Current Whistlers Stink!

[Buho]

I have MAJOR issues with the current whistler. Motion-detection my tookus! Those things are proximity detectors! They detect thieves through walls up to 8 feet away, no matter how slow the thief is going! And it makes no difference which way the whistler is pointing!

I propose a line-of-sight whistler, with a viewable arclength of 180 degrees (the front of the whistler, in the direction it is facing). For balance purposes, detection radius can be double the current radius. It should not work through walls or ledges. And an added feature: the steam-powered whistler should give off some kind of quiet broiling sound when it's idling. Since whistlers are now out in the open, perhaps it should take 2 water arrows instead of one to disable it? And maybe the first water arrow makes the whistler half as loud when it goes off. Since whistlers won't work through walls anymore, they will be placed at corners of hallways and other places that will work well.

These are my suggestions. I am pissed off to no end that a whistler that I had no idea was there goes off on the other side of the wall (a wall that doesn't even have a door or window, nonetheless!) while I'm trying to creep up.

FYI, in Bourgeois, if a whistler is placed on the 2nd floor stairs, I can set it off by crouching in complete darkness on the back door steps under the permanent whistler. Messed up? Yes. (Although, in this particular example, it annoys the heck outta the guards and is quite funny!)

[SuperNoob]

i agree with the whistler being buggy...BTW have you seen Cythe's new whistler? that looks beastly and looks as if it could take more then one measly water arrow so i also agree with taking 2 water arrows

[-=V12US=-]

I have MAJOR issues with the current whistler. Motion-detection my tookus! Those things are proximity detectors! They detect thieves through walls up to 8 feet away, no matter how slow the thief is going! And it makes no difference which way the whistler is pointing!

I propose a line-of-sight whistler, with a viewable arclength of 180 degrees (the front of the whistler, in the direction it is facing). For balance purposes, detection radius can be double the current radius. It should not work through walls or ledges. And an added feature: the steam-powered whistler should give off some kind of quiet broiling sound when it's idling. Since whistlers are now out in the open, perhaps it should take 2 water arrows instead of one to disable it? And maybe the first water arrow makes the whistler half as loud when it goes off. Since whistlers won't work through walls anymore, they will be placed at corners of hallways and other places that will work well.

These are my suggestions. I am pissed off to no end that a whistler that I had no idea was there goes off on the other side of the wall (a wall that doesn't even have a door or window, nonetheless!) while I'm trying to creep up.

FYI, in Bourgeois, if a whistler is placed on the 2nd floor stairs, I can set it off by crouching in complete darkness on the back door steps under the permanent whistler. Messed up? Yes. (Although, in this particular example, it annoys the heck outta the guards and is quite funny!)

Whistlers cost 150 banked loot! That is a lot of money!

I'd say they're just about right when looking at the price/quality balance.

[LaughingRat]

Whistlers cost 150 banked loot! That is a lot of money!

I'd say they're just about right when looking at the price/quality balance.

I thought they were 120, aren't they?

[Abrahamster]

In verison 1.3 will the AI be able to hear whistlers?

I did poorly for a long time by placing an AI or two by an objective/door with a whistler there to help then, before I realized that AI cannot hear whistlers!

[-=V12US=-]

Whistlers cost 150 banked loot! That is a lot of money!

I'd say they're just about right when looking at the price/quality balance.

I thought they were 120, aren't they?

Hmm, could be, I rarely use my Support/Trapper loadout.

Even then, that's a lot of money.

[DeepQantas]

I agree with most Buho said.

With the idling noise and two water arrows I don't agree because I'm not yet sure whether or not I should agree. This may still change.

[Slappy]

Whistlers also have some serious weaknesses.

• They shouldn't be destroyable except by SEVERAL hits with a BJ or sword/mace.
  Thieves shouldn't be able to grab em and take em away - thieves DO need to be able to move them, but they shouldn't be able to carry em far; a thief carrying a whislter should move at crouch+creep speed or slower.
  They shouldn't be able to be watered thru walls.
  Their detection radius is only about 5 feet, not 8 (slightly less than one body-length).
  As someone mentioned, AI don't notice them.

If you're gonna take away the ability to see through walls, then their detection radius needs to be infinite for them to be any use whatsoever. Otherwise the thief will most likely see it before it sees the thief.

[Bloody-Reaper]

Thieves can only steal whistler after they have disabled it... which i think is rather far.

[MortalMonkey]

My first post in the thievery forums, but hey, plenty of you already know me.


I deslike whistlers too, but instead of coming up with my own monkeyhead-shaped whistler, I'll just comment a few suggestions:

line-of-sight whistler, with a viewable arclength of 180 degrees (the front of the whistler, in the direction it is facing).

IMO 120 would be just right.

It should not work through walls or ledges.

Yes, if only one thing will be changed, I want it to be this one (one can then lean out of doorways to check for them).

And an added feature: the steam-powered whistler should give off some kind of quiet broiling sound when it's idling.

Yes, although I'd suggest random intervals of a few seconds.

Since whistlers are now out in the open, perhaps it should take 2 water arrows instead of one to disable it? And maybe the first water arrow makes the whistler half as loud when it goes off.

Yes, good idea.


I'll just throw in a few suggestions of my own anyway:

Whistlers should slow both guards and thieves down, maybe both in moving and in turning (kinda like a paralyzer).
Whistlers can go off while somone is carrying it, and yes, thieves can carry it as well (maybe the carrying thief shouldn't be noticed by the whistler either, especially fun for thiefmatch methinks) but with the above mentioned movement reductions, anybody should be discouraged from doing so for very long.
Only exeption from the above might be when it is still in a guards inventory (maybe like a building kit).
Also whistlers can be disabled by either waterarrows or lockpicks, but never destroyed.
Also, now that the whistler gurgles, one should remove the text that tells you if a whistler is disabled by looking at it, only way to tell is by the water marks left by waterarrows, and the tiny gurgling that has stopped.
And lastly, cheaper. If that makes virus happy, it makes me happy (although we might want to limit it to 1 whistler per guard).

Well, that's it, all my other ideas would best belong in another thread.

[Yenzarill]

Whistlers should have a 120؛ cone of vision, and have an ambient sound.

(I reckon an occasional *TSSSHH* would be perfect, like a pressure blow-off-valve.)

This would also make the direction they face relevant, and get rid of the whistling-through-walls scenario.

[Arrowgrab]

This would also make the direction they face relevant, and get rid of the whistling-through-walls scenario.

But then whistlers should be carried with the whistler facing the guard, otherwise it will be impossible to put it next to a wall/corner facing away from it.

[LaughingRat]

But then whistlers should be carried with the whistler facing the guard, otherwise it will be impossible to put it next to a wall/corner facing away from it.

If you face straight down while carrying a whistler, and drop it, it drops right where you are.

[KewlAzMe]

Who says whistlers are motion detected?! Why not just agree that they are Proximity detected and close the thread!

[Buho]

Whistler Trap (Cost 120)

This golden machine will light up and make a shrill whistle whenever a Thief gets near. They are sensitive to nearby motion, so if a thief moves slowly, he can get fairly close without triggering the trap. The thieves can disable whistlers with a water arrow. You can carry a maximum of 2 Whistlers.

Source: http://www.thieveryut.com/Guide/ItemsGuard.htm

My question to the Dev team: are these really supposed to be motion detectors? Shouldn't a thief be able to creep up to and past these whistlers without them going off? And if they really are motion detectors, why do they work through walls? I would be more than happy if they just made the things line-of-sight-based.