Weather - How does it feel to be pelted by hail?

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Rorix
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Weather - How does it feel to be pelted by hail?

Post by Rorix » Sun Dec 14, 2003 9:55 pm

Weather. A thing that effects us in so many ways of life. It changes the clothing we wear, the things we do, and even our attitude at times. Though is this really present in FK? Sometimes I feel that it doesn't even occur to people. After discussing with someone about this I decided it was hopefully time for some change. I, being a child of destruction, sit in the wake of a hail storm unharmed showing the power of Talos off to everyone. Yet how effective is this when several others outside in the square make no note or take no action to evade this powerful storm. I think the poor rp of not heading to a tavern or inn for cover makes the weather in the mud obsolete.
Aside from the rp aspect of it ... I was curious to know if there could be possibility for consequences for being in such a fearsome meteorological act of nature. I do enjoy falling on snowdrifts, that is quite ammusing at times, but I think it could be taken further than that. Maybe you could take a tiny bit of damage from major hail storms or you could randomly get struck by lightning while out in the plains. He He. I think that would be hillarious.
Rorix walks in from the east.
Dagev walks in from the east.
Dagev is struck and fried by a bolt of lightning.
Rorix points and laughes as he rises from the blast.
Dagev scowls and emits a low growl.
lol...anywas. I would just like to hear everyone's thoughts on these topics. Maybe some better ideas on how the weather can effect us all. lateaz

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Post by Reiya » Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:17 pm

You know, I found myself wondering the same thing a few days ago; not only about the fact that we don't react towards the weather but also about being struck by lightning.

It came about when I was reading the helpfile on control weather and it said, "Bad weather can cause frequent lighting strikes." That got me to thinking, is lightning just a novelty or does it affect your spells/skills/etc? Realizing that it was indeed just a novelty the idea of being struck by it popped into my head. Could it be coded that the more metal armor you wear the more likely you are to be hit? Not just being hit but possibly stunned?

Reiya
Rhelian

Post by Rhelian » Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:28 pm

I think while these might look alright, it would really hinder characters if they take damage from storms. It would also force RP on people, even if they were choosing to go for a suspension of disbelief while involved in a long RP out of doors.

Damage from these effects would have the possibility of killing someone, say if they were fleeing from a fight or had just been hurt. Also, how many times do normal people survive getting struck by lightning? After two or three of these random bolts over a period of time, your character should be dead.
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Metals and probabilty of getting struck.

Post by Rorix » Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:14 am

Increased probability if you're wearing metal?! What a wonderful idea! I can't believe I didn't even come close to unvailing that. In response to Rhelian I see how it maybe precived asforceful rp., yet I just think it makes people more aware of what is going on. I suppose that we are extra ordianry beings no? And maybe we could take a blast of lightning and easily walk away from it. I think when you are struck it would not deal very much damage and the probability may be quite rare in the code. So maybe the odds of you running from a battle and dying b/c of a bolt would be the same as the opposing diety being on to finish you off for his powerful follower. :) lateaz

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Rhelian

Post by Rhelian » Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:48 am

Yet if a low level character has just had a run in with a stirge or a bandit, and has little life left after defeating them (an extremely common occurance I've found) and then manage to get hit by lightning on their slow trek to safety, they can die.

And with the increased difficulty in getting raised now, you're looking at a player who will most likely disappear from the mud for good.
Mingus

Post by Mingus » Mon Dec 15, 2003 1:42 am

As far as the lightning goes Or any weather related effect. Make them stun and not kill. This is for the RP so no real need to PK some unlucky PC. That also reminds me, Luck. It should play a major role in not getting hit. Struck near you but because of your luck, it was a near miss.

The other thing that gets me is the fact that everyone stands out in the rain while its cold and no body come down with a cold or the flu, or more drastic pnemonia. And nit just Smoting but an actual desease like if one was poisoned or cursed. Lower the stats a bit, till cured. Make the sick PC echo coughing, sneezing, ect every other tick.
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Weather RPing

Post by Belose » Mon Dec 15, 2003 4:31 am

Uhm, not to be flamish or anything, but I'd like to point something out. It seems like you're RPing with the program of the game, not with people... the point of RPG's, I think, is to play a game to have fun... and with table top, that means the DM has situations he has set up for his gamers to enjoy... and would only have lightning strike a player/s only if one of them was being obnoxious or something.. and as it's mostly fantasy, why try to make it THAT realistic? I think something like that should be left to IMMS or Gods to do for GAME or RP reasons of their own.... it really shouldn't be a coded weather thing.. though I COULD see people getting hurt from hailstorms... it would make sense for them to get out of it... or being blinded during a blizzard....but I still think it shouldn't be an automated game thing, if you see what I'm getting at..

