Posts made by Lotherio

WandaVision

Two things.

I'm in this viewer mode where I can't find anything I like and its mostly I'm over big hollywood. So I look for things rich in movie language. Like I recently found Out of Blue 2 years late (which sure, the circular storyline is overly done of late but the language of the film was great for me) or watching Eastwoods stuff cause it harps back to like watching Atlman or Orson Wells or Gene Kelley's art parts in Singing in the Rain (no not Tarantino film language who's more like Grad School student film language at best for me). Things were shots, angels, sets, zooms, pans and such are as much the language as the actors and dialogue.

But I like watching Marvel or Mando with my daughter who's picked up on geek culture so we can share that.

And two, I like WandaVision. Because:

***=NSFW content***

So thing one, I wasn't expecting much but just big hollywood in WandaVision, so two there was some pleasant surprises watching this series so far.

@cobaltasaurus said in Muahaha:

@rucket Well @Tributary is campaigning for India instead. Lol.

Tripartite Struggle for inspiration only would be interesting. Three empires struggling (fighting to regain the 'throne' in the middle) to fill the void of a once great Empire, after his successor knocks off the Chinese emissary coming to collect dues (I mean tributary) and such, Bhutanese and Napalese infantry and cavalry ready to invade on behalf of China. But then, like @Tinuviel said, insensitivity would come in even without meaning too.

@lifebird said in MU Things I Love:

All you beautiful fuckers!

You're too kind -- don't stop

@zombiegenesis Sad day and alternatively another reason to pardon Joe Exotic; those tigers need a home now that the magic duo has passed on. I know, too soon.

I'm surprised I'm the one posting this (I have this thing with baseball and not liking it):

Tommy Lasorda

@faraday said in How to launch a MU*:

Yes, but like you said: you can add those things on.

OP:

What's the expectation for web-based and/or asynchronous gameplay and your opinion on the degree to which that is table-stakes in the present day and age of the MUSH?

Nothing about built in, just how important do builders think these features are as essential to gameplay. They further expressed they're looking at SceneSys (I assume @Volund 's SceneSys). Which would allow asynchronous play via in game logging. Relevance to expectations or not, they're on track to have it available either way it sounds like.

@faraday said in How to launch a MU*:

traditional MUSH platforms or Evennia that don't have built-in support for both web and async gameplay (or either)

There is/has been a push in the traditional platforms for web-socket functionality. You can but a client on a browser, with JS you can add some buttons for like talking on pub or checking the hangouts. You can also add in a logger of your liking, which can be used asynchronously by all players.

@carma said in How to launch a MU*:

What can I do when nobody is around for public RP? Give me bite-size tasks I can do during downtime.

For me this isn't a seller. Most MU's I've been on have not had NPCs or tasks or mini-games to do when no one else was around; unless one counts the rise of wiki's in the past 15+ years and prettying up the wiki as a minigame. I see this closer to MUD-type play and they do it better. Whether its farming, fishing, trading, econ, quests, mobs, interacting with old-school style 'AI' npcs, whatever. If I want these I'll go there or just get the app that fits my fun for minigame.

If no other players are around I'm probably moving on.

@krmbm said in Why are there so many MUs set in Maine?:

Does it have gremlins and pixies and unicorns?
If so, then I apologize for not setting my game there.

I think its a fine place to set it and make a bigger city than is normally there.

Anyone is welcome to do that with Nebraska, where I live. I'd love to see what folks interpret Nebraska as versus the reality. Could do a spinoff of The Stand where they stay longer and build up a city before going off to fight the final battle in Denver.

Aside, the teen supers game we did was in NH right on the coast and we made providence a bigger city that took over the bay and became as large as NYC or LA. I'm fine with alternative ideas for locations/areas.

Opposite to why so many MUs in Maine - why not more fantasy modern settings in real locations but as viewed through the eyes of non-locals (the idealized version)?

@thesuntsar said in Why are there so many MUs set in Maine?:

@krmbm Okay but if this a city with a milllion freaking people why can't I be an assassin turned history professor???????????

What happens in Colorado stays in Colorado.

@krmbm said in Why are there so many MUs set in Maine?:

@desc here=You are in traffic.

... While few clouds are in the sky, there is a hazy yellow something in the distance in every direction.

I think OP is saying what others said about NM - not much of what you think it is (some Moose, I think the infrastructure is separated north/south with some off grid stuff more northerly?) . If I did NM it'd be completely wrong and that's okay.

I think another interesting area might be north Wisconsin, a little city area with lots of rural areas to explore (similar to what outsiders view Maine or rural Washington state as?), a few seasons, lots of snow. I'm probably totally wrong, but a few islands, can have some light houses and stuff to explore. Some sunken ships (Edmund Fitzgerald).

