New Command: watch

[Valentine]

Similar to the look command, but you would continually watch the direction specified and see all that occurs as you are watching.

Example:
You hear movement to the north.
[HP=2200/MA=494]: watch n
Boring Shop
    You find yourself in a boring shop, with boring weapons for sale.
You notice sunstone wristband, mithril bracelets, platinum plate leggings, petri
fied stone corselet here.
Obvious exits: open gate south
Boring Shop: Ian appears out of nowhere.
Boring Shop: Ian caresses his tree trunk lovingly.
[HP=2200/MA=494]: l s
You have stopped watching the north.

It's just a thought...tweak or ignore at will.

[Ian]

I'm helping it grow.

Edit: I didn't realise anyone was watching.

[The Crazy Animal]

I like it..

Maybe we could add listen <direction> to the game while were at it, so you could try to ease drop on conversations in other rooms too.

[Locke Cole]

I like both ideas (watch and listen). This is something that could probably be useful for Rangers (and others, maybe at a lower proficiency). Speaking of proficiency, I'd suggest lower level (or less proficient) characters would randomly "fail" at hearing or seeing what happened (especially as it concerns stealth and sneaking characters [?]).

[DeathCow]

I might be interested in working this into development, after we work on NPC interactions.

[ghaleon]

question

if you are watching what is going on in another room, does that mean your not paying attention to whats going on in the room your in?

just curious.

obviously an attack on you would stop you from watching in another room and turn your attention back to the room your in.

[ghaleon]

I would say that being attacked, and making any other action including look should cancel the watch.

when your watching, you dont hear what is said in the room, only in your own.

you also do not see things happening in your room as well. ie. players entering the room, combat other than your own, etc.

[The Crazy Animal]

I would say that being attacked, and making any other action including look should cancel the watch.

when your watching, you dont hear what is said in the room, only in your own.

you also do not see things happening in your room as well. ie. players entering the room, combat other than your own, etc.

Perception tests should be used with this not a simple ban. Each action taking place in either room would need to pass a basic perception vs difficulty logic test. The room that your focus is on would be a lower difficulty and the room your not paying as much attention to would have an increased difficulty.

More implementaion ideas using perception:

A perception test could be done via players in the room being watched. If passed they would get a message you notice <player name> spying on you from the <direction>

Since monsters don't have a native perception field at this point to test agianst maybe the game engine could use the perception ability to test against. If past a second test using their Follow% could be tested to see if they will wonder into the room to investigate. Monsters with 0 perception would ignore this function.

Stealth and spying functions: Players using the commands from a hidden or sneaking possition should raise the difficulty of being spotted by players or monsters in the room being watched or listened to. This should be balanced though by reduced difficulty for players or monsters to notice the player when entering the same room as the player.