on the same mob/room/object.

33
So, the end of the world is getting close, and we'll all have to prepare for it.

I've got a letter from Nilk, who wanted to deal with it from a roleplay point of view, which I think is an excellent idea. This will be carried out in a different thread.

But Nilk also had some very good practical questions, mostly connected to RP aspects of the game which I tried to answer as well as I could. But I wasn't always able to give a strange reply, since things that affect the game balance will first have to be discussed an decided by the Staff.

However, it made me realise that a lot of details still need to be solved, and that probably many other players have questions they want answered. So this thread is meant to post questions and practical suggestions about the code change, and when possible we'll give a direct reply, and in other cases take it up among the staff to reach a decision.

I'll start out by copying Nilks questions and my comments to them.
Feel free to add your own questions and suggestions to the thread. :)

Question:
Will players be able to keep their age? (It would be a problem RP-wise if the age was suddenly set back to 17).


Comment:
I see no reason why players shouldn't be allowed to keep their age, whether it's for RP or bragging reasons, since I don't believe age affects any other stats. Hopefully this can be achieved by not deleting the characters, just setting them back to level 1, which means they would keep their age, but lose all their other stats. So you'd have to reroll your char, choosing Class and stats, but the name would be protected.

There is however a possibility that the characters will have to be restarted, to get their other stats right, in which case the age would have to be set manually, i.e. you'd have to ask a senior imm to do it for you.  This means that there might be a technical problem, since this has been tricky to do in the past,  But Anubis is a good coder, so hopefully he'll find some easy way to either let the characters keep their age, ot to make it easier to set it manually.
I suggest as a preliminary precaution, that you write down your age, and ask other Roleplayers to do the same.


Question:
Relationships, marriage etc.  Can this be somehow carried over in the new code?  (Would totally break rp otherwise).
On this subject what about wedding rings? I know these cost tokens and the problems that have been aired about items that cost tokens, on the pwipe thread, but surely these can be carried over? If they have stats then these can be removed, but would be nice to keep the script on them, to tele to your partner.


Comment:
Relationships should carry on as before. It might mean, codewise, that you'd have to remarry, but that's a simple procedure that any senior imm can help with, and unless you specifically want it, there would be no reason to go through the ceremonies around it.

Personally I think that you should get to keep your wedding rings (meaning that someone would have to load them for you). They do give an advantage, but it's not big enough to be particularly unbalancing, so I think we could load them without a fee. But this is something that I have to clear with the rest of the Staff first, so I cannot promise outhand.


Question
RP award points, will these be carried over?


Comment:
Again possibly a technical problem, otherwise I don't see why not. If it's possible to set the chars at level 1 instead of recreating them, it would probably also be easy to keep the award points. Otherwise they too would have to be restored manually. (The main problem with that would be to make sure how many points you have, but the old pfiles will probably be kept, at least for a while, so it would be possible to check).


Question:
Other true rp items, awards, throphies etc. will they stay or go?


Comment:
We have discussed this within the staff, and the concensus is that these items should be kept, even if they have stats. You'd need an imm to load them, of course.


Question:
Clans, will they keep their crashproof rooms?


Comment:
Clans will be kept, with their current leaders. Most likely all the members will have to be enrolled again, as they create, and that means that the CLs will have to lower both the admittance level and the fee temporary, but that shouldn't be a big problem.

We haven't discussed the Clan Houses yet within the Staff, but my own opinion is that even if all other crashproof houses have to be rebought with tokens, the Clan Houses could be restored for free. (Just the houses, of course, not the content). The motivation for this is that Clans are good both for RP and for socal interaction, and having a crashproof house will make the clans more important and prestiguous to join.


Question:
When will Seekers no longer be seekers in the code? Now they leave seekers after their first remort, but seeing remorts will be gone, at what level will they be expelled from Seekers in the new code? Surely it can't be idea that they remain seekers forever, what's the point otherwise of having the Loners as non-clan?


Comment:
This is a code issue that I think only Anubis can answer. There must be a stage where you have been around long enough to not be considered a newbie any more, but whether that stage is level 10, 20, 30 or 40 in the new code I cannot say, because I don't yet know how quick the progress will be. (Most likely it will be a lot slower than today, if remorts are being disposed of).


Question:
Houses, is it that they will still be there, but no access until you buy them back?


Comment:
The houses themselves will still be there and so will those of the containers that are reset and not just loaded. They will however not be crashproof until they are repaid for with tokens, and all the other content will be gone. This means that anyone can enter them, not just the owner and their house guests. That could actually be interesting, and I think there will be some touristing among the players to view what the interior of the houses of different prominent players looks like.

As for the token fee to make the houses crashproof again, we will most likely give a discount for already existing houses, but exactly how much is something that we have to decide within the Staff.


Question:
If we have to buy them back, to keep the worries about inflation at bay.  I have an idea, if it is possible to code, those who want to keep houses on the re-create, can do so, but will have a negative token balance for the cost of the house.


