Bug Thread June 2 --

[Brother Humphrey]

I just want to add a little rider to david's report, though I'm not exactly sure how I should look at it, bug or not. Yesterday, I left HH heading west to RM and the second I arrived at the Overland map I was ported into an encounter area with a Troll. Sure, the troll was far enough away for me to have fun with it, even to the point of actually having to go looking for him, but still, A) that's kinda close to instaMDK for a lowbie if the troll had been closer to the AT when the toon completed his transitioning and B) as David said, there was no option to proceed or retreat. I was just paralyzed by the encounter script then ported in. Perhaps some sort of mechanism that allows for an attempt to flee could be arranged. Chances based on movement speed at the time of the encounter (Barb/Monk speed bonus, encumberance slowdown, etc.). *shrugs* not my yob, mahn, but I toss it out there for rhumination.

[AcadiusLost]

Although there is randomness in the relative positioning of the encounter "arrival point" and the positioning of the wandering spawn(s) itself, there are also safeguards in place that should prevent any inescapable death situations- one can generally just click back on the same AT next to their arrival point to "flee" from the encounter, even before waiting around to find out what else is nearby. If the spawn system rolls a random spawn location that's too close to a predicted PC arrival point, it is cancelled or queued for later spawning once the PC is no longer present in that vicinity. Sometimes failed spot/listen checks can make a creature seem to lag-spawn quite near a PC, but the controls we scripted into ALFA's spawn system generally work pretty reliably.

Of course, if you go looking for whatever it is that triggered the spawn, it's quite possible you will find it and have a rather harder time escaping (assuming it finds you, too...). Also, going AFK while in an encounter area (or while traversing the travel map) is a bad idea generally, as the "safe" point you arrive at may become less safe over time as the mob or mobs wander the area after arrival.

As always, the best approach is to travel with a group including a scout. Failing that, inescapable death situations should still be pretty rare due to the design of the system.

[Wynna]

Little clarifications, and an apology. So sorry Hilil died. When I transitioned to you to heal you, I assumed you were in the area in which you'd been attacked. (This was Rauvenwatch ext, next to the Silvy Surrounds AT, not the travel map.) When I didn't see the bear, I assumed you had killed it. Hence my NPC's commentary on the dead beast. I didn't realize you had made it to the next area and the bear still lurked on the other side of the AT. I certainly would have limboed the bear and you are due a tech rezz for being killed the moment you AT'd again, solely because a DM intervened but did not completely handle the situation. It didn't help that I lost internet connection the moment after my NPC delivered her "be more careful travelling at night alone" warning as she walked away. As my screen froze, I saw you still standing where I'd healed you. If you transitioned into danger with no chance to cancel out, perhaps that was due to the lag spike that knocked me off the server.

As for BH, AL has covered the placing of spawns and exits well. I will add that I am assuming you were ported into the middle of the Encounter Area. When a PC hits the travel map and immediately triggers an encounter, the scripts as written have only a single PC positional point on the Travel Map (where the PC arrived/triggered the encounter) to put into the equation for which side the PC then lands on in the Encounter Area (usually eastern side for travellers heading west/ western side for travellers heading east). Because there is not enough data (position points generated by walking on the travel map) to plug into that equation to correctly determine side of entry into the Encounter Area, the scripts put the PC into a default central location. While midway between the two exits, this midway position is also carefully calculated to be far enough away from the monster's creation point to be a safe landing. The monster then flocks, but only after a delay added to take into account the PC's transition time. Of course, before the PC transitions, no matter where he is placed in the Encounter Area, he is given spot/listen rolls to determine the nature of the threat and the direction of the threat. All of these things generally add to survivability. Survivability factors that drive up/down the danger include:

*Where the PC lands in the EA (determined by how long the PC was on the travel map and which direction he was coming from)

*Where the Monster lands (calculated from where the PC lands)

*Whether the PC fails/passes his listen/spot checks

*Whether the Monster flocks towards or away from the PC's location

Therefore, the most dangerous situation is if a PC triggers an immediate encounter and fails his spot/listen checks. If this happens he will be put into the middle of the area not knowing which direction is a free pass to safety and which direction the monsters might be coming from. I certainly feel that this is a fair risk to take, considering how many safeguards are built in otherwise.

Hope that clarifies.

[Brother Humphrey]

Works for me I'm glad to see so many safeguards are in place to minimize MDKs for the masses of less well equipped and inexperienced. Of course, those won't do much against a player's tendancy to experience temporary brain damage and insist on looking for the trouble he should be running from, right?

[Blindhamsterman]

we wouldn't have it any other way though would we

[Brother Humphrey]

Of course not. How are the rest of us going to wind up filthy stinking rich if bored players with lowbie toons don't keep croaking all over the landscape? It's not like the orcs or goblins carry around full plate and MW weapons, now, is it?

[paazin]

The gypsy merchant outside of Silverymoon has some problems with selling jewelry and religious icons (they never appear in he inventory)

[Brother Humphrey]

Caravaneers outside SM don't seem to spawn more than sporadically. I've seen the guys maybe twice in the past 3 weeks or so.

[hollyfant]

6b Rivermoot: Interiors - Jesha has the description "003_cr_rm_jesha".
6b Rivermoot - the bald male Rivermoot Archer has a female voiceset.

[Brother Humphrey]

6b Rivermoot: Interiors - Jesha has the description "003_cr_rm_jesha".
6b Rivermoot - the bald male Rivermoot Archer has a female voiceset.

A bit of a mishap with a ricocheting arrow.. He doesn't like to talk about it.

[hollyfant]

6b Rivermoot

• The commoners that are randomly generated occasionaly wear a hat under the "Kelemvorite" cloak with the attached hood, thus causing strange clipping effects around their head.
• The Rivermoot Town Hall has a functional back door on the outside, but no walkmesh to it and no corresponding door inside.
• Departing patrols lack the intelligence to open the gates, and just butt their heads into them instead.

[Brother Humphrey]

Departing patrols lack the intelligence to open the gates, and just butt their heads into them instead. [/list]

And this surprises you, considering who's training them? *shakes head in disbelief*

[Vintenar]

Fur cloak or whatever it is called, purchasable in RM sits above the wearers shoulders, making them look rather odd. The model is messed up somehow.

[Blindhamsterman]

and the winter cloak doesnt show up at all

[Brother Humphrey]

And the blue Helm Cloak available at H.I.'s shop is white, and ugly as sin, when worn, in direct contrast to the cloaks of rank that Wynna (i think) whipped up for the faction members, which are really blue and b'utiful.