IDEA: Persistent characters in-game on logoff (as 'global' decorational assets).....

Hey all,


I'm not sure if this idea has ever been posed before. I did have a quick search that yielded nothing but perhaps someone has.


So this is an idea that would be way down the list in terms of priority as it really doesn’t add anything to the game except a more immersive feel.


My idea is the concept of characters staying in-game within player owned property upon logout - if that player has been put into a 'resting' state using in-game assets. EG. a chair, or a bed.


At the moment of log-out. If a character (associated with a player owned lot or POT) has used a resting asset such as a bed, their character is removed from the game world as normal but is then replaced with a non-interactive decroational asset which maintains the same appearance as when they logged out.

That is to say, the character is removed from the server instance but a replica asset of them is injected back into the game world as a 'global' housing decoration. The same as if the logged-out player was a decorational statue and the property owner had placed one in their house. No matter what new instance of the scene is created by other players, the logged out character would then be displayed on the housing asset and visible to everyone playing the game. The asset would be flagged with the name of the player, although it would be apparent they were offline and the offline player would no longer be shown in 'nearby players' as they have simply become a decoration (which is persistent for say, one week after logoff - or 24h in a NPC town).
Of course these offline player decorations would be dismissable/removable by a property/POT owner with correct rights.

Upon a new player login, the player decoration is removed as a global asset in that location and they re-join an instance as they usually would (in the same location or upon the world map).


Now I'm aware that there will be many variables for the servers to store when a player logs off in order to generate this player decoration based on their equipment, and that every player ‘decoration’ would consist of a few Kb of data to be sent to every new player loading into that zone/house/pot. This may increase load time and have a detrimental render performance hit to clients. Especially if there were 100s of logged out players in the scene. I can’t imagine that this would really have a large affect however, based on the sheer number of decoration assets/lighting that can be placed in a scene currently.


...That said, how AWESOME (not to mention, creepy) would it be to visit a player's house and see them asleep in bed while offline. Or even seeing a whole guild's worth of players asleep or resting while offline in a guild owned barracks or inn.


If extended to NPC towns, it could also offer a great lived-in immersive feel if inns were full of sleeping/offline players or gust ball stadiums had their seating filled with offline player's models while offline.

Obviously, this might get a little much should the player base suddenly explode within NPC areas.



Is this worth some consideration? Is it a good idea for devs to explore?


Fazza

 

Also...
Quote from @majoria70 earlier post:
Make it viable to sleep in beds or in a camp or an inn that activates a resting bonus.

 

Then all logged out players of a PoT use deco memory?
And think if the inactive who then all use memory we never can have enough and time to load a scene.

And whats about people who dont have a house and the possibility to sleep in a bed?
If it's viable to do so, grant a bonus etc.
it's more pay 2 win because a house is very much luck after playing a lot of time to get the money ingame to get a raffle Ticket and then get a house... or real money.

 

Nah. No bonus here. No pay to win... just esthetics.
Also does not count towards decoration amount in a house. Although it could as most people usually have plenty spare.

I mention also the ability to do the same in NPC towns for those without houses. Although again, its of no benefit... just to increase immersion in the living world.

 

or a camp or an Inn
when I hear camp I think a bedroll and hopefully some sort of camping skill to make a fire (bedroll is 100gp?)

my point is there wouldn't be any pay 2 win,

 

Exactly!

 

Ok, for more immersion and if it's just about this and not about any bonuses.

But I think it would impact loading times on a huge level.
Chars aren't just like 1 item, they have items on them and carry items and all that maybe could increase the loading times of scenes where people logged out.

And they need to check where the character actually is when he's logging out.
I don't want people stay here and there while offline, should only work if people lay down in a bed.

But then, less immersion, I am usually not going inside a stranger's house to see him sleeping ;-)
Ok for thief's it's maybe nice

I vote yes, but its a feature that would take a lot of work i guess, but reward is just a nice to have.

 

This would be kinda cool actually - could be fun.
I don't agree with it affecting load levels @Stundorn - once Portalarium optimizes the code for commercial launch we shouldn't see any of these problems that we're seeing now. There are still tons of graphics polish passes and LOD implementations/optimizations needed. It's so weird walking up to a non-decorated home just to have everything materialize on screen when you're standing out front. That should all change soon though. Seeing a dude sitting out his porch would be cool - seeing a bunch or people standing in the street AFK for days on end would be weird though - might need some rules to protect immersion.

 

I agree. I wouldnt expect people AFK in the street - hence thats why I suggested that these representations of players only continue to exist as a global asset IF they have used a 'resting' asset such as a bed or a chair or such prior to logging out.

I'm sure its not that technically easy to transition a player from an instance into a visual representation of one as a global decorative asset. But yeah, I think it would be pretty cool filling up some of those large player owned houses with offline players sleeping..etc rather than them appearing as unoccupied ghost towns.

Well, I thought it was worth posting the idea anyway.

 

I think this is a really cool idea. There are some tech issues... The data of knowing what the character is wearing is minuscule compared to actually rendering those assets (all separate draw calls that can't be baked into one asset as they're different models accessing lots of different materials/textures ( + personal dye variants ). BUT... If we had some 1 piece 'pajama' nightrobe clothes.. that could easily be 1 asset.. and when you enter this 'resting' mode' it could swap your gear to that?

 

I like this idea. One other idea would be to have an outfit that players can wear and wander around the house. For example, I'm going to be roleplaying a merchant even while I'm online. It would be nice if I purchase some "offline" variation of the Wealthy Merchant's Outfit that my offline persona could wander around my shop in that outfit if I'm not online.

 

Sounds excellent. I thought the rendering may be an issue for all those offline people. I mean, as much as it would be cool to show off your gear in bed while offline, if the technical reasons make it impossible than absolutely some 1-piece outfits would acheive the same boosted immersion outcome for which my suggestion was based on.

Thanks for your response!



...oh and if it was ever possible and extended to NPC beds for example. It would be hilarious to battle to the bottom of a dungion to find a player offline and asleep in a Bandit or Kobold's bed at the bottom of K'rul

 

this actually gives governors something to offer players who don't have lot deeds, as you did specify players associated with a lot OR POT. the guv can give anyone resident permissions and set out chairs/benches on public grounds. would be nice at devotionals and other shrines, actually.

 

That's some "out of the box, inside of the box" thinking and I like it!
Have the homeless populate the bars and whenever we all log back in, we log back to the same place we left off at. Sure!


"Or maybe just wake back up anywhere !"

"Where am I" ?

Random wakeup option?
~Time Lord~

 

Where am I?
Where are my clothes?
Who is that?!

 

This is similar to what Chronicles of Elyria plans on implementing as well, but the offline player will be full AI npcs.

Can this be done by Doc @Undone since he's into simulation stuff?

 

Like it.

And as every one can go into a NPC tavern and sleep there, I also like to have the bonus.
Would be interesting to see all the people sleeping in the Owls Head Tavern.

 

What if we were able to choose what we would say when we are not ingame, multiple choice, or what emote(s) you would choose to use the most, multiple choice of where we would wish to be seen while we are not ingame through the options ?

We're very deep here, but not out of the question of asking for...
~Time Lord~

 

Bonuses for sleeping! 30 minute xp boost when you first get in after a full nights rest.

 

That's always been such a very good idea!

~Time Lord Approves~