I had a not so fun night last night in Ta'Vaalor. I died while disconnected twice. Maybe there is something we can do about this.
I've been playing for just a week after a multi-year leave from the game, and I had forgotten this kind of thing happens.
(Will try to be as short as possible with the back story here.) Both times I was fairly safe at the time of the disconnect... fighting just one critter with enough DS to avoid hits. There were creatures with combat maneuvers in each area, and I've definitely been blindsided and killed in those areas before. I'm not sure that's what happened these times... because I didn't see anything that happened during the disconnects. I just disconnected while fighting one critter and when I finally came back into the game I was dead.
The first time, I didn't think about how my character might be standing around doing nothing and assumed the server would be halted (the rest of my internet activity was working smoothly). I went on and did something else for about 10 minutes before logging back in to find my character dead. While waiting for a possible rescue, I was getting disconnected from the game every minute or so. I did an ASSIST, and the host must have pinged someone who came and fogged me to safety. Network issues stopped, not after a few disconnects while being saved. I was raised by the local priest, RP'd for a while and signed off.
The second time was about 2 hours later. I didn't experience any disconnects for a while. But then was dropped in the middle of a hunt. I had learned my lesson and tried to log back into the game immediately after the disconnect to at least get my character to safety. I couldn't login. I couldn't access the play.net website. (I could still get to other sites.) I restarted my computer. Couldn't get in. Kept trying and finally got in about 10 minutes later to find myself dead again. This time I cursed in game, then typed a quick depart confirm. I waved goodbye to the people in town and signed off. I'm planning on taking some kind of leave from the game to maintain my sanity. :)
I'm pretty sure in both cases my character was standing around in guarded stance for the two minutes or so that Simu keeps your character in place after you disconnect. My DS was high enough to avoid hits, but critters in each area had combat maneuverers that probably knocked me down and did me in.
I think that Simu has this "your character stands around doing nothing for a few minutes after a disconnect" thing in place to keep you from logging off after an initial blow to avoid a later killing blow. (??) Maybe that's not the case... maybe they just don't know I'm disconnected and think my character inactive.
If it's the latter case... there should be some technical solution for the server to ping the client at least a couple times a minute to sign off dropped client. (Not just an inactive player... one whose client isn't responding to the server.)
If it's the former case (that this is some kind of penalty to keep people from gaming the system), I think there should be some other solution to avoid situations like these.
Can the server recognize when it is lagging or dropping players... and if it is be more lenient on this rule? Especially with the number and type of players left in this game, I think we could get more lenient on the disconnect policy... if there is really is one.
I'm open to any thoughts about what happened and how we might be able to avoid this frustrating experience. Definitely suggestions that will help me personally avoid this situation are nice, but I'm think more about things that could be altered to avoid this in general.
JUSTAFELLOW
LRDVORLASH
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/27/2011 11:02 AM CDT
I recall there already being a system in place to prevent the "dodge the killing blow by disconnect". They would spawn an Uber variant of the critter that would come and kill you when you eventually logged back on.
Truthfully, it may not be the server dropping you, but your ISP dropping you from the server. As these things go, the FE/interface really isn't an intense internet application, and you shouldn't be having multiple disconnects unless there is something seriously wrong with the links between you and Missouri.
Truthfully, it may not be the server dropping you, but your ISP dropping you from the server. As these things go, the FE/interface really isn't an intense internet application, and you shouldn't be having multiple disconnects unless there is something seriously wrong with the links between you and Missouri.
CLUNK24963
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/28/2011 05:05 PM CDT
They've also changed the mechanics, so that even with high DS, if you get attacked by a herd of roltons and stand around doing nothing about it, they will eventually do you in.
Clunk
(Buy your swords at CBD weapons in Zul Logoth.)
Toadstool News and reminders at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/zullogoth/
Clunk
(Buy your swords at CBD weapons in Zul Logoth.)