<hint, hint> Don't argue with the DM, you might get hailed upon or electrocuted!!!! :wink:
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Post by Jadom » Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:32 am

While I do usually try to RP some response to the weather, I admit I quite often ignore it even when it's severe. It's just kind of difficult to pay attention to it if your caught up in another RP with people, in MS for example. :wink: I believe Mystra said that the Lucky Drunk was created to try move the center of RP, but most of us have been shamelessly neglecting it. I'll try to do better. :lol:
Mingus

Post by Mingus » Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:05 pm

If the control weather spell was expanded this way, where when cast to worsen the weather, random effects would occure to all(mob/pc) in the vicinity of the caster. Those in the same room getting the full effect and those in the surounding rooms with less and less frequency of random effects as they radiate out, getting further from the center. Snow blindness, pummeled by hail, Lightning strikes, dust devils. tornados/water spouts, hurricanes, these would be some of the random effects that could happen, according to what ever terrain you would in and the severity of the weather. Now luck and what ever else that you may have going for you would lessen your chance of getting striken with an ill affect. But unlike a noraml weather pattern the control weather spell would affect the local weather for a few round/hour(according to level of spell and PC) and increase the random chances drastically.(according to level of spell) And unlike lightnig strike, this would not be a hitall effect and also maybe be range castable.
Rhelian

Post by Rhelian » Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:56 pm

God no, that'd be terrible. You'd be turning a normal spell into a massive range attack spell. IF that happened, you'd not be allowed to cast it in or around most cities, and if you did I hope you'd get one limb severed for each mob or character hit because of casting it. And because you can spamcast the spell to worsen the weather in degrees.....sheesh. I can barely think of how destructive and massive PvP starting potential that would have, especially in the way it would destroy any RP currently happening.

Sorry, I just think that changing control weather would be very, very wrong to do.
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Post by Reiya » Tue Dec 16, 2003 9:39 pm

I agree with Rhelian on this. Control weather is a benign spell the effects of which are mostly RP oriented, if you change it to where it is a range casted spell the effects can and will be disasterous.

I like the idea of random weather doing a bit of damage, but not so much changing control weather.
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RE: Weather & RP

Post by Andreas » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:53 am

Well, with the way time passes... should we force PCs to get tired when they're up 24-7 too?

Sounds silly, doesn't it?

A line has to be drawn between realism and suspension of belief for the sake of enjoying the fantasy game. Yes, there are times when I ignore the weather for the sake of RP and other times when I incorporate it. How do you explain a sunny midsummer day suddenly turning into a blizzard in the fall after a game crash? Just work around it.

And I was in an RP where Andreas and several other PCs got struck by lightning in a storm... so it CAN happen. Was great fun! :)
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Mingus

Post by Mingus » Sat Dec 20, 2003 9:53 am

Hopefully diseases will be exapnds as too poisons. It would be nice to it catch a flue or a cold from too much exposure. give an added bonuse to the resist cold spell. Sun stroke from running around too much in the deserts when it's sunny. Nothing life threatening, but just an extra burden and form to RP with.

Lets face it this is not a MUSH, if it was we would not need lag between spells or even the spells at all. Why have stats and mobs, every thing could just be RP'd. One big multiroom chat session. BORING, it all the little things that make muds come alives and worth coming back to cause you never know what will happen next. Not just your planned out RP's.
But luckly it isn't like that. It is nice when things happen to you by random. Sliping on manure/snow is a perfect example or tripping while running in the city is a great laugh now. And the same will go for this, it may be forced RP but that's what makes a mud more life like and not so static. So if you have to make way for the weather, move in doors. That will add towards the RP. If caught out doors, tough it out till you can get to shelter. That just will add to the adventure. Do you slip every time you come accross some dung or sludge? No. Why, because it is random and it's coded to happen on seldom occations.

So if you stand out in a hail storm, you might not get damaged if you're wearing proper protection or have casted the right spell but every tick or so you wil get echoed warning you of the fact. Lightning on the other hand will stun you if you get to zero or make you move a bit faster if not. If it is just raining, the grounds will be muddy and thoose with heavy equipment will tier more cause of the mud. If you sleep out doors with out proper eq or are not an outdoorsman (ranger/malarite/druid/wood elf) and maybe orc/dwarves(caus of their high constitutions) and Talona(ites)(cause she deals with disease) or being in the group with one, you may come down with a cold. Traversing a bog in full sun, might get you a mosquito bite and a fever to boot. Traversing it in the rain will get you bronchitis/pneumonia cause of all the excess moister. So asking a scout to come with you on your next romp in the wilds might not be so bad an idea. Adding to the RP...
Andreas wrote:Well, with the way time passes... should we force PCs to get tired when they're up 24-7 too?
To answer you Andreas, no not silly at all. Actually I have played on muds where you did have to sleep and you could die from starvation or dehyration. And you did incorporate that into your RP and it mad those muds stand out form the rest. Too bad they are not around anymore. You answered yourself, you incorporate and work around the new obsticals. Do you camp out at the MS asuring yourself that no horses will ever lift their tails there and you will never slip and fall on manure? That! sounds silly. No you head off and if you happen to slip, so be it. If you get hit by hail while unprotected *Ouch!* but then you either cover up or find shelter.
Dominik

