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Greetings.
I've overhauled the core mechanics of caravans and yaks/mules/etc and put them into the test instance. I have not tampered with the kregkeirels at this time. This should mostly be invisible to you guys, but there's a chance that I missed something while merging and cleaning up. Things that could be visible are a tweak to the formula used for climbing things (it wasn't updated when Dartenian re-did climbing a while back), cleaned up handling for stabling if you disconnect/log out, auto-stabling if you die and your caravan stands around too long.
Things I'd like you to test:
--Leading the caravan around (having it follow you), particularly any areas that you climb and it has to follow.
--Letting it auto-lead along different routes.
--Dying/logging out while it's active. You may need a friend or alt body to watch the behavior. It takes ~an hour to auto stable for being out of game, 30 minutes if dead in front of your caravan.
This can be time intensive for a lot of (hopefully) "I didn't notice anything different" results, but wanted to toss it out to any of the interested masses just to be safe. Plat has been able to test this a few days, but opening it up to more now. Again, these updates are only in the Test instance.
This is a first step, and I intend to continue updating other related aspects to get them somewhat modernized and easier to work with in the future.
If you notice any oddities, please respond here in Response to GM/Official Announcements.
ASGM Zadraes
Premium Liaison
ALAE GM (Platinum)
Logistics Lead
Heyas.
Nearly a year later, but a second and more extensive round of caravan-related updates is currently in the Test instance.
As with the initial updates, these should largely be invisible. They were primarily to clean up old mechanics (some not changed since creation in the mid 90s) to allow for future updates. Some messaging was added (error messages and such), some punctuation or typos corrected, but most day-to-day stuff shouldn't be affected.
I've touched on almost all aspects of caravans and pack animals -- renting, returning, stabling/retrieving, movement, TELL commands, hunger, auto-stabling for disconnected owners, auto-stabling for dead owners, LOOK mechanics (crates + caravans), STUDY (crates), getting contracts, turning in contracts and likely more.
Part of this is related to a new feature we hope to release for POCs during Guild Fest (or shortly after if testing turns up problems). If you have some time to poke around, run some routes, etc to test things out, I'd appreciate it. I'll have a body around in Test to monitor for major failures, so if you come across problems, feel free to try CHATTER to get my attention. If I'm not responsive, then please respond here so I have a central location for tracking it all.
Early next week, I'll set out the new POC bit for testing as well if these initial changes hold.
Thanks folks! More to come!
ASGM Zadraes
Logistics Lead
Nearly a year later, but a second and more extensive round of caravan-related updates is currently in the Test instance.
As with the initial updates, these should largely be invisible. They were primarily to clean up old mechanics (some not changed since creation in the mid 90s) to allow for future updates. Some messaging was added (error messages and such), some punctuation or typos corrected, but most day-to-day stuff shouldn't be affected.
I've touched on almost all aspects of caravans and pack animals -- renting, returning, stabling/retrieving, movement, TELL commands, hunger, auto-stabling for disconnected owners, auto-stabling for dead owners, LOOK mechanics (crates + caravans), STUDY (crates), getting contracts, turning in contracts and likely more.
Part of this is related to a new feature we hope to release for POCs during Guild Fest (or shortly after if testing turns up problems). If you have some time to poke around, run some routes, etc to test things out, I'd appreciate it. I'll have a body around in Test to monitor for major failures, so if you come across problems, feel free to try CHATTER to get my attention. If I'm not responsive, then please respond here so I have a central location for tracking it all.
Early next week, I'll set out the new POC bit for testing as well if these initial changes hold.
Thanks folks! More to come!
ASGM Zadraes
Logistics Lead
The next bit is now in DR:Test for those willing to test it out. You need own a POC (any customization -- TAP/LOOK/READ or interior room) to test this. DR:Test uses the information from Prime, and it may be a bit dated. If you get told you don't have a POC in Test, check to see if I'm around in chatter. If I am, I'll get you set up. If not, drop a post here on the forums with your name and when you're generally around, and I'll keep an eye out for you.
The mechanic is a Lazy Susan-style shelf with features you can purchase to increase its usefulness. The base item is the turnable shelf -- you must have that before being allowed to get the others. You can only use one feature at a time, but you access the others by TURNing the shelf to that 'slot' when you've purchased the upgrade. You interact with these features that are ON the shelf. Unfortunately, the syntax is a bit cumbersome to interact with them, but there's not much that can be done about that.