@tnp Funny and curious. field comb-er. Wasn't that area east and northerly also where a lot of the massive field tourney's took place in the 12th century? On the scale of kilometers/miles of teams lined up for grand melee. Makes you wonder if there were lots of field combers after a tourney looking for bits and pieces to salvage. Then again, they probably weren't going for punny names.

@ominous This is indeed a part of the system and something I imagine being used.

Ships are customizable. Class I is fighter, class V is super dreadnaught/star destroyer/etc. Class II is good hauler/explorer, Class III is good start for housing hangers to hold ships. There are mechanics for hangers (like one hanger can hold 2 ships of lesser class, or 16 of class-2; class 3 can hold a hanger of 16 fighters).

I literally put an asterisk on the discord development discussion chan behind one ship to say it can include hangers of lesser ships so players can do away missions. Class III and above would jump to a system and do exactly what you're describing, send off Class II and I smaller ships to go do the deals in the system at hand due to travel times on larger ships.

ETA: Its modules, so many modules by class to include weapons and defense and other systems. A crew can have a ship that uses modules on hanger(s).

@wizz said in Pondering, Space Trucking, One ship crew small MU?:

If this were a truly public game, IMO you'd be better off coordinating multiple ships so that at least people could have some space to find a group that suits their timezone, playstyle, personalities, etc.
Maybe mandate that each new ship is obligated to have at least one primary storyteller and one backup, if they can't manage/don't want to Round Robin it.

This would be a great idea and I concur with it.

This inversely shovels the mountain of work from three sentence idea to having something opening and functional onto my lap. The last large project I worked on that had 100+ unique log-ins on at the same time was built up by a group of collaborative creative strangers. Is it a long shot, yes. Is it possible to succeed, yes. The last time was over a decade ago, but each individual took over a section and put in enough interest and creativity to create something that garnered all that interest.

I'm not opposed to multiple ships, if there is enough interest to warrant it or those willing to discuss and collaborate think that's the route to go. I'm offering my perspective and what I can contribute, if a group is interested things can definitely be openly discussed like this. Am I going to do the bulk of work to make a space trucking game for others to run off and do their own plots while I sit around and approve apps, settle disputes, occasionally boot and block IPs, and sometimes run an event while I get no return satisfaction on my investment - no, not ever again, its no fun for me in this hobby of mine to do that.

I am saying I've been seeing a few wants for space type games oriented towards space trucking (hauling/mining/mercenary/whatever). If folks are interested enough to contribute, something might be made.

I don't have the time to do so myself, I was being honest up front about that. Also, sadly enough, I don't have too many friends to put such a call out too. Maybe its a sign I need to step back. I have no expectation for random person A to just offer up double duty, but really, if folks are wanting something like this its going to take a group effort.

Right now its a thread of less than 10 posts with me saying I'm willing to contribute a slice of the pie, are their other folks willing to add a slice to see if we can make a whole? That's the singular question. People know if they can or not, they are adults. If not enough interest, I'm not going to be upset or sad about it.

@ominous said in Pondering, Space Trucking, One ship crew small MU?:

So my understanding with your idea, @Lotherio, is that all of the players are in one ship. What if Bob gets tired of where Alice is going and wants to hop on a different ship at the next spaceport?

This has always been my hesitancy with spending time working on a space truckin' MU* - the likelihood of the playerbase fragmenting and scattering among the many planets, so that there is no interaction. This would be perfectly fine in a MU environment, where people tend to do their own thing with the automated systems and only occasionally run into one another. But then again, I don't see much difference between a space-truckin' MU* and Eve Online or Elite Dangerous, except Eve Online and Elite Dangerous have better graphics.

Whereas the spice road idea or the island world idea with airships I brought up a while back have a much smaller scale and it's easier to concentrate the playerbase into space where interactions are more likely to happen.

For me, I have zero interest in making H-Space + Space Econ mini games. I completely agree. If I want to space mine/haul/simulation I can find plenty of other outlets to do some number crunching space running to get my fix on a much more crunchy scale then I'd expect on mush or mud.

I'm willing to contribute on a small-scale Mu; 10 players maybe, 20 is past my limit. This is dependent on other contributors willing to join on or not. If there is zero interest in others running PrPs, being active ST's, helping each other out, my interest is zero as well.

If folks don't want on the one ship, the small scale one ship crew is probably not the place for them. I should have been more forward in what I'm willing to consider. I figured one ship crew, small MU sort of gave a little picture. Numerous coded systems and space economy wasn't up there. If Bob and Alice get tired and want to fly off, the PCs are out of play as far as I'm concerned on a small scale Mu. SW1 is still open as far as I know/recall, Bob and Alice can get a ship there and space econ it up.