Comment:
I don't think that we'll allow a credit, but, like I said, a discount is probable.

34
Building Board / Seasons and Moon Phases
« on: January 28, 2010, 06:47:01 am »
I managed to catch Thotter, when he peeked out of his hole, and forced him to code the DG_scripts part of seasons and Moon Phases. So all Builders will now be able to work with these variables in their zones and quests, which could add some extra spice to them.

For example Werewolvs can now turn at the appropriate time, and stay in the wolf shape as long as the full moon lasts, fruits can ripe on trees in autumn, birds can lay eggs in spring and fledlings can hatch in summer. And magic herbs for potions can be collected when the moon is in the waning crescent phase, for better effect.

Below is some code info about how ro use the new feature:

To get the current season, do %time.season%.
The seasons are:
winter (month 0-3), spring (month 4-7), summer (month 8-12) and autumn (month 13-16).
Note that the total amount of months is 17, and that summer has 5 months.
All other seasons have 4 months.

To get the current moon phase, do %time.moon%.
The moon phases are:
"full", "waning gibbous", "last quarter", "waning crescent",  "new", "waxing crescent", "first quarter" and "waxing gibbous".
For example, if something in a script should only happen if the moon is waning gibbous, do
 if %time.moon% == waning gibbous
  %echo% leprechauns take over the world
 end
Keep in mind that %time.moon% will return the current moon phase even if it's daytime.

This should be implemented fully now. (See the post in the scripting board). It has not yet been tested in praxis though, but I am about to do that soon.

35
Suggestions & Ideas / The CRAFT System
« on: July 26, 2009, 04:37:05 am »
Here is the craft system as it stands presently:

There are 6 main CRAFT PROFESSIONS;
Glassworker, Leatherworker, Metalworker, Stoneworker, Textileworker, Woodworker.

It has to be decided how the subskill system for them should be set up, however.

Either each profession could also be the subskill, in which case there will
only be the above 6 subskills totally for the Crafts.

Or alternately each Profession could have 5 subskills. (see the list below).

PROFESSION: GLASSWORKER
Subskills:
- Gaffer
- Glazier
- Marver
- Maestro
- Mirrormaker

PROFESSION: LEATHERWORKER
Subskills:
- Tanner
- Furrier
- Shoemaker
- Glovemaker
- Armourer

PROFESSION: METALWORKER
Subskills:
- Metallurgist
- Blacksmith
- Farrier
- Goldsmith/Jeweller
- Weaponsmith

PROFESSION: STONEWORKER
Subskills:
- Quarrier
- Masoner
- Stonecutter
- Gemcutter
- Constructor

PROFESSION: TEXTILEWORKER
Subskills:
- Weaver
- Ropemaker
- Tailor
- Embroiderer
- Robemaker

PROFESSION: WOODWORKER
Subskills:
- Woodsman
- Miller
- Carpenter
- Cabinetmaker
- Shipbuilder

The current list of craft related subskills looks like this:
RefineOre   RefineGems   ReprocessOre  ReprocessGems  SoftMining   HardMining        
Sharpening     LeatherWork  Tailoring  HeatManagement
Glasswork  BottleMaking  VialMaking
Lumberjack    CharcoalBurn    BrickMaking   Tunneling
Glove Maker    Gaffer  Glazier  Marver  Maestro   MirrorMaker
Tanner  Furrier   Shoe Maker
Metallurgist    Black Smith    Farrier   GoldSmith  WeaponSmith
Quarrier    Masoner  StoneCutter   GemCutter  Constructor
Weaver   RopeMaker   Tailor  Embroiderer
Woodsman   Miller    Carpenter   CabinetMaker  Ship Builder


and would turn into either this:
Glassworker  Leatherworker  Metalworker  Stoneworker  Textileworker  Woodworker

or, dependant of how detailed we want it,  this:
Gaffer  Glazier  Marver  Maestro  Mirrormaker
Tanner  Furrier  Shoemaker  Glovemaker  Armourer
Metallurgist   Blacksmith  Farrier  Goldsmith  Weaponsmith
Quarrier  Masoner  Stonecutter  Gemcutter  Constructor
Weaver  Ropemaker  Tailor  Embroiderer  Robemaker
Woodsman  Miller  Carpenter  Cabinetmaker  Shipbuilder


There could also be some other Craft related professions, for instance:

PROFESSION: ARTISAN
- Instrument maker
- Painter/Dyer
- Potter
- Sculptor
- Repairman

PROFESSION: BREWER
- Brewer
- Distiller
- Perfumer
- Potionmaker
- Alchemist

PROFESSION: SCRIBE
- Papermaker
- Bookbinder
- Scrollmaker
- Scribe

PROFESSION: CATERER
- Baker
- Confectioner
- Cook
- Caterer

Some of the above trades are already in planning, like cooking-catering and brewing


36
Suggestions & Ideas / SUBskill System
« on: July 25, 2009, 04:32:13 am »
At present I think the subskill system is a total mess, that was left half finished and needs to be reworked completely.
Organising it will take a lot of combined efforts from Coders and Builders.
We'd actually want some volunteers in this. If you are reasonably good with the English language and know how to make simple scripts, but don't feel like taking on an entire zone - how about helping out with the subskill system?

