improving the game via prison

[Tom]

Regarding Tom proposal, I think simple nobles with no position: 1 day will be nice.

2 days is so the enemy judge has a chance at interaction and the captured player has a chance to experience prison. Lots of casual players can easily miss a day. About a third of our players do not log in every day.

[Gustav Kuriga]

Having been in prison several times for the full seven days, there is nothing more boring than logging in and not being able to do anything. How dare I even think of participating in battle? I guess we better lock you up for a week just to make sure you understand just how bad going to battle is!

[Anaris]

Having been in prison several times for the full seven days, there is nothing more boring than logging in and not being able to do anything. How dare I even think of participating in battle? I guess we better lock you up for a week just to make sure you understand just how bad going to battle is!

Yes, and I recall you complaining about it before, too. However, I don't recall you making any constructive suggestions on how it could be changed.

What do you think we should do differently, Gustav? How can we make prison restricting and limiting IC, without robbing you of OOC fun?

[Gustav Kuriga]

Honestly? Get rid of the bribing the guards aspect and just let us send messages. We're playing nobles, the main reason for imprisoning us should be ransoming. If we can send out messages, all the better to help arrange said ransoms.

[Indirik]

One of the reasons for restricting message flow is to prevent the nobles in prison from going about their business as normal. How ridiculous would it be to capture the enemy general who is masterminding the invasion of your realm, and have him still coordinating all of his realms movements and strategies while he's a prisoner in your dungeon! Or to have the enemy Marshal still issuing orders to his army. Or to capture the enemy ruler and have him still arranging alliances against you.

If message traffic were made more accessible, then certain other restrictions would have to be put in place, such as preventing access to any scout reports, battle reports, realm/army information, etc. Maybe restrict message types to Letter and Roleplay. Or maybe there could be some option for the enemy judge to read copies of the messages their prisoner sends. (Something would have to be worked out where this doesn't impact the Torture option of gaining access to a prisoner's letters.)

[Sacha]

Or maybe there could be some option for the enemy judge to read copies of the messages their prisoner sends.

This.

Limiting message type won't help IMO. They'll just use a different type for the same message. Like that time the Orders tag was restricted, and people would just issue 'requests' instead.

[Wolfang]

If you allow the prisoners to send messages, then you can also read all of his messages he sends out.

[Indirik]

Limiting message type won't help IMO. They'll just use a different type for the same message.

It could help in several ways. It's harder, and much less effective, to give orders if you can't use the Orders tag. They don't show up for Quickplayers, nor do they show up in the message filter. Both are techniques I use quite often to find orders. Characters who may not want to follow the orders also have a fallback defense.

Not only that, it also reinforces the idea that you're not just unable to move your character for a day or two, you are in prison. I can't really see any negative aspects of limiting message types, but there are a few possible positive aspects.

Like that time the Orders tag was restricted, and people would just issue 'requests' instead.

At least one character was killed by a lightning storm for pulling some crap similar to this. Attempting to bypass a restriction in such a manner is not likely to be viewed in a positive light.

[Vita`]

Or maybe there could be some option for the enemy judge to read copies of the messages their prisoner sends.

I'm quite sure that judges get to read letters sent via the non guard-bribing message options. If we allow sending messages somewhat more freely, I'm sure a reasonable balance would be letting the judge read your correspondence. That's how many early cyphers originated was corresponding with an imprisoned public figure.

I do like the suggestion to restrict message types, as well.

[Penchant]

Basic suggestion, allow adding to be able to speak with more people while in prison but with more risk of the judge reading their messages. I would like the idea of judge's getting a page separate then normal messaging to read their prisoner's messages, so that they have to choose to go and look at them instead of automatically seeing them.

People you should be able to talk with IMO while in prison, all your liege's, ambassadors, and judge. So as a knight you would get to speak with your lord, duke, king, ambassadors, and your judge.

When you bribe the guards, there should still be a chance the guards send it to the judge to read anyways, although perhaps it decreases with your time in prison but increases with the amount of messages you send.

This way they have more people to talk with to work on getting himself or herself out of prison while also it being risky to send important messages even after bribing the guards.

[Gustav Kuriga]

Basic suggestion, allow adding to be able to speak with more people while in prison but with more risk of the judge reading their messages. I would like the idea of judge's getting a page separate then normal messaging to read their prisoner's messages, so that they have to choose to go and look at them instead of automatically seeing them.

People you should be able to talk with IMO while in prison, all your liege's, ambassadors, and judge. So as a knight you would get to speak with your lord, duke, king, ambassadors, and your judge.

When you bribe the guards, there should still be a chance the guards send it to the judge to read anyways, although perhaps it decreases with your time in prison but increases with the amount of messages you send.

This way they have more people to talk with to work on getting himself or herself out of prison while also it being risky to send important messages even after bribing the guards.

I've never liked the guard bribing option. Nobles should be able to send their messages at least semi-freely, even if the judge gets a copy of every letter.

[Dante Silverfire]

1. Reducing prison time for new players is a great idea.

2. Lengthening prison time for rulers/government members/dukes is a bad idea without other changes being made to make it more acceptable. These should include:

I. Not having prison count as inactivity time (Rulers in prison can continue to be rulers)
II. Allowing prisoners to send letters as normal, but have the judge be able to read ALL letters sent. (This will allow them to continue doing their job.)

The problem I see with this idea in general is that we're trying to use both the carrot and the stick. Yes, make things better for new players, but there is no reason to make things worse for older players. A week is quite long enough. Prison right now stops you from playing the game. That is the problem. Allow people to still play the game while in prison and you no longer have a problem. Just place other restrictions on them.

[pcw27]

Lower prison terms for newbies is a great idea.

I'm on the fence about the high numbers for important people. It would depend on how the players react. Remember a 40 day cap doesn't mean they'll actually be there that long, there's just a greater motivation for their realm mates to bail them out. That is of course if they want to. A King Richard and Prince John situation could be very interesting in Battle Master.

Question, if someone pays a character's ransom the realm must let them go correct? That's pretty important here.

If message traffic were made more accessible, then certain other restrictions would have to be put in place, such as preventing access to any scout reports, battle reports, realm/army information, etc. Maybe restrict message types to Letter and Roleplay. Or maybe there could be some option for the enemy judge to read copies of the messages their prisoner sends. (Something would have to be worked out where this doesn't impact the Torture option of gaining access to a prisoner's letters.)

I would suggest they not have access to any realm wide communications, but they can still message anyone on their contacts list and receive messages from anyone contacting them. The judge can read any of these letters and any letters the prisoner receives. This would discourage military leaders from sending orders from prison.

Another possibility is limit the number of letters they can send. This would discourage griefers from spamming the judge.

Doesn't the torture option give you access past letters? That's pretty useful in and of itself.

[vonGenf]

You could make it so that you at first get thrown in dungeons for a variable small amount of time, at most 7 days as it is now. Regular nobles get freed after 7 days; however government members and Dukes get put under 'house arrest' which is kind of prison-lite: they can read and answer letters, and they can't be tortured, but their character remains 'in prison' (not physically located in a particular region), can't lead troops, can't use the banks, until their realm has paid a ransom to free them.

This would have all the advantages of the proposed system, without making it a game-breaking experience.

[Gustav Kuriga]

I dont see how the proposed system was game-breaking in the first place as long as the judge could read all their letters. there is no advantage to giving out army commands if the judge of the enemy realm can read it, so letting a marshal speak to his realm isnt exactly an unfair advantage on his part.