There is a huge difference in using the "programming internals to further my
ability" as opposed to getting yourself out of a jam because the game is
Bugged or is not realistic enough.
The boat dropped me into the water 5 seconds from the ButcherBlock zone. I
can verify this because on my second trip I saw the rock that I had swam to
just before the boat zoned. Now that I am in the water, I have two choices.
How would you "Roleplay" this?
I can try to swim to Butcherblock or swim all the way back across the Ocean
of Tears to the dock to catch the next boat. I realize that Butcherblock
is much closer. So I use my Sense Heading and examine the sun/moon to
figure out which is East. Then I head in the opposite direction (because
the zone was put in backwards). Soon I realize that I am not making any
progress. There is some invisible shield blocking my progress. The boat
passes through this shield with no problems. Well, I'll swim back to
Freeport. After a long swim I find the same shield is blocking Freeport.
OK, so I'll hail the boat as it comes by and the boat will stop and rescue
me. Here it comes. Everyone on the boat sees me and is yelling. But the
boat doesn't stop. No one bothers to throw a rope down to me. It just
leaves me in the ocean.
You might think that was roleplaying, but I don't. Even if I accepted your
mythical wave that "knocked" me off the boat, I still can't do any of the
other things that I would want to do that would extract myself from this
situation. I consider the game's roleplaying options "broken" at this point
so I see no problem with using /loc in this situation, even for the die-hard
roleplayers.
I actually /petitioned a GM and got moved to the island with the dock.
Wayne
> From: Bob Stewart <bstewart@...>
>Subject: Re: Boat Problems
>
>In my mind I can justify gadgetry that is intended as part of the game or
>is separate from the game but can in a reasonable way be considered part of
>the game, such as this mailing list or externally obtained maps. Mailing
>lists and maps are straightforward ways for people to exchange information
>and can be kept somewhat in game.
>
>My problem is using programming internals to further my ability to beat the
>computer program. That's not the game I want to play. It's too much like
>disassembling code to decypher the operating system so I can write whizbang
>programs of my own, or getting playing hints by printing out all the text
>messages from the software. That's playing the computer system, not the
game.
>
>/loc and the grid system are program mechanisms, not a game world feature.
>
>This is an old, familiar argument. I've had it before about exploiting
>rule glitches in live roleplaying games. Some people do because they get
>more power. Others won't because they want to play the fantasy game, not
>the external rules. I'm of the latter group and as a game rules designer
>tried to eliminate the abilities of the former.
>
> Bob