New Rules Regarding Md Script And Item Customizations

[Muratus del Mur]

Functionality restrictions of items

[size="5"]PLEASE READ, IT IS IMPORTANT. Pretending you had no idea of this won't be a valid excuse when i will erase your items and remove your editing ability.
[/size]

This announcement refers mainly to the astral plane, private chats, private messages, quests revealing game locations you are not actually in, scripts that alter the interface to allow functionality that is available in other forms through the shop or partialy available, and so on, but applies also on other similar situations, if any.

[b]Rule 1[/b]
[color="#FF0000"]- MD Scripts should not be used to duplicate game features, enhance already existing features or allow functionality similar to features in MD Shop.[/color]
Reason:[i] Game features have a purpose to be in a certain way. The Md shop is the one thing that keeps md alive and free. If you use md script to enable functionality that is otherwise to be payed for, you make it pointless for someone to get it from the shop anymore. Some of the game features are indeed insufficient but it is not up to you to complete md functionality with partial functional code or code that will torture the server, because md script is far from being optimized for actually developing new features. Friends in shop list is already a issue in my point of view. Being able to message anyone any place is NOT what i want. Geographic factor, like "you go far away to hide from someone" should be possible. Characters should be able to get "lost" or people to forget about them just because they no longer see traces of them. People that stay in a place build around them sort of their own "home", that "home" would have no meaning , if you can poke and talk to someone from any place without entering his "Home". See this as how telephones ruined the personal communication in RL..if you get what i mean.[/i]

[b]Rule 2[/b]
[color="#FF0000"]- MD Script should not be used to allow alternate ways of communication. If you want that you use your messenger , go in remote locations, or whatever[/color]
Reason: [i]Communication is a very important aspect of MD. If you turn that into an alternate reality you will cause a lot of mess. Things talked in private can not and should not be used for argues, proof, or role play situations IN md. Placing such private chats or alternate pm methods in md is like creating a virtual world inside a virtual world. Most predictable rumor i can foresee i will hear is that i want private chat baned because i cant control or monitor it... I CAN, if i want to, its still on md server, but i have better things to do, and i dont plan to play hide and seek with this. I don't check your pms, or such, and i rarely look at the chats in locations i am not in at that moment. I mostly do it for fun on rare occasions. Its either md chat or your own private chat just not an alternate chat/pm in md. things you say in chat, like cursing, porn stuff, advertising, etc can get you baned, things you say on pms can be used as trial proof, IF reported by the one receiving them (no mod can see your pms!!). Anything in MD is within the "ecosystem" of MD, see it as a mechanism. A tertiary feature to allow chats can not fit in that mechanism.[/i]

[b]Rule 3[/b]
[color="#FF0000"]- Content placed on clickables or generated by MD Script should not reveal images of locations that are not normaly accessible[/color]
Reason: [i]Not being able to see certain places is part of what makes you curious and keeps your interest alive in md. If you can simply see those places in a custom script, you won't care so much to actually get there on the map. It is spoiling, or better said it is cutting off the interess and makes you less involved with finding ways to get into certain places just to SEE them. The location images that can be used in scripts, are the locations in each land available to people in that land but not the inner locations, or locked locations in that land. Use your common sense when trying to understand what i mean. Some lands like Golemus and Necro are harder to access then Marinds Bell or Loreroot. The tool, item, quest you build should not allow people to see any of the lands you are not sure they can see anyway, and defenetly should not reveal limited locations. [/i]


[b]Rule 4[/b]
[color="#FF0000"]- items that show alternate reality sceneries using location images from md (cutlers astral plane), or continuation of map locations (nothing like that yet), should have age requirement of 70+ active days before a player can enter them.[/color]
Reason: [i]Even if they are not spoiling location images. walking around a virtual land inside a virtual land can be very confusing to a new player that still doesnt understand that the item he clicked is a custom script. People can easily believe it is some sort of a portal and confuse the locations in that virtual tour with the actual locations in MD. I beleive a little over two month is enough for people to already know that things like astral plane or future similar quests, are not the same thing with the actual locations in MD. Regardless how many disclaimers you would put on them, it is about the visual message you are sending since you are using md scenes in there.[/i]


[b]Rule 5[/b]
[color="#FF0000"]- Zero tolerance policy for abusive scripts that are used to harm other players. [/color]
Reason: [i]Someone that manages to get scripting ability but uses it to confuse, cheat, or damage other people accounts is not worthy of using it at all. Ability will be removed and account penalized according to its deed. By damaging i do not mean attacks, or war items, but i mean hacking attempts, items that present false interfaces to trick you to do something and items that forcefully use your own interface to do things you would normaly should be able to chose if you want to do or not. The interface can prevent this up to a point, but there are still ways to do it. An item that will talk in chat in your place, post on the mood panel, or transfer creatures, items, or anything of this kind, will get his editor baned, together with his alts, and the one using it will be investigated to determine if he used it knowing of its kind or not. Exceptions are people that research usage potential of such items and dont create them with the purpose of actualy cheating , like Rendril for example. Other people that want to test, should test on their alts first then report a potential abusive usage to me, for confirmation, before using it on other players. [/i]


[b]Conclusions:[/b]
Astral plane should be changed in such way that it will not contain locations not normaly visible by ANYONE. It should also require the age limit before entering it, because it uses images across lands. No more chats inside items/clickables. No more post office. (chewett kindly already removed it). I can help you remove the unwated storage variables, just provide me their name. I can support with anything you require to make it easyer for you to make these updates ASAP.



