Topics

1

Feature Requests / Rejected: In game IC chat

« on: October 22, 2018, 04:21:26 AM »

Title: In game IC chat

Summary: Implementation of an in-game live chatroom in region. I'd love ideas for what it could be, that nobles would frequent: a tavern? an inn? the local lord's court?

Details: I am thinking of a live chat with limited abilities, no logs, maybe a few commands (like buying the other drinks, buying a round, /me or whispering so only one person gets your message), click to enter, "see who is at the wayside inn right now". Exclusively for IC interaction, no nick changes, just character name and heraldry. I played another browser game where this was *the* feature that kept it together. It was mostly used to answer questions, getting to know each other and banter. Since there's no logs, official business must still go through letters, and since it's only to region, scope is limited. I'd take it one step further and make it possible to "enter guildhouse" or "enter temple" and there's a chat in there too.

Benefits: Drastically increase new player retention and increased sense of community. Battlemaster, more than a medieval roleplaying game, is a community. I strongly believe we must nurture that community and give it the tools to thrive. Combat can be broken forever, if people can interact in many different ways, they will make their own fun.

Possible Downsides/Exploits: Unlogged IC plotting (wouldn't show up on torture reports - or maybe hidden logs that might?), perhaps will crank up the pace of the game (which can be a good thing, for this day and age, but not sure about older players), courtiers might be excluded from most of it since never with the main army... Possible downside is people not wanting to move, ever, just so they can chat. The one thing that worries me is that it might remove healthy chatter/discussion from letters, suddenly letters become just a formality, and people not in region won't get the news or scoop. However, in that other game it didn't really happen, and I do believe the benefits far outweight this risk...

Please discuss.

2

Feature Requests / Brainstorming: Email reminders/browser notifications

« on: October 16, 2018, 03:56:37 PM »

Title: Email reminders/browser notifications


Summary: Adding a few email notifications for big things, and browser notifications for more regular things (especially interesting for people who play on phone). Pick some: turn change!, participated in battle, received a duel challenge or a unique item offer, liege paused/quit, new referendum to vote in, new knight joined your region, marshal updated standing orders, or new order, maybe even "got letter from your /council member, liege, council member from other realms/" or "you have 13 unread letters from your realm, one of them is a private letter" (after a few days of not logging in), "realm X has declared war on your realm", stuff like that. Needs hashing out, if the discussion is positive, I'd love to get into more detail.

Details: This kind of alert, I believe could be really useful to improve new player retention. The email notifications from Might&Fealty keep bringing me back. Please don't shut it down as annoying right off the bat - if default setting has only a few notifications activated, and then you can go in and activate more, it can be quite customizable, per character, even. Some will have notifications activated for all messages, some only message groups, some only private messages, some only orders, some only character events, some only realm-wide events, some only actions you need to respond to (duel challenge, elections).

Benefits: This kind of alert, I believe could be really useful to improve new player retention, and help keep people engaged.


Possible Downsides/Exploits: Some people might abuse your notifications if they know you have them (like sending orders or PMs for instance), but this is already the case for players who are quickplaying...

3

Colonies / Portals in Iglavik and Narrowdep

« on: August 22, 2018, 01:08:37 PM »

Children hearing voices

Within and around Iglavik and Narrowdep, an increase in lunatic children is reported. Numerous children claim a Voice spoke to them, when they were near the portal stone light beam. Adults are skeptical about these stories. Healers, priests, philosophers, and exorcists have begun to gather within these two regions, proclaiming causes and attempting cures.

Team Iglavik

Over the last two years Iglavik had accepted the light column as a mundane local landmark. Perhaps pets behaved bizarrely. Perhaps commanders knew not to march beasts past the stones. Perhaps local wildlife avoided a square mile around the light beam. But otherwise life went on as normal.

So it was just another day in Iglavik when a young boy ran away from his mommy and daddy to climb a peak of the Snaketooth Mountains. He wasn't paying a lot of attention to the fact he chose the peak bearing eight portal stones assembled within a circle shooting a beam of light into the sky. That is until the buzzing got louder. But by then he was committed to the climb. He soon reached the summit and cast his gaze upon that below. Tired from his long hike, he sat down to rest his legs and enjoy a snack.

"Hey, little boy, come here," whispered a Voice.

Jumping to his feet in surprise, the boy failed to see anyone around, "Where are you?" he shouted.

"Come to the light," was the response.

The boy's eyes widened unconsciously as he clambered towards the light beam, getting within arm's reach. He remembered when the portal stones were first set there had been many town notices, and a couple stern lectures from his parents, about avoiding anything to do with it. But that had been two years ago. Little care regarding the column of light seemed to exist now. Besides, his parents were mean. What did they know about portal stones anyway? They were only coopers. Why he had heard an adventurer passing through town explain that you could use a portal stone to...

"Gellin Kye, you have been chosen for a quest," the Voice loudly interrupted the boy's thoughts, addressing him by name.

The boy was excited, "A quest? Really?!? What for?!"

"Where for," the Voice replied matter of factly. Continuing, "You are to travel to each capital. At each capital and along the journey to each capital, tell the tale of what happens here today. When in Corali Forest, warn them of grave danger for messing with that they do not understand.

Seek out those fond of cold. Gather those with the spirit of a fox. Find those who excel at sprinting. I want those of an innocent, loner, direct temperament.

Summon adventurer, knight, lord, duke, and royal alike. Let adventurers bring their most prized unique item, knights donate the best ware of their estate, lords present the most esteemed export of their region, dukes gift the pride and glory of their duchy, and rulers offer the most excellent of their realm. Let all sacrifice that most valued to the Pyre of Plenty!"

