Alternative traveling

[Keryn]

I don't see this as a good solution, IMO the problem of lowbies having a hard time going from one point to other is checking the spawns, and the one specifically that has being a problem needs to be changed obviously it was not meant to be set like that. AL already mentioned something like that...

What gets to me... is really the time you loose where you get nothing back. Looking at the screen for 5 minutes in an area you can do anything... wouldn't be an option to me.. what will people do? Probably leave the PC and go get a drink or a smoke while they are ported quite immersively into their destination... Seriously, is the issue really immersion?

[oldgrayrogue]

I have to agree with Keryn on this one. I have been ported instantaneously from one different area of the server to another by a DM and it hasn't destroyed immersion for me or anyone else far as I know. Why would it be any different for an insta port by ship, caravan or any other means? If it is OK for a DM to do it should be OK in general to facilitate RP. Also, portals are canon in FRCS as far as I recall. The overland map and encounter system is a marvel in scripting and building, but IMO it is severely immersion breaking. We deal with that daily, chatting IC with invisible toons and floating VFX props. I think we can certainly handle an instant port through RP. I can see limiting it to a one way trip each 24 hr IG period. That makes sense from a "reality" standpoint. As I stated in my last post, the only real issue I see (beyond the predominating issue of building it raised by AL which of course takes precedence) is possible abuse with respect to certain repeatable "courier" style static quests. For non-repeatable I don't see a problem. Makes IC sense to take a riverboat or tack on with a caravan if you have to travel a long distance. You trade profit margin for safety.

Riverboat stops between RM, HH and SM make perfect IC sense. No "timelag" is necessary IMO -- just RP it as offline travel time. The reality is the docks in each locale are somewhat away from where most PCs congregate for RP, so you still will have to walk from the docks to meet up with them wherever they may be. Caravan travel between SM and Felbarr also make sense to me, as does a magic portal ride between these two politically aligned cosmopolitan centers.

And since Ithildur raised the passage of time, I'll chime in on that tangent. What do people think about shortening the night time cycle to say half of the daylight? So in carving up the pie its 3/4 light and 1/4 dark per cycle? Or maybe 2/3 to 1/3? Reason being most people will choose to travel in daylight, and with real players having limited time to actually log on and play more daylight makes more sense to me. Maybe I just find myself RPing setting camp and sleeping a lot lately, but I am in favor of anything that gets people together and out RPing as opposed to sitting around waiting for things to happen.

[Ithildur]

Maybe times have changed... this is of course rather subjective but back in the day I actually enjoyed walking through the vast stretches of relatively 'empty' (ie no spawns) remote areas that SD had which one had to pass through to travel long distances. It created plenty of opportunities for great banter along with occasionally dangerous encounters while traveling which I must admit, I've not often seen matched in my experience on TSM. The travel distances actually feel too short right now for extensive banter (unless you're marathoning from RM to Sundabarr), and perhaps it's the aesthetics of the overland travel map, but it just doesn't feel the same... it feels a bit like 'this is something we have to put up with until we get to the REAL areas'; it doesn't seem to lend itself to inspiring RP, maybe because you can't see the toons, maybe because things look rather abstracted and fake and people can't wait to get off the travel map and prefer to click autofollow and go AFK.

So the net result currently is something that has the inconvenience of traveling taking a long time and being deadly, while lacking the immersive feeling of aesthetics and space that inspired fun traveling banter in ALFA1.

In a perfect world according to Ith, we still would have the vast stretches of atmospheric areas to travel and banter through, but would also have a choice for quick (er) hook ups of PCs via a caravan system; that's what we had in SD at some point iirc.

Unfortunately, I realize the 2gb module size limitation for NWN2 makes this difficult*; still ideally I'd prefer something that's not insta porto zipping around (portals should still be relatively rare, not something every village has in their back yard), but due to the choice of design/layout/distance of PC bases of activity on TSM perhaps a limited quick travel ATing is the way to go even though something in me screams in protest. As much it seems distasteful to me it may be worth trying; the current system doesn't seem to be making anyone happy and getting far apart PCs to hook up definitely is a challenge on TSM right now.



Re: shortening nighttime, one factor is that some of the best/scariest/most memorable moments are during the night during dm plot events, but I suppose dm's via the client or tools have full control over day/night cycles like in nwn1?



*On a side, if this is true:
http://www.alandfaraway.org/forums/view ... 52&t=44655

then maybe we CAN have the best of both worlds (at least when a DM is on if I understand correctly): sprawling areas to travel and banter through leisurely (with chance of random encounters), as well as abstracted caravan/quick safe transport to facilitate bringing players together! Use the current overland map travel (perhaps truncated and sped up by the DM) for the caravan, and use the new 'instant areas' to represent 'footing it' over long distances ala the vast stretches of ALFA1!

