Water and cargo disks

[Aamer Khan]

Here is a question for everyone...

What happens to YOU if you try to cross underwater while dragging a disk?

For me, the disk auto un-equips and is left grounded at the waters edge. Now, I fully thought this was how it was supposed to work. However, I see a few players that seem to be able to drag their disk not only underwater, but also don't seem slowed down any by the water.

I know there was a way to completely turn off water in game, and the effect was that since water didn't exist for you, you would not slow down, nor drown.

Some claim that they just have game bugs that let them not drown or auto un-equip the disk they are dragging, and perhaps this is true. But I would LOVE to have an official comment from the devs about this issue.

When few if any bridges were built, I can see why disallowing "water-walking" took place and even some folks were banned. However, now all water does is look nice and slow down our movement from one area to another.

So devs...

If you DON'T care if players turn off water, please say so.
( however if you don't care EXPECT most to turn it off and roam freely )

If you DO care if players turn off water, Again please say so.
( if you do care, please do something about it. )

[Pharcellus]

It comes down to that old axiom in online game design that the original creators of HZ didn't learn: Never Trust The Client.

Since I doubt there is going to be any change in the core design of HZ any time soon, the only thing left is exploit reporting and punishment. Failing that, then everyone should feel free to go right ahead and do whatever they want to their game to get whatever they want out of it.

That's not meant to be an endorsement of cheating, but in lieu of anything effectively being done about it, people should be able to feel free to put themselves on an equal footing with the exploiters.

[gopher65]

I don't use this bug, but I have it. Someone told me that it has to do with the view distance. If you set the view distance below 25%, especially if you set it at minimum, then water only occasionally loads for you. If the water doesn't load, then you can just run through a normally watered area as if it was a valley.

Water rarely loads for me. And, as I understand it, for many other people either. I suppose using this bug is technically an exploit, but it is so common for those of us who have it that when it happens you occasionally don't even notice you are underwater unless you see someone else moving in slow motion.

Btw, when I first encountered this bug it was on a fresh install on a newly formatted harddrive using a completely unmodded game. Not even a map pack or icons or a UI mod installed. I mention this because I know Aamer likes to accuse people of cheating every chance he gets:P

[Shian]

It is a handy bug though..... My guildmates in Baker own "drowned lairs" and really, this is the only way to visit the depths of thier lairs.

[Aamer Khan]

I really do appreciate knowing that there is a bug that would cause what I have been seeing. And contrary to what you may think, I was really trying to get the devs to either acknowledge or deny it as a bug or exploit, so that I would be able to make the best choices possible.

Even though you probably said that tongue in cheek Gopher, let me clear up my stand for those that actually believe I love to accuse others of anything...

As of now, I officially do not care what any player of Horizons does. If you want to exploit a flaw or bug, do what you want. If any want to use invisible healers to level themselves or guildmates do what you want.

It is very hard to care about such things anymore, since there is little likelyhood that they can be fixed with such a small team working on the game.

There is basically no economy in horizons, except for the below level 20 crowd. Some players have amassed vast coin through legit means, while others have happily exploited there way to riches, none of which will be changed or fixed by anyone working on the game. ( not that I blame them at all, since it would be a catch 22 at best )

All that said, taking ANY stand good, bad, or indifferent on the boards will always be held in contempt by somebody. So there is little point in doing that anymore either.

I'm just happy we have game to play and they are trying so hard.

[Silverblaze]

Thanks Aamer,

I appreciate honesty like that. I was one of those folks who figured you did like to accuse, maybe I misjudged. its clear certin folks dont get along and try to get each other in trouble though. ><

Whatever the case, I hope someone fixes water, cuz it makes dragon flight even more useless. Everyone *can* walk underwater and up mountains with setscale. ( if they have setscale or remove water) Not all will but all are able. Making dragons chief advantage less important. I wont even get into the fact most bipeds run faster than drakes fly. Mainly cuz I dont wanna derail the thread.


Long story short water and drowning good.....errr not in RL...I...um...my bad.

[gopher65]

Actually there is a way to remove water through an exploit (and run straight up hills like mobs do, and run straight through buildings even when they are loaded), but that is a different matter entirely. And AFAIK no one has bothered using those exploits since before the RoP was introduced because there is little point to it now. If you what to go to the top of a mountain just make a dragon. It is a heck of a lot more fun, not to mention less work, than tinkering with the game (for most of us:P).

[Aamer Khan]

I am also very sure there is some form of working speed hack that a few use to run around at super speed. ( and NO I am not talking about some bug or display glitch. )

Here is the point.

If the Devs do not have the resources to devote to fixing such exploits, and have decided to turn a blind eye until they can, there is nothing to be gained by even turning folks in.

