Locate creature ...

[Talleyman99]

way this spell was told to me to be used was as such. IF you've never been there you do not know where they are. so you get nothing (even if you get something) If they are to far way from your location you can not run to them and go AH HA! Cause you have to follow semi realistic travel times.... I've never used this spell to attack anyone or send in a hit squad. I've only ever used it to find people for rp. So I personally don't have issues with it. People just need to learn to be less meta like.

[thaelis]

Sorry to resurrect this but I've been wondering about this spell and reading Doubt's comment I had to LOL. I don't suppose you can code the spell to give you a North/South/West/East location instead of area? :P

I try not to use the spell myself as I find it cheesy, especially if people have the search tool turned off...odds are they have a good reason to be hidden!

Something like.

To use the spell 'Locate Creature' you must check the following:

1. If you are not familiar with the creature you are aiming to locate, do not use this spell.
2. Once cast the creature is located in a temple, lead lined building, faction HQ or other warded or null magic location then disregard the result as the spell has failed.
3. Once cast, compare to the location given for the creature and your location on the world map. If a river is shown lying on a direct path between your location and theirs then disregard the result as the spell has failed.
4. While you have the map out, check the approximate distance from your location to theirs, if it is beyond 400ft +40ft per caster level then disregard the result as the spell has failed.
5. PM the subject to ascertain if they are currently using potions of non detection or are under the effects of a polymorph spell. If they are using either then disregard the result as the spell has failed.
6. If none of the above are applicable then consult the world map for a compass based heading. (IE: You know if the creature lies in a direction North, South, East or West or any mixture of those from you.) You do not know the exact distance, nor their exact location.


Seems a little complex.

[Elusa]

The topology of Sundren and the mechanics of the spell make is so it should pretty much always fail unless you're in the same area. If you ignore all restrictions, you need to give x and y coordinates to every area and calculate directions on the fly.

To keep the spell, you'd have to alter it so all it tells you is if the person is in the same zone as you. If NWN2 provides access to x-y coordinates of characters, you could still make it work with directions in the same zone. It still wouldn't make it work like PnP, but it's as close an approximation as you can get.

In summary: Nuke it from orbit and inspect the rubble in case it survived. I've only seen it used properly like once.

On a related note: People should leave searchable on more often than they do.

[Yevelian]

On a side note, I would like to see us get away from world transition points, and go to a area-to-area portal system. That is to say, you want to get to Aquor from Port Avanthyr, well you'll have to travel North five to six travel/road screens to get there. I'm a fan of Locate Creature, even though I can't cast it. I think it should be left, but when someone can just portal from the South to the North, it gets abused. People would think twice about abusing/hunting someone if they actually had to cover ground.

[Elusa]

On a side note, I would like to see us get away from world transition points, and go to a area-to-area portal system. That is to say, you want to get to Aquor from Port Avanthyr, well you'll have to travel North five to six travel/road screens to get there.

For 95% of people, that would just add pointless travel time, not to mention painful amounts of loading time in between zones. It would also require a lot of additional zones, which places a burden on the server.

[Yevelian]

For 95% of people, that would just add pointless travel time, not to mention painful amounts of loading time in between zones. It would also require a lot of additional zones, which places a burden on the server.

But in PW servers, it adds realism of travel time. I played in ALFA some years ago, where there was no world map, and the server was far far far larger than Sundren. It can be done. Not every screen has to have encounters, or even lots of placeables. For events, or even travel between towns, getting there was half the fun.

[Lugwy]

I won't mind being able to get to places the old-fashioned way, with the option to pay for faster passage here and there if you're in a hurry.

It's also an opportunity to give Sundren quite a bit more character and atmosphere. It's one thing to read about the war that brought Sundren aloft, but it's quite another to pass a good number of zones still bearing scars from the experience. Places like the Pit (the one before with corpses, not the current one with skeletons) and the (current) Rural Farm come to mind.

[thaelis]

For 95% of people, that would just add pointless travel time, not to mention painful amounts of loading time in between zones. It would also require a lot of additional zones, which places a burden on the server.

I personally love servers where you have to run everywhere (btw, I have terrible load times).

#realism #harder to metagame #ambushes

[Sparkie]

Yeah, if they could add anything to Sundren, I'd say make roadways going from each of the current world map transitions. That being said, some people would still want to be able to get somewhere fast, so I would add to this idea the idea of the Caravan. Much like the one North of Aquor, these would take you to pre-determined areas, for a price. For example, a caravan at the Gate of the Sunderer could take people to the Second wind Inn for 50 gold and Port avanthyr for 100 gold.

However, I am certain that both of these would be a lot of work thrown on top of our already busy and lovely staff. So, while I like the idea of making the world of Sundren bigger, I don't expect it to happen.

Just my thoughts.

[Lotus]

I played in ALFA some years ago, where there was no world map, and the server was far far far larger than Sundren.

Quality of areas has a lot to do with this. We have very high and inflexible standards of quality, so our exteriors are a much bigger draw on resources than other servers' exteriors, and this is still after toolset wizards like Tupuon have figured out just how to build within the tooslet to get the most aesthetics for the least cost.

[Elusa]

But in PW servers, it adds realism of travel time. I played in ALFA some years ago, where there was no world map, and the server was far far far larger than Sundren. It can be done.

It can be done, but you need a server that can handle it.

I wouldn't mind having a little bit of extra travel, like it was done with the areas between the Second Wind and the City, but that's going to take a good chunk of time to create and implement. If the server was designed to exclude the world map, it would be easier, but it is what it is.