new command proposal: mpfollow

[Kregor]

I am wanting to propose to Marty to code a new mpcommand, mpfollow. The purpose of the command would be for a mobile to join PCs on a quest. As opposed to just follow, mpfollow would also set the mobile as a member of the PCs group. This would mean that PCs and mobiles both could use AOE spells without worrying about harming those that are supposed to be their allies, and that the NPC in a group could also gain from group buffs, etc.

Thoughts?

[Japcil]

I like it.

Yet does force $n invite mVNUM with one qbit and force $n eject mVNUM in another qbit not work for this case?

[Nedylene]

One technical question... How would you avoid the NPC from killing the bad monster/guy in the quest he was sent to aid on? If he killed it instead of one of the party members of the leaders would that not mess up the quest?

[Japcil]

As long as you use group qbits you should be fine. But this means everyone in the group performs the quest not just the leader, as it should. It never made sense to me that people would just wait for repop to start a quest all over for another member of the group to get the reward as well.

[Kregor]

I like it.

Yet does force $n invite mVNUM with one qbit and force $n eject mVNUM in another qbit not work for this case?

It could work, as a workaround, yes. The reason I would propose it hard code is for one, hard code is always better and more efficient than area code. It's less duplication of effort too, to have a single command rather than a string that multiple builders have to repeat to accomplish a common thing, much like how many critters roaming around the mud are hard coded to drop certain parts or items on occasion when they are killed, as opposed to the requirement of remembering to put the prog on a horse when you code it to make sure it drops its... droppings.

[Kregor]

One technical question... How would you avoid the NPC from killing the bad monster/guy in the quest he was sent to aid on? If he killed it instead of one of the party members of the leaders would that not mess up the quest?

It gets even more messy than this potential situation when the NPC you are assisting is neutral, then either autojoins the fight on the wrong side, or launches off his own AOE attack and zaps the party as well, making himself a hostile mobile to the party. Pets can cause this problem as well. There's hard code ways to fix this too, like automatically counting a death_prog triggered by an NPC to the leader of a group if he's grouped with someone. Or in area code just make the NPC set himself killmode stun when he joins the group. I've found no perfect way to fix the potential mess in area code, it's all workaround.