IMPORTANT: How you talk to NPCs has changed!

[Dahoma]

This is a good idea, and I think it's working out a well.

Except some NPC's just don't talk to you at all sometimes, like Toda in Oja.

[Xordan]

Not all NPC's are converted to the new system.

[Capprion]

i kind of like the idea i just wish it was this way when i started cuz now i find it hard to get used to

[Xanthan]

Some of the NPCs don't seem to be using either system.  I can't get a response from Brintec or Trasok at all, with names or targetting.

It would be nice to have the same system for both players and NPCs.  I.e. either have "/tell" for both, or (more immersively) neither.

A suggestion:  when major changes to the interface and playability of the game are made, could there be a quick note in the MOTD or the other message you get when entering the world?  It would seem to me that this is what they were designed for.

Xan

[bugsbabe]

Please put the old system back. If you feel this new way is better then please give us he choice. Thanks.

[Kecey Ghost]

The old way may have been easyer but if you think about it in RL how whould you get someones atention? you wouldn't get a mouse and poke them... well, some people might...

an idea for when you don't know a name of the npc but know what they do, "blacksmith hello" then they would know you don't know there name and introduce them selfs

[Datruth]

When I was playing PS as a player the other night, I tried talking to the npc's, and aside from the obvious vocabulary problems, I really didn't like how I had to target the NPC first before I spoke.  I also didn't like how when I was talking to the player next to me, with the npc targeted, the npc kept responding to my chatting with the other player.  So I have changed all that.

Now, to talk to any npc, just say their first name at the beginning or end of your sentence.  For example, you can say "Harnquist, hello" or "Hello harnquist", and he should respond.  After you have used his name and he knows you are talking to him, he keeps paying attention for 15 seconds in case you say something else.  So for 15 seconds, you don't have to keep typing his name.  As long as you keep talking to him, the 15 seconds keeps getting reset.  If you stop for a while and then start talking to him again, you'll need to use his name again.

Also, if you talk to one npc, then switch to another, the 15 seconds switches to the second one and the first one ignores you again.

Please let me know how this works out.  I believe it is much more natural, easier and better.

- Vengeance

VENGANCE you are our savior, seriously, atleast someone understands our woes and our concerns.

I hated having to target and i thought it was sooo unrealistic.

This makes RPING ALOT EASIER, and will make it easier to talk to npc's.

Sure, there are some bugs Karyuu.... we get that, anytime you implement a system like this there will be bugs.

I'm sure vengance can fix those though.

I'm THRILLED  By the idea and i know it will help us.

I had soo much trouble as a new player trying to talk to npcs.

Now new players can just easily go up to an NPC, say their name, and speak to them.

I don't see any flaws with this, except for the bugs, WHICH WILL BE FIXED, so basically it's a WIN WIN situation.


Thank you for heeding our call vengeance, your idea was awesome.

Keep up the good work.

[Rolf Blacksmith]

@ Datruth:

I don't really see the realism in having to know one's name before being able to ask him for it.
And to me the problem Karyuu mentioned seems not like a technical bug but an inherent design problem that might be not be too easy to fix really watertight.

Besides: What is so unrealistic in targeting someone before talking to that person?
Normally I also don't talk to someone while looking out of the window, except I intend it that way, but that would lead to far. Targeting here only means that you focus your counterpart and look at him while talking.

I don't know if the chat commands are executed on the client side, but if they are, it might help to let people choose in the options if they want to use one or both of the systems. That would also help newcomers to see how to talk to NPCs without having to tell them IG.

[Anne Ominous]

Adding this new way & keeping the old sounds good...

as for just the new way not the old

My first thought was the 15 second thing, if that can interfere with quests like deselecting could at times... Not worth it.

Next I realized wheneve i would talk to npcs before all this Harn & go seek for testing it would be private. If that is still in place, and especially if you can only talk in public chat to npcs for 15 secs so it won't appear to public, it would be very annoying to be explaining to new players "blank will sell you a weapon"... In general the problem there, if it wasn't clear, isn't just the inconvenience-- it's the having to censor your roleplay. you have to make a concerted effort not to talk about any npc in their presence, or if you do, to place the name accordingly... to me that is less immersive.

with a cursor shaped pretty much like a pointing finger, what is so unrealistic about having to tap someone on the shoulder or arm to get their attention?

