Parties and random encounters

This is not R15 exclusive, I just didn't thought of it until now.

When in a party, if one of the members activates a random encounter, i think that, at the very least, it should be possible for other members to enter the encounter scene (double clicking the player flag or whatever).
In fact, if other party members are sufficiently near (in the same hex or maybe the surrounding ones) I think they should be automatically dragged into the scene as well.

What doesn't make any sense is travelling as a party and then having each member defending by themselves in every random encounter,

 

Yeah this makes no sense.

 

There are deisgn problems that would need to be sorted out. The big one I see is determining who should be pulled in? What if they aren't even on the map? How close is close enough? And many more.

Besides there isn't much to do in the encounters. Many just run out.

 

I hope that there will be funcitonality to "move as party" where everyone is moved by the party leader on the overland map. If they get an encounter, all gets an encounter.
And if you have the checkbox off, then all partymembers move like they do now, and only get pulled into personal encounters.

 

My principal concern is not who is dragged into the encounter but the inability of other members to enter the scene to help (After all that's the main reason for being in a party, help each other and play as a group! not having to wait for a member to solve it's unique encounter when the other members are just around). I wouldn't mind individual encounters as long as other members are able to enter the scene.
And now most of the encounters are meaningless, true, but that is not going to be true in the finished product, and some might definitely benefit from playing in a party, so it doesn't hurt to start thinking on how to solve it.

Right now we can simply /zone to the player that is in the encounter, but zone is going to go away eventually, we need a streamlined solution. Could be something as simple as going to the partner flag in the map and double clicking it to enter the scene.

 

Maybe, if a party member near you is pulled to an encounter you could recieve a notification with the option to get involved, or not.

 

Random encounters are already lame. Forcing every party member just multiplies the lameness.

 

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If it is the party leader then you get this.

 

And forcing every party member to wait outside on the map while one player resolves the encounter elevates the lameness that's why I want to be able to enter the encounter scene when one of my partymates is dragged into it. Perhaps not automatically, but give me the ability to do so.

(Also, I consider current random encounters a placeholder and I expect better and meaningful ones in the future, but that's for another topic).

 

I like this solution. If the other party members happen to be lagging behind doing something else, while someone in the party wanders off to explore, if that person stumbles into a random encounter....the other party members should have to catch up to enter and help them. I'm not in favor of the rest of the party given the option to port to a players encounter if they are to far away....

Although, since the map is looking so great, and there will be the addition of visible roaming creatures on the map, I don't know why we couldn't fight them directly on the map without dropping into a scene..(my pitch for UO type game play on the over world map )

I say save the scenes for Points of interest, Landmarks, Towns/Player towns, Dungeons...etc. Roaming encounters or even players would be fun to combat on the over world map.

Tracker

 

I agree but I also thing that it would be good if would take a moment for the rest of the party to join and perhaps not join the scene in the same place. If a party is surprised be an ambush it might tame a moment for the party to get organized enough to make counter attack and it would be good if some encounters would simulate this.

 

The first thing I thought about when I saw other people (not party members) on the overworld map in R15 is, these guys should be pulled into the encounter with me if they are close enough.

Also, I don't actually like random encounters, but that's mentioned in the other thread about not liking them. That's off-topic here.