Rethinking introductions -- short descriptions for recognition

[Kaerli_Stronwylle]

The lack of art for clothes, character parameters (height, weight, and such), and other wearables (such as a sword sheathed at one's hip) makes it hard to recognize characters visually -- this meant that the first cut at a /introduce command was doomed to fail.

However, there is a way to implement introductions and character recognition without relying on visual art to distinguish characters; MUDs have been using a short-description based system for ages now.  In this system, each character would have a one-line short description (such as "the tall, gaunt elf") that would substitute for their name both for the purposes of character labels and the chatbox (name highlighting, chat labels) until that character was /introduced to you.  This would allow us to have the extra RP support provided by introductions without the recognition/name-confusion trouble we experienced previously.

Thoughts?

[Illysia]

It's an improvement on the idea. But, that would have to be set by the player and something tells me new players would have trouble as they would probably fill out the main description before filling out the introduction description. Also, there would have to be a character limit given how carried away one can get even writing a short description.

[CheatCat]

Would be still be very difficult to keep track of the character in say a group of enkis with the same skin.
I mean if the floaty names are removed.

[Eredin]

Character customization of height and weight is my next priority after the in-development crafting interface. As much as i would love to, I don't know that we'll be able to include custom clothing because of the serious load it would put on the network and the client gpu.

[Illysia]

Character customization of height and weight is my next priority after the in-development crafting interface. As much as i would love to, I don't know that we'll be able to include custom clothing because of the serious load it would put on the network and the client gpu.

  Oh that would be nice. Illysia being fat might be a little more obvious then. XD  However, more clothing options would be just as useful as custom clothing. The only problem is that there isn't an art dev right now and each new bit of clothing means at least 7 or so versions of it.

[Volki]

Cool idea, Kaerli.

[CheatCat]

Perhaps custom clothes colours could be an idea. I bet it is difficult to implement and can cause strains on both client and server. I just know that many MMORGs have "dyes", so it have to be possible somehow.

[Demagul Riwe]

I like the idea.  It could make RP a little more difficult for new players, though...

[Tumaini]

I think it's a good idea!
Also the idea of just being able to change the colours of clothes is good. I've been able to dynamically change the colour of parts of models before (using a Java game engine, though), tinting that part of the texture, so perhaps it could be done this way without putting too much strain on the system?

[bilbous]

but bilbous would be ever known as "The truculent kran"

[cdmoreland]

and Waesed as "That dumpy little dwarf"