Below is the list of what that you currently get with the command subskill in the game.

The colour code is as follows:
Green: The skill is in and working, but might need some balancing
Lime Green: The skill is actively being worked on (quests etc.)
Teal: The skill is in, but the quest is too easy and should be changed.
Red: This should be taken out completely
Orange: Might possibly be needed, but only in a detailed system
Purple What is this? Do we need it?
color=blue]Blue[/color]: Not on the current list, but needed for something in planning.
Black: The ones still in black are the ones I am unsure of.

Those of you who know more than I, and have editing rights, feel free to change the colour code in my list.
Otherwise I am looking for ideas and input on the existing skills, suggestions for new ones, opinions on which ones should be made ordinary skills instead etc.
The coders' opinions in this are particularly important, but naturally we want input from active players as well.
As you can see, I haven't used the red code for take out at all yet, but obviously it will be put to use after the discussion takes place.

There are three main group of the subskills:
- Fighting/defence skills (give various advantages in combat)
- Crafting skills (manufacture items to trade to players and mobs for TP/Tokens)
- Performance skills (mostly for show, but could earn TP/tokens)

It would be much easier to get a grip of them, if we could have the list organised in those groups. I'll try to set up another post, organising them in those groups, with some explanations.

Personally I'd like to reorganise most of the Craft skills to get some structure into the system, removing some of them completely and possibly keeping others as sub-subskills.
I'll be posting a new thread in the near future about the planned Craft system, as it currently stands. (That will involve most of the subskills marked orange in the list below.

         UNDEFINED        FuryAttack        NightRegen        DrainBlood
           Pillage         RefineOre        RefineGems      ReprocessOre
     ReprocessGems
          Industry         Marketing            Barter
        SoftMining        HardMining        Sharpening     LeatherWork
         Tailoring
          Surveying       Electronics      SmallShields
      LargeShields       Decyphering      HeavyWeapons      LightWeapons
           Brewing       Supervising        Management        Leadership
 GroupCoordination
        HeavyArmor       MediumArmor        LightArmor
Lightsaber proficencyLightsaber Double-ended       Dogfighting      Cockfighting
    Streetfighting       DevineWater        CreateWell            Optics
           Milling       Papermaking      Scrollmaking    HeatManagement
         Glasswork      BottleMaking        VialMaking
        Lumberjack
         TreeGuard        BonusSpeed       BonusAttack      BonusEvasion
       BonusDamage
       Lycanthropy        StunPhaser            Juggle
           Garotte      DragonSummon        DragonTame     DragonEnchant
    DragonMounting     DragonMastery         DragonFly       DragonCargo
  DragonPassengers
         BeastTame       BeastTongue       BeastMaster
        TaskMaster    UnDeadOverlord       UnDeadDemon  UnDeadMinorDemon
      UnDeadDragon      UnDeadMaster      UnDeadSummon     UnDeadWorship

              Trip          Throttle              Mask            Cloak
       ShadowCloak           Balance            Tumble             Clown
           Trapese      CharcoalBurn       BrickMaking         Tunneling
    RepelSanctuary           Undying       SweepAttack          Assemble
               Bake              Brew             Craft            Fletch
              Knit              Make               Mix            Thatch
            Weave             Forge     Instrument maker           Painter
            Potter         Repairman          Sculptor         Alchemist
            Brewer         Distiller          Perfumer       Glove Maker
            Gaffer           Glazier            Marver           Maestro
      Mirror Maker            Tanner           Furrier        Shoe Maker

      <UNUSED SUB>      <UNUSED SUB>      Metallurgist       Black Smith
           Farrier        Gold Smith      Weapon Smith          Quarrier
           Masoner      Stone Cutter        Gem Cutter       Constructor
            Weaver        Rope Maker            Tailor       Embroiderer

      <UNUSED SUB>          Woodsman            Miller         Carpenter
     Cabinet maker      Ship Builder
         UNDEFINED

SpaceNavigation       
Artisan        Performer
Stoneworker     Metalworker    Woodworker    Leatherworker     Textileworker    Glassworker
Cook      Confectioner       Caterer

37
General Discussions / Clans
« on: June 12, 2009, 11:11:42 am »
We are going to implement some long asked for changes to Clans, in order to make Clans more independent of imms. The changes will involve the following:

1. A Retired flag, for inactive CLs
- The Retired flag will be displayed as a tag on WHO-list with the name of the Clan.
- A Clan Leader will not be able to retire another CL.
- Clan Leaders will be able to retire themselves, but not to return as CLs on their own. Only a CL, or imp, will be able to promote a Retired CL back to CL Rank.
- Only imps, not other imms, will be able to set the flag. Imps will also be able to retire an inactive CL without linkloading them.
- Retired CLs will have access to all the top clan commands, except that they cannot promote anyone - (including themselves) - to the CL rank.
- A player can only hold the Retired Rank from one Clan.

