Waterdeep gates

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:26 am

------- flies in from the west.
The Gate Guard says to ------- 'Halt and state your name and business'
-------- says 'name'
The Gate Guard opens the gate gates.
The guard opens the gate for --------.

This really makes me sad to see right with someone in the room the prog trigger word is just being used. It's not THAT hard to add the my is and your name.. Three more words..

It's happening a real lot I've been seeing.

Sairaven · Post by **Sairaven** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:28 am

Eww.

Can I slap them? Please?

Selveem · Post by **Selveem** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:35 am

I personally find that prog annoying. They ask it every single time as if telling someone a fake name is any different from their real one. I have one character who has no name. One character who'd never tell his real name. A third character whose name is an alias given to him by his first two wives...

Especially from well-known characters, they should learn to be silent and let them pass.

I'm in favor of them just opening the gates after studying a character's face. Excluding, of course, races they wouldn't allow. Did I mention I find the prog annoying?

And, for the record, it wasn't me.

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:54 am

I don't care how much the prog annoys you. Walking into a room with people in it and typing say name and immediately leaving is really poor form.

Lathander · Post by **Lathander** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:18 am

I agree with Mele.

Oghma · Post by **Oghma** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:54 am

One possibility is to make it

sayto $N my/I be/I beh/I are/It beh/It be (namewords)

Make both the name and possessive part of the process, but make the name ambiguous, so that you can say anything. for example:

my name is Bigfeet

Or

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Whatever works. People using just name is a bit poor, as no guard in there right mind would let you into the city unless your name is in fact, name

And Selveem, the current code allows you to use any name even false ones.

If the idea above does not work, you can always set an alias

ie:

alias gate: say My name is Soandso, my business is with Melvin the chandler

Harroghty · Post by **Harroghty** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:12 am

The second option should only apply with guards who have six fingers.

It seems, Selveem, that your point is: If any name works, why ask at all?

Belive me you've hit upon a pretty common complaint of fighting men the world over and I sympathize with the gate guards. If they didn't ask it'd be even more silly than them taking any name you give them; they are at least trying to impose a sense of order. The rotation of shifts and changes in costume (and health) make it hard to believe that a guard would respond to a PC who frequently comes and goes.

All that to say, I agree with the first suggestion and Mele's complaint. Maybe make the bar a little higher to jump in terms of code, but please say something. If you just said "name" the gates likely would not open in the best case scenario for you in dealing with the guard on the late shift. Tired, armed men and smart alecks don't mix.

Kelemvor · Post by **Kelemvor** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:20 am

Ignore the sense or nonsense of the guards' question, ignore the limited appeal of the gate prog...

The issue here is that the player couldn't be bothered to devote 10 seconds of time and effort to the chore of entering the city.

It doesnt take long to guess the keyword for a program, or for that matter a quest... but to use only that keyword is lazy at best.

Thankfully it's rare to see players doing this with a quest, the roleplay is there, proper sentences are used. The same should be true of even the simplest or most annoying little prog.

Raona · Post by **Raona** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:01 am

In defense of the gate guard program - there is one instance in which a false name offered the guards did generate significant RP. An observant PC noticed someone give a name they new to be false to the guards, and reported a description of the person doing so to the Watch. The Watch found them, and tried to bring them in for questioning, which they made quite difficult. It was a cool RP experience for all involved, I think.

It might have been a one-in-a-million, but it happened.

Selveem · Post by **Selveem** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:53 pm

Mele wrote:I don't care how much the prog annoys you. Walking into a room with people in it and typing say name and immediately leaving is really poor form.

Where did I defend the person? I stated I personally dislike the prog.

Please do not mistake my distaste of this program for support of the person abusing a mob program.

I think it's silly, like I said, for the reasons I stated:

My Dwarf doesn't have a name. The guards just have to accept that to let him in.

Also, Selveem is a still (and always will be) a bit savage and presents himself as: "I am called ..." instead of "My name is ..." which doesn't trigger the program to open the door.

My rogue Xaden says his name is Fox. For all intents and purposes, his name /is/ Fox. He's only told the old FM of Mask and his Emerald Eyes his real name. They'd not tell anyone anyhow.

What I'm saying is if anyone can say anything, why even have the program? Shouldn't they just study the person's face so they can get an accurate description and find the person should they cause problems? This would also keep Orcs and all other banned races from entering the main gates.

Just have it check the current race of the character and let them pass. If they're under a transmutation to appear an Elf, they'd let them in, right?

Or, at the very least, add additional keywords like 'called' to make it at least less annoying.

Lerytha · Post by **Lerytha** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:15 pm

Is the issue the saying of a name whilst PCs are there and ignoring the PCs after saying just a name? In that case, I agree.

However, my main character often just gives her name. She's arrogant, it's a failing, and she doesn't like inhibiting laws and rules, like those that make you state your name and business. Sometimes she says, "My name is Miriel and my business is my own". Other times, she just says "Miriel" and expects the guards to open the gate.

If there is no roleplay with players already at that room, it's a problem. Otherwise, if it is IC to act that way, is it alright?

Horace · Post by **Horace** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:44 pm

The problem was they just said the trigger word - they literally just said "name".

Lerytha · Post by **Lerytha** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:12 pm

Oh! That makes sense. Sorry, yeah.

I agree that it's a stupid thing to do. I always thought the keyword was the actual PCname... but that's just me being a moron.

Thanks for clarifying that, Horace.

Saiden · Post by **Saiden** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:30 pm

Raona wrote:The Watch found them, and tried to bring them in for questioning, which they made quite difficult. It was a cool RP experience for all involved, I think.

It might have been a one-in-a-million, but it happened.

Oh yeah, evading the law baby!

Seriously though, that really was beautiful. I would never want to do it, but I certainly have alot of respect for those who play an "authority" figure.

And as far as the person typing 'say name' to get into the gates, it's moments like these when PUNISH should be brought to good use. And perhaps a stern wag of the finger! I know whenever I'm questioned for poor RP, it's my little piece of pride that is injured most of all, and makes me strive to do better to keep that from happening.