Regarding the disguise reminder

[Diegovog]

I can totally relate to people who use disguise as means to make something -very- apparent on their characters. I've seen it being used to promote useful rp plenty of times in the past. On the other hand I also understand why it can get out of hand in a system that should be used for actual disguise.

So I'm wondering if it would be possible to add a system of one word, 10 characters long max to the end of a character's name in yellow through command.
Say... -status Exhausted
On top of my character it would show "CharacterName Exhausted" but the word "Exhausted" would be in a different color such as yellow.

Problems: Make it so this status doesn't interfere in other mechanics such as speedy's and scry.

Benefits: Facilitate interactions or reason to begin interactions. Sometimes you really want something to be blatantly shown to other players. Maybe it's just mood, or a temporary condition or affliction, but it would definitely promote rp.

Is this even remotely possible?

[Watchful Glare]

While this feels like it goes against what was said, I will concede that it may just do that. It is true it would save you from typing the same emote a trillion times sometimes, for every new character that shows up. However it is perhaps the intent that said emotes are typed out many times. There is no 'description quickslot' for current status, to be used sadly.

[Curve]

Make a quick slot with the emote you want to share.

[MalKalz]

You can adjust your description freely. Adding a command to append onto your name does not save anyone time. I would advise just adding to your description if its something you are going to emote for more than one occasion and can describe your physical state.

[Spriggan Bride]

I'm not pro or con on this idea but I don't think descriptions are useful for temporary status. I really doubt most players read every description in the area unless that character is of specific interest to them (usually on the first time meeting or if they're in disguise and you want to see what they're up to.) I can almost guarantee nobody is reading the description over and over again of someone they see every day.

If you want others around you to notice something about you (bloodied up, exhausted, whatever) you have to be proactive and emote... I just don't see another way. It might be nice if there was a tag but emoting is fine too.

[msheeler]

I'm not pro or con on this idea but I don't think descriptions are useful for temporary status. I really doubt most players read every description in the area unless that character is of specific interest to them (usually on the first time meeting or if they're in disguise and you want to see what they're up to.) I can almost guarantee nobody is reading the description over and over again of someone they see every day.

If you want others around you to notice something about you (bloodied up, exhausted, whatever) you have to be proactive and emote... I just don't see another way. It might be nice if there was a tag but emoting is fine too.

Pretty much exactly dead on.

The disguise system is not the best way to do it, but perhaps there is something that can be done, I am just not sure what it is. Something that can alert people to an obvious change or departure from the characters norm, and something that does not need to be emoted to every singe player that crosses their path, like. . .

"carrying a body"
"limping severely"
"pale and sickly"

Which are all things that don't really warrant a description change, have no way of being represented graphically in game, and are not easy to type as you walk past anyone or to anyone and everyone walking past you.

The best temporary fix is, yes, to hotkey some emote you can just spam, but that doesn't really seem like the best possible solution.

[a shrouded figure]

Agreed with the above. I for one /typically/ would not walk into a conversation and spend 5 minutes reading everyone’s description mid-conversation. I would personally prefer some level of descriptor (along the lines of disguise) that could be added to a players name for an obvious status.

[ReverentBlade]

The UI tells you if you are diseased, poisoned, or injured. It sounds like people want to RP different from what their sheets say.

[triaddraykin]

The UI tells you if you are diseased, poisoned, or injured. It sounds like people want to RP different from what their sheets say.

Sheets don't cover something like having a long day, a headache, distraction, or even something that is mechanical, like exhaustion.

In the case of exhaustion, they might have just scribed a ton of wands or scrolls, their rest is up at 50%, but they would potentially feel drained and exhausted after that.

The character sheet is a guideline and foundation.

[ReverentBlade]

Sounds like something for an IG description.

[triaddraykin]

Sounds like something for an IG description.

I'm not pro or con on this idea but I don't think descriptions are useful for temporary status. I really doubt most players read every description in the area unless that character is of specific interest to them (usually on the first time meeting or if they're in disguise and you want to see what they're up to.) I can almost guarantee nobody is reading the description over and over again of someone they see every day.

If you want others around you to notice something about you (bloodied up, exhausted, whatever) you have to be proactive and emote... I just don't see another way. It might be nice if there was a tag but emoting is fine too.

That has already been addressed in this thread, and I'm in complete agreement with the points made as a counter to yours.

[DM Monkey]

The reminder was partly to explain that people shouldn't use the -disguise system to convey this kind of information. As others have said in this thread, you might use -description to update certain things. People read descriptions more often than you might think! In my opinion, the best way might be to just think of a simple and short emote that you can make to convey the information you want to. It is not difficult to type *carrying a body* or *looks ill*.

[Babylon System is the Vampire]

I'll be honest, I got a bit confused by the announcement because I thought things like "armored warrior" were the right use for disguise and nick names and alternate personalities were not. And I thought that because I am pretty sure I read that somewhere in one of these types of announcements some years back. But what you said turns that on its head. So this is the official stance now?

[Morgy]

It’s a shame characters don’t alter their movement mechanically when they are injured! I suppose it’s possible given the change a while back to some undead walking (dragging a foot), but I guess that’d be hard to do for each race perhaps.

[Good Character]

I believe those who support the idea of utilizing the disguise system for a temporary status effects is that the disguise uses it effectively without it being overbearing in its purpose. Would it be possible to tweak the disguise system to allow something like that without the disguise tag? A temporary status effect people want to notice needs to be bold and in people's face, and constantly spamming what's occurring to your character every time someone passes inhibits the fluidity of the roleplay you want to put out.

[Watchful Glare]

It’s a shame characters don’t alter their movement mechanically when they are injured! I suppose it’s possible given the change a while back to some undead walking (dragging a foot), but I guess that’d be hard to do for each race perhaps.