[anja]

Cant tell much about the new system, if its working and how it feels to use it, cause none of the NPC's i tried is talking to me in any way (Grok, Boralis, Veja and Gregori it was. i think).

All i know is that i really like the old system and never had a problem with it. Targeting the Npc first before talking to him seems to be very realistic to me either. Iam starting a private chat with him, nobody is interessted in what we are talking about, okay maybe people that are looking for quest solutions  . And aslong Npcs only talk about how and who they are, setting info and quest stuff, the new system doesnt makes much sense to me, cause they are not a part of the world like players are. I.e. Me: "<Npc_name> long time has gone since we met." Npc: "Huh? You doesnt make sense to me."

I cant wait to be on a quest, using the new system. It'll come to the point that i have to guess a phrase, and that will take its time. It'll be so annoying loosing the Npc's attention every 15 seconds  . That will be great... me smashing the keyboard against the wall.

@Vengeance: I dont get why to wait a month, to see if i get familiar with it. I never had a problem with the old system, and it was quite comfortable to use, to me.

I like the Idea XANTHAN had, with using the /tell-command much more. But it has the same problem with loosing the attention of the Npc, but this time by getting tells from other players, cause you cant use the Re-tell-Shortcut to talk to the Npcs again. But this would be less annoying.

In the end i just want to say: Give me the ability back to use the old system, not in a month.... now.  please have a heart.

[Siteri Kidachi]

The old way may have been easyer but if you think about it in RL how whould you get someones atention? you wouldn't get a mouse and poke them... well, some people might...

an idea for when you don't know a name of the npc but know what they do, "blacksmith hello" then they would know you don't know there name and introduce them selfs

...But what if you DON'T know what they do? Or what if you know what they do but don't know what the game thinks they do? As I said before, maybe greeting the NPC to start a conversation would be a good idea.

[anja]

Greeting Npc's to start a chat with 'em is a nice improvement to the old system, i think. Makes it more realistic. 
But people who dont like to target Npc's wont like this improvement, i guess. Even if its just pressing the default shortcutbutton "9" then "Enter"... and the conversation begins.

@KECEY Its not the mouse you poke with, not from an RP point of view. ...  Do you know which NPC, is a street artist, or an architect or the apprentice of jayose..... I wouldn't without asking them. Else i think that this idea isnt working well for people, that speak english as 2nd or 3rd language like me, i dont know all profession names, and sometimes what they mean in particular. Thats may' a reason why i like the targeting-system, too.

[Einnol]

I think having more than one way to speak to the NPC's would be the best way to go.  The old system of targetting them first and speaking to them would be like the equivalent of walking up to them and whispering in their ear (or at least in a lowered voice).  It is less disruptive to others in the area and is more of a one-on-one conversation.

The new system sounds very exciting and seems like it will be very good once the bugs are worked out.  Just say 'hello' to them and start a conversation.

As an alternative to speaking their name to get their attention, I like Siteri's idea of greeting them a lot.  This would allow your character to 'meet' a new NPC that they have never met before.  Maybe the NPC could respond by greeting you back along with a verbal greeting.  For example:

[Me] <targets Harnquist>
[Me] /greet
[Harnquist] *Harnquist greets Einnol.*
[Harnquist] Hello there.
<Harnquist is now paying attention via the new system.>
[Me] Who are you?
[Harnquist] My name is Harnquist.....(blah, blah, blah)
[Me] Do you need any help?
<Harnquist responds and conversation continues....>

[Vengeance]

A suggestion:  when major changes to the interface and playability of the game are made, could there be a quick note in the MOTD or the other message you get when entering the world?  It would seem to me that this is what they were designed for.

It is in the MOTD already.

The bugs will be fixed, don't worry.

- Venge

[Valbrandr]

I like the new idea and when its refined it should be pretty nice. I guess I could have made it easier before with target nearest NPC but I always just clicked on him and that was annoying at times.  So I would say its an improvement.