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Ok - no doubt you'll all love this, but here goes:
After the next reboot, it should no longer be the case that three (or any number) of warrants affects your ability to use the where command.
I've read through the various forums threads, and there were EXCELLENT posts on both sides of the issue, as well a few excellent posts just discussing the ramifications of a lack of imm response to the issue and such.
In addition to the excellent posts, there were a not unexpected number of posts that overly asserted (IMHO) that their opinion was the right one, and so on - but I was quite impressed by a few folks who pointed out the benefits of having it the way it was, and a few folks who pointed out the problems with it, and pointed out what in essence the lack of a staff reply on it should be interpreted as.
In the end, I did NOT change it because of a particular post, mudmail, narrate, etc. I also don't believe I was involved with the initial decision to do this - but anything is possible - it's been a while since this code has been in. After an imm again pointed this out to me, I read the various forums and thought to myself, "what issue do I address today, of the literally thousands of posts that are out there, some dozens of which could easily be judged 'critical'".
After this issue was again identified to me, and I agreed to look into it, I then thought to myself, "what problem is this trying to solve?". Clearly a number of people identified this correctly in their posts, and others correctly pointed out the side affects.
It was NOT trying to make us a hand-holding MUD, nor do I think it even moved us more than an inch in that direction. It was trying to solve the problem of ridiculously simple killings of lower levels by higher levels with trivially easy information of using 'where', or solve the mass grouping killings of higher level'd folks using this trivially easy info. At the rate and manner it was going, we might as well simply let such an individual log on, select a target, and trans them together into a no-exit room - there was practically no difference - in my limited opinion.
Now again, I don't think (?) that I had a hand in this solution, and I see the side-efects, but that issue needed to be stopped. I suspect after it was stopped, Nass and whomever worked on it with him moved on to fight the next fire.
So, I have decided to give the above change a try.
*Read this part carefully*
In order to provide relief to the people inadvertently hit by this, the where command will now be unavailable solely if you have the MURDERER flag set on you. As of now, I do not believe there is a way for you to get a MURDERER flag other than an imm slapping one on you.
This change was NOT done to allow the original problem to resurface, just to provide relief to the above affected people.
*Trust me*, if I see the old problem recur again before I have some type of automated solution (no idea when that will be), I will absolutely:
- put a MURDERER flag on you until I am in fact able to automate a solution, which will generate the same negative consequences regarding hunting mobs and inability to use the where command - care not if it appears hand-holding - care not that I have "ruined" your character. Since you decided not to wait for the automated solution to go ahead and do the killings, you can then wait for it to have the MURDERER flag removed.
We'll see how it goes.
Constructive comments are always welcome - and I assure you, flames will be ignored.
Thanks,
-- Flash