Stop using staff blocks for everything.

[Crono]

Exactly @ Rufus & Dusty.

The staff block is only supposed to be used in emergency situations. For example a store is glitched, a staff member will block it off with the staff blocks until a developer or someone else with level rights can log on and remove the door's link.

[papajchris]

Originally Posted by Rufus

Thanks.



For something like this I would have thought that a solution that meets the theme would have been obvious. Remove the warp link in the actual level and place a "closed" sign on the door? Place shutters over the windows? Board the place up? Place an NPC "member of staff" outside saying that the building is currently being renovated? Something that isn't breaking the 4th wall.



Most people would read the information GUI to get things like graphic uploads, it is pretty common sense that the information would be there. I don't really see a need for this block at all. Important announcements or changes could be announced by newspaper boys/girls spread around different points of the server selling papers and acting like a ticker of current headlines and need-to-knows.

People would complain about Newspaper boys/girls just as much.

And why do all that work to the mall when its only temporarily down.

And not many read the news gui, else the block wouldnt be there. But sad thing, even WITH blocks there, people send them in incorrect some people are just....

[DarkReaper0]

Originally Posted by papajchris

2. to have important announcements at unstick me on the roofs of buildings. Such as how to properly send an image to be uploaded

-5 Points
That shold definitely be under an info tab.

And there's a reason why certain people are picked to be Player Relations.
Being a dev is much more fun, you can call someone stupid because it's not your job to hold their hand through an easy situation

[DustyPorViva]

Originally Posted by papajchris

People would complain about Newspaper boys/girls just as much.

And why do all that work to the mall when its only temporarily down.

How long is temporary? Anything longer than a day should be properly fixed up and closed. And knowing Era, temporary could mean months so, meh.

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by papajchris

People would complain about Newspaper boys/girls just as much.

I think you're missing the point Crono is trying to make. The complaint isn't about the amount of information that is being given, it is about the methods used to display that information. Staff blocks are a lazy way and they don't fit in with the theme of the server, where as paperboys/girls selling papers on the streets would. Currently you purchase newspapers straight from the Era News building, and this kind of transaction doesn't happen in real life, you buy papers from people selling them on the streets with little stalls, in shops, or you get them delivered. If there was various points where papers were sold on the streets, the NPCs could announce the latest headlines whilst shuffling in the "important" messages that the staff feel players need to know.

I'm going off on a little tangent here, but I believe that the Era News building should be reserved as a corporate area. I think that a job should be offered here too; delivering newspapers within a time frame, with the amount of time you take determining the amount you make. Imagine a little paperpersons job, similar to that of the letter delivering. Hell they could even give people little bikes after you've worked there a while and it'd be a good way of giving new players easy access to better transportation, also meaning that they don't just get plowed when they leave the hospital.

Originally Posted by papajchris

And why do all that work to the mall when its only temporarily down.

It wouldn't be a lot of work if generic systems came into play like the ones suggested by myself or Dusty, but again I wasn't really condemning the use of staff blocks, only encouraging them not to be used long term.

Originally Posted by papajchris

And not many read the news gui, else the block wouldnt be there. But sad thing, even WITH blocks there, people send them in incorrect some people are just....

This still doesn't justify the use of staff blocks in the middle of the setting for this purpose. When you play on a game, you don't see huge instructions placed in the middle of some random roof, because it ruins the setting. Whenever there is doubt players should always be checking the options.

[natchez416]

you buy papers from people selling them on the streets with little stalls, in shops, or you get them delivered.

I agree, I dislike the idea of Era News selling the newspapers right from their head office.
I think the newspapers should be sold from little vending machines on the street:
http://www.janchipchase.com/20070817...0023-thumb.jpg

These vending machines would need to be stocked by era news people.
Also I like the idea of players being able to order a newspaper subscription delivered right to their house. Although I think this system might need to be npc controlled, where the newspaper will just appear on the front step of your house. I don't know if player delivery people would be reliable enough.

[DustyPorViva]

I'll just have to say that every professional game has something called presentation. This is of course... how the game presents itself. Better quality games tend to present itself in a professional manner, immersing the player in the world, making them feel like they're in the game instead of playing one. The better the game is in presentation, generally the better the player feels about the game.

Era, and Graal servers in general, tend to lack any positive presentation. Little things like this can change the overall look of a server in such a positive way it's not even funny. Small details add up, remember that. Even if they seem minor if you have a bunch of redeeming small details, players will appreciate it and the server will benefit from it.

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by Rufus

Hell they could even give people little bikes after you've worked there a while and it'd be a good way of giving new players easy access to better transportation, also meaning that they don't just get plowed when they leave the hospital.

Changed my mind with this. To make the job a little less like mail delivery, you should receive a bike for the period of time in which you're delivering newspapers and then return it. Once you've done a certain amount, the Era News place could give you it as a gift to use outside of the job.

[Nataxo]

I like the idea =D

[natchez416]

Originally Posted by Rufus

Changed my mind with this. To make the job a little less like mail delivery, you should receive a bike for the period of time in which you're delivering newspapers and then return it. Once you've done a certain amount, the Era News place could give you it as a gift to use outside of the job.

I thought of an idea to make this idea possible while keeping it player run.
A player would be able to buy a month long subscription to era news. He pays, say, 1k for the month of delivery. This money is controlled by an NPC for the next month. The 1k is taken by npc and put in an npc bank account that neither customer or era news can access. For every paper that is delivered to the customers mailbox, 100g is automatically withdrawn from the npc account and given to the era news safe. At the end of the month the customer will receive the leftover money from the npc account. (if there is any)
Also something will have to be scripted to prevent the paper boys from delivering the same paper more than once.

This solves the problem of a customer paying for delivery, and getting ripped off by lazy paper boys. : )

[Crow]

Originally Posted by DarkReaper0

Being a dev is much more fun, you can call someone stupid because it's not your job to hold their hand through an easy situation

I especially like to do this with people like you.

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by papajchris

People would complain about Newspaper boys/girls just as much.

And why do all that work to the mall when its only temporarily down.

And not many read the news gui, else the block wouldnt be there. But sad thing, even WITH blocks there, people send them in incorrect some people are just....

wow, i love how you have to disagree with EVERYTHING that EVERYONE says.. don't be so negative.

[Shotoo2]

I want my red staff blocks back.

Now those babies stuck out like a sore thumb.

[papajchris]

Realistically, I wouldn't be shooting be in the streets of a city and gain points and revive when I die. I didn't lose focus of what crono was saying about blocks. My point im trying to claim to i suppose is that it isn't a big deal

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by papajchris

Realistically, I wouldn't be shooting be in the streets of a city and gain points and revive when I die. I didn't lose focus of what crono was saying about blocks. My point im trying to claim to i suppose is that it isn't a big deal

if you think that it isn't a big deal/don't care about it, don't post. they're worthless posts if you're just arguing that it doesn't matter.