Suggestion: Text Messaging

General Feedback
#21

“A datapad was a small, usually low-cost, electronic device used for storing information. Taking the place of the more primitive book, a datapad could store textual, graphic, and holographic data. They were commonly used as notebooks, day planners, calculators, and sketchpads. Some models could interface with and download information from larger computer networks. Most datapads came standard equipped with a touch-sensitive color screen, audio pickups, headphone ports, and power packs.”

There does not seem to be any sort of text messaging within the lore. E-mails exist, and must be accessed through public terminals.

#22

no, but we are playing star wars, in a setting that is basically kotor. And having a device that can interface with a computer console like that suggests highly comprehensive capabilities of a datapad. Realistically, why WOULDNT a datapad be able to do anything a modern smartphone or tablet can do?

#23

Because it doesn’t exist canonically and doesn’t make sense for the server…and this isn’t Kotor?

#24

It doesn’t really matter what’s realistic, as i cannot find one single source that mentions datapads had the capability to send text messages. Emails are accessed and sent through terminals.

Emailing via terminal could be something we investigate in the future. Thank you for your suggestion.

#25

just because you havent seen a direct reference doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It makes complete sense to have that capability. And this is basically KOTOR on NWN. We are playing in the setting created FOR kotor

#26

Yeah, i did suggest a kiosk as a possibility

#27

Email can easily be done through the forums. But again, I wouldn’t support this suggestion.

#28

You’ve made that abundantly clear…

#29

as to whether texts are a thing in this setting, when the new rule came out, I asked Taelon specifically about texts, and he said they could be sent as comm messages and just rp as noone else was able to see them. What I’m suggesting is to expound on that allowance and just make it not so awkward to do

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#30

The point of having to RP it out is because you can’t just send a text with your mind, you need to have some sort of device in your hand and people around you can see that and interact with it.

#31

Yeah, totally, thats what I was suggesting
If its a datapad or a specific text messaging device, it would be you have to use as an item to activate. or go to a kiosk

#32

Use party/comms for any distance related communication. If suspicion of metagaming is brought up, take screenshots and bring it to the attention of the team.

#33

the point is that that requires being in a party, and you shouldnt have to be in a party to send a text, and you should be able to send a text to someone who is already in a party. Thats why the suggestion. I know how to handle it currently, the suggestion just makes it less awkward, because currently, it is a bit needlessly awkward IMO

#34

Your opinion has been noted and the suggestion has been brought to the team.
Thank you :slightly_smiling_face:

#35

Um…thanks?

#36

So with the talk of canonical things, if we want to use that argument we should not have communication between planets without burst transmissions,which would not be used by the average person. You need to bend some things for the sake of the systems in the game working.
Regardless of if you think text based long range communication exists or not in lore, we use other things that do not exist in lore or are rare in lore so keep that in mind when making arguments.
I don’t think it is needed one way or the other, I think the biggest argument is it seems like a waste of dev time. We don’t need it and have other alternatives that work just fine.