Mount failure

Glim · Post by **Glim** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:05 am

I am wondering, is it normal to fall off a fully saddled horse every few spaces, even if you have any skill in mount. I mean, in RL, ive even seen very bad riders ride and they rarely fall off. In the game, Ive seen characters that are fairly skilled at riding fall off quite often. Shouldnt the only time you fall off is in a combat situation or the like? And wouldnt mounted combat help on this? But who has ever seen people who are riding along just suddenly fall off their horses, if this ever happened, horses would never have become a mode of transportation, allowing only the greatest riders ever to not fall off every once in a while.

Ursan · Post by **Ursan** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 11:37 am

While your argument is completely valid, I think this is one of those situations where we all have to make the best of it.

In-game, being able to ride is a skill, consequently it is coded excatly the same way as all other skills.
You train it to some extent, you then must practise it to improve it.
The downside being, that the less skilled you are the more critical failures at your skill-check you wil get.

If no-one ever fell off, then players would not need to train it more than a single notch and could happily gallop about the countryside improving their skill with little cost in injury, coin or experience.

If this skill were changed at all, I would perhaps like to see falling off increase relative to the mounts speed. However, I dont think it needs to be toned down from what it is set at now.

Places to train are plentiful, and there are some very skilled trainers out there. And there are other things can help with your ability to stay mounted.

Glim · Post by **Glim** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 5:58 pm

Now, I understand what your saying, and I do believe that if you were unskilled you would not be able to go very fast and might not be able to stay on your horse at such speeds. But walking though, walking a horse is not a very difficult thing to do, it is something they do to teach untrained riders to ride. Now, even trained riders with a full saddle bridle harness and the like will fall off while walking sometimes. Doesnt that seem just a little bit silly?

Timaeus · Post by **Timaeus** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:12 pm

I agree with Glim on this, in a non-combat situation tying the skill level with speed would be sensible and also reflect the fact that staying on a horse is not difficult at a walk with full tack. If you exceed the speed for the level of skill your chance to fall would be equal to what it is now. And if you maintain the speed or slower of what your skill is your chance of falling could be set to maybe 1%. Setting the bar at apprentice means it would still require a decent amount of training rather than the one notch and forget that Ursan brings up.

Apprentice - Walk
Journeyman - Jog
Adept - Run
Expert - Dash
Master - Sprint

In combat the current failure and falling off chances are more than appropriate.

Timaeus Valierius,
Warrior of Kelemvor.

Talon · Post by **Talon** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 9:40 pm

As someone who has ridden a few horses in his day, I would like to point out that most people who ride IRL today ride VERY domesticated horses that are used to moseying along at a slow walk. With a more spirited horse like a warhorse, a destrier, or even a cantankerous pony (or even a mule I once rode) I would have to say it would be a bit more of a problem.
So maybe not as much falling off, but I'll go a step further... With lesser experienced riders, and meaner horses how about having the horse go in a direction that the rider did not intend to go at all, or perhaps the horse just won't go? I have seen both happen with ornery horses and inexperienced riders. (very funny to watch)

Tierney · Post by **Tierney** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:32 pm

I'm with Talon. A horse can spot an inexperienced rider before you even mount, and they know they can get away with murder. They'll either toss you when you least expect it, or just ignore you and start grazing. Even most of the sweet domesticated horses we have nowadays don't REALLY want to be ridden, and will take every oppurtunity to get rid of the silly little human on thier back. When I was learning to ride, and the teacher wasn't watching the horse, I'd get tossed in a few seconds flat.

Glim · Post by **Glim** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 5:21 am

Yes yes, all valid, but the way the code works, even experienced riders fall off. And these arent all warhorses, normal pack animals or domestic horses will do the same.

Villis · Post by **Villis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:14 pm

Perhaps, thinking along that vein, each horse/pony/mount should have a temper attribute that would impact one's riding situation. The more nasty the horse, the more often it would throw you, etc. Likewise, it would also open the door for more personality on the horse.

Just thinking out loud here.

Tyr · Post by **Tyr** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 4:03 pm

I changed it a while ago so that falling would happen less often when moving and more often in combat. If the change has not been noticed then it is likely it has not gone in yet and will in the next code update.

Tyr

Andreas · Post by **Andreas** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 6:41 pm

I'm a fairly experienced rider. Used to do a little bit of rodeo and dressage. And I fell off my horse quite a bit too. It's not impossible, just improbable for a skilled rider to fall off. And there's a HUGE difference between clinging to the saddle on a docile lesson horse and mounting up that spirited athlete and waiting for the buzzer. And if a horse wants to dump you, trust me, they will!

Mount failure

Mount failure

RE: Riding & Falling Off