Uncoded Combat

[Elenthis]

Are there rules about 2 PC's agreeing on using uncoded combat, wherein the two agreeing party's smote everything rather than actually attacking one-another?

[Nysan]

As long as both combatants are in agreement, I don't think there are any OOC standard rules to smote fights... unless a murder command is coming at the end. Only thing that might be a rule is stay within your means, no going overboard and smoting sprouting wings, belching fire, and farting lightning bolts at Bob the rogue.

[Horace]

In my eyes, that's the preferred way. I'd be disheartened if there is a rule against it.

[Selveem]

Personally, I prefer just smoting all that out if I have the time.

I don't understand, however, why smoting all of it out is any different than smoting the actual kill after winning a duel.

I know the response from the administration was "You have a command, use it" (paraphrased) but I'll probably just get in trouble one day because I am really, really not cool with actually killing players due to the things that can happen (crashes, loss of exp, OOC anger, etc).

[Elenthis]

Coded combat occurs far FAR too quickly to make a fight anything more than screen-spam, excepting if you use killmode spar. Unfortunately, killmode spar doesnt come with its own time-frame, so he/she who has a massive con bonus has a dispreportional advantage based on typing speed. Ergo, Smote-combat. No one dies, no one loses XP, everyone gets the RP, and in the end, two players managed a full PK situation without any hard feelings or actual negative sense.

[Saranya]

I recently witnessed an imm-directed RP to use smoted combat because an OOC code issue. I personally almost always use this method with any PC far lower than me in level.

I also have trouble believing someone would be reprimanded for this unless there is a major part of the story we are not hearing.

[Mariela]

To be honest, it all goes down to how well you trust the person you are smoting with.
And this works with a lot of different things as well. If you can't trust the person with you to rationally or even decide that they will win or lose (mostly lose) then smoted combat is just another way for people who are jack-butts to be even more jack-butts. So in those cases, having a command that uses your stats.. that's real nice.

I honestly would rather smote and have a story involved with combat. However, it is all too easy to have a "Great and Powerful" character that is level 1 in those methods. I am not saying that stats are everything, but honestly, there are some and a big group of them that feel more at home with their stats than their role play.

[Gwain]

I don't care for it. I think it abuses the combat system that has been set up and sort of turns the mud into a mush or an rp intensive moo. The system is in place to allow fights that relate to character skill levels and stats and not who can emote better or smote. I'd never utilize a smote only battle in a game set up this way. I cringe at being told occly that I should pretend to be dead now at the end of a fight or seeing two high level player characters waste skills and xp to conserve components and armour with smote fights. However this is my personal preference and though I feel it is a waste of time and effort to do a smote fight in a system with coded combat like sparring, not everyone feels that way or can accept what is icly possible and what is not.

[Mele]

I'm not a fan of it, either.

My reason is..


Joe may be stronger than Bob but same level. But alas, they're pals ooc so they smote fight and Bob gets to win.

Joe is definately stronger than Fred, Fred is low level and tried to stir up some rp. But Joe and Bob aren't friends so Joe just fries him.


Killmode spar is pretty new to us and I think it's actually pretty great. It gives us the opportunity to use both the codes and roleplay, when we're given this option I don't understand why an only smote battle is necessary. If the argument is, you want Joe to win, or you want Bob to win, I'm afraid I think that's just plum silly. Joe or Bob need to level their characters to have power.

[Horace]

The code should always be used. But since this is a PVP restricted game, I think encouraging a cooperative rivalry would be a step in the right direction...as opposed to demanding that all players throw their battlebots into the ring during a fight. Which is what the default would be if one party wasn't interested in smote fighting in killmode spar.

Killmode spar is a great compromise - but it takes forever to end a fight with it. Which is good too, I'd suggest the pvp ending in such a way that the "loser" is a matter of perspective. No one wants a good rivalry to just end abruptly in a 20 second code fight.

I don't believe anyone should be forced having to smote fight in killmode spar - that'd be against the nature of the game. But telling people they can't, is silly. It's a cooperative conflict resolution, where the two players get together to be involved in a conflict the best way to either escalate or deescalate the rivalry in a way that shows aspects of their characters nature and personal growth/corruption.