- 2. The ability to promote, demote and expel inactive members, even when they are not on line.
- Only CLs will be able to do this, not lower Clan ranks.
- Normally promotion and demotion should be done with both parties present, to explain the reasons behind. This is mainly meant as a way to get rid of highly inactive players, or when the leader and member have very different playing times.

3. The ability for Clan members to leave the Clan, without having to wait for the CL to come on line.
- Normally you should ask the CL to get expelled.
- Leaving the Clan on your own accord comes at a price; 1 silver token.
- Imms should not be asked to do this. The goal is to make Clans as independent of imms as possible.

* A timered Outcast flag, to discourage Clan-hopping
- Every player who gets expelled from a Clan, or leaves on their own accord will get the Outcast flag.
- The Outcast flags lasts for 2 weeks real time, and you won't be able to join a new Clan with the flag.
- If the player is set as PK when leaving the Clan, they will stay as PK for as long as the Outcast flag stays.

Later we might implement other changes to the Clan code that have been dicussed earlier, for instance:
- Clan Wars and alliances
- possibilities for Clans to invade the HQs of rivalring Clans
- various opportunities to protect your Clan HQs against intrusions, against a price.

Since this will have greater impact on the gameplay, we first want input from the players on these proposed changes, so please post your opinions and ideas on the subject in this thread.


38
Scripting Board / Dig script
« on: January 14, 2009, 03:31:32 am »
In response to a question from Iwku, here is a script that will result in 7 different outcomes, if a player types the command 'dig' in the room. 3 of the options is failure, the rest let the actor find different kinds of objects.

Name: 'room 23160 dig',  VNum: [23105], RNum: [ 4923]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Rooms
Trigger Type: Command, Numeric Arg: 5, Arg list: dig
Commands:
wait 1
 eval number %random.7%
 switch %number%
 case 1
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% You dig and dig, but uncover nothing.
  break
 case 2
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% The sides of your hole keep collapsing, burying everything even deeper.
  break
 case 3
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% This is rather boring. Go look under some stones instead!
  break
 case 4
  if !%shardA%
   wait 2 s
   %send% %actor% You have found a shard! Yay!
   %load% obj 23172 %actor%
   set shardA 1
   global shardA
  else
   %send% %actor% This place seems to be empty.
  endif
  break 
 case 5
  if !%shardB%
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% You have found a shard! Yay!
  %load% obj 23176 %actor%
   set shardB 1
   global shardB
  else
   %send% %actor% Is this really worth the effort?
  endif
  break
 case 6
  if !%shardC%
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% You have found a piece of broken pottery! Big deal...
  %load% obj 23154 %actor%
   set shardC 1
   global shardC
  else
   %send% %actor% This is really dull work. Go look in some crevices instead!.
  endif
  break
 case 7
  if !%shardD%
  wait 2 s
  %send% %actor% You have found a piece of broken pottery! Big deal...
  %load% obj 23180 %actor%
   set shardD 1
   global shardD
  else
   %send% %actor% Archeaology can be very boring. Go look in some holes instead.
  endif
  break
 done


39
Building Board / Assemblies
« on: November 30, 2008, 04:02:22 am »
Assembly is a nice feature, particularly for crafts.
(Type help assembly for an explanation of how it works).

However, it has one big flaw.

The assembly file doesn't follow the world files for the zone it is made in, like mobs, objects etc.
Instead the complete list is stored separately in the lib directory, and this doesn't transfer automatically when the finished zone is transferred to the Gameport.
Consequently the assembly lists will be different in different Ports, and cannot be transferred easily because that could screw the list up in the port it is moved to.

This is a big drawback, because it means that in reality all assemblies have to be done twice; first in the Buildport, then redone in the Gameport.

I don't know if this is something that the Coders can fix, but I hope you'll be able to do something about it.

Meanwhile I must ask all Builders to
1. Preferably don't use assembly at all. (A command script can do the same ting).
2. If you must use it, give me a list with the vnums of all objects involved in an assembly , when you submit a new zone to be put into the Gameport.



40
Scripting Board / A bug with object speech scripts using * as arg
« on: November 16, 2008, 09:35:06 am »
Here is a weird bug, and I am not sure whether it is caused by context on the mob speech script, or the object speech scripts using * as arg. In any case the two scripts interfere with one another.

Hayato demonstrated it to me, and he says it's caused by % signs, but I don't really understand how that could be.

Anyhow, here is what happens:
We know of the bug affecting two items so far. (There might be others, but probably not many, since most objects with speech scripts set on them are !take).
The ones we know of are:
44591 the flying carpet from Aegean Island (script vnum 44531)
25645 a glowing silver-topped cane from Victorian England (script vnum 25620)

Both those objects react to speech scripts from whoever has them. Both the speech scripts have * as arg.
Both objects are also pretty good, so anyone who managed to acquire them is also likely to carry them around at most times.