[Blindhamsterman]

* Wait, wait, hold everything; if this is true:
http://www.alandfaraway.org/forums/view ... 52&t=44655

then maybe we CAN have the best of both worlds!!! ie. sprawling areas to travel and banter through leisurely as well as abstracted caravan/quick and safe transport to facilitate bringing together players separated by long distances! Use the current overland map travel, but truncated and sped up (with or without random encounters depending on whether there are NPCs), for the caravan, and use the new 'spawning areas' to represent a more immersive/longer travel option ala the vast stretches of ALFA1!

Sounds lovely doesn't it...

[Ithildur]

* Wait, wait, hold everything; if this is true:
http://www.alandfaraway.org/forums/view ... 52&t=44655

then maybe we CAN have the best of both worlds!!! ie. sprawling areas to travel and banter through leisurely as well as abstracted caravan/quick and safe transport to facilitate bringing together players separated by long distances! Use the current overland map travel, but truncated and sped up (with or without random encounters depending on whether there are NPCs), for the caravan, and use the new 'spawning areas' to represent a more immersive/longer travel option ala the vast stretches of ALFA1!

Sounds lovely doesn't it...

I edited my post; upon re reading it seems that this would only work when a DM was running things, unless scripts could perhaps be set up to generate these new areas when triggering an AT (and deleting them when everyone exits the area)?

[Blindhamsterman]

Certainly sounded as if the variables could be stored in a database allowing for it, I guess Regalis can and likely will continue to explain it. Certainly sounds like it could add a lot to ALFA though

[Mirabai]

FWIW regardless of whether I am IG or not, even if I'm not DMing so long as I'm near my computer I will happily log on and port someone real quick so that they can get together with others for RP without risking life and limb. This does not apply to levels 5+ nor does it mean I will be your personal DM chauffeur and port you hither and yon to do your shopping or whatever, but I really don't want to see our lower levels stuck in the boondocks twiddling their thumbs for fear of getting pwned when there's a group gathered somewhere else and RPing.

Additionally, I happen to know a certain elven ranger who's on a whole lot and has a proclivity for escorting folks safely to their destinations. People just need to speak up.

[Melody]

Berendil is a fantastic escort, and you'll get no complaints from my character about service. Thank you for the offer Mirabai, I just hesitate to bother the DMs for something like getting to another player. I'd much prefer a caravan system set in place, as it would feel more real. However, I understand that implementing anything new can be difficult so whatever solution works is fine. Till then.. *hails Berendil*

[danielmn]

I vote Halruuan Airship.....

[oldgrayrogue]

Beam me up Scotty .....

[Regalis]

unless scripts could perhaps be set up to generate these new areas when triggering an AT (and deleting them when everyone exits the area)?

That's loosely how it works.

[t-ice]

While it's all fun and games to think big and stuff, let's please not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Completely overhauling the travel system with use of instanced areas instead of or in addition to the map is something else. It is an undertaking independent of the easily achievable fix to the issue at hand: Dangerous/booooring travel alone to reach another player to start a gaming session.

I'd much rather have something great ready in the scope of a month, than to shove the simple thing aside in favor of something "omfg awesome!" maybe in a year. It seems to be a common failure of these "brainstorms" that people shoot off a tangent to the ideal while ignoring the realities of what is achievable. And then the storm fades with nothing happening.

So please don't let the pipe dream of perfect come to the way of doign something and fixing this. It's a real problem especially for new players who don't know OoC how to play the game here. Whom, I might add, are repeatedly told never to solo, and then the reality is you can't find another player without soloing the travel.

[dergon darkhelm]

Agree with T-ice

Simple: Riverboat in RM, HH, RWK,Silvy, Sundabar ...... walk onto boat .....pay your 10,20,30,40 gp depending on distance..... walk through Portal AT....... ??? ...profit.

Done and Done.

[wvincenti]

I'd be quite comfortable with either this or with the OOC widget that lets you choose where you login the following day. I have to confess that I did a lot of walking back in the day to make sure my PCs were where they needed to be for a scheduled campaign session.

-Bill

Agree with T-ice

Simple: Riverboat in RM, HH, RWK,Silvy, Sundabar ...... walk onto boat .....pay your 10,20,30,40 gp depending on distance..... walk through Portal AT....... ??? ...profit.

Done and Done.

[Curmudgeon]

Agree with T-ice

Simple: Riverboat in RM, HH, RWK,Silvy, Sundabar ...... walk onto boat .....pay your 10,20,30,40 gp depending on distance..... walk through Portal AT....... ??? ...profit.

Done and Done.

Silvy - Sundabar would be difficult and dangerous, as there are a few canonical obstacles along that stretch of the Rauvin River: the Striding Giant Rapids between Silvy and Everlund (which we'd still like to put in the mod someday); another set of rapids between Moon Pass and Sundabar; and no small number of goblin and orc tribes along the route.

The Rivermoot - Silvy stretch, though, is relatively smooth going, with banks broad enough for towpaths where needed.