November 2001 Update

Lots of stuff has happened in the last few months, so here's a rundown:

COMBAT
Beginning this reboot, SWmud'sbouncing rules will be enforced programmatically -- it should no longer be possible to illegally bounce, even if you try to. The changes to the combat system have been made to reflect the rules as they stand, including situations that allow for legal bouncing. This includes tanking and PvP combat.

There is also a new command, bmode, which allows players to circumvent the bounce code, specifically for situations where there is no intent to kill aggressive mobs (e.g. running past aggro mobs to get from point A to point B).

Remember, though: bouncing as defined in the panic file is still illegal, and any attempts to circumvent the changes to the combat system (or bouncing illegally in any way or form) are still illegal as well. If you find any "loopholes" in the code or any situation where you feel that the code is failing, please email Mentos with a description of the situation and what you feel isn't working properly. (Logs are appreciated.)

PROMOTIONS
Condolences to Ivan on his new role as Head of HM!
Condolences to Morgan on his new role as Head of Balance!
Congratulations to Torei on her promotion to Senator!
Condolences to Torei as she is now also the new Player Relations (PR) Wiz!
Congratulations to Shmoove on his promotion to Councillor!
Congratulations to Kess and Khayyin on their promotions to Ambassador!
Congratulations to Fyn, Landru, and Xapis on their promotions to Secretary!

AREAS
The Endor Sim was rewritten by Xaar (with encouragement from Kess).

The amusement park on Sullust was expanded by Morgan and dedicated to Feor. The new additions include a Ferris Wheel, Mini Golf, a House of Mirrors, and an Inline Skating Rink. A Haunted House is still planned.

Speaking of Sullust, Sullust droids have been removed from the game. No reimbursements are being given.

The new and improved Korriban (BEWARE!!) was just opened, redesign courtesy of Khayyin.

Bimmisaari asaari trees have been changed back so that they do not get in a hit as soon as an aggressive player enters the room. However, if players abuse this ability and begin bouncing trees again, it will be changed back.

QUESTS
Many quests are currently closed for redesign due to cheating or exposure, among them: the newbie version of the First Aid quest (though the version outside the sims is still open), the Jedi Master and Jedi Teacher quests, the Mickey Rukh hat quest, and the High Mortal quest.

The good news is that Ivan is currently working on the new HM quest (as the now Head of HM), and it shouldn't be too much longer. *crosses fingers*

As caretaker of the Sims, Kess is also currently working on replacing the newbie First Aid quest.

PK CHANGES
Bounty Hunters must now be ARMY Player Killers. Signing NAVY is no longer an option if you wish to be in either the Bounty Hunter or Assassin guilds. All those who used to be NAVY Bounty Hunters have already been converted to ARMY or they have unsigned.

Ivan changed the loss of experience for a PK death to be based on the difference in levels between the the killer and the killed. Bugs should be reported.

It has been coded so that a non-PK should not be able to heal a PK who is currently in combat with another PK. Any abuse of this should be reported. Please notify Ivan of bugs.

MLR droids were changed to restrict the movement of PKers level 12 and higher.

All LR-series droids also now have a 'destruct' command available to the owner. The owner may command the droid to self-destruct in order to clean up an area. If the owner logs off, the droids blow-up.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Morgan changed multiple aspects of Jedi skills. Saber vs. saber combat 'You miss.' messages were changed to parry the lightsaber in a shower of sparks, thanks to a player idea.

Superheal, Sith cloak, anger, and lift failure messages were changed to make them more interesting. In the case of anger and lift, turning these messages on is optional. See the skills' files for details.

Khayyin changed the Mickey Rukh hat to include a new command, 'nospam'. It will block the passage of spam toys on the mud, such as warm fuzzies (which can now also be turned into a 'cold prickly' - look at a fuzzy), spaceballs, and Wellington the cat.

The 'hmbozo' command has finally been given to mortal players, at least for an initial testing period. This new command is called just 'bozo'. If the wizards deem that it causes more problems than it solves, it might be removed later on.

The command 'sell all [item] from bag' has finally been reinstated after it was lost in the mudlib reversions.

Guild changes are finally being reconsidered again. Kess and Khayyin are the current Guild Assistants, and are in charge of recommendations for Guilds. All ideas for guilds can be mailed via mudmail to 'guild'.

And lastly, Morgan had to make an emergency move of the mud server, which is no longer operating out of his office. The current location is only a temporary solution, and the Moffs are still seeking a more permanent location. If you have any serious suggestions, please mail 'Moff' and 'Senator' on the mud with the details.