You have been taken by the Mists

Author Topic: DM Help Checklist  (Read 2200 times)

Telkar

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1693
DM Help Checklist
« on: March 22, 2016, 04:12:18 AM »
This is a suggestion about a tool.

Let players toggle themselves as needing DM help. Avoids having to spam DM channel to see if a DM has logged in and DMs having to say they're busy all the time.

The DMs can then see a list of people toggled as needing help in the order they toggled themselves as needing help. They can check them off by untoggling and move on to the next one.

It's an idea. Not sure if DMs actually would find it as useful.

DM Macabre

  • Dungeon Master
  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 9161
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2016, 04:20:35 AM »
I find this idea not to bad if it allows DMs to see which player needs help, once the DMs log in.

Troukk

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1470
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2016, 07:43:55 AM »
Would this be a command like the @lfrp thing?
Not all who wander are lost.

Telkar

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1693
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2016, 08:18:40 AM »
That's what I was thinking. But we do have the generic requests thread, but might not be as convenient.

Iluvatar / Madness

  • Ex-Community Council
  • Developers
  • Dark Power
  • *
  • Posts: 3487
  • The Madness
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2016, 08:26:58 AM »
I think that is a good idea, it might help cleaning a bit the DM channel, this could be worth doing :)
Iluvatar
Iluvatar-2
Iluvatar NCE
Madness

Telkar

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1693
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2016, 08:27:53 AM »
Some pros for such a thing that I could think of:

  • No need for DMs to announce by shout that they're there to help if it is needed. They can already see the queue of help requests upon login.
  • Players don't need to routinely ping the DM channel for help and can do some other things while logged in.
  • DMs are not bothered by DM channel pinging for help while busy with something else, needing to return a tell to stop the pinging.
  • Easy for DM to prioritize whom to help first since requests are ordered by date/time. Might maybe add a help level to show how urgent it is as well or let players add a short description of the problem.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2016, 08:30:29 AM by Telkar »

Troukk

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1470
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2016, 09:02:59 AM »
I'd think that some sort of urgency label would be wise. Helping a trapped/bugged character is more important than helping someone rename an item, even if the latter has been waiting longer.
Not all who wander are lost.

ladylena

  • Gundie Mom
  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 3259
  • Meow!
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2016, 09:10:26 AM »
I love the idea! Could make a lot of things easier for the dm team. Maybe a way to select what sort of help is needed?
Currently playing:
                          Narcissa Bogdan

gainreduction

  • Cool Dungeon Bro
  • Undead Master
  • ****
  • Posts: 298
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2016, 10:46:57 AM »
Great idea; I condone it!

Miuo

  • Discord: Miuo
  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 2131
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2016, 06:41:25 PM »
To clarify, part of the suggestion is for players to flag them selves as needing help and such is persistent despite not being on till a reset? Or the command only forms a list based on those currently active. And when players log off they are removed from the list. Allowing it to constantly change, so dms are only known those on at the time they are on?

Jeebs

  • Dark Lord
  • *****
  • Posts: 952
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2016, 06:55:03 PM »
The most logical way to go about it would be to have your character removed from the list when you log off.... perhaps put a 5 min. timer after you log before it removes you. That way if you crash or disconnect, you don't lose your position in the queue?  Then again, if you're adding a short label stating why you need help, I suppose your actual position is less relevant.

Telkar

  • Dark Power
  • ******
  • Posts: 1693
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2016, 07:01:11 PM »
To clarify, part of the suggestion is for players to flag them selves as needing help and such is persistent despite not being on till a reset? Or the command only forms a list based on those currently active. And when players log off they are removed from the list. Allowing it to constantly change, so dms are only known those on at the time they are on?

Makes sense to me that when a player isn't online, the requirement for help is not shown. But maybe DMs could see when a player toggles the need for help and when a character that was toggled as needing help logs back in, a notification could also be shown the same way as if it was a new toggle. It would be reasonable that a DM could then silence those notifications when busy and put them back on when the occasion for it arises.

The most logical way to go about it would be to have your character removed from the list when you log off.... perhaps put a 5 min. timer after you log before it removes you. That way if you crash or disconnect, you don't lose your position in the queue?  Then again, if you're adding a short label stating why you need help, I suppose your actual position is less relevant.

Not sure the delay is necessary. Each toggle can just have a timestamp, preserving the place in the queue.

Alan Hunter

  • Dark Lord
  • *****
  • Posts: 796
Re: DM Help Checklist
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2016, 08:30:32 PM »
Hmm. When I worked in BleachX and Wanderers of the Western Heartlands there was a script that allowed players to request a dm. I know much like the server reset request voting there is a similar script that notifies a dm how many people wish assistance with a @tag player name. I don't recall the exact script but I can ask a friend about it.
"For Evil to win is for good men to do nothing."