Stables

[Harloff]

Instead of the current stable system where all items must be taken of the oxes before the are stabled, I would suggest that the stable is just a big building where oxes can be tied down. This would give people a safe place to put their oxes when they are unable to empty the bags, and hopefully it would remove all the oxes from the craft halls, smithys etc.

- Harloff

[Gulnyr]

The stable system was removed.  You'll notice there's no stable boy any more.

You can already tie your ox down in the barn/stable, and even lead it into one of the stalls and shut the gate.  The barn would get very overcrowded if many more people decided to use it, though, so a bigger barn isn't a bad idea.

The problem I see is that people are generally rather lazy, so they park their oxen wherever it's convenient.  That generally means right on a well-traveled path (like the gap between the fence and windmill in front of the Hlint craft hall) or in the craft hall or smithy.  Even those taken to the barn seem to end up stacked just inside the door.  So, as nice as a bigger barn interior might be, I doubt it would see much more use than the current one because of the desire for convenience (read: laziness).

(Yes, I am rather pessimistic about people and their oxen.)

[Harloff]

hmmm, how long has that boy been missing? *at this point it was obvious to everybody that Skarp was to stingy to pay that poor orphan boy for his services.*

To solve this problem with reckless ox-parking, Hlint should hire some ox-park attandants who could go around sticking fines onto illigally parked oxen, that would teach those lazy ox-people a leason....

*Suddenly he realizes that he left his ox in the smithy and runs out to get it before it is to late...*

[jjkolb]

I agree that players should be more responsible when it comes to stabling their ox.  It's just not very realistic to think that an ox would survive in the craft hall while their owner is gone for days on a quest.  It's bad RP and not very polite to the other players.

I would second (or third) the motion for a larger barn (with numbered stalls so I remember which ox is mine) and request that stabling be mandatory and enforced with fines.  Maybe there could be a script that would sweep the ox if it sits idle for a certain period of time (making sure that the ox isn't swept while the owner is crafting ).  The player would then have to pay the ox merchant to get their ox back.

[Rehevkor]

Keep in mind that the persistent location saving system doesn't place the oxen on the exact same spot and facing every time you log in. If the stalls in a bigger barn were too small, oxen would end up being bumped out, stacked up in someone else's stall, or even stuck in a wall or trapped behind objects.