And truth be told, aside from a few tickets turned in years ago about the blacksmith exploit and at the very beginning about the archer exploits, I have NOT turned in tickets on anyone. I never bothered to "nark" on the rampant exploiting done at the elite blights or flys, nor did I make a stink over what was happening at Valkor.

I still don't have any clue why some think what I say needs to be squashed or that I'm such an evil guy. Those that know me ingame know better.

[Creme]

Dragging cargo disk through streams:

Easily accomplished and to not slow yourself down is to ground the disk on one end of the stream and then re-attach it after you've crossed over.

And as for cargo disks, there's more than just dragging one through a stream that can be a tremendous advantage, one used by a good number of dragons.

[Aamer Khan]

The place I see the cargo disk ground itself most is crossing the water in the swamp by the tower. Even at the shortest crossing spot mine unequips and grounds itself, and cannot be reattached from the other side.

*shrug*

[Creme]

Ah...Aamer, I think you are actually not seeing an attached cargo disk.

When I do Ironsilk, I keep my disk @ the machines.

When the devs made cargo disks visible to all players, it is bugged I think, cause the very FIRST time a player equips a cargo disk, it doesn't matter where they are or where they go, that "phantom" cargo disk follows them until they relog.

I used to think there was something fishy about it because I'd see players racing through Bristugo with their cargo disks, or even zooming around the countryside, well above the speed cap on the fastest cargo disk. It turned out these players grounded their disks somewhere else and the "phantom" disk just keeps following them around. It seems anyone but the player itself sees the cargo disk as attached, when it's actually grounded elsewhere.

[Aamer Khan]

Yep, I know all about that one too.

And no that was not what I was seeing. I chatted with a player and they said it was a bug, thus leading to me trying to get it verified as a bug.

But again, I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over what others choose to do. I will continue to try and play the game as it was intended to be played, and enjoy the knowledge that I am not setting a bad example or lessening the value of other classes or others accomplishments.

[Fratricide]

Correction for you there Creme... the phantom disk can be fixed if the player with the phantom disk, equips and unequips the disk in front of the person witnessing the phantom disk. Just kinda annoying that my character seeing the phantom disk doesn't do a cursory check to see if the other actually has a disk equipped or not...

[Creme]

Correction for you there Creme... the phantom disk can be fixed if the player with the phantom disk, equips and unequips the disk in front of the person witnessing the phantom disk. Just kinda annoying that my character seeing the phantom disk doesn't do a cursory check to see if the other actually has a disk equipped or not...

This can be hard to do in the field, so to speak.

For example:

I'm doing marble. For my FIRST load, I take my disk with me, fill it up and then haul it back to Last Stand.

I park my disk in a stoneshop.

I run back out to marble.

NOTE: Any player that was out in the field at the time I was there WITH my disk will still see my disk.

I fill up inventory with slabs, recall, run to the shop to process and then back to the field.

I can't very well equip/unequip my disk if it's no longer attached to me to allay the fears of some player thinking I'm running too fast with a cargo disk, nor is it reasonable to expect players to feel the need to equip/unequip cargo disks due to a bug that does not correctly reflect the cargo disk "state" and location.

I liked them better when they were invisible anyway, less clutter on the screen.

[Fratricide]

lol... I totally understand what your saying Creme... has happened to me before... trust me on that...

[Raeshlavik]

Since I started I've been dragging my cargo disc through Pratt's Pond with no ill effects... Of course the breath meter doesn't show up either so I figured the water was just too shallow or something.

Now that I know this isn't intended functionality, I'll not do it any more.

[Justa Mirage]

Pratt's pond is one of the few water masses in the game that is just for appearance (same with the waters on the floating isle and the desert oasis near Tazoon) No drowning threat. A good test would be the little pond near Nuthala.

[Jayne]

I'm with you Aamer. I do my best to just ignore what I see or think I see. As we know the game is full of bugs and what not. I play the game the best I can. I think Creme mentioned before in another post, that if the Dev's dont fix stuff then its a game mechanic. I can see the arguement in this, but I do agree that if its not to be fixed and/or they(devs) don't care then announce it and let all do it if they so choose.

Its possible many of these are much like setscale or some other type of issue, and yes many arent, and are outside programs.

I think the main thing is to go out there and play however you feel is right and makes you happy. Life doesnt evolve around this game. One day if and when it comes to a screeching halt, its gone. We cant take out weapons, resourses, clothes and whatnot to a new game. Its not like a car, home, or something we can put our hands on. Its gone plain and simple.................well unless someone knows of a game mechanic that will allow us to continue playing when the game is shut down for good. Please let me know about this one

[Shian]

I attended an ROP where the ascended had one of those phantom disks.... it was most annoying.

[awdz]

i've actually needed to drag my disk through watery areas, and since it always detaches when i go under, i figured out how to work around that. once it's detached, i come up for air, then dive under and reattach it while underwater. it then stays attached until my breath bar refreshes. :-)