<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts --> <!--X-From-R13: "Xba O. Znzoreg" <wyflfvapNvk.argpbz.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: from fabius.globecomm.net [207.51.48.6] by mx5.ibm.net id 862115972.135714-1 Sun Apr 27 04:39:32 1997 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199704270445.XAA24050@dfw-ix7.ix.netcom.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00252.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00254.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00256.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00271.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00253">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00253">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00253">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "Jon A. Lambert" <<A HREF="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 00:48:30 -0400</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> > From: Chris Gray <cg#ami-cg,graysage.edmonton.ab.ca> >: [Adam Wiggins:] > :Honestly, is _anyone_ on this group still using classes, levels, or > :experience? I'm to the point where I can't even bring myself to play > :non skill-based muds, although classes don't bother me all that much. > Sure :-) I use professions, levels and experience. I do not see the correlation between these abstractions being present and a non skill-based system. Note that professions are not restrictive in the sense of how classes are on most muds and are really part of the character background. My assumption is that a character enters the mud-world with some sort of adolescent social, racial, cultural and professional up-bringing. The age of the character is generally 16+ (in human terms). Upon reaching the age of entering the world, the character has certain initial skills and a pre- disposition towards easily learning those and others based on their background. Any character may attempt to master any skill, thus a character with a warrior profession may decide to learn the finer arts of sorcery. Their progress will be slower however. I also have a non-profession profession whereby a characters may enter the game as a cobbler, cooper, tailor, etc. These happen to be craft skills in my system and those characters will start with an advantage in these skills with a flatter cost in the other traditional mud skills. Levels are used to determine when the character receives dps (development points) and as an arbitrary point to recalculate statistical increases and decreases. Its also used in calculating skill sets for non-player characters/creatures. It is may or may not be visible to the character and is generally useless with regard to gameplay. Levels or Ranks are used in measuring and controlling skill progression within the skill system. A 4th level warrior monk might have a rank 12 sweeps and throws skill and a rank 2 striking skill for instance. Experience is awarded based on actions and roleplay. Performing actions generates experience, whether these actions are successful or not. Actions are given a difficulty rating at the time they are performed. The more difficult the action the more experience awarded. The more experienced the character in the actions as defined by skill the less difficult the action, therefore less experience is awarded. Kind of a declining return reward system. This is visible to the character as a general measurement tool. The primary method of advancement is skill progression. > I am. But then, my "combat" is pretty minimal. I still call my scenario > a "starter" scenario, intended just to show other people a bit of what > they can do. I don't even have classes, and levels don't really mean > anything, its just that you get a strength or speed bonus, plus a hitpoint > bonus, when you go up a level (every power of 10 experience). I've never > been very interested in complicated combat stuff, so I've never had the > desire to make it more complicated. Maybe I should just emulate DIKU or > something? Anyone want to hand me a full, working combat package that > I can just translate? Take a trip to your local hobby shop and check out some of the paper FRPGs. Many of them have excellent and well-balanced systems. They have the advantage of many years of playtesting to ensure balance. Some of these can be translated very easily into "machine automation". Here's a list of a few and "my opinions" of them. D&D/AD&D - abstract round-based combat. DIKU does capture the feel of this and is probably a tad more sophisticated. Too simplistic for my tastes. Heavily biased in favor of armored characters. Unusual preoccupation with "hit points" both in terms of character health and damage. Cyberpunk 2000 - Activity-based combat rounds. Characters have a certain number of action points they may spend in a combat round. Highly biased towards characters with enhanced cyber limbs and totally stoked on all kinds of reflex and sense enhancing drugs (hehe). Pretty realistic gun combat and very interesting high-tech combat eq. That is combat is very short, swift and deadly. Good implementation of shock and damage due to high-velocity weaponry. Lots of lost and maimed body parts, but hell most everything is replaceable ;-). Rolemaster - The ultimate in low-tech realism. :-) They have a Spacemaster system for hi-tech combat but its somewhat mediocre. Combat is round- based but highly granular (6 sec rounds). Any action you can think up is available in combat from rolling under a table to tossing a chair at your oppenent. Lots of critical hit tables and fumble tables with amusing and bloody results. Non-biased with respect to armor and equipment. Almost totally skill-based. Any low-level character has a chance to take out a high-level with a lucky shot. Exhaustion, blood loss and wounding affects character actions. Everything is percentage based and is easily visualized by humans. Excellent psionics implementation and loads of combat magics. Levels and Equipment is de-emphasized. Even spells can be fumbled or cast extremely well. As you can probably guess I am implementing the Rolemaster system into my server. Translation into a computer simulation has been almost direct from "specs to code". Perhaps this is due to the format of the rules or because I know the game so well. It has everything for a traditional fantasy setting. So far the only thing I found missing is the so-called "called shot" whereby one is explicitly trying to "shoot the dragon in the left eye" but I plan on correcting this. JL </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00271" HREF="msg00271.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> clawrenc#cup,hp.com</li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00252.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Semaphores, Mutices, fd_sets</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00254.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Issues from the digests and Wout's list</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00256.html">Re: Combat</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00271.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00253"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00253"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] (fwd) Re: Issues from the digests and Wout's list</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00689" HREF="msg00689.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] (fwd) Re: Issues from the digests and Wout's list</A></strong>, Raz <a href="mailto:muddyraz#mushroom,demon.co.uk">muddyraz#mushroom,demon.co.uk</a>, Thu 22 May 1997, 08:51 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00363" HREF="msg00363.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] (fwd) Re: Issues from the digests and Wout's list</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Sat 10 May 1997, 23:26 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00259" HREF="msg00259.html">Re: MUD Design Digest V1 #55</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Mon 28 Apr 1997, 01:32 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00256" HREF="msg00256.html">Re: Combat</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Mon 28 Apr 1997, 00:10 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00253" HREF="msg00253.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sun 27 Apr 1997, 11:39 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00271" HREF="msg00271.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Tue 29 Apr 1997, 06:15 GMT </LI> </UL> <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="00276" HREF="msg00276.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Tue 29 Apr 1997, 15:52 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00279" HREF="msg00279.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Reposts</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Tue 29 Apr 1997, 16:40 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00252" HREF="msg00252.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Semaphores, Mutices, fd_sets</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Sun 27 Apr 1997, 02:16 GMT </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>