But the speech scripts on the objects also interact with speech scripts on quest mobs in an undesirable way, meaning that the mobs won't respond to key phrases, unless you put the objects in question in a bag. Then the questmob suddenly acts normal again.

It's a very irritating bug that isn't very obvious, so a player could go around for ages, missing out on quest because of it.
It doesn't happen to all mobs with a speech script however, for instance the Time Guardian (3169, with the script 3366) still works fine. But as an example, Director Leatherwell (8225, with script 62212) doesn't. (There are probably several more examples, but for these you need to ask Hayato).

The time Guardian has a script that reacts to various keywords, with * as arg.
Leatherwell has a simpler script, reacting to one of the common greeting phrases, but it also uses context.

I've experimented by putting either return 0 or return 1 as elseif checks on the object script, but neither seems to work.
However Leatherwell works fine if Hayato puts the two objects in a bag.

At present I am stumped myself, and I don't really have the spare time toexperiment either. Hopefully one of our script gurus can figure out what's wrong and how we should set up the scripts in the future to prevent similar things from happening..

The scripts are below:



MOB SCRIPTS

This one works together with the objects:
Name: 'time guardian',  VNum: [ 3366], RNum: [  922]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Mobiles
Trigger Type: Speech, Numeric Arg: 100, Arg list: *
Commands:
eval ole old west
eval med medieval
eval fu future
eval pre pre historic
if %speech.car%==group
  eval goto %speech.cdr%
else
  eval goto %speech.car%
end
if (%ole% /= %goto% && %goto.contains(old)%)
  eval dest Old West
  eval loc 13000
elseif (%med% /= %goto% && %goto.contains(med)%)
  eval dest Medieval
  eval loc 3047
elseif (%pre% /= %goto% && %goto.contains(pre)%)
  eval dest Pre Historic
  eval loc 3084
elseif (%fu% /= %goto% && %goto.contains(fut)%)
  eval dest Future
  eval loc 38300
else
  halt
end
eval act %actor%
if !%actor.is_pc%
  %echo% Quick as a flash %actor.name% disappears!
else
  tell %actor.name% So, you want to explore %dest%?
  tell %actor.name% I shall send you there.
  %send% %actor% You are surrounded in a swirling vortex...
  %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% is surrounded in a swirling vortex and vanishes.
end
%teleport% %actor% %loc%
%force% %actor% look
if %speech.car%==group
  eval rm %self.room%
  eval t %rm.people%
  while %t%
    eval p %t%
    eval t %t.next_in_room%
    if %p.master.name%==%act.name%
      %echoaround% %p% %p.name% is pulled in to %act.name%'s swirling vortex and is sent to %dest%.
      %send% %p% You are pulled in to %act.name%'s swirling vortex and sent to %dest%.
      %teleport% %p% %loc%
      %force% %p% look
      %send% %act% %p.name% climbs from a swirling vortex.
    end
  done
end

This one doesn't:
Name: 'Leatherwell may the force',  VNum: [ 6212], RNum: [ 1668]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Mobiles
Trigger Type: Speech, Numeric Arg: 0, Arg list: may the force be with
Commands:
wait 1 s
context %actor.id%
if %done% == 0
  eval done 1
  global done
  wait 1 s
  emote eyes you up and down and nods curtly.
  wait 3 s
  emote says, 'Hmm, you look like you need to earn a buck.
  %echo% 'Wanna take this letter to Mr. Whaffle on Poon and return with his reply?'
  wait 5 s
  %load% obj 8296 %actor%
  emote gets a letter from his pocket and hands it over.
  wait 2 s
  give 50 coin %actor.name%
  say Here's some money for your expenses.
  wait 1 s
  %echo% Fifty quid??? The mean old skinflint!
  wait 2 s
  say Now don't go and spend it all on booze and gambling and women.
  say You'll be paid on your return.
  emote waves a dismissive hand.
else
  eyebrow
  say What are you? A parrot?
  say Trying to kiss up, to get a handout, are you?
endif
context 0

