Where, Oh Where?

[Nana]

The where command is a staple of text-based RP games everywhere. If you do not already have a scene which was scheduled OOCly, it is your #1 method for finding an RP partner. It is a good feature, in theory.

Unfortunately, I am finding the where command on The Inquisition: Legacy to not be as useful as it could be. Theoretically, the where command should list players who are fully prepared and willing to RP, who have placed themselves in the location where they want to RP. A player advertising themselves on where has actively extended an invitation for people to join them for RP - they won't be taken off guard, or need to log off, because it was their full intention to play a scene with somebody. You need these assumptions to be in place if you expect other players to routinely approach players who are advertising on where. When I head into a scene with a stranger, I want to know with full confidence that they wanted me to approach them and aren't going to be annoyed.

I'm sure most everyone knows how the where command works, but for the purpose of this post I'll recap. The where list provides a list of locations where players are allegedly seeking RP, and the number of players in each location. Everyone who logs into the game is listed on where by default. If you don't want to be actively advertising for RP, you need to use the rp command to remove yourself from the where list. However, if you enter a public location, it doesn't matter what your preference is because you will be listed on where anyway. If you are thinking that this mechanic seems at odds with the ideal situation that I described above, you are beginning to grasp my problem with this feature.

In my experience, players who appear on the where list usually fall into four categories:
1) They were listed on where by default upon login. Either they don't know they need to turn it off, or they forgot/are AFK
2) They turned where off, but happen to be AFK in a public place
3) They are locked in a private place or office. They aren't actively seeking RP right now, but want others to know that they are available to be contacted if needed. This is fine.
4) They are ready and willing to RP right now. Please join them.

That's a lot of people who aren't ready to RP right now! But the game is advertising that they are. That dilutes the meaning of the where list. Suddenly I'm not so confident about walking up to somebody who is advertising for RP. Do they actually have a real intention to invite RPers right now, or is it a false flag? Are they going to be annoyed by me? A lot of players that I have approached have been very nice, but also apologetic because they're not ready/need to leave soon/are on their phones/aren't in a mindset for RP right now. On the flipside, I often advertise myself on the where list, waiting and wondering if others know that I'm on that list with the full intention to invite them for a scene. Do they know I'm not AFK? Do they know it wasn't a mistake? Realistically, I don't think people pay any attention to the where list unless it shows a highly frequented area such as The Queen's Inn, or if it shows a group of people in one room.

I think the command is in dire need of some tweaks which would restore players' faith that the listings on it are accurate and represent genuine invitations to RP. When players are highly confident that somebody on where will be receptive to them, I can guarantee that we will see higher response rates for people joining those scenes. For the where list to mean anything, it needs to only show players who are deliberately extending their invitation. It would need to:
1) default to 'off' upon login, and
2) not turn on against the player's wishes while in a public place

I am guessing that the way the feature is currently designed is borne from the idea that more listings on where = more visibility on grid = more RP. In reality, there is no RP to be had between one person who is ready to RP and one person who is not. I do not think it is a good approach.

I would appreciate your thoughts on my suggestion.

[Starstarfish]

If you login and are in a public location and don't want to RP isn't walking to another location an option? Why is AFK camping public locations something we'd want to allow/encourage ... what's the benefit to it?

As I admit this all sounds like more of a concern on the player's part (how do I know if these people really want to RP with me) versus a problem with the set up as is. And I'd really prefer us turn towards being a "non-grid" game where every scene is pre-arranged/pre-decided/pre-written as random encounters get encouraged.

[Nana]

If you login and are in a public location and don't want to RP isn't walking to another location an option? Why is AFK camping public locations something we'd want to allow/encourage ... what's the benefit to it?

What is the benefit to having AFK people on the where list? Is the where list a punishment designed to discourage certain behaviors?

[Myrella]

When a coder patches, it sets everyone back to RP visible too. Run where after one of those and you'll see where everyone's been hiding. Nana's suggestion of having RP off by default on logins would remedy that exploit. I agree with all her other points as well.

[Starstarfish]

What is the benefit to having AFK people on the where list?

If you are AFK in a public room (like say ... the middle of the Queen's Inn) there are more potential problems than just Where tagging you however. Even if Where is turned off a public place means someone else can walk in to find you and basically any moment, take IC offense if you don't react, do something else (like say ... start the arrest thread, rob you etc). Are you less likely to be found if you are on Where, potentially. But it's not a guarantee depending on how trafficked a spot you parked in.

[Tasker]

Maybe we could have an additional 'RP' command you can switch on to add another flag to make it clear you're looking for a scene on WhereRP? To reduce the fear of barging in on someone when they're just idling around. I've been there before when I've forgotten to turn WhereRP off or something and someone barges in on me, and it feels forced to have a small scene so as to not be rude. I think another flag you can set on yourself might be handy!

[monolu]

I agree with Nana. This might just be me and my social anxiety, but the fact that someone could be on where without actually wanting to RP makes me pretty reluctant to go seek them out. I definitely think having to actively make the decision to put yourself on the where list makes a lot more sense. Maybe whether or not you're flagged for RP could show up in the prompt as well, just so it's more obvious at a glance?

[Ghed]

Hello. I've been reading this thread. I would like to clarify that being AFK removes you from the WHERE list, even on public flagged rooms such as the Queen's. Kinaed made WHERE on by default after a long period of people disabling it at all times and the list being rather empty. This, back then, was very discouraging for cyans and made the game look dead, when it definitely wasn't. This doesn't mean I disagree with the points raised here (I reckon that they have some merit, both as a player and as a staffer).
Being invisible or hidden also disables WHERE.

[Nana]

Thank you. I hope staff will consider some tweaks to better meet the purpose of this feature.

I will note that being functionally AFK is not always the same as being codedly AFK, since many people use keepalive timers to prevent themselves from idling out during slow scenes. Presumably the people I have seen locked away and advertising on where for long periods are doing this. No judgement, it's easy to forget and it happens!

One potential compromise would be for your where preference to be preserved across logins like some other games do, if this is possible for coders?

[CCCedany]

Presumably the people I have seen locked away and advertising on where for long periods are doing this. No judgement, it's easy to forget and it happens!

I agree with most of what's being said here, but I do want to say that help whereRP states "having whereRP toggled on is an
anonymous invitation to any player that can reach you to attempt to do so."

I'm one of those people who tends to keep whereRP on in spaces like ghalls, offices and phomes. Sometimes I'm in scenes in those locations, other times I'm doing other things like stringing, writing or handling OOC/IRL stuff but accessible to messengers and those with xblock/key access. Of course we all forget to turn if off sometimes, myself included, there's a difference between accessible for RP and accessible for everyone.