Dreadlords/DS calling gates

[Dezadryk]

Not sure if this is coded because I was once human, but I can still call gates, which allows me to easily access and run through towns.

Just thought i'd let you know.

[Niila]

Hi Dezadryk,

This does indeed have something to do with being a human and the gateguards not checking whether you're warranted by their faction before they open the doors for you.

I'm afraid at the current time I've no solution to the problem, as it'll require most likely some rewriting of the gateguard scripts in existence, which is quite a long task to undertake. I'll see if there's a easier way to get it done other than finding out every trigger in existence, probably next week.

Thanks for reporting!

- Niila

[Najira Traemane]

In terms of roleplay I don't see this as a bad thing. Dreadlords (having been human at one point) would retain knowledge of how to call for gates to be opened and I assume would have means of hiding their true identity through use of the one power/true power.

[Niila]

Hi,

While what you say Najira about the plausibility of Dreadlords knowing how to call gates is true, most Dreadlords (all of them.. I'd suppose..) are rather notorious and wanted by all Light-abiding nations. Their faces are well known, and unlike the Chosen (haw!), the Dreadlords might not have access to the ability of concealing themselves to look like someone else.

In terms of gameplay, if a Dreadlord (or a known darkfriend, or a notoriously known criminal) can simply call and walk in and out of a city, it makes the guardsmen look rather sloppy. Rather they'd atleast try to do their job, instead of treating everyone the equal.

Summery wishes,
- Niila

[Ganelon]

Actually have to totally disagree with all the above given what I know of RL history during the late medieval/early renaissance periods. They weren't exactly great at catching anybody notorious entering or leaving a city.....and often anywhere else.

Also reminds me of a line from the Ravenloft setting: People saw what they expected to see, because to see what was actually there tended to make you live a much shorter life...

Then of course, you had outright bribery - a great way to make a large amount of untraceable money or other measure of wealth in a time when you were hard-pressed just to feed your family.

Not to mention most militia/watch contingents weren't professional soldiers - they had little loyalty to either the job or the city. Their work was correspondingly lax.

Hell, even through the books, Moiraine and Co pretty much waltzed where and when they liked with the entire Darkside, Darkfriends, Children of Light, and probably even Mickey Mouse out looking for them, and with magical representations of them in exact detail given....

Gate Guard: Who was that?

Gate Guard 2: Dunno, some stone-faced fellow who moved with the grace of tiger and riding a distinctive warhorse, a guy who more than looked like an aiel, some dude with golden eyes, a bunch of women including one done up like a cairhienen noble....

Gate Guard: Just once, I'd like to see some travelers who weren't so typical you know? We could close the gates, check their papers, send a message to the local lords...

Gate Guard : Shit! Those where the guys I was meant to detain for the Great Lord of the Dark wasn't it?

Gate Guard 2: No way! You're a Darkfriend too? High five my brother!

Gate Guard 2: *after a pause* Crud - that WAS the group we were supposed to detain. If only we could have recognized them more distinctly from the run of the mill farmers and merchants...

A dreadlord - any dreadlord looked just like any other person. And one would expect that knowing they had a huge bounty on their head, they'd take some steps to make themselves look even more unassuming. This doesn't require the one power.

Not exactly difficult to beat Randland vigilance - everyone did it: the good guys and the bad guys - and on a regular basis.

Game mechanics wise.....

I'll post about that side of the coin in a bit, as I have a ton to say about it.

[Ganelon]

Right, game mechanics wise -

All Dreadlords should be warranted by every nation the second they make Dreadlord.

Why is that given what I just finished saying?

It's exactly because of what I just finished saying.

As unrealistic and occasionally illogical as it might be, game play dictates that criminals and other enemies should be recognized by mobs.

If you've played DS extensively and raided a lot, you're well aware of why and how ridiculous it seems otherwise.

I believe the warranting command works from last test in so far as it will actually issue a warrant.
I have no idea what that warrant does.

What it SHOULD do is make it impossible to call gates.
It SHOULD induce guard mobs that cross paths with the dreadlord to Mhunt them.
It SHOULD make sure that they can't buy from shopkeepers.
It SHOULD sound some zone wide or even global alarm.

[Ganelon]

The reason I've posted both these widely varying view points is this: the main basis of everyone's posts on this thread is maintaining realism.

That simply cannot be done in most cases.

Everything on the MUD is an abstract view of things.

Take rooms - it could be a tiny a closet, or it could be five miles of bad road - but it's all contained within this single unrealistic abstract entity of a single MUD 'room'.

There are no right or wrong ways of going about solving this gate calling issue, or a myriad of other issues.

I don't consider this a 'bug' as such.

Could it use a different approach?
Most definitely - but to address these kinds of low priority things requires more staff than we currently have.
Could it be ignored due to 'assumed' mob activities and actions that preclude it being 'fixed'.
Absolutely - that's the point of a role playing game - use your imagination and immerse yourself in what you would consider the answer to be by logical extension of what you know.

TL;DR version: Both Dezadryk and Najira are right.
Will it be seen to one way or the other any time in the foreseeable future: Probably not. Far bigger fish to fry.