Socionex

Combat complaints

This is the biggy
If we had no combat we would have almost no complaints.

One complaint we hear endlessly about is people being attacked without reason or RP.
For us it is always much easier if we can mechanise problems as much as possible rather than relying on hearsay for proof. So with this in mind we have decided to re enforce the Ready Rule with a NewGesture.
This gesture when applied will state in local chat that you have preceded with RP as per the rules.
It will then state these rules one by one so that all are clear as to what must have happened before reaching this point in proceedings, and end by stating that you are now ready for combat.

The word Ready! Will then appear
Then there will follow a 10 second countdown (which in fact is more like 20 seconds because of the way it is scripted) after this period the challenger is at liberty to attack.
There can be no complaint from the attacked player because:
1). You should not have let things proceed this far if you have no intention of fighting the other player.
2). You should have received an RP warning of the intention to attack.
This must be a well structured sentence that should also explain the reason behind the attack.
3). You should have been given ample opportunity to reply to this challenge.
4). If your reply contained a question of the attacker then the attacker is obliged to reply once again.

Let us be very clear and not forget that we are here for ROLE PLAY, not to AVOID ROLE PLAY, in order to get on with the fight.
In fact this pre fight RP exchange should be the meat of the meal.
We will always be slightly suspicious of people who hurry their attack.
The metered weapons are great fun and definitely decided the outcome of a fight. But they are used after RP is exhausted. None of our sims are FPS shootem ups. Although we do try to add such elements in if we can , for those who enjoy more action. If you want instant fights then let others know by setting the warrior mode in your meter.

DO NOT use the ready rule to force others into combat!

DO NOT hound those who you know hate to fight, this is subtle griefing.
You should ALWAYS attempt to gauge with your pre combat RP if the player you are preparing to attack is up for the fight.
NOTHING at all is gained by forcing a fight on a player who does not intent to fight you.
SO, does this mean people can avoid fights. Yes in a way it does. ALL our problems come from one player forcing their unwanted intentions on another player, whether for combat or any other form of RP. You must simply face the fact that if another player does not wish to fight or play with you then all that will arise from your attempts to force them is drama. And WE HATE DRAMA! And the CAUSERS OF DRAMA!.
One very important factor modifies the above statement.
If you have previously attacked the attacking player or given them any IC reason at all to attack you, then you are totally subservient to the ready rule, no excuses.
Please bare this in mind before you complain.

We will however not make this rule compulsory.

In fact it would not be needed at all if players could just be adult and responsible in their actions.

So if you are playing against people you know and are sure they do not need such heavy duty mechanical means to make sure that they act like decent human beings, then by all means do not use it.
But, if you are attacking someone you have not attacked before, someone you do not know, someone you feel may well cause trouble after the event, then we would advise its use, or you will have no evidence on which to base any complaints.
Any combat complaints that do not contain logs of the pre fight RP and the application of the ready rule will be given less attention than those that do.
We do not think that this heavy duty mechanical RP support is a great idea. But it is a totally necessary one so ignore it at your peril.

How to use the gesture:

SGS Attack / Ready (Default Combat Mode)

Type:

/attack targetName

in local chat AFTER you roleplay your intent to attack. For example, if I type:

/attack Kora

then in local chat it will slowly appear this: (it may take 20-30 seconds)
[08:22] Kora Zenovka is about to attack Kora
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: Intention to attack announced in at least one line of roleplay.
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: Opportunity to reply to challenge given.
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: Further role play offered if reply required it.
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: I am ready to proceed with attack.
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: ===================================
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: Ready? Count down from 10. At ‘GO’ we start!
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 10
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 9
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 8
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 7
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 6
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 5
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 4
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 3
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 2
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: 1
[08:22] Kora Zenovka OOC: and ……………….GO!