Kashim has inspired me to post an idea to put a control on shouts (This is a follow up on B a l i's poll about shouts).

City and communes should be fitted with gigantic horn-like shout devices (much like in the Lord of the Rings or Guild Wars) which echo across the lands. This is much better for RP and will reduce the idiotic shouts that plague the Basin.

While we're at it, why not implement the House system too?

No. That would hurt rogues for no actual improvement in the game's quality, since the people who exchange idiotic shouts are usually the fighters of this or that org.

It doesn't hurt rogues. Its a good idea and a far more sensible system than what exists now.

No, I disagree.

Besides, according to the poll, 55% of people, the majority, like the shout system the way it is. It's a tool. The problem is some people are more irritated or prickly than others and have different opinions about the use of shouts.

The event also proved the usefulness of shouts. People were using the shouts to communicate across the realms of Lusternia.

I'd be interested in a better system to replace the "shout" concept, but I don't think that should be a very high priority.

Endurance cost and the level limit is enough to keep shouts from ruining the game. I can't see limiting them in any other capacity. Basically, it comes down to people's opinions about other's roleplay, which just gets into a total subjective bias on what is "good" and what is "bad", or what annoys other people.

To be constructive.

If we were going to do this.

Let's change it into a set of aetherchannels--the old Aetherbroadcast channels from long ago. They will cost the same endurance to use and invoke but they will have the same power--or maybe switch to willpower. This will make more sense RP wise. You can turn off the channel if you'd like.

Perhaps we could have say, half-a-dozen channels that can be used, for different purposes--which would allow some leeway and allow people to organize the channels for express purposes.

But I don't want anything like limits to cities or communes or orgs or locations. Let everybody still have the same abilities. Do not attempt to limit it just because you don't like the way a single person uses it.

I like shouts, since it drains endurance to shout, let the idiots shout, then sneak up and kill them. They will not have enough endurance to fight back and then may think twice about shouting so much

I really don't have a problem with shouts the way they are. Some of the idiocy is kinda entertaining, and the gods usually zap anyone who is abusing the shouting privilege.

Who said there couldn't be horns in more places then just the cities?

shoutsoff ftw

I like shouts how they are. OOC shouts are punished swiftly and idiots can only shout for so long. I get a laugh out of a lot of them, stupid as they are.

Leave shouts as they are.

Horns? Purlleeease. Can't we think of our own ideas without borrowing from (horror of horrors) Achaea.

I don't mind the shouts set up as it is now, though I get a little irritated during events. Not about people like Tully shouting, but that Magnagorans obey. I mean.. why the hell is the Engine of Transformation following the commands and suggestions of a toilet-cleaning ex-serf with a penchant for furniture polish? No offense, Phred. It just doesn't make sound RP sense to me. The last event's helpful shouts weren't any real source of irritation for me during the last event.. although I do feel you stretch your janitor premise a little, Phred... what was annoying for me was that Magnagorans were openly cooperating with the enemy (..fine..) and acting like they didn't mind (absolutely NOT fine).

In any case, to suggest that one can -shout- over such a vast area has always seemed a little weak to me. If we're going to change anything, I like the aetherchannel idea, and I'd like to see a small power cost. That way a stupid shout can be legitimately spanked down by the relevant org for power wastage.

Hey, if reality is collapsing, everybody can help, even freelance Janitors.

Well, from what I understand Aiakon, all of existence was being destroyed, reality was collapsing on itself. The Magnagorans should be cooperating, at least in terms of basic self-preservation. I think the event was supposed to encourage cooperation (at least in the beginning), just like when Kethuru came back (the mags tried to cooperate and I believe got slapped down by him).

Note that I never gave orders per se, I was just trying to send information to all that needed it, especially people who came in late, and give people status reports. (And if I get 5 or 6 simultaneous tells, it's easier to shout the same answer to all).