[size="5"]Quest, clickable items and scripted inventory items should be adapted to fit these new rules by the end of the week or they will get removed (without properly cleaning up all the references to them) and scripting access will be also removed from their editors. [/size]


Special actions:
Because this should not be something to punish the people that worked so hard on these features and that opened new ways in how md script could be used, I will give a "symbolic" reward of 10Gold (or 70 credits by choice) and 1Wp to Cutler and Chewett, the two most affected by this rule, and I kindly ask them to read and understand the reasons why their scripts fall under these rules can no longer be accepted. Also consider these reasons, but also these rules, when building future items. Chewett already removed the post office. If Cutler decides to remove astral plane entirely instead of making the changes, is his choice.

All i care, this time, is how things should not be, but how they should be is up to you to shape them.

Any questions or complains can be added on this topic.

[phantasm]

well isn't this convenient.....

[Burns]

does rule 3 also apply to other inaccessible artwork? namely, avatars of dead people?
you know... was hard to get those edit-abilities, don't feel like gambling with them <.<

[Aysun]

I'm still quite new in the scheme of things, but I'd at least like to say that having the astral plane available to me early on is probably what has kept me in md. Through it, I could have more freedom to see where I could one day go and properly interact with, and it has further encouraged me to work towards getting there properly- one of the places I've already done so as of today. And so I would be very sad to be thus closed off from the Astral plane now, as it has often served as a road map and encouragememt to me in my early days here.

-A

[cutler121]

As I said from the beginning, I was happy to make the Astral Plane and if/when Mur didn't want it anymore I would get rid of it. I have gone through and inactivated all of my scripts since they, for the most part, break at least two of the rules above.

I hope people enjoyed the Astral Plane and the quests it enabled while it was around. My only request is that people don't file Court cases against me to get money back for things I made for them in the AP. Just come and ask me for your money back and I will transfer it to you.

Cheers,

Cutler

[Jubaris]

about the friends list I agree, it is very useful but it also doesn't help the realism of the game. Same thing goes to, tho, "reply" feature for PMs (I know this is radical suggestion, do bare in mind I use it very much too but realism gets so more fun here anyway this is just an opinion.) so if you, Mur, remove the friends list, remove also the reply feature for PMs. (but make it if possible available to reply on Live help messages, that must not be abused of course and live help is integral part of MD)

I guess few people were already saying about the spoilerness of some quests, but it was just different angle of view.
in any case Cutler (and chewett tho I'm not familiar with his work) made a lot of work in astral plane which is really impressive, and I'm glad he (they ) got compensated for it
anyways, don't lose your heart Cutler, lots of people had fun in your quests, and that's what matters

[Yoshi]

I have an idea about the friends list and the whole messaging process, although everyone's going to hate me for suggesting this... why not have a message delay? I mean, it takes time when you mail someone something, about a week or so depending, this would make it so that you'd have to look for someone to talk to them if it's urgent. I think this might make people gather to talk, perhaps making the GoE and various other key locations less deserted?

[Sparrhawk]

I think if the friends list and pm situation is going to be re-vamped then it should be a mailbox situation such as chewets mailbox he set up on that clickable a while ago. exept maybe set in as a mailbox clickable at the GoE or something (by this i mean an actual mailbox image set as a clickable in a location) where you can send and recieve your mail. the mail icon can be used as a letter storage so it wont need to be removed.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Sparrhawk

[Pipstickz]

Sparr...that's what Mur wants removed >>

[CrazyMike]

Mur made an observation on the current friend list and expressed his feelings about it.

I dont think he will be touching it anytime soon.

[Sparrhawk]

I know, its just I think if the friends list and replying to messages thing was to ever go, not that i see it in the forseeable future either then that kind of thing would bewould be a good substitute done on a formal basis. but balargh ohwell it was just my opinion anyway. I can see why the things should be removed.

[Muratus del Mur]

i just said that the friends list as it is is affecting the "find someone to message him" kind of concept. I don't plan to remove it too soon. The reply is an other issue. One way to solve it is to allow reply to pm for just a limited number of days or hours since the pm was sent. In this way you wont be able to keep ancient pms just to pm those people anywhere they are. Adding a delay to pms is actually a very interesting idea. Unfortunately it would work as intended only in a closed system, but in our case it will only force people find other ways of communication. I might consider it for later, at least at a symbolic level to have seconds/minutes delay depending on the distance. Not sure how distance can be calculated in MD.

This is not a topic about friends list or pms, is about this but also the other issues. Don't stick to one of it to much. I think thats all about the friends list since like i said i am not planing to change anything about it anytime soon.

