Bind zones/ no bind zones

[Angelox]

O well, I went and set all the binds as if it were for melles, gotta fix that. But keep posting info about bind areas, well be needing it when we can fix that.
I remember there was a bind area in FM for non casters too.

[ChaosSlayer]

Angelox, if I would be you, I would not go into happy frenzy of making "no melee" binding "feature" =)
Its brigns nothing but frustration and anger to melee char towards casters, since caster can bind in 99% of places and can gate home, while melees can neither.

Now if you scroll back to time before LDON, when Soulbinder did not existed, you will realise how much suckage it was to run all way from Qeynos to AkAnan and then spend next 3 hours shouting, crying, begging for a someone to bind you.

Not been able to get a bind REALY SUCKS.

PS. Btw I confirm - BB was no Bind zone for melees. I looked at my archived emails concernign some Unrest raids from 2002, and there I was telling my friend Sk to bind in Gfay =)

[Angelox]

well, it's all a matter of how you look at it. When I played Pre-Kunark, it was the best time I ever had in Everquest , only matched by all the fun I have working with the EqEmulator. My main character was a Ranger, and he was very limited at the time, but I managed to find the right people to group with (Wizard, Cleric, Druid, etc.) and together, we did some pretty incredible things for the era.
I always want to make the old zones, just as they were - with hopes someday we might have a nice old school server.
Binding restrictions was an intricate part of the old game, also, travel was restricted to boats and your feet, or whenever you could find a druid. This made the game seem bigger - a trip from Gfay to Freeport took some time, and was risky. The game was hard, but challenging. Little things make a big difference ; where you can bind, where you can use sow, levitate, etc. This is Verant style game, when it got passed over to SOE, things started to change fast.

[ChaosSlayer]

Originally Posted by Angelox

well, it's all a matter of how you look at it. When I played Pre-Kunark, it was the best time I ever had in Everquest , only matched by all the fun I have working with the EqEmulator. My main character was a Ranger, and he was very limited at the time, but I managed to find the right people to group with (Wizard, Cleric, Druid, etc.) and together, we did some pretty incredible things for the era.
I always want to make the old zones, just as they were - with hopes someday we might have a nice old school server.
Binding restrictions was an intricate part of the old game, also, travel was restricted to boats and your feet, or whenever you could find a druid. This made the game seem bigger - a trip from Gfay to Freeport took some time, and was risky. The game was hard, but challenging. Little things make a big difference ; where you can bind, where you can use sow, levitate, etc. This is Verant style game, when it got passed over to SOE, things started to change fast.

I also started playign pre-kunark. And yes, I also adore spirit of adventure by having to travel by foot. But there are features, and there are annoyances: giving half of the classes a convinience to bind and gate, whiel others may have to run from Qeynos to Freeport 7 times just because they keep getting killed in Kithihor - is hardly fair, classic or no classic

not to mention itemezation pre-kunark sucked uterly. I remember melees showing up for nagafen raid in bronze, and entire server casters were either in Green or Black till 50, and sometimes way after that.
What I am trying to say- Verant Vision was horibly unbalanced, it got better with Kunark/Velious. (and no SOE vision is not any better, and thats the reason I am making my own server )

[TheLieka]

I know it's not 100% perfect, but this is how we did it (same type of approach that Angelox was talking about). I hardcoded a list of city zones, and if you're not a caster, you cannot bind or be bound outside of those zones (note: this list only goes up to luclin - but since our server is Old World only, it's overkill for us ).

Anyway, it could be easily expanded upon if anyone was interested in using it.

Currently, it says:
If the zone is not listed as "CanBind" in the zones table, then you cannot bind (unless you're a GM).
If the zone isn't in the hardcoded list of cities, and you're not a caster, then you cannot bind (unless you're a GM).
Otherwise, you can bind.

It's not beautiful, and I would like to clean it up and put it into the database, but honestly, it gets its job done, so I haven't messed with it. If anyone else wants to use it, be my guest.

Dax

./zone/zone.h

void	SetGraveyard(int32 zoneid, int32 x, int32 y, int32 z, int32 heading);
	bool	IsCity(int32 zoneid); //Lieka Edit:  Put in for melee binding rules

./zone/zone.cpp

	void Zone::SetGraveyard(int32 zoneid, int32 x, int32 y, int32 z, int32 heading) {
	pgraveyard_zoneid = zoneid;
	pgraveyard_x = x;
	pgraveyard_y = y;
	pgraveyard_z = z;
	pgraveyard_heading = heading;
}
	bool Zone::IsCity(int32 zoneid) {
	if ((zoneid == 1) || //South Qeynos
		(zoneid == 2) || //North Qeynos
		(zoneid == 3) || //Surefall Glade
		(zoneid == 8) || //North Freeport
		(zoneid == 9) || //West Freeport
		(zoneid == 10) || //East Freeport
		(zoneid == 19) || //Rivervale
		(zoneid == 23) || //Erudin Palace
		(zoneid == 24) || //Erudin
		(zoneid == 29) || //Halas
		(zoneid == 40) || //Neriak Foreign Quarter
		(zoneid == 41) || //Neriak Commons
		(zoneid == 42) || //Neriak Third Gate
		(zoneid == 45) || //Qeynos Aqueduct Systems
		(zoneid == 49) || //Oggok
		(zoneid == 52) || //Grobb
		(zoneid == 54) || //Greateer Faydark
		(zoneid == 55) || //Ak`Anon
		(zoneid == 60) || //South Kaladim
		(zoneid == 61) || //Northern Felwithe
		(zoneid == 62) || //Southern Felwithe
		(zoneid == 67) || //Northern Kaladim
		(zoneid == 75) || //Paineel
		(zoneid == 82) || //Cabilis West
		(zoneid == 83) || //Swamp of No Hope
		(zoneid == 106) || //Cabilis East
		(zoneid == 155)) { //The City of Shar Vahl
			return true;
	} else {
			return false;
	}
}

./zone/spell_effects.cpp

			case SE_BindAffinity:
			{
#ifdef SPELL_EFFECT_SPAM
				snprintf(effect_desc, _EDLEN, "Bind Affinity");
#endif
				if (IsClient())
				{
					if((!zone->CanBind() && !CastToClient()->GetGM())){
						Message(13, "It would be very difficult for anyone to form an affinity with this area.");
						break;
				} else if ( ((!zone->IsCity(zone->GetZoneID())) && ((GetClass() != DRUID) && (GetClass() != CLERIC) && (GetClass() != SHAMAN) && (GetClass() != WIZARD) && (GetClass() != ENCHANTER) && (GetClass() != MAGICIAN) && (GetClass() != NECROMANCER)) && !CastToClient()->GetGM())){
						Message(13, "You cannot form an affinity with this area.  Try a city.");
						break;
					} else {
						CastToClient()->SetBindPoint();
						Save();
					}
				}
				break;
			}

[cavedude]

As ugly as it is, it's also a clever workaround. Though, I bet it wouldn't be hard to add a new column to zone and get rid of the hardcoding. I'll give that shot and see what I come up. I just got done merging your new MQ2 detection system into TGC's code (it looks perfect, I just need to clean up those 700 zone_points *sigh*) and was about to test it out... until I saw this post. Not sure if I should thank you or curse you :P

[TheLieka]

Haha, you're welcome and I'm sorry.

Dax