But yes, no one should be forced to do anything other than straight code.

[Selveem]

I'm having a difficult time trying to discern what type of MUD this is. It seems that the people who are so very pro-RP seem to lean towards coded PvP and PKing. It would seem to me that those who would prefer RP would be more inclined to be alright with RPing the fights and deaths of their characters. Rather, I am mistaken. I would expect someone who "should" be spending the majority of their time RPing with others and not code-killing mobs for Exp would be at a very distinct coded disadvantage against someone who spends time hack and slashing through mobs. Those characters, I would think, would appreciate a 'fairer fight' against someone who does actually go out killing stuff for Exp and leveling up.

As an example, I have RPed with Selveem countless times as performing different types of chains of attacks. Kata, if you will. None of these hours of RP have ever 'increased my skill level' at different attacks, dual wield, weapons, or anything else, for that matter.

After doing all that smoting, I went out and pwned a bunch of n00b mobs to get those skill levels up.

I enjoy coded killing of mobs, I don't enjoy coded killing of characters.

The reason is exactly as above. If I feel that someone is a great RPer and has spent their quality time RPing 90% and EXPing 10%, I think it is unfair and irresponsible of me as a player to punish that by beating the piss out of them in a duel, then killing them because they ICly wouldn't yield. To make matters worse, there is still a decent chance that something could go wrong with their corpse while it isn't in their care. Further, their quality RP time is now interrupted with perhaps countless hours of sitting in the fugue smoting to themselves and praying repeatedly for mercy.

[Mariela]

The problem with Player Vs. Player conflicts is going to be simple in any role play format.

Some people are OK with being the evil jerk-off. They revile in it. The best way to be an evil jerk- of is to either start Player Vs. Player conflicts that will probably end in death of a character, or do other things along that line.. up to and including stealing, whoring, and looting the corpse.

For there to be hardship, there has to be hardship.


I have always found it awesome how FK has both systems. There is a strong emphasis in role play but at the same time, we have code to back up the things we can't possibly know about a character. How well they are trained in what they do. I do not t hink it has to be a role play server vs. a pvp server arguement. We have both, why not use both?

If you are not comfortable with PVP situations, stay out of situations that would escalate that. Unfortunately that means that you are giving up as a player the ability for your character to interact with some evil citizens of the game. Or really some common average everyday citizens. People thrive on conflict.

[Nysan]

Again, whatever the two 'combatants' agree to should be enough. Do or do not, that is your call. Shouldn't really matter after that.

[Jaenoic]

I am of the opinion that because combat is coded, that code should be used. It is easy enough to RP a battle using killmode nofight or spar and smoting to your heart's content. I've RPed in places where there was no code, it was essentially just a chat room, and everyone thinks they are teh uber pwnzor who can't be beaten. I understand that the players here are much, much, much more responsible, reasonable, and compromising than the other place I played, but personally I would rather just avoid that arrangement all together.

[Capala]

I don't understand why there isn't a standard rule: Use kill for enemy pkills. Use stun for friendly sparring pkills.

[Selveem]

Because there are people who won't be happy if it's one way.
The other group won't if it's the other.

And, it'd lead to me breaking the rules.

[Capala]

Can't please everyone. It's just confusing right now.

[Belose]

Why not just build yourself a special arena for that sort of thing and have a referee? NPC or IMM or whatever...I RP, and I do it without having to smote every other sentence on ALL my alts. I save my smoting for special reasons.. or when I need to get a point across, maybe....but that's the way I play.. it's not for everybody, but I don't like people telling me how to play the game or how or why I have to RP this way or that way....when this happens is when I usually get really ticked off and leave to cool down OOC....other than an IMM showing up to tell me I'm making booboos...IF they are willing to point out what I'm doing wrong and why it's a problem and at least giving me a chance to explain why I am doing that certain thing and how I justify it and not just assuming I'm out to break the rules!!! If everyone agrees to the way the fight is to go, fine. Otherwise just go OOC and say this won't work and don't play together anymore. <shrugs>

P.S. You know.. sometimes, kaka just happens...