Toadstool News and reminders at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/zullogoth/
THROGG
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/29/2011 10:48 AM CDT
>>even with high DS, if you get attacked by a herd of roltons and stand around doing nothing about it, they will eventually do you in.<<
Huh? Explain please. If my DS is, say 600 in defensive (which it usually is), how can a bunch of roltons hit me if I just stand there instead of incinerating them on the spot?
Ok I suppose that if 300 roltons all attecked me at once the FOF effect might drop my DS enough to let me get hit, but I can hardly imagine this happening.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Huh? Explain please. If my DS is, say 600 in defensive (which it usually is), how can a bunch of roltons hit me if I just stand there instead of incinerating them on the spot?
Ok I suppose that if 300 roltons all attecked me at once the FOF effect might drop my DS enough to let me get hit, but I can hardly imagine this happening.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
SIWAS
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/29/2011 01:30 PM CDT
Some other person:
>>if you get attacked by a herd of roltons and stand around doing nothing about it, they will eventually do you in.
Throgg:
>how can a bunch of roltons hit me if I just stand there instead of incinerating them on the spot?
Because if you're in the middle of a herd of angry sheep/rams/whatever the hell roltons are, eventually you're going to lose your footing, get knocked over, and be trampled/chewed on?
--
You quietly whisper to Tolomyn, "I would like 'an unpretentious albugineous rumchunder dress whorled with chrysochlorous penniform arabesques', please."
>
You gaze hopefully at Tolomyn.
>
Tolomyn stares at you.
>>if you get attacked by a herd of roltons and stand around doing nothing about it, they will eventually do you in.
Throgg:
>how can a bunch of roltons hit me if I just stand there instead of incinerating them on the spot?
Because if you're in the middle of a herd of angry sheep/rams/whatever the hell roltons are, eventually you're going to lose your footing, get knocked over, and be trampled/chewed on?
--
You quietly whisper to Tolomyn, "I would like 'an unpretentious albugineous rumchunder dress whorled with chrysochlorous penniform arabesques', please."
>
You gaze hopefully at Tolomyn.
>
Tolomyn stares at you.
THROGG
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/29/2011 02:58 PM CDT
>>Because if you're in the middle of a herd of angry sheep/rams/whatever the hell roltons are, eventually you're going to lose your footing, get knocked over, and be trampled/chewed on?<<
Sorry; you may have misundestood me. I don't think the game mechanics works that way. If I were lying stark naked on the ground with no armor and in offensive stance, with all my spells up, and attacked by 20 roltons at once, even the FoF effect would not drop my DS to the point where they could hit me.
Ok, 300 roltons? Maybe, bacause the sheer mass of critters bumping into me would cause damage. But as I mentioned, finding 300 roltons in one room is ... well, rather unlikely. In 15 years, I don't think I have ever seen more than 7-8 roltons in a room at any given time.
You want to replace the roltons with a couple of frothing troll kings? Ok, now we are talking serious damage :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Sorry; you may have misundestood me. I don't think the game mechanics works that way. If I were lying stark naked on the ground with no armor and in offensive stance, with all my spells up, and attacked by 20 roltons at once, even the FoF effect would not drop my DS to the point where they could hit me.
Ok, 300 roltons? Maybe, bacause the sheer mass of critters bumping into me would cause damage. But as I mentioned, finding 300 roltons in one room is ... well, rather unlikely. In 15 years, I don't think I have ever seen more than 7-8 roltons in a room at any given time.
You want to replace the roltons with a couple of frothing troll kings? Ok, now we are talking serious damage :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
JUSTAFELLOW
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/30/2011 10:14 AM CDT
Throgg, you are probably right. I think he meant that even if I wasn't knocked over, 3 or 4 wolfhounds/spectres might have added enough FoF to hurt my similar-leveled PC. A possibility. I don't know cause I have no log of it.
Which is kind of another thing that bugged me about dying while disconnected. I like to revel in the description of the action that did me in. I'll feel a little better if I died in some epic way... and I missed out on that these two times.
Which is kind of another thing that bugged me about dying while disconnected. I like to revel in the description of the action that did me in. I'll feel a little better if I died in some epic way... and I missed out on that these two times.
