Bob writes:
> You're missing my point.
> 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.
I'm not missing your point at all. I understand that you choose to think
of /loc as unjustifiable. However, given the far-fetched rationalization
that you gave for externally obtained information, such as this list,
my point was that you could just as easily rationalize /loc, *if you
wanted to*. You don't want to, and that's fine.
Personally, my biggest gripe with /loc is that t considerably reduces the
value of sense heading. I guess it also reduces the value of bards, since
many people hit /loc just before dying, and therefore don't need our help
finding their corpses. In game, when someone asks me directions to a place,
I will give them compass headings or directions along the paths, even when
I know they're after coordinates. I'm just mean, I guess.
However, I've been dumped into the Ocean of Tears enough times that I've
recorded the coordinates of the boat stops, just to maintain my own sanity.
I prefer not to think of the boat crashes as natural disasters, but as
Verant's incompetence, and I absolutely refuse to swim around for hours
trying to figure out where I am. Call me a bad roleplayer if you will,
but I find swimming around lost to be monotonous, boring, and a total
waste of time. (Well, okay, the first time I got dumped in the ocean,
I did manage to raise my swimming skill by 65 points or so, but every time
since then, it's been a waste.)
As you pointed out earlier, it's basically a debugging feature. As long as
we're helping Verant debug the game, I see no problem with using it in
that context. Heh. Maybe they should only enable it when you file a /bug
report, and disable it the next time you zone.
Purna
Bristlebane