two server types

[SnowWolf]

By the time I finished writing the first post, I came up with a solution to the server side problem.

Store only who you DO know client side using the PIN system mentioned above - PINs are not visible but when you meet someone you can enter what they tell you their name is and have the client associate that name with the respective PIN.

This works great with RPing because people can do things like change it to the person\'s nickname as they get to know them or the person giving the name can LIE - think of all the times when this would be cool. (btw - I mean in character reasons - yeah you could lie to be an asshole but that\'s your prerogative and has NO NEGATIVE OOC problems associated with it)

People who have the same names? That\'s a problem we have in RL! There ARE solutions

Also, you could store a default setting server side - the \"negative\" here is that newbs can put whatever they want - but guess what - there\'s your flag that they\'re a newb!

What they write would also tell you a lot about them in RL. If they put something really occ then it\'s obvious you want to avoid them, but if it\'s just a problem of putting too much in character info then you can see it\'s a player who would probably accept help. (by too much info I mean something you wouldn\'t normally be able to figure out about a character by looking at them - ie. \"I like peanut butter\")

[Xordan]

How about multiple servers with a shared User Database.... You can go on any server you want, with the same character. This would allow transition between areas as well. For example, the PVP server could be on the surface of the world, where as the RP server is underground. (An example)

So u\'d auto switch servers when you changed area.

[SnowWolf]

What are people\'s opinions on the PIN idea - I think that could be really neat if we developed the idea a little more.

[druke]

that would actually be cool

[Xalthar]

would be cool.. reminds me of the Guild Insignia discussion we had a while back now that is something I\'d like to see

[Golbez]

Firstly, I will say this again, and I will never get tired of emphasising it, PlaneShift is a RolePlaying game, and those who do not plan on RolePlaying are disrupting the gaming atmosphere for the intended player audience.

\"1337 ppl\" is as out of place in an MMORPG as a RolePlayer in an online shooter. Why do you want to create a separate server for people the game is not directed at is beyond me.

Yes, Mogura, people have a right to choose. But the developers are the ones who decide how the game will be, people do not have the power to completely transform the nature of the developer\'s work at their will.

I have seen, and I am not pointing any fingers here, in fact, I am not even saying where I witnessed this attitude . But many players act this way:

\"This is a RolePlaying game, but I don\'t want to RolePlay, I will just do what I want.\"

I think there is something wrong with that attitude. If the very core of the game does not appeal to you, why play it? There are many other games out there for you.

About the PIN idea, I am not entirely in favour of it. I trust that players are smart enough to think \"Mmm, my character has not met Kada yet, he will act as if he has never seen her before and ask for her name.\". The name display above the character model is an OOC aid, as much as in MUD\'s, you see the other character\'s name right from the start, even if you had never interacted with it before.

Once again, if any feels personally attacked by my post and/or opinion, such is not my intention. I know I can be very blunt and protective of my point of view, and it may strike someone as being hostile, but I do not want to make anyone feel dumb, insulted, or humilliated because of my words.

- Golbez

[SnowWolf]

Not at all, thanks for the input.

[Watcher]

I love some Role Play for example I dont realy like it if I had to say in the chat window \"Watcher jumps to the next rooftop\" and then have it done I actualy like to do it my self. But Planeshift is exactly what I like and I will stick to it to the end.

[Abemore]

Stop personally attacking me with your posts Golbez.  

and check further descussion on name displaying/character recognition here:
http://www.planeshift3d.com/wbboard/thread.php?threadid=2087&boardid=11&sid=131c7067e84f46039de07acc74287fbf&page=1

[Maxximus]

Golbez has it right on all points.

Any official accommodation of players whose interest is not overwhealminly RP would indicate that it\'s time to abandon ship.

That link Abemore supplied is a long and interesting discussion on this subject. Read it.

[nvstoned]

this game isnt  going to attract lotta people or what ?

but in every other mmorpg i play there r more servers...

why , caus 1 server would be full all the time when its finished

[Golbez]

In every other MMORPG you play, there is a company that has the economic resources to pay for an acceptable amount of servers.

PlaneShift is a free game, the developers are volunteers. Do think of that

I still say that masking names until an introduction is made is an unnecessary burden for the programmers, the server and the client.

We all know who our character has met, is it that hard to act that way?

And Abe, I will keep your feelings in mind everytime I post a message. I will read my words and re-read them until I am sure that they are not harmful to you. *nods*

- Golbez

[SnowWolf]

When it comes to masking names you only really have to consider the RP aspect of it - using that PIN system makes it EXTREMEMLY easy to implement from a programming standpoint.

I am personally a huge fan of the idea. (not that I\'m biased or anything)

[Abemore]

Originally posted by Golbez
I still say that masking names until an introduction is made is an unnecessary burden for the programmers, the server and the client.

We all know who our character has met, is it that hard to act that way?

You know I agree with you, Golbez.  You know I always agree with you... but Golbez, you\'re wrong here.
You do not seem to be making a good argument.    

Unnecessary things are added to the game all time.  Practically everything in the game is unnecessary.  But we like it because it\'s fun.  Maybe it will suspend our disbelief that one extra degree, further immersing us into the world?  Plus, this will force the non-roleplayers to roleplay.  Not everyone is going to pretend that they cant see your name, you know.

We already have the unnecessary /greet command.  Now the /greet command can reveal your name.

[Vengeance]

What keeps people from sharing or exchanging PIN/name files?

Also, if the idea is to be anonymous RPing, people would learn things like \"Player 12345 is a kill stealer.\"  Names aren\'t required to have accountability.

That name PIN mapping file could even have \"12345=KillStealer\" as his name, and people could exchange those.

- Venge