My character drowned, please change swimming!

[jorb]

I cross rivers by clicking the ground on the opposite bank. My hope is that if there is lag or my connection drops, my character will swim to the other side on his own.

This.

[MasterCatfish]

Swimming is incredibly dangerous. A player character can die in seconds if he/she chooses to go swimming. I realize there is a great deal of warning, but even so, it seems a bit too dangerous. I bought the swimming skill, with the intent to swim out 1 square and then return. I wanted to test how difficult it actually was. Upon turning on swimming, the game prompted me with a warning. Sadly, I missed the 'ok' button by a few pixles with my click. I clicked on the window instead, and was drowned seconds later.

I'd like to propose a slightly less risky alternative. Perhaps boat-making would be more appropriate. I'm sure the difficulty of swimming is intended to make rivers hard to cross, but does failure have to be so fatal? A boat could use the same amount of stamina to paddle, and upon reaching 0 stamina cause the player to drift back to shore.

Another way would to simply cause a failed swimmer to become unconscious and drift back to his starting point.

Just a thought.

[Yolan]

And so the great beast of H&H consigns another soul to the underworld.

[jorb]

Upon turning on swimming, the game prompted me with a warning. Sadly, I missed the 'ok' button by a few pixles with my click. I clicked on the window instead, and was drowned seconds later.

... wow.

[NaoWhut]

Pro?


This is why noobs take steroids

[Jackard]

Now that boats have made rivers relatively accessible, now may be a good time to alter how swimming works - have it so all characters start with the swimming toggle, and learning the skill eases the toll swimming takes on your stamina. (In addition to the suggestion of replacing drowning with being washed 'downstream'.)

So instead of the ironic scenario of only being able to drown after learning how to swim, learning the skill has a clear benefit. Right now the skill isnt even worth taking, and this would make it desirable.



You might even make Swimming a skill value, but that would probably be a bad idea since LP will be removed in the future anyways.

[Chakravanti]

Yeah, now* that boats have changed game mechanics drowning is pretty much asinine...as a game mechanic...

[CG62]

hell, I don't even HAVE swimming yet. Never thought it worth the LP.

So any buffs to the skill will be well received by me.

[Axehilt]

Personally I'd rather spawn newbies in non-wasteland areas than do this. Water is still a relatively serious obstacle, and one of the things you need to overcome.

Although washing up downstream instead of dying is an excellent suggestion.

Part of the wasteland issue is the newbie area is surrounded by rivers. Use lakes instead of rivers near the starting area and the immediate vicinity will be vastly more open to players (although this still isn't a longterm solution to everyone spawning in the exact same place.)

[Jackard]

Water is still a relatively serious obstacle, and one of the things you need to overcome.

And it still can be, once a proper worldgen is in place so that you see lakes and seas. Swimming still has serious problems that must be addressed.