This would be so good if it were possible; a 'bleed' effect, something for different status that one could use

[-XXX-]

This is akin to people loitering in Cordor's outskirts with a note reading "smith needed" dropped at their feet.
It's a minimal effort attempt at grabbing the immediate attention of as many people as possible.

I genuinely believe that this is not the level of RP that deserves to be paid off in any way whatsoever.
Good RP is proactive.

[Ninjimmy]

Yeah, side-bar about that last point, I know it's due to limitations in the server but approaching a stranger in the street to ask them to smith/tailor/alchemise something for you based on what stereotype they suit cosmetically is never really treated as the insane social choice it would be in most circumstances.

Re: Disguises

This may be a YMMV thing but two things I'm fond of are disguising as another PC done just well enough that people aren't sure who someone is (this works better if your models are already close) because it can get info out into the wild and offers a lot of cool RP material. If you don't meta and willingly take the L as the person being tricked.

The other one, and I'm pretty sure this is more of a me thing and someone's gonna get upset because "Muh serius", doing REALLY poor disguises that anyone can see through (with low-bluff) because not everyone is a skilled make-up artist and getting rumbled or called out for a disguise being objectively poor (such as "Not-PC's Name" or "Guy Incognito" with a fake beard added in the description) is fun. Especially if one person plays along that they DIDN'T breach the disguise and genuinely doesn't recognise it.

I think using it for status effects is... kinda... IDK, don't think I'm a fan. There's a lot of opportunity to get creative with just false identities and a willingness to take the L and/or consequences.

If there was a way to make a potion that let you "alter self" (read: Access the -head command in a non-Meta way) or a way to temporarily swap your character model's gender or race like a Polymorph spell, that could make disguises a whole new ball game but... probably be a crap-ton of coding.

[DM Monkey]

Everything suggested is able to be done through description and emotes. -XXX- really hit the nail on the head here. Be proactive and creative in the way you RP these things, and it won't seem repetitive or dull. If it does feel that way, consider how necessary it really is to the story.

I'll be honest, I got a bit confused by the announcement because I thought things like "armored warrior" were the right use for disguise and nick names and alternate personalities were not. And I thought that because I am pretty sure I read that somewhere in one of these types of announcements some years back. But what you said turns that on its head. So this is the official stance now?

Think about Bruce Wayne. His nickname isn't Batman. That is his disguise, an alter-ego, alternate personality, which is what he uses to shield his true identity from the fallout of fighting crime. Bruce Wayne is using the disguise system correctly.

'Armored Warrior' is fine for Bobby Fighterman to use as a one-off disguise. However, once he has traveled somewhere more than once, it is likely that strangers may recognize the man based on his appearance. Luckily, the player behind Bobby Fighterman is a creative, interactive roleplayer that can tell a good story. So after using 'Armored Warrior' once or twice, they come up with a personality and a name for the disguise. That would also be using the disguise system correctly.

The information I posted in the reminder is what is on the wiki article, and has been for a long time: http://wiki.nwnarelith.com/Disguise#Rul ... Boundaries

[ElvenEdibles]

ITT: DMs and Players ignoring each other's valid points rather than finding a middleground.

[Fava Beans]

i hope some folks find this useful; if you can spare one quickslot, you can set a custom text macro to it. so if you do have something you want everyone to know as they see you just text macro *Carrying a corpse* and hit the hotkey for it as needed, no need to type it out every 45 seconds.

[Nitro]

ITT: DMs and Players ignoring each other's valid points rather than finding a middleground.

You don't always need to find a middle ground. The DM team have repeatedly made their stance quite firm on this topic.

[Rico_scorpion]

ITT: DMs and Players ignoring each other's valid points rather than finding a middleground.

You don't always need to find a middle ground. The DM team have repeatedly made their stance quite firm on this topic.

Reminder that there is a clear distinction between the Law and the Right. DMs represent the Law, but the Right is noone's dominion. And while everyone here I'm sure wishes to follow the Law, they are merely voicing what they feel is "Right" nonetheless. DMs voicing the law doesn't mean the debate should be "closed" about what feels Right, after all this is a feedback thread.

Case at point, the disguise system clearly proved that there is a QoL side to it, it scratches a certain hitch/need for the playerbase, much more so than the "official" use of it (alter egos). People just went with what felt natural and most effective, and it just so happens that the system got used in a non intended way (and will probably keep being misused by people not on discord/forum, not out of ill intent). That should be an hint that there might be a new tool here that would be valued by a good chunk of the player base and that the disguise system begs to be used that way to fill that void.

And yes, there are ways to already do what the people here kind of ask for, you can be: inefficient (description changes), cumbersome (emotes), silly-looking (dropping a paper on the ground), or straight up annoying to the surroundings (quickslot emote spamming) to do what is debated here.

Now maybe that's not worth the production time for the devs to even consider it, and the community of Arelith has been coping with engine limitations for aeons and can keep doing so for many more with a smile, but just dismissing these opinions claiming "they can already do that and that's a non-topic", feels a bit... deaf? In my opinion that is.

[ElvenEdibles]

This ^

[Ninjimmy]

And, as always, you can always go and start your own server with blackjack and hookers and disguise tags that tell people you're (tired).

Feedback is so players can give opinions and get listened to, it's not so you can force staff to change a mechanic to suit your preference. It's not a democracy, there is no need for a middle ground because a (admittedly vocal) minority want to use a system in a way viewed as detrimental.

I mean... in terms of our right as players to be listened to, we kinda get what we pay for. You can give an opinion any time and it'll be listened to, but to expect the DM's to compromise with you even if they've said that they don't agree with it is just HELLA entitled.

In my opinion.

Can probably get this back to actually voicing opinions now.