Post by Dominik » Sat Dec 20, 2003 1:15 pm

Considering, though, that every hour of game time is ten minutes (I believe) of real time....that's, what, 240 minutes in a day, thus four hours? I know most people don't even remain online for four hours on a stretch, and those who do, and when they do, often are doing things that whole time. It would, I think, not be very appreciated if you had to sleep eighty or so of those minutes. I know for a fact I certainly would be a little...irate, at times. Also, I'd like to note that the "forced RP" that has been spoken of is, in my experience, no so forced at all. Save for drunkness, I've most often not seen echoes of other characters' woes.

Getting back to the original idea of disease...why? I imagine it wouldn't be the easiest thing to code if you take into account equipment, stats, surroundings, and whatever other number of variables in the equation as to whether a character may get sick from rain, and if so how badly. This is another thing I truly enjoy so much about this game. Almost NOTHING is forced on any player. And I think you should be able to RP your own characters' faults just as you are allowed to RP his or her strengths. For example, those of you who have seen my character about the mud have probably noticed his scars, and if you've seen him often, the additions of scars at times. Each of those has an RP behind it, and more often than not a decently-lengthed one, as well. But even as my character is obviously harmed in the making of those scars, HP does not drop, nor does stamina. So I, in turn, must RP his healing. This is not forced on me, though, and thus makes it a much more enjoyable and creative experience than otherwise may be.

There are, I think, RPs that should be able to be forced upon other players. Deity intervention most specifically. But I do not think that anything else should be so forced upon the players of this game. Certainly not disease and sickness that would in most opinions detract from the actual RP, and only force the player to find an inn and remain sleeping for some length of time. Does this really sound that fun, or exciting? Certainly not to me.
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RE: Weather, Sleeping & Forced RP

Post by Andreas » Sat Dec 20, 2003 3:24 pm

I agree with Dominik.

When my time is limited and I only have an hour or less to log in and play around, I would be very UNHAPPY if I was forced to sleep by the code. I don't know if it's the case here, but elseMU* that I've played, some of the foreign players were very limited in their time because they were paying for their connection by the minute!

While it's a nice idea, Mingus, would you REALLY want to sit there for 80 minutes (that 8 game hours) doing NOTHING while your character gets their required 8 hours of beauty sleep? And if you had to pay by the minute for your connection... well, you do the math...

Same thing for healing. Yes, the code tic makes my character heal X amount of HP each time, but if I've just been severely wounded, I'm going to RP it out. Now, would you REALLY want to have to wait the required DAYS (as per AD&D rules on healing) that it takes to heal rather than enjoying the benefits of the greatly accelerated tic healing?

On the reverse, with the change in food values, people can be starving to death during a lengthy RP session, but most politely ignore that little inconvenience for the sake of the roleplay itself. You get spammed and lose a few HP but unless you're a low level character, it's not life-threatening and it'd be rather odd (IMO) to break off from an involved RP just to go run and stuff your face at the local inn.

FK does a lot for realism, but there are times when we must suspend belief for the sake of game enjoyment.
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Valens

Post by Valens » Sat Dec 20, 2003 5:42 pm

Regarding the food bit...

...if you can't work eating a sandwich or some such thing out of your code-required eating and drinking while in an RP scene...

...maybe you need to rethink your abilities. :D
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RE: RP and Eating

Post by Andreas » Sat Dec 20, 2003 6:49 pm

I'd like to see you RP eating a sandwhich during the middle of a wedding ceremony... knighting ceremony... memorial services...

Get the picture?
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Re: RE: RP and Eating

Post by Valens » Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:58 pm

Andreas wrote:I'd like to see you RP eating a sandwhich during the middle of a wedding ceremony... knighting ceremony... memorial services...

Get the picture?
"Valens rises into a crouch and quietly makes his way towards a back buffet table. Valens takes a loaf of bread from a cloth pack. Valens slices the bread gently, quietly, muttering a silent prayer to Mystra for forgiveness at his ravaging hunger."