THROGG
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/30/2011 11:29 AM CDT
>>I'll feel a little better if I died in some epic way... and I missed out on that these two times. <<
Umm, sorry to disappoint you, but you were probably nibbled to death 2 HP at a time :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Umm, sorry to disappoint you, but you were probably nibbled to death 2 HP at a time :)
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
THROGG
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/30/2011 11:33 AM CDT
>>They would spawn an Uber variant of the critter that would come and kill you when you eventually logged back on.<<
Enraged creature actually. And since you are usually stunned when it comes back, you are usually in deep doo-doo when you log back in. But I have managed to successfully avoid this several times. (Yes, I abused game mechanics, so don't even ask how).
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Enraged creature actually. And since you are usually stunned when it comes back, you are usually in deep doo-doo when you log back in. But I have managed to successfully avoid this several times. (Yes, I abused game mechanics, so don't even ask how).
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
THROGG
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/30/2011 11:48 AM CDT
>> or 4 wolfhounds/spectres might have added enough FoF to hurt my similar-leveled PC. A possibility.<<
Ah! Yes indeed, like level critters would presumably have the ability to hit you if you got knocked down or disabled; my former statement was using any of my level 90+ characters as examples; they couldn't be hit by a rolton if you picked one up and hurled it at them.
Hmm, Simu presumably has logs of all combats and game actions; I wonder, if you asked really, really nicely, if they would release the log to you? Can't hurt to ask.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
Ah! Yes indeed, like level critters would presumably have the ability to hit you if you got knocked down or disabled; my former statement was using any of my level 90+ characters as examples; they couldn't be hit by a rolton if you picked one up and hurled it at them.
Hmm, Simu presumably has logs of all combats and game actions; I wonder, if you asked really, really nicely, if they would release the log to you? Can't hurt to ask.
"So, what does that green line on the graph represent?"
"Oh, that's the projection of a hypothetical offspring from a union between Sauron and Cruella de Ville; we use that as a baseline for determining character alignment."
JUSTAFELLOW
Re: Dying While Disconnected
05/30/2011 08:04 PM CDT
I figure there is a log somewhere, but not worth digging it up.
JUSTAFELLOW
Re: Dying While Disconnected
06/01/2011 11:24 PM CDT
Just died now (no disconnect, btw). Crazy maneuver shot.
A great stag charges suddenly, and you make a feeble attempt to avoid his vicious antlers. Stars explode before your eyes as the stag hammers into you, slamming you to the ground!
... 30 points of damage!
Incredible shot to the eye penetrates deep into skull!
The powerful look leaves you.
The dim aura fades from around you.
The air calms down around you.
A dark shadow seems to detach itself from your body, swiftly dissipating into the air.
The bright luminescence fades from around you.
The brilliant luminescence fades from around you.
The silvery luminescence fades from around you.
I've had more gruesome deaths for sure, but imagining my character getting pierced in the eye by an antler is pretty sick and makes me feel a little bit better.
A great stag charges suddenly, and you make a feeble attempt to avoid his vicious antlers. Stars explode before your eyes as the stag hammers into you, slamming you to the ground!
... 30 points of damage!
Incredible shot to the eye penetrates deep into skull!
The powerful look leaves you.
The dim aura fades from around you.
The air calms down around you.
A dark shadow seems to detach itself from your body, swiftly dissipating into the air.
The bright luminescence fades from around you.
The brilliant luminescence fades from around you.
The silvery luminescence fades from around you.
I've had more gruesome deaths for sure, but imagining my character getting pierced in the eye by an antler is pretty sick and makes me feel a little bit better.
KRAKII
Re: Dying While Disconnected
06/16/2011 03:54 PM CDT
"you make a feeble attempt" -- JustAFellow
Some of the messaging in different places (disarming traps and lockpicking, for sure) actually has different messaging depending on your die roll result. "A feeble" attempt would be a pretty poor die roll, so it may just have been bad luck operating.
Some of the messaging in different places (disarming traps and lockpicking, for sure) actually has different messaging depending on your die roll result. "A feeble" attempt would be a pretty poor die roll, so it may just have been bad luck operating.
