<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container --> <!--X-From-R13: Ibhg [regraf <Ibhg.[regrafNeht.np.or> --> <!--X-Date: from major.globecomm.net [207.51.48.5] by in12.ibm.net id 867425824.36246-1 Fri Jun 27 15:37:04 1997 CUT --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.SOL.3.94.970627153251.16316E-100000#eduserv1,rug.ac.be --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199706242342.QAA29144#xsvr3,cup.hp.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be"> </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="msg01556.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01559.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01483.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01555.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01558">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01558">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01558">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</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] Population container</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Wout Mertens <<A HREF="mailto:Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be">Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 16:02:59 +0200 (MET DST)</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Tue, 24 Jun 1997 clawrenc#cup,hp.com wrote: > In <<A HREF="msg01362.html">Pine.SOL.3.94.970619203725.20110E-100000#eduserv1,rug.ac.be</A>>, on > 06/19/97 > at 08:39 PM, Wout Mertens <Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be> said: > > >What is it? Well, you take a kind of monster that you want to > >populate a zone with. Now make a population model, something like > >Fibonacci's row or so (rabbits!), and update the model every once in > >a while. Now, if a player is about, and he 'spots' one (or more) of > >the population, decrease you population by one (or more) and make the > >appropriate monster appear. > > >This way, you can have zillions of flies, musquito's, dwarfs, etc > >etc, you could even describe the critters from the container (some > >dwarfs are lurking about) (tho I think that's a bit farfetched), and > >all with virtually no memory or cpu overhead. > > A good idea. Problem: > > Bubba does a speed run thru the zone and manages to "see" every > single mosquito (he's exceptionally shard sighted). You container is > empty and you have lots of live, animated mosquito objects. I think Firebrand kinda gave a solution to that one: His grouping container doesn't instantiate objects until very close inspection. Otherwise, it just gives a group desc with special descs for people you know. Now, if Bubba happens to be affected by Flaming_Torch_Of_Musquito_Killing_Area_Spell, then the zillion of critters will have to be decimated in hitpoints and a large number killed. But that was very predictable and the same problem would have arisen were you to have the actual 1 zillion objects. This can, of course, be rectified by letting the population model handle the killings, and the spell would have to be redesigned a bit to do that. Which is not too great, but then again letting loose 1 zillion musquito's and allowing people to hurt them all isn't either... > You also need a way of folding the "dead" (ie unseen) objects back > into the container at some point. The problem is guaranteeing that > that folding is not detectable by players: > > > l > You are in a corridor that runs east west. > There is a T-Rexx here. > > w > You are at the end of a corridor that runs east west. > The only exit is to the east. > > e > You are in a corridor that runs east west. > There is a T-Rexx here. > The T-Rexx leaves west. > > wait a really long time. > > w > ...no T-Rexx... Well, the only feasible solution to both problems seems to me: Allow only a certain number of instances max. to run loose in the area controlled by the population container. It would involve a slight redefinition: The population container is a virtual container, that contains both the real and virtual ('real' meaning virtual to us, of course. This is getting philosophical :)) instances of the population, and the model is calculating the numbers. Which leaves me to think that maybe it should be called Population Model and not Container... Or how a clever idea turns into a standard solution :) Ah well, it's not as if I'm not used it on this list :) Wout. </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="01483" HREF="msg01483.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> clawrenc#cup,hp.com</LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01556.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Integrating PK</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01559.html">Neighborhood watch</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01483.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01555.html">Population container</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01558"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01558"><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><A NAME="01362" HREF="msg01362.html">Population container</A></strong>, Wout Mertens <a href="mailto:Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be">Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be</a>, Fri 20 Jun 1997, 01:51 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01383" HREF="msg01383.html">[MUD-Dev] Population container</A></strong>, Brandon Cline <a href="mailto:brandon#sedona,net">brandon#sedona,net</a>, Fri 20 Jun 1997, 16:08 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01391" HREF="msg01391.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</A></strong>, Nathan Yospe <a href="mailto:yospe#hawaii,edu">yospe#hawaii,edu</a>, Sat 21 Jun 1997, 05:16 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01483" HREF="msg01483.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Wed 25 Jun 1997, 06:44 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01558" HREF="msg01558.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Population container</A></strong>, Wout Mertens <a href="mailto:Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be">Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be</a>, Fri 27 Jun 1997, 22:37 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="01555" HREF="msg01555.html">Population container</A></strong>, Wout Mertens <a href="mailto:Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be">Wout.Mertens#rug,ac.be</a>, Fri 27 Jun 1997, 21:22 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01358" HREF="msg01358.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Name/language generation</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Thu 19 Jun 1997, 21:48 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01348" HREF="msg01348.html">Name/language generation</A></strong>, Oliver Jowett <a href="mailto:oliver#sa-search,massey.ac.nz">oliver#sa-search,massey.ac.nz</a>, Thu 19 Jun 1997, 06:13 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01352" HREF="msg01352.html">[MUD-Dev] Name/language generation</A></strong>, Jamie Norrish <a href="mailto:jamie#sans,vuw.ac.nz">jamie#sans,vuw.ac.nz</a>, Thu 19 Jun 1997, 14:36 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </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>