The Voice deepened, "It is paramount that more and superior sacrifices are brought here than are brought to Narrowdep. Should the Pyre of Plenty be superior to the Bonfire of Bounty, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps I will be able to bless those in Iglavik."

"What type of blessing?" Gellin inquired.

The Voice ignored his question, "Hey, thanks for not running away screaming when I spoke like all the other boys and girls did before you. But now, Go!"

The air was getting chilly. Still mad at his parents, and excited for adventure promised by a voice from a light beam, six-year-old Gellin set off down the mountain and out across the Colonies upon his journey.

Team Narrowdep

Life had acclimated to the light beam within Narrowdep in a short time. Why hadn't there been such a light beam within Iglavik for over two years with no strange occurrences besides abnormal animal behavior the closer one got to the column of light? So it was not unusual that a young girl was gathering water from a well at an oasis, about thirty feet from the portal stones.

It was unusual that a Voice spoke from the light column, "pssst, come here".

The little girl was given such a fright she spilled the water she'd just collected. After not seeing anyone around, she felt both reassured and yet scared of what may lurk out of sight. With a timid, terrified voice, she meekly called out, "Hello?"

"Yes. You. Come here, little girl," came the response.

Sensing the voice's direction more clearly now, she gingerly approached the column of light. It hadn't ever been discussed, but she'd always had the impression she was to avoid it as much as possible.

Her guilt mounting, she stopped about ten feet from the portal, then retreated a few more feet and stood around awkwardly, when the Voice spoke again, "What's your name?"

"Henri," the little girl peeped up.

There was a long pause.

"Is your brother Sue?" the Voice finally spoke, when the little girl impatiently prepared to leave.

"No, I don't have any brothers, at least not...", she skeptically answered.

The Voice interrupted, "Nevermind that. Anyway, what's your clan? Your people? Your surname?"

"I am of the Tandaros, desert-dwellers as long as family memory holds," she stated with defiant pride, hands upon her hips.

"Well, pleased to meet you Henri Tandaros of Narrowdep. I have chosen you for a very important mission," the Voice paused for effect before continuing, "You are to travel to each capital. At each capital and along the journey to each capital, spread word of this moment. When in Frundi, warn them of grave danger for messing with that they do not understand.

Seek out those fond of heat. Gather those with the spirit of a snake. Find those who excel at marathons. I want those of a cautious, communal, polite temperament.

Summon adventurer, knight, lord, duke, and royal alike. Let adventurers bring their most prized unique item, knights donate the best ware of their estate, lords present the most esteemed export of their region, dukes gift the pride and glory of their duchy, and rulers offer the most excellent of their realm. Let all sacrifice that most valued to the Bonfire of Bounty!"

The Voice deepened, "It is paramount that more and superior sacrifices are brought here than are brought to Iglavik. Should the Bonfire of Bounty be superior to the Pyre of Plenty, maybe, maybe, maybe I will be able to bless those in Narrowdep."

"Who are you?!?" Henri interjected incredulously.

"Go," the Voice commanded.

Try as she might to get the column of light to reply to her, it spoke no more, and she soon began to feel a bit silly shouting at the light beam to say something. Returning to the oasis, she fetched herself a drink, being parched from all that desert dialogue. As she drank the cool water, she thought upon what had just occurred.

It didn't take long for her to conclude that she was not crazy and that she, at a whole seven years of age, was going on an adventure across the Colonies regardless of what her parents had to say. Actually, probably better not to tell them about any of this until she got back from her adventure. Still, she had been spent to gather water for the household. She may be plotting to run away on an adventure once her parents were asleep, but she had always been taught to finish her chores, and finish them before leaving she would.

4

Feature Requests / Under Debate: Preview button on standing orders

« on: June 26, 2018, 02:38:07 PM »

Title:
Preview button on standing orders

Summary:
Add a preview button to Standing Orders update.

Details:
Like messages, just below the box, would be ideal. Don't forget to keep the checkbox from the post page into the preview page (goes without saying).

Benefits:
Better looking and clearer orders! No more double posting when a mistake happens!

Possible Downsides/Exploits: I'll give a cookie to anyone who can find one.

5

BM General Discussion / South Islands Nostalgia - Because old warriors like to talk

« on: June 29, 2011, 02:33:45 AM »

And apparently need to, and have nowhere else to do so.

My SEI character was Vanya (curiously the only char I'm currently playing), whose background story was supposed to have made her a courtier, and eventually a priest, but, well, a friend said they needed knights in this realm called Taselak and I said "well, I'll make her a courtier later then" - they were still called bureaucrats at the time. I can easily say some of my greatest time in battlemaster was spent on that island. There was training for the chain of command, which was great for learning about the battlefield, early turn discussions on orders, strategy plans for weeks ahead including attacks, retreats, taunts, whatever - which left the marshals with only fun stuff to do (kudos for our general there) and some of the funniest roleplays I ever read. Especially when it started to sink.

Oh yes, and there were bugs. Lots and lots and lots of bugs, and there were times when the heroes were used as civil work force (that was one of the most distorted things that happened there). That and the fact that it was really hard-core strategy, so doing suicide missions was okay, military slang was all over the place...

Disclaimer: Everyone posting on this thread accepts that the purpose here is to reminisce, and not to make pressure to rebuild the islands nor anything similar. Requests for reinstating war islands will be ignored at the BM Team's will.