[Method T]

So, recently I had a conversation in Discord over the lack of presence when it came to a number of non-unique or 'Custom' weapons having descriptions added to them, despite the ease of Artificing allowing this. After thinking about it, I realized a basic feature that could be very useful in this game, likely wouldn't require an incredible amount of code to add in, and would only provide positive benefits, barring a few -Extreme- fringe cases.

We should have an Examine button/verb/function in the game. Allow a player to Examine another, and see all the items the player has equipped, and if so chosen, their descriptions/stats. This is a clear quality of life addition that would allow players to view what others are wearing and have a better mental image of the character OOCly, be able to understand the origins of some equipment beyond 'Oh cool, a staff', and allow Artificers and other Crafters to have a little more presence in the world through their work and maker's marks.

This function would also allow help players acting as thieves/bandits/etc. to see what a player is openly wearing in full view, and would allow Guards to do the same when imprisoning enemy Magi.

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There are some fringe cases however, where this would be a bad addition to the game, and there are some solutions I believe could help assist in covering some of these fringe cases.

1. Players may use this information to metagame, especially if some of the information of an item or piece of equipment may be very bad to be openly known.

1a- In addition, I would suggest a -Hidden- verb be capable of being added to equipment by administrators for these fringe cases, allowing certain items (Curses objects, etc.) to be unnoticed. This could even extend to Hiding portions of descriptions from being viewed if the item isn't in your inventory, but I am not savvy enough to tell how that could be coded.

2. Players may use stat knowledge to powergame, thereby ruining some of the organic nature of the current roleplay.

2a- If it is necessary, I believe stats could be hidden and instead replaced with a simple power scoring system a la Eternia 1. The cumulative stats of an item and it's classification could determine if an item is 'Very Weak/Weak/Average/Strong/Very Strong/Unusual/Legendary/Mythic' and give it that descriptor.

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I don't have the time to flesh out this idea further, but I feel like this would be a fun addition to the game.

Edit: Deleted my passive-aggressive comment. Yes, I am Edgy.

[Milly]

there's already /search that does this....

[Cpt. Prinny]

This is already in by /search, you just have to agree to it.

[Moonloon]

Search actively requires consent from the examined player, and reveals things in their inventory too, potentially including stuff most people would want to stay hidden.

I think it'd be a neat thing to have available, at least. Being able to size up how 'rich' or well equipped someone I'm encountering beyond just redtext would be nice.

[Method T]

So yeah, Search is in. That being said, this would apply to just equipped items, not someone's full inventory. I.e: I could see Prinny is wearing a fishing pole, a hat, their clothes, shoes, etc. I can also look at them, because they are openly worn around.

This isn't me looting through someone's inventory/frisking like /Search is, and it would be more organic given you shouldn't require permission to see what someone is openly wearing.

[Carbon]

I think if something like this was to be implemented, only the description of the item should be visible. Stats should be hidden, simply to protect people's builds and stuff. Also avoids metagaming for stats etc. This way it's only a tool to help understand what the person is wearing.

[Chance]

The main argument against this would be that it could compromise characters and expose information that they might want hidden at the time, and having to constantly unequip items because /examine exists may become tedious. That or they simply forget OOC.

[Method T]

The main argument against this would be that it could compromise characters and expose information that they might want hidden at the time, and having to constantly unequip items because /examine exists may become tedious. That or they simply forget OOC.

This is true, and something I actually tried to address in the original post. If an object should be hidden on the character, having an admin-provided label to the item that prevents it from being seen through an examination would be beneficial. This could even extend as far as to applying another label for say, a 'Disguise' item that hides -all- items on the character if examined.

Obviously the ability to examine nearby players and their active equipment could be abused in these rare fringe cases where someone wishes to hide something that doesn't necessarily get the privileges of being given a hidden label. On the other hand, it would also make sense that if Johnny Silvertongue is wearing an eerie set of demonic looking plate armor that he wears with a breezy jacket covering it, you'd reasonably notice something like that ICly and it'd bring up something for RP.


Also, on the subject of stats being hidden on items? Personally, I do disagree, given allowing stats on items to be visible would also allow people whom see unique items to have a better grasp on what is expected of equipment with a certain amount of lore/effort put into them. On the other hand, if the Power Tier Classification with hidden stats suggestion I had were to be implemented, it would allow people to get an idea of what entails *Insert tier here* and allow them to develop their own items, tier by tier.

I.e: Johnny Silvertongue is looking to make the best demonic plate armor ever, so he takes his dev items and the lore he's built up and he apps for a 'Very Strong' armor, which is above the stat distribution for Nyeshk. A bit later, Johnny makes more progress and gets more depth, so he apps and successfully turns his 'Very Strong' armor into something Unusual/Epic. Etc.

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I think being able to examine people would be far more beneficial than detrimental, but I can understand the hesitation to assume the worst when it comes to the usage of the verb.

It just feels a little sad when the only time an Artificer's work can be seen is when the player drops it on the ground to let other players Right-click it.

[phoenixdoll]

I really enjoy crafting items, and it is a little sad to me that so few people actually see the item descriptions. I love using glamor potions to change the descriptions on cosmetic items that I've resprited too.. hah

I'd love a /glance command, eg, /glance Amaranth, which would output the names and descriptions of everything I'm wearing -- but not the stats. Seeing stats doesn't make any sense.

I also think that adding a verb to grant a [concealed] tag that'd hide the worn item from being output on glance would be good. Preferably, I think that would be something that players could just do. Saving on admin workload and also.. a player would know whether they're hiding their things.

Or.. alternatively, rather than giving people the option of hiding things. You could make /glance just the minimum information: so cloak and weapon slots, or legs, torso (armor) and weapon if they're not wearing a cloak?

But again, no stats. /search exists and does that.

[Carbon]

The concealed tab could be something granted by potions or a special rune by artificers? So that there is IC ways to conceal what armor/equipment you are wearing. Maybe the potion lets you rewrite some of the desc for when the /glance command is used.