OBJECT SCRIPTS

Name: 'Carpet teleport',  VNum: [44531], RNum: [ 6468]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Objects
Trigger Type: Speech, Numeric Arg: 7, Arg list: *
Commands:
if %actor.varexists(levitate)%
  wait 1
  rdelete levitate %actor.id%
  if %speech.contains(thasos)%
    %echo% The carpet lifts with a sudden jerk and takes off into the sky.
    wait 3 s
    %send% %actor% You travel through the air with an amazing speed.
    wait 2 s
    %send% %actor% Better hold on to your hat - AND the mat!
    %teleport% %actor% 44301
    %force% %actor5 look
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Far below you recognise the harbour town of Thasos.
    %send% %actor% People move around in the streets, looking small as ants.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet slows down and starts descending to the ground.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet lands neatly in the middle of the Agora.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% suddenly lands on a flying carpet.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% You roll up the carpet.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% rolls up the carpet, looking smug.
    %load% obj 44591 %actor%
    %purge% self
  elseif %speech.contains(chios)%
    %echo% The carpet lifts with a sudden jerk and takes off into the clouds.
    wait 3 s
    %send% %actor% The speed of this carpet is truly amazing!
    wait 2 s
    %send% %actor% You grab hold of the sides of the carpet as the wind whistles past your ears.
    %teleport% %actor% 44423
    %force% %actor% look
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Far below you see the Town of Chios, with the Sultan's impressive palace.
    %send% %actor% You can even see the girls plucking apricots in the harem garden.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet tilts slightly and swoops downwards.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet pulls up and lands at the entrance of the city.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% suddenly lands on a flying carpet.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% You roll up the carpet.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% rolls up the carpet,looking smug.
    %load% obj 44591 %actor%
    %purge% self
  elseif %speech.contains(rhodes)%
    %echo% The carpet lifts off the ground like VTOL jet.
    wait 3 s
    %send% %actor% It seems almost as fast as a jet plane too.
    wait 2 s
    %send% %actor% Instinctively you hold on to the carpet.
    %teleport% %actor% 44735
    %force% %actor% look
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Far below you see the lush valleys of Rhodes.
    %send% %actor% The city Lindos rests like a white pearl between the green hills and the blue sea.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet descends so fast that you almost get your stomach in the mouth.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet lands with precision right in the middle of the Market Place.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% suddenly lands on a flying carpet.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% You roll up the carpet.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% rolls up the carpet, looking smug.
    %load% obj 44591 %actor%
    %purge% self
  elseif %speech.contains(carpathos)%
    %echo% With a violent jerk the carpet lifts off the ground.
    wait 3 s
    %send% %actor% For a worn old carpet it certainly has amazing flying capacity.
    wait 2 s
    %send% %actor% You swoop through the sky so fast it makes your eyes water.
    %teleport% %actor% 44574
    %force% %actor% look
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Far below you see the barren grey rock that is Carpathos.
    %send% %actor% The Harbor Walk seems crowded as usual.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Majestically the carpet descends to the ground.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% The carpet lands softly, without even the slightest thump.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% suddenly lands on a flying carpet.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% You roll up the carpet.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% rolls up the carpet,looking smug.
    %load% obj 44591 %actor%
    %purge% self
  elseif %speech.contains(cyprus)%
    %echo% The carpet shudders violently and takes off at an amazing speed.
    wait 3 s
    %send% %actor% Must be the latest model, probably a Nimbus 22.
    wait 2 s
    %send% %actor% Better sit still and grab hold of the edges so you don't fall off.
    %teleport% %actor% 44583
    %force% %actor% look
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% Far below you see the island of Cyprus, close to the coast of the Middle East.
    %send% %actor% The market place with the Soukh seems to be right below.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% As fast as it took off, the carpet sinks towards the ground.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% It finds an opening in the canvas roof, and lands in the middle of the soukh.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% suddenly lands on a flying carpet.
    wait 1 s
    %send% %actor% You roll up the carpet.
    %echoaround% %actor% %actor.name% rolls up the carpet, looking smug. 
    %load% obj 44591 %actor%
    %purge% self
  else
 return 0
  endif
else
 return 0
endif

Name: 'Object damage',  VNum: [25620], RNum: [ 5117]
Trigger Intended Assignment: Objects
Trigger Type: Command, Numeric Arg: 7, Arg list: *
Commands:
return 0
if %cmd.mudcommand%==say||%cmd.mudcommand%==gossip||%cmd.mudcommand%==tell||%cmd.mudcommand%==shout||%cmd.mudcommand%==holler||%cmd.mudcommand%==ctell||%cmd.mudcommand%=='
  if (%arg.contains(bitch)%||%arg.contains(whore)%||%arg.contains(fuck)%||%arg.contains(faggot)%||%arg.contains(wanker)%||%arg.contains(gay)%||%arg.contains(gosh)%)
    wait 1
    eval num %random.2%
    switch %num%
      case 1
        eval fine %actor.gold%
        %force% %actor% donate %fine% coin
      break
      case 2
        eval amount (%actor.hitp%/3)
        %damage% %actor% %amount%
        %send% %actor% A bolt of lightning falls from the heavens and strikes you.
        %echoaround% %actor% A bolt of lightning falls from the heavens and strikes %actor.name%.
      break
    done
  end
  return 0
else
  return 0
end

41
General Discussions / Blind support
« on: October 29, 2008, 04:30:39 am »
At present there is a rather interesting thread on TMS about how to support blind players:
http://www.topmudsites.com/forums/tavern-blue-hand/5186-going-graphical.html

I know that we have a couple of blind players on 4D, I also know that at least some things have been done to support this group.
One of them obviously is !battlespam. I am not sure what we others are.

We don't have a lot of ascii art in the zones, apart from the Maps, which aren't automatically displayed.
There is some graphic stuff on the score tables however, not sure how that affects a screen reader.

Perhaps some of the coders could explain what we've got and how it works?