The shelf has a tray that will hold 5 items. This is meant to be temporary storage while you're leading your caravan around. Nothing special, since you have the storage boxes at a certain point, but it's there if you need it.
Upgrade 1: A bucket of gloop. It only messages when it's the active item, but it DOES still function even if it's not the active item. Just like any other bucket in the game, don't put something in here unless you're willing to lose it forever.
Upgrade 2: Scales. These are based around an old quest prize but were adapted to be used on the caravan's shelf. They have a size and weight limit to what they can measure, but they should be fairly relaxed.
Upgrade 3: a Wayerd pyramid. It's a basic pyramid (not cambrinth), but it's bolted to the shelf. It will function like this and doesn't need to be on the ground.
You will be asked to empty any added contents before RETURNing your caravan to the guild or storing it at the stables. ICly, these are new to the guild and they don't want to be held responsible if anything comes up missing. If your caravan dies due to starvation, the shelf and it's upgrades will be hauled off to the guild, but any items that were on the pieces (forageables in the pyramid, weapon on the scales, etc) will be gone and not eligible for replacement.
You can STUDY the shelf for basic info:
The wooden shelf is segmented into a number of surfaces, each with a specific purpose. You can TURN the shelf to rotate through its available features.
A quick glance reveals that the shelf:
DOES have a storage space available.
DOES have a bucket of gloop available.
DOES have scales available.
DOES have a Wayerd pyramid available.
This is currently in DR:Test. If you have a POC, you can purchase the components to test them out. They're priced super low at the moment for easier testing. EDIT: You can purchase the components inside the Crossing trader guild, two steps east of clerk.
Provided there are no major catastrophes, we'll get a shop with them into Prime/Plat as soon as we can -- before guild fest ends if possible, soon after if not. Please respond on the Trader boards if you notice anything odd.
ASGM Zadraes
Logistics Lead
The mechanic is a Lazy Susan-style shelf with features you can purchase to increase its usefulness. The base item is the turnable shelf -- you must have that before being allowed to get the others. You can only use one feature at a time, but you access the others by TURNing the shelf to that 'slot' when you've purchased the upgrade. You interact with these features that are ON the shelf. Unfortunately, the syntax is a bit cumbersome to interact with them, but there's not much that can be done about that.
The shelf has a tray that will hold 5 items. This is meant to be temporary storage while you're leading your caravan around. Nothing special, since you have the storage boxes at a certain point, but it's there if you need it.
Upgrade 1: A bucket of gloop. It only messages when it's the active item, but it DOES still function even if it's not the active item. Just like any other bucket in the game, don't put something in here unless you're willing to lose it forever.
Upgrade 2: Scales. These are based around an old quest prize but were adapted to be used on the caravan's shelf. They have a size and weight limit to what they can measure, but they should be fairly relaxed.
Upgrade 3: a Wayerd pyramid. It's a basic pyramid (not cambrinth), but it's bolted to the shelf. It will function like this and doesn't need to be on the ground.
You will be asked to empty any added contents before RETURNing your caravan to the guild or storing it at the stables. ICly, these are new to the guild and they don't want to be held responsible if anything comes up missing. If your caravan dies due to starvation, the shelf and it's upgrades will be hauled off to the guild, but any items that were on the pieces (forageables in the pyramid, weapon on the scales, etc) will be gone and not eligible for replacement.
You can STUDY the shelf for basic info:
The wooden shelf is segmented into a number of surfaces, each with a specific purpose. You can TURN the shelf to rotate through its available features.
A quick glance reveals that the shelf:
DOES have a storage space available.
DOES have a bucket of gloop available.
DOES have scales available.
DOES have a Wayerd pyramid available.
This is currently in DR:Test. If you have a POC, you can purchase the components to test them out. They're priced super low at the moment for easier testing. EDIT: You can purchase the components inside the Crossing trader guild, two steps east of clerk.
Provided there are no major catastrophes, we'll get a shop with them into Prime/Plat as soon as we can -- before guild fest ends if possible, soon after if not. Please respond on the Trader boards if you notice anything odd.
ASGM Zadraes
Logistics Lead
