Changing the ? color

[Ariala]

Hi!
So after my own recent stupidity of going into a random ? and dying 5 seconds later because a hoard of bandits was in the room.....

What does everyone think about changing the ? colors on the maps?

Red ? = High level area
Yellow ? = Mid level area
Green ? = Low level area
Pink ? = Town/city/village

Something like that?

[Lylena]

I like that idea! To indicate the sort of zone it may be. An adventurer from a distance away might be able to determine whether or not they want to stop in the area.

It would be a good band-aid since the root of the problem seems more that if you enter from a ? and you're immediately attacked, you have really no means of escape since it doesn't link like regular rooms, if I'm remembering threads correctly.

This might be a solution to the insta-deaths of "I immediately regret my decision." and make it less work in figuring some other method of not being able to flee in rooms that you entered into via ? or other means.

[Aishe]

It would be a good band-aid since the root of the problem seems more that if you enter from a ? and you're immediately attacked, you have really no means of escape since it doesn't link like regular rooms, if I'm remembering threads correctly.

This is exactly it There is no fleeing an entry room full of goblins and other crazy creatures once you've stepped in, as the code has no where to send you back to. Not sure if this is should just be part of the adventuring life, (as in find someone to chat with about that weird place in the forest before you mosey in) or if a color coded system would be too much of a giveaway when wandering about.

Edit: can someone confirm if you can 'look' into a entrance to see if there's goblins or the like inside?

[Yemin]

You can look into special exits the same way you look into normal ones. "l tunnels / l fuzbucket" and so on.

I'm more curious why special exits are even a thing though. apart from hidden rooms and such, why aren't zone entry points just normal cardinal directions like some of the zones that are hidden on the map?

And I guess lastly. I think I've been a gamer and been dying for too long but I kind of like the challenge / danger. Each of my characters usually has a way of escaping regardless of the situation. Or well, I put a pin in new dangerous looking zones and go elsewhere, when I can get a partner or a group I look back on the notepad to do list and get in there. leading the glorious charge as If I know what I'm doing.

[Aishe]

...when I can get a partner or a group I look back on the notepad to do list and get in there. leading the glorious charge as If I know what I'm doing.

Heh. This is what avdenturing is all about.

[Terageld]

Great idea, especially after I discovered I can't flee after going into the ? room. I happened to have discovered this the hard way.

[Trillarel]

I fell victim to the ? being special/unable to flee too. Seconding the color changes.

[Beskytter]

I could see a color coding for specific areas that most players already know about, Friendly Arms Inn is a rather common area that most players end up going to for leveling at a certain point, but I think there is challenge and mystery in keeping a static ? on the map.

I would be all for the idea that entry rooms be mob free or have it that a certain number of mobs cannot enter the room, as in only 2 mobs at any time are allowed into the entry room. Still a bit of a shock when you wonder into yon mysterious ? on the map but not such a shock that a minute later someone in Waterdeep's amulet activates while they're in the Market Square just about to head out to level themselves.

[Ungtar]

Well, on the bright side, I bet you only do it once.

[Beskytter]

Well, on the bright side, I bet you only do it once.

Yes. This is true. On a side note, can we throw torches into another room to remove the darkness so we can see if there's anything in it? Would add some use for torches after level 10 when you get a high level priest to add the glowing effect to your amulet or whathaveyou.

Maybe it won't be so bad if we're able to do the torch toss cause some of the rooms in certain ?'s are dark (tunnels, caves, tombs, caverns, cellars, etc.) and most human characters can't see into them without darkvision cast on them or something similar.

[Larethiel]

Red ? = High level area
Yellow ? = Mid level area
Green ? = Low level area
Pink ? = Town/city/village

Or you'd just go with the colors that are indicated for the various areas when you type the command Area. Also, you can look into the exits to see if there are mobs in there

[Benorf]

Some races don't have darkvision, though. So it's very often that you are peering in somewhere when it's too dark to see into the next room, or the room is autodark anyway.

[Yemin]

Thats when you ask a wizard or cleric to fix that via potions though. I'm not really a fan of this so far tbh.
It doesn't sound like it would help emersion or exploration. There are a bunch of places that I'd consider easy for a cleric but hard for a much higher in level fighter and vice versa afterall.

[Ungtar]

Some races don't have darkvision, though. So it's very often that you are peering in somewhere when it's too dark to see into the next room, or the room is autodark anyway.

Even with darkvision, there's no guarantee of safety. I have looked into rooms and thought "Oh, goblins, this ought to be easy" and then supplicated out a few seconds later missing a leg and down to 18% hp ... at high level too.

New areas require friends. That's my general view on it after being fooled a few times by what my D&D metagame knowledge led me to believe would be easy.

[Trillarel]

Well, on the bright side, I bet you only do it once.

Yes. This is true. On a side note, can we throw torches into another room to remove the darkness so we can see if there's anything in it? Would add some use for torches after level 10 when you get a high level priest to add the glowing effect to your amulet or whathaveyou.

Maybe it won't be so bad if we're able to do the torch toss cause some of the rooms in certain ?'s are dark (tunnels, caves, tombs, caverns, cellars, etc.) and most human characters can't see into them without darkvision cast on them or something similar.

Throwing torches in is a good idea!

[Selveem]

I'm super late to the party, but I really like this idea.