Feature - Implemented Portscan.edu timer

Linknoid

Member
Just like digitize, it would be nice if there was a timer that activates when you execute portscan in combat. The timer would always start at 0, instead of 7, since the government agent shows up on the next adventure. I often have significant time passing between turns (swapping gear, buffing, real world interruptions etc), and I can easily forget that I cast a portscan last turn by the time I get back. Or it could have been a script that cast it, and then got interrupted before it takes the next turn, and that state information is lost.
 

Darzil

Developer
I think I like this. Is there a message when the portscan monster turns up in The Source?

For Government Agent it is : "A government man runs up to you, giving the international sign for "Get out of here," which is to point a gun at you and start firing it." according to the wiki.

We need to understand both the trigger for setting counter (successful cast of Portscan), and the trigger for removing it (fight starting with appropriate message).
 

lostcalpolydude

Developer
Staff member
I agree that this is worth tracking. I don't know if I like a 0 turn counter for it. It's technically straightforward to add that way, but will people then want to use that method for tracking lots of other things? I don't have any concrete reasoning, it just feels like it might not be a good idea.
 
Would it also add a click to confirm the adventuring for everyone that already knows they just cast portscan? Because that can get old quite fast. (Especially when you are working on something like LFMs. It's handy to have a reminder for the first, but the next two are just in the way).
 

lostcalpolydude

Developer
Staff member
Would it also add a click to confirm the adventuring for everyone that already knows they just cast portscan? Because that can get old quite fast. (Especially when you are working on something like LFMs. It's handy to have a reminder for the first, but the next two are just in the way).

It doesn't have to, and I would make it not do that (for the same reason as Digitize, with the same scripting ability for people that want it to work the other way).
 
I've used a flag to handle this in script.

It sounds like the issues with it have been fleshed out though (once/reminders are nicer).
 

Linknoid

Member
I agree that this is worth tracking. I don't know if I like a 0 turn counter for it. It's technically straightforward to add that way, but will people then want to use that method for tracking lots of other things? I don't have any concrete reasoning, it just feels like it might not be a good idea.

Maybe I can help relieve your concerns by pointing out that portscan triggers a wandering monster, and every other case of scheduled wandering monsters (that I know of) are tracked in this way. I don't think it opens the door to a bunch of other random stuff in the future. It's basically the same thing as an enamorang, except the timer is set to 0 instead of 15.
 

zarqon

Well-known member
I also like the counter idea because of the consistency with other wanderers; it allows for consolidation of whatever code people may already have for dealing with them.

In my case I would add Portscan'd monsters to BatMan RE's delay helper.
 
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