Pause Command

[Geras]

Per wimple's suggestion I'm reposting this here:


I think we're getting sidetracked a bit by the IC issues here (and I know I was part of the sidetracking.)

There's a bigger OOC issue that someone who was fairly newish had some OOC issues with some bugs / being familiar with the code, and that that snowballed into losing a char. It didn't help either that when the player OOCly voiced they were having issues things weren't stopped to have everything sorted out.

Here's what I suggest:

-Create a "PAUSE" command, much like the graphic command. This would ping a helpfile to the room to halt RP while an Imm is summoned to assist in any code/OOC issues (ie they are unfamiliar with how to do something), and sends a message to the Aide channel that <Player> has used PAUSE and is asking for assistance (if it's a simple issue an aide might be able to solve it by tells). Only to be used in serious circumstances. Strict penalties for abuse.

I think that such a command is absolutely necessary, and it'd be something to send to a new player that looks like they're having a hard time navigating the code during some critical RP too. I understand and agree with the current reluctance to null RP, but I think this sort of command is a necessary consequence of that reluctance. It's one thing to lose your char, but it's another to lose your char for reasons you feel are unfair or outside your control. You feel cheated. That's the root of the problem there, and I think something along the lines of what I outlined above would do a lot to reduce those feelings at least.

I'd argue it's very similar circumstances to the graphic command too. Torture and violence, just like PKing, are part of TI's theme. We still have the graphic command out of consideration for that fact that there are real people playing these chars though, and that their experience on TI should be a positive one, not a painful one.

Also I'd suggest encouraging players to let newer players know about such a PAUSE command, and to even let people intervene with it on others' behalf. That way if you notice someone struggling to figure out how to do something codewise or otherwise held up by trying to convey their ideas through the framework of the game, you can step in and try to have it addressed.

-I had a second suggestion too, but now I'm tired and can't remember it. Lol. Hopefully I'll remember it later.

Anyways cheers.

[Dice]

I strongly support this command, though we need to figure out what to do when staffers aren't around - the RP can't be paused indefinitely waiting for a staffer. But I think that as long as some sort of solution is written for this (pause is at max 10 mins if no staffer's there to handle the situation, and if nobody's there, everyone in the scene/on visnet/etc. does their absolute best to address it?) it's a great add-in to the game.

[Jei]

I think this could be a good addition so long as it doesn't pause actions indefinitely and there are some very specific rules about its use and what it entails. Barring 'hidden' commands that only certain people should have access to, such as spell syntaxes and things like that, I don't see why other PCs couldn't just help out the newer PC through osays and such, in the cases when staffers aren't available.

[Empheba]

I like the idea of a "Pause" command too (said so in the other thread before seeing this one). I think just being able to throw up a brightly-coloured notice that

this-and-that player has requested an OOC PAUSE in the current scene!!

could be a useful tool for a bewildered newbie or disgruntled target of a wall of fast-flowing text to tell everyone to slow down due to some ooc issue or request for mediation. Even without an imm online as a mediator it could be a clear way to flag a scene as being under ooc discussion (and also easily located in a log). I would suggest also newly arriving chars see this flag.
As mentioned, a timeout need to be in place, and clear guidelines so it's not happening all the time.
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Empheba