42
General Discussions / Timetraps
« on: September 24, 2008, 03:15:19 am »
The possibility of having several Timetraps load in various places has been discussed in the past, but I am too lazy to dig up that thread.
However, I thought we should do something about it, and Nauz has promised to provide a script for it.
So below are the preliminary guidelines to hoa they should be set up.
Comments are welcome, as are suggestions about good places to put them.
Below are the main principles to how the Timetraps could be set up.

1.   There will be at least 100 Timetraps in the Game, probably more, but they will not all be loaded at the same time.
2.   They will load somewhat randomly (i.e. the places will be set, but there will not always be a Timetrap loaded at each of the set places).
3.   The Timetraps will not always lead to the same destination, even when they load in the same place.
4.   All the Timetraps will all be reset at regular intervals, probably every 4 hours. At the  reset all existing Timetraps will be removed and a new batch loaded. (This will be done by a script that picks around a 40% of all the existing Timetraps at random and resets them in the pre-set locations, together with the corresponding trap leading back).
5.   All Timetraps will look identical (i.e. you will have to enter them to know where you’ll end up).
6.   Each Timetrap will always lead to another Dimension than the one you are in.
7.   Each Timetrap will always be two-ways, (i.e. there will be a corresponding Trap back at the destination).
8.   Each Timetrap will always lead to the same type of terrain.
9.   Most of the Timetraps will load in reasonably well travelled places, for instance roads or tracks. There will usually be several different random destinations for these.
10.   Some traps will however be set in more secluded places. These will usually lead to more ‘interesting’ destinations, (i.e. places that are a bit harder to normally reach)..

Example 1.
A Timetrap set on the West Trade Road outside Olde Yorke might lead to a road on a Greek Island one time, to a road on some Future planet a second time and a trail somewhere in the Oldwest a third.

Example 2.
A Timetrap set in Lostlands might lead to the Planet Yalc,  or the Island Lebinthos , whereas one set in the Dark swamp close to Olde Yorke might lead to the Dagobah swamp or the Nile
Estuary. All swamps but more or less easy to get to.

A skilled player will be able to keep track of where the Timetraps load and use them as shortcuts, whereas to the average player, they will probably seem to appear randomly.

If you don’t like the destination the Timetrap sends you to, you’ll be able to go back immediately, using the return trap, but if you wait an hour the traps may have reset and you won’t be able to find a trap back.

43
General Discussions / 4D needs a banner
« on: September 19, 2008, 06:17:46 am »
I've been planning to advertise a bit on TMC or TMS, to see if that could help our waning playerbase, but to do that, I need a 4D banner first. There are also other situations in which a Banner or Logo would be useful. For instance, we just joined a new website, http://mudgamers.com. If you check out the front page of that, you'll see that the Muds displayed all have a square icon or logo placed in front of the name. Presently we don't have either.

4D could really do with both a banner and a logo, in fact it would be great if we had several to choose from. And since I am not very computer savvy myself, I'd like to see if we have any artistic and/or knowledgeable players who could help with that. In fact, it would be great if we could get more than one good submission, then we could run a different banner each month to get a bit extra attention.

The design should in some way reflect the character and theme of the Mud, but there are really no restrictions. It could be purely text - (in which case the design and typography gets very important), or it could have some artwork, either in the form of a background or some figures - (in which case imagination, humour and drawing talents comes into play).

'Artistic' and 'knowledgeable' doesn't even have to be in the same person, the banner could well be the result of a teamwork.

As an example, Iwku, (who's currently on long-term vacation), has worked with an idea that I think has potential, but still needs some more development on the typography, format and file size, (which neither Iwku nor myself know enough about as of yet).

About the technical requirements:
TMC states the following about ad banners:
The banner should be between 360x72 and 468x60. 
The physical file size of an ad banner should not exceed 36 Kilobytes.
MudGamers say that any submitted images will be resized to 80 x 80 pixels.
I don't think the file format , i.e. gif, jpg, bmp, png, etc. matters, but then again, I am no expert on the subject.

Anyhow,  we'll make a competition of it, with the Staff, and maybe some prominent players in the jury. And we'll pay quite well, for whatever we can use, not in money, but in Quest Tokens.


44
General Discussions / Grouping and Clans
« on: August 26, 2008, 07:30:25 am »
I have asked for this before, and I guess I have to keep asking until something happens.

Our playerbase is really small right now, and two of the important factors to make it grow are Grouping and Clans.

1. Group exp and Group heal
Grouping urgently needs to be fixed to what it was before, so that low level players can group with high level ones, without the ones with higher level hogging all the exp.
Hunting in groups is more fun, so it should be promoted in every possible way. If the price we have to pay for it is some powerlevelling, so be it. We need to get some sense of community back into the game.
And if Group Heal hasn't been fixed already, that has equally high priority.

2. Clans
We seem to have too many Clans for our current player base.
We also have to do something about inactive Clan leaders. People who only log on once a month should not lead Clans.