... which is the only way I'd do that. Ravaging hunger.
Mingus

Post by Mingus » Sat Dec 20, 2003 9:13 pm

Thanks Sharni, that was exactly what I had in mind. I guess some took it too literal or can't seperate Rl form fantasy. No matter. As for What Andreas said, stuff yourself before that event. Do you really go hungry to a wedding so you can eat you fill at the reception? But trueth be told, instead of healing at every tickwhen you're starving, you should just keep the damage and go unconsious at zero.
Andreas wrote:Same thing for healing. Yes, the code tic makes my character heal X amount of HP each time, but if I've just been severely wounded, I'm going to RP it out. Now, would you REALLY want to have to wait the required DAYS (as per AD&D rules on healing) that it takes to heal rather than enjoying the benefits of the greatly accelerated tic healing?
That's for you and your DM to decide, here through, muds work a little bit differant. You can't skip eight hours on a whim to save time. So we get a little boost from our friend the tic. What was the point to this one... Hmmm, if it refers to disease, no, you should not heal or atleast not heal as much.
Andreas wrote:On the reverse, with the change in food values, people can be starving to death during a lengthy RP session, but most politely ignore that little inconvenience for the sake of the roleplay itself. You get spammed and lose a few HP but unless you're a low level character, it's not life-threatening and it'd be rather odd (IMO) to break off from an involved RP just to go run and stuff your face at the local inn.
Why even have it, If the PC don't incorporate it. If everyones idea of an RP is to sit around chatting and not care for what events may fall on you. Then its a concensus that food and drink are not a requirement because it detures from RP. No starving and no dehydration, that sounds silly. I truely feel pitty for the one that cannot comprehend how to incorporate necessities into their RPs, but maybe playing this mud they can learn. It is so simple, to turn a corner have a sit down and continue the RP through lunch. If you don't want to break bread with your enemies, live through it, then heal and eat afterwards. And if you are so silly to ignore it and fall unconcious at the foot of your friends/enemies, you incorporate that. It goes as far as ignoing a rangers warning RP that I should not trasspass through his forest just because it was not part of my RP that day to interact with a ranger. No, you play with the numbers chance gives you. If you what to ignore it, you suffer the consequences. If you ignore the last warning from that ranger and he nukes your butt, so be it. If you ignore your health and starvation/dehydration and fall unconscious, the same applies.

As for disease and catching them, no I don't know how hard it would be to code such a prog. But I have sceen it too on other muds. There is one that is still up and running, Send me a PM and I'll tell you of it so you can go experience how it works there. But like I stated, If you or your group has a ranger/druid/barbarians/malarite/wood elves or you are a dwarf/orc/Talonarite you'll see major benefits from either you hardy constitution, you god or your out door skills. Knowing what paths to take and what herbs and plants will cure the onstart of what ill ails you will server the outdoorsmen and their group. Talonarites are immune to disease, both natural and magical. And the orcs and Dwarves both have high constitutions, that rarely will you see one sick. Plus Orcs/Barbarians live is such squaller that I would not be surprise that they have accuired immunites to just about everything generations ago, or they'd be extinct. Probably true for all the other goblinoids. So for starters this would be a good base to go from. Three races, two religions, and three guilds. Code that they are imune or just about, and that the Druids/Rangers and Malarites have an aura about them that those in their group will be also protected. Along with the prevention and affliction you also code the healing, either from a “cure disease” spell, herbs and potions or like woulds you will eventually get better and If you go the long hard way, add a little extra the makes the PC imune a time afterwards. Maybe I use Forced RP in the wrong context. This by no means is compareable to Imm runned quest. This will give you nothing but enjoyment. No quest points no rewards. And you can get afflicted more than once. But not at the same time, unless different disease come into play. Think of a log duration poison, that doesn't take HP away, most won't, But will require you to rest more and not heal normaly as much consume more food or get hungry more often. Sort of like getting the flu in RL, it sucks, you may take a day or two off work/school. And you get through it. You roll with the punches and if your RP doesn't go exactly as you planned it cause of being sick, So be it. Do you think Newbs plan on getting killed by monters? This be no means detracts from RP, but enhances it. You will seek out a healer when you're leg is severed, same with this. And limb severing is forced on you, should that be taken away cause may ruin your plans? Of corse not, you hop or crawl around for a while and eventually you'll make it through to the day you magically have new limbs. That is what I am getting at, though it is forced up on you, you play through it and if you are capable, you RP the heck out of it.
Valens

Re: RE: Weather, Sleeping & Forced RP

Post by Valens » Sat Dec 20, 2003 9:55 pm

Andreas wrote:...would you REALLY want to sit there for 80 minutes (that 8 game hours) doing NOTHING while your character gets their required 8 hours of beauty sleep?

...now, would you REALLY want to have to wait the required DAYS (as per AD&D rules on healing) that it takes to heal rather than enjoying the benefits of the greatly accelerated tic healing?
With tick timings, waiting eight days would not nearly be as long as eight actual days.

As far as 80 minutes... well, I could go play something else while healing. :)
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