[Harion]

ahh.. but ppl can always go to irc or some other chat client if urgently contacting other players is such a concern
besides, we have enough modes of communication already as it is
mood panel, forum posts/pms...


about AP showing spoiler images, can't it just be scripted so that those without access to those locations won't see the image but just see a blurred image instead?

[apophys]

[quote name='cutler121' date='24 May 2010 - 10:51 PM' timestamp='1274759474' post='60346']
As I said from the beginning, I was happy to make the Astral Plane and if/when Mur didn't want it anymore I would get rid of it. I have gone through and inactivated all of my scripts since they, for the most part, break at least two of the rules above.

I hope people enjoyed the Astral Plane and the quests it enabled while it was around. My only request is that people don't file Court cases against me to get money back for things I made for them in the AP. Just come and ask me for your money back and I will transfer it to you.

Cheers,

Cutler
[/quote]

Could you please make the astral plane conform to the rules and reupload it then? It would be really sad to see it permanently gone.

There must be a way to check the variable that holds the "Visits here: " number for each location. That solves the spoiler issues (rule #3).

[Chewett]

[quote name='apophys' date='25 May 2010 - 02:38 PM' timestamp='1274794717' post='60365']
Could you please make the astral plane conform to the rules and reupload it then? It would be really sad to see it permanently gone.There must be a way to check the variable that holds the "Visits here: " number for each location. That solves the spoiler issues (rule #3).
[/quote]

There is currently no way of doing this in MDscript.

[Muratus del Mur]

I can provide in mdscript the number of visits to a location for the visiting player.

[notxasj]

Poor Bob. Without the Astral Plane he won't get anymore water.

[Muratus del Mur]

I won't be so sure about that, considering the things i am about to do involving items and clickables. You will see what i mean.

[cutler121]

[quote name='Muratus del Mur' date='26 May 2010 - 12:51 PM' timestamp='1274878267' post='60407']
I won't be so sure about that, considering the things i am about to do involving items and clickables. You will see what i mean.
[/quote]

Hopefully, many of the creative things the astral plane made possible will inspire directions for MD to evolve in the future. If its not all forgotten.

Cheers,

Cutler

[Muratus del Mur]

Some of the things i am working on will be done to enable features that the astral plane showed are needed but can't be found in md. They wont be exactly the same. I hope you all understood that my purpose is not to destroy nice things but to prevent them of doing damage without intending so.

Some of the things like houses, believe it or not, were in the initial plans of md but because the logic abnormalities that could have arised from having places to live for each person in md that wants one, i decided NO. What you know now as the land capitols, was initialy the Oak fort, and a big hill you probably can find in ancient screenshots, that were supposed to be places to live, where each player could get a room and ornate and such. At that point, some of the things that are now possible in Md were not even in my wildest dreams, so probably the ideas that were once impossible to do and caused logic problems on a large scale, are now more possible. Untill jumping to wild features, i will continue finishing those started and adding new ones only within certain limits.

Each new feature supposes more or less additional things that need to come after it to support and complete it. A house for example, involves a lot more things than a new creature with a new ability. The items right now have a long path ahead of them, a path that will lead to a total different gameplay.

Some of things in plan you already know from the announcements, others you will find out. You should also know that things like custom functions for mdscript to use on items are put in place but wont get public until other things are done first. Right now for example items could be used to cast spells, and spells in turn could be used to trigger custom illusions. Imagine a potion item that will turn you into someone else or into a crit, that is right now possible, but not public because of the implications it has at this moment. In time, with new features that will come, they will become public. If i put now such things out, imagine how wish shop features will go obsolete over night and together with them a lot of other things depending on wish points and the motivation they bring as rewards.

My point is, doing something because is cool is your fun, like cutler did with the astral plane, like you did using it. I have nothing against it, and it is a source of inspiration for future things in MD. But ..my fun, and "job", is to think also of what it involves outside of just that one quest or feature. You think about rewards, I think about the lack of those rewards that makes you think about how to get them. It is a different point of view and it can't be anyhow else. Sometimes when I don't say NO from the start, it reaches such situations when a lot of work goes to waste all in one day, but better now than later.

[I am Bored]

would it be possible mur, to add clickables to the places where restricted locations are accessed from, thus allowing the script to check the var's of that location (can't post more descriptive things on this because it would be major spoilers.... plus it's part of the game mechanics) and opening the locations if the var's say that the user is able to access the area, although I understand not all locations are possible to do this with, it should be possible to suffice for now..... that or mur could make it simple and add a "has-access" variable that could be used to check from anywhere....

[Fyrd Argentus]

I really don't see why communication modes that have a physical basis can't be allowed. The post-office "leave a note" thing should have been fine.

We should consider creating an in-game mechanism for sending PM's. For instance, a use for birds as homing pigeons -- you can only have as many unread PM's out as you have birds, and you may let the bird wait for a reply, if you choose, or call it home.

[Pipstickz]

Leaving a note suggests that anybody can see it, but it was a private system.