We also have a lot of totally inactive Clan Leaders, who have kept their position simply for nostalgic reasons, although they haven't been in the game for years. Sicilians is probably the worst example of this - 5 leaders, and only Toch is even remotely active, even if one really cannot call him active either.
Another bad example is Table Round. Garion was last on line March 24, Ilana hasn't logged in since November 2007. However good leaders they may have been in the past, they obviously should leave room for someone more interested now.
I could go on like this with several other Clans, but I think you are all aware of the situation.

One could have hoped that the inactive Clan Leaders would have resigned on their own, after having appointed a successor, but we've already waited too long for this to happen.

I could remove all inactive Clan Leaders manually, but I'd prefer it if we could make their retirement a bit graceful.
What I propose is a special Clan Rank for all retired Clan Leaders, let's call it Ancient.
On this Rank the player has no Clan power at all, just the prestige and history remains.

To make it relatively easy to code, since all Clans have different numbers of ranks, I suggest that the Ancient Rank is placed on top of all other existing ranks.

Ideally this should be code run:
- If a CL doesn't log on to the Mud for a month, they should be automatically moved to the Ancient Rank.
- If there isn't already another CL remaining after this, the next-in-command should be automatically promoted to CL.
- If there aren't any Clan members left to promote, let the Clan rest in Peace. It's dead anyway.

However, if this is too complicated to code, just give us the bloody Ancient Rank, and we'll do the rest manually.

Something has to happen, and I for one am getting really tired of not getting any response to my repeated proposals.

Where are the Coders when you need them?



45
General Discussions / Golems - the Trainable pets
« on: August 08, 2008, 05:17:12 am »
The prototype GOLEMS are now functional and available for all
For about a week we have been playtesting the prototype to our newest feature - the trainable Golems, and I think it is time to post some general info about them. The Golems are very original creatures, since they exist in both Object and Mob form, and they are totally unique in comparison to other pets in the sense that they can be trained, and actually evolve in tier when used.

The Golem feature won't be fully implemented until the zone Fenizia is revamped and back in the game, since the Golems will be sold in Ferdinand Lilliputs shop, the Happy Golem  there.
But since the update of that zone may take some time yet, we've started testing the Golems separately, to iron out the bugs that always come with new features.

Special thanks to the Playtesters, and above all to Lionheart, who helped developing my original ideas, and who wrote all the Golem scripts. LH has put a lot of time and effort into this feature, and done a terrific job!

So far, only one Golem type is finished, the Bodyguard, but there will be 4 separate types eventually - Spy, Thief, Messenger and Bodyguard, each one with different abilities. More info about these details in my next post.

The Bodyguard type seems reasonably bug free by now, and any player is free to get one, and check out how they work.

HOW TO GET A GOLEM
Until Fenizia is back in, Ferdinand Lilliput has opened a temporary Golem shop in Rip in Time. The room you need to find is called On Top Of The Turrets, and Ferdinand's shop is north from that. At present he is selling the Golems at a very reduced price, since we are not sure that they are completely bug free, and you might lose them due to some bug. The current price is 5 TP.

TRADEPOINTS
Several players have asked about how to get TradePoints, which surprised me a bit, since that feature has been in the game for ages.
There is a Trader's Office connected to the Maproom, south of Recall, where you can get lost of info on this subject.
I'll give you some tips here too however.
- The easiest way of getting TP is probably to farm the 8 fields north of OldeYorke, and sell the products to vatious Shopkeepes. (Look at the product for info about which).
- You can also do the same with the 8 Garden plots just outside the west entrance of  Old Yorke. (Go north there).
Farming and gardening can only be done once per reboot and field/plot however. Also there are more fun way of getting TradePoints, by actually TRADING.

Several zones in the Mud offer some Trading opportunities, but above all, the following zones are really 'Trade heavy':
- Forests everywhere, where you can fell timber and sell (HELP LUMBERJACK)
- The Seas in Prehistoric, where you can collect pearls and seafood to sell
- Old Yorke, with its farming fields, garden plots, contractors and Buyers.
- All the Aegean Islands in Prehistoric. (Check the map over the Aegean Sea on the website to see the locations). Use a ship to travel, if you are low level, to avoid shartks. The islands themselves are safe, unless you attack something, with two exceptions, Tenedos and Icaria. Carpathos is the island you should start on, since Sea charts and Trading info can be obtained there.
- Old Egypt - the Upper Nile - the Desert of Wawat - the Land of Kush - the Land of Punt. (The trading system of all these zones hangs together). There might be aggro mobs  in the Nile, but you can avoid those by using a ship).
- The Sutter zones in Old West, where you can dig for gold, farm and lumberjack.
- The Alpha Centauri Planets and IGTCs in Future (maybe best be high level for those, since travelling in space has its perils).

HELPFILES
The helpfiles in my next post will be added on line, as soon as I get a spare moment, but here's your chance to give some input to the ideas.

Anything that you think may be unbalancing, or in other ways negative to the game - let us know!
Any ideas you may have to improve the system - share them. The feature is still in development, so we are very open to new ideas.

More specific Golem info will be in my next post.
 

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