News:Players Guide - VOS

VOS: The Understanding

VOS or the Virtual Object System is a coded way to make objects interactive with other code to a defined purpose. For example: a VOS sword can be used to attack another player using the coded skills and feats of both players as well as a dice roll that will determine damage and stun. It can be used with or without damage to the attacked player. By setting parameters the code will assess both players, figuring in skills and feats, the roll of the dice, whether damage is to be accessed to the attacked, If so it will deduct the damage and stun from the attacked player's attribute and will determine health of attacked player.

What is VOS?

VOS is the system we use to make and use objects. If you look at the inventory below you will see (4) four different VOS objects. Each object is coded to interact with other systems to determine function. Mesh Armor will affect whether an attack will be successful or not when combined with skills and feats, and the roll of the dice. The number in parentheses following a VOS object is the identification number.

.--[Armor]----------
| - Mesh Armor (1)
.--[Weapon]---------
| - Survival Knife (2)
| - Glock 9x19mm (3) 
.--[Ammo]-----------
| - 9mm-Standard Ammo (4) x40
.--[Items]--
| - Cards - 17391
| - iComm - 12909
`-------------------

How to use VOS items

To use a VOS object depends on what the item is. for example. If it is jewelry it may be as simple as +equip (#). If it is a weapon then there all sorts of commands that can be used. +vos/help is a great way to learn how to use your specific items. Be sure that once you get your VOS object that you read the +vos/help files that are specific to your object.

Out of Sight, Out of mind

It is possible to hide small weapons, ammunition and even some types of armor on a character. The success rate and the amount of items that can be hidden is influenced by the skill Conceal but the actual minimal amount of skill to hide an item is not listed, the more hidden items on a character there are, the more difficult it becomes to hide additional ones. Hidden items are given the (Con) tag when looking in the inventory. To hide an item use the +set/conceal command, if it is successful the item will gain the (Con) tag, if it is unsuccessful it will be stated so and the player will have to wait 120 seconds before they can try to conceal an item again, but they may try to conceal any item they have at that time. Other characters looking at a character with concealed items will not the item at all.

Using the example character, Alos, from before.. Alos tries to hide his 'Survival Knife', to do this he types:

+set/conceal 2

If he succeeds he receives the following message:

VOS: Alos hides his Survival Knife.

When looking into his inventory he will see:

.--[Weapon]---------
| - Survival Knife (2) (Con)
| - Glock 9x19mm (3) 

Anyone else looking at Alos will only see:

.--[Weapon]---------
| - Glock 9x19mm (3) 

A character can check if someone had hidden items by frisking them, how well a character can frisk and find hidden items is influenced by the skill Spot.

These are not the items you are looking for

Sometimes a character will pose putting a weapon into lock-up to leaving it in another location than on their person. To show this with the VOS system there is a +set/ooc command. It will add a (OOC) tag to the weapon, also will remind the player using it if they try to equip it will not let them, reminding them it is still OOC flagged. To remove the (OOC) flag from an item, simply issue the +set/ooc command again.

Using the example character, Alos, from before.. Alos Poses that he places his 'Glock 9x19mm' into weapon storage before entering the main area of the bar. To do this he types: +set/ooc 3

His new weapon inventory now appears as the following:

.--[Weapon]---------
| - Survival Knife (2) (Con)
| - Glock 9x19mm (3)(OOC) 

VOS Combat

Combat is usually directed by a storyteller and each has their own method of play. But certain commands will be universal.
Are you wearing Armor? +equip # to put your armor on.
Is you weapon set ooc or is it concealed? Then the weapon must be readied to be used. That command is either +set/ooc # (this command is the same to set it ooc or to unset the ooc flag) or +set/conceal #.
Now that you have your weapon ready you need to make it available to the code. +equip # of the weapon you want to use. You cannot equip more than one weapon at a time.
Next is to make sure your weapon is loaded. +look # in the description of the weapon it will tell you how many rounds it will hold and how many there are in it. so you need to add rounds. +reload # this is not the number of your weapon but the number of the ammunition.
So now you want to attack your enemy or just a practice dummy. +attack person at difficulty. The person is who ever you want to attack. The difficulty is assigned by the storyteller depending on situation and variables. But this command will not apply the damage to the person. for that would be +attack/damage person at difficulty. The command is determined by the storyteller.
Once the conflict is over you +unequip weapons, armor, etc.

====Adjusting Weapon Settings====

Weapons normally have at least two different 'Modes' to set them to. A weapon Mode changes how it is used, for example, all firearms have a mode called Safety. While set to Safety the weapon will not be able to be fired but can be used as a Martial Arts weapon. When purchased most firearms are in this mode by default. Every weapon lists all of its possible modes in the +look information, normally the first line after the weapons description. To change a weapons mode use the command, +toggle followed by one of the weapon's listed modes to change how it is used.

Using an example the Glock 9x19mm:

.--------------------------------(Glock 9x19mm)--------------------------------.
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                          Modes: Safety,Semi Mods:                            |
|           Calibre:9mm Maximum:16 Current:16 Ammo:9mm-Standard Ammo           |
|                 Cal:9mm(0) Accuracy:70% Pen:0 Dam:4 Stun:12                  |
|                   Attack/Defense:Martial_Arts/Martial_Arts                   |
|                           Range:S: 20 M: 40 L: 90                            |
|       Notes:Weight: 1.5 kg | Cost: 75 | Availability: Sold| License: *       |
|                                   Flags:                                     |
\-------------------------------------(3)--------------------------------------/

After using the command +toggle semi:

.--------------------------------(Glock 9x19mm)--------------------------------.
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                          Modes: Safety,Semi Mods:                            |
|           Calibre:9mm Maximum:16 Current:16 Ammo:9mm-Standard Ammo           |
|                 Cal:9mm(1) Accuracy:100% Pen:0 Dam:15 Stun:9                 |
|                    Attack/Defense:Firearms:Sidearms/Dodge                    |
|                           Range:S: 20 M: 40 L: 90                            |
|       Notes:Weight: 1.5 kg | Cost: 75 | Availability: Sold| License: *       |
|                                   Flags:                                     |
\-------------------------------------(3)--------------------------------------/

Modifying basic stats on a weapon can only be done by a member of +staff and those jobs can only be submitted by authorized weapon-smiths. To have a +vos item modified, please IC'ly contact a player from +help custom weapons. After the scene has been RP'ed, they will put in the request to staff to have your weapon upgraded.

Exchanging Items

Exchanging items depends on the item and on what you want to exchange it for. If you just do not want an item any longer, you can try to sell it icly. Posting it on one of the ingame bulletin boards is one way to sell it. Another way would be to tell your friends and let the word get out icly. If you are replacing the item as with a weapon, ask if the weapon-smith would take yours for part of the cost of the new one. If you can't sell it try giving it away. If all else fails you can +areq an admin to take the item from your inventory. Rarely are items exchanged because the purchase of these items are a part of our ingame economy.

Minor Bugs

If you should find a minor bug in the system please use the following to report it.

+bug <title>=<description>

       This command is used for bug reporting. In <title> put the command that is bugged, or something else appropriate. Please be as descriptive as possible in the <description> field. What were the results you were expecting? What happened in its place? By giving lots of detail here, it saves us the time of tracking you down to drag the information out of you.