Quick ETA: That's where I'm coming from, but open to discuss, hence the discord.

@friarzen Exactly right, the fiddly bits are aimed at the holistic story telling approach as a group event. What does 2+ successes mean on a jump in low gravity while being chased by space pirates?

Here is where I am after initial interest. I'm opening a discord server to discuss (https://discord.gg/TWxX4kuK).

I can be the GM or head admin and make the tough calls as needed.

With my time limit some buy in from player STs to alternate running of plots and events is a must (not saying scheduled events, just direction and help so the burden is not one one or two people). I'm more a fan of group PrP runners taking turns, with someone outside to advocate NPCs -- player A has a stole from the Syndicate secret, someone to NPC a representative of the Syndicate for player A would help so they can make decisions as a player instead of a plot runner - player A can NPC Free League merchants for player B who's secret is the sabotaged a free league merchants operation to save the small foresting colony on random planet Z, etc.

I'd like some discussion on include/strike to establish Coriolis fitting for Mush verses one TTG's save the world campaign. I can easily say strike Emissaries (as they're really powerful mystics from 2nd Horizon coming to take over 3rd Horizon). Maybe someone has a case for their use that doesn't end with save the world plot to destroy the portals in the gas giants throughout all 36 systems).

It needs to be a group effort though, not me being little red hen, it'll just burn me out before getting somewhere near complete and running.

If the offer stands @friarzen , give us some time to discuss on discord to see what we can get going and assure its reasonable, especially working within Evennia and what code can be helped with.

@jennkryst said in Pondering, Space Trucking, One ship crew small MU?:

I just want to be clear that when I talk about Space Trucking on here, I mean a ship simulator, not 'make a temp room that is a ship and pretend'.

This level may be beyond most mushes these days. But that new other galaxy SW spin-off by the folks that spent some time on SW1 may have a more full on economy similar to SW1's numerous economic systems that supported more space trucking?

I think its a little more than numerous systems on a ship to fix that makes the space element. Its having enough space to add variety during runs/breakdowns.

Its the

oh we lost control of the astrostabilizer, we can't fix that in space, we can push through to our destination and take the risk of losing it completely, but Sobo corp knows we're heading and may have a blockade set up to get their money back, or we try this back water mining colony, but they're mining asteroids for subspace crystals for TerraSphere Propulsion and unbeknownst to most people, the ship medic worked in subspace medical engineering for TerraSphere to pay off student loans but never finished their contract and they're on the run, we could try this high end resort, but ...

Its the space to draw from lots of different things versus what could be limited in a smaller setting?

That said, a spice road sort of setting could be just as interesting I think. I'm am 100 percent certain the Taipan style trade could be done on land ships. Just a different feel? Darksun and running between citystates and emperor lich kings and immortal dragons and such could be interesting too.

@ominous said in Pondering, Space Trucking, One ship crew small MU?:

I own Coriolis, and I would have to agree that eyeing it made me go "Hmmmm, sounds like a neat base for a MU*." If you haven't seen it before, Starsector is the video game setting I think would mesh well with Coriolis for a MU*.

I started the video and thought, no its not space heroin. But watched more and was like, yes, totally similar idea. Basically like the mother of all space trucking type games, the old Taipan.

***=Taipan synopsis***

The good thing about Coriolis that worked well with Player <> GM Karma/Luck pool to make stuff happen was the every player has a secret. The best resent space series that had this was Dark Matter for me. But it gives small group play interesting focus, making campaigns unique in conjunction with every planet will be different cause you generate as you play - this is also why I feel the published adventures should be avoided, cause they're all about the other Horizons invading either by lost portals or gas giant portals and the dark between the stars super save the universe stuff.

The dark secret would be good for a small mush, players can develop as they play versus set course of events and planned meta. Captian Tim has a secret 'stole tech from x corp and sold it to y organization, X is hunting' is all that is needed, x can develop on the fly. Oh, some bad karma, GM introduces two agents of X Corp while trading on some little market to carry out a cargo contract, muddies the waters, we learn X Corps found his long lost family so he has three months to get shit back from Y Org or Jimmy gets a bionic head transplant (loses his head).

^^ is better than players having ties to the big 8 factions and everyone is on the main space station ring and its all save the world stuff. This would be my concern for a mush, folks would want high level 'secret pasts' versus fun space trucking stuff that keeps the focus on one crew.

One crew is good and its not hard to support a larger ship with hanger bays and have smaller ships for sub plots and side missions too.