Populace Comand

[Feronius]

Suggested Con's,

* Can tell if there is a spy about (Solution: Use a private inn room or similar area with a lockable door)
* Can/Will be exploited (Solution: Since no specifics are given you cant really exploit where anyone is. You can only see how many people are where)

Pretty much agree with your pros, although seeing which dungeons are already being done doesn't seem like it's primary use.

The cons though? I think the issue was more to do with murder or following than overhearing people, doors don't block sound either.
And the @voice system isn't too specific, but it depends on the area. Some regions are really small or only have one entrance or exit.

[Bluebomber4evr]

A while ago in the wee years of the ravenloft server being brought in to life it was rather taboo to send a tell to someone asking for a rescue let alone "where are you bro?". Best we could do was "hey mate the crypts is looking like a pretty good spawn right now yea?"

The reason i dislike having this sort of OOC tell me where everyone is thing is becasue its the same reason why ravenloft doesnt use the party system.
It is far more realistic and scary if you have no idea where people are.

That isn't why we don't use the party system. We disabled parties because it causes lag.

[Juice]

That isn't why we don't use the party system. We disabled parties because it causes lag.

Huh... Guess i read into it more than what it actually was.... Still i make some good points about the no party system.

[monsinyana]

regardless if this system were used or not

can we get -something- to find other players?

[DM Macabre]

I think the vistani fortune telling could be used to perhaps also locate how crowded certain areas are. This would also prevent an abuse over a command that could be spammed all the time.

[NecroDude]

This has such horrifying meta possibilities its scary @.@ I once got banned from a server for metagaming and learned my lesson and lemme tell you. I like your intentions but the meta uses are heavy and terrifying. I looooove the DM number idea though it would save me so many messages rendered useless due to not knowing a DM is on.

[Crimson Shuriken]

Macabre and Necrodude nailed it.
I actually do like Macabre's idea, I'd still prefer staying anonymous though.

[Geiger]

I think areas should be put up into regions if possible. No sub regions.


Just -

Barovia
Har'Akir
Hazlan
Dementlieu
Mist Camp

Simple enough to accomplish knowing where people are congregating. (Though Barovia will probably always be the winner.) With deniability that results in no one really being able to meta extensively.


As for the DM Command? I don't think we'll need that.

They'll probably revert the player list at some point.

[Kendaric]

This has such horrifying meta possibilities its scary @.@ I once got banned from a server for metagaming and learned my lesson and lemme tell you. I like your intentions but the meta uses are heavy and terrifying. I looooove the DM number idea though it would save me so many messages rendered useless due to not knowing a DM is on.

Metagaming could be kept at a minimum by measures like this:

Have the command count only people in town/village areas (and possibly Vallaki outskirts), thus giving only a rough representation of the amount of people currently in all areas of Vallaki (districts + outskirts) or another town/village like Krofburg or Port-a-Lucine. You still wouldn't know exactly where the most people are (they might be spread over various shops/inns/streets/faction locations), but get an impression at least.

[Miuo]

Im not sure i see how this can be meta, you don't see exact names. You see numbers, which help you best choose where to go. It is something entirely OOC and shouldn't be handled ic. Or confined to 1-2 areas ingame.

The only way i can see this as being meta, is knowing where to go for rp? Or which areas have people and which ones don't. Which im not exactly sure is  bad thing, as that's the idea suggested. Making ones time ig more efficient.

[Tyras]

Im not sure i see how this can be meta, you don't see exact names. You see numbers, which help you best choose where to go. It is something entirely OOC and shouldn't be handled ic. Or confined to 1-2 areas ingame.

The only way i can see this as being meta, is knowing where to go for rp? Or which areas have people and which ones don't. Which im not exactly sure is  bad thing, as that's the idea suggested. Making ones time ig more efficient.

I guess this would depend on how specific the numbers in areas are.  If it is broad like all of Barovia, it's not so bad.  The more specific to areas you get the more able a person is to exploit the system.  Say you have a friend locked up in the Citadel.  You know they are online.  You know the garda players are also online, but the number of people shown in the Citadel or Government District shows that only one or two players are there, meaning that the Garda players are elsewhere.  A good time to stage a jail break eh?

If it's applied broadly there isn't as much of a problem, but it loses alot of usefulness, and one might as well send PMs to people they know in the player list to meet up with them for RP.  If it is specific it allows for exploitation in the form of intelligence gathering and decision making for characters that would not have information on the numbers of people in a given area by IC means.

[YouLitABonfire]

speaking from experience the way it works for an mpc tends to give you a general idea of where players are at. I don't necessarily know that there's a huge need for this system to be implemented for everyone. That's just my opinion. to be honest if you're looking for interaction hit the hotspots. if you still don't find any you could likely send a friendly tell to someone who you've interacted with before and more often than not they're in the same boat. worse case scenario they tell you they don't particularly want to hang out with you and not to bother them. I get that people don't want to log on and be bored. That's decidedly the nature of the game at times. I go through spells of it just like anyone else. The good times typically outweigh the bad however and there are sometimes these perfect moments you have that make all the hours of boredom worth it. Also...you could always try crafting. Such a time sink.

[Miuo]

Iv already maxed out herbing and can mass brew everything And the other crafts require you to have a high str or snail pace it. . which more often then not gets you killed by something hostile while your gathering the materials.

And i suppose you are right on that fact, but thats not exactly a huge issue. Specially when the one locked there could tell you that same info as well. :/

[dutchy]

I think the vistani fortune telling could be used to perhaps also locate how crowded certain areas are. This would also prevent an abuse over a command that could be spammed all the time.

oooh nice thinking along there

[Hatsune]

I don't really like the idea of this as a @command. Far to many ways for it to be abused.

Stealthy people as mentioned. - if someones stealthed and following you, it defeats the purpose of it if the followed people can trigger a command to see theres an extra person in the area. "locked doors" is more a defeat, if they managed to follow you into that, and then you have the command to see theres another with you.

PvP - Oh, I'm chasing this guy... he was in X map, now theres a guy on Y map... "follow follow". Likewise, someone out corpse hiding someone or something, the ghostly character can just follow the hiders likely progress with such a command. "OH look, one person way out of the way in this place, must be where my corpse is"...


Instead of doing a random 'locator', how about we think of ways to better seek out and incorporate people into our RP? Hold some sort of event, to bring people to YOU, or something.  Seems more fruitful then just putting yourself in an area with people you may have nothing to do with, in a location you'd have no IC reason to go save the OOC command.

...

I do like the idea of the fortune teller, if such is a desirable thing. Makes it an ICly thing, giving you reason to head somewhere. Could perhaps instead of listing ALL the areas... just like the top area, or the top 3 areas or something, with the most people. Perhaps keeping it to 'public places', if such could be scripted (to avoid say, oh, theres 6 people in "Barovia - Lady's Rest - Evil Cultists Secret Hideout").

[Miuo]

The command idea was already put to rest for the more accepted OOC room version. Like when you check where your three starting locations are. So you would have to go to a "safe zone" to get to the ooc to see where there is activity.