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<H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</H1>
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<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: Character evolution</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 30 Aug 97 08:56:11 -0700</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-to</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI>
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<PRE>
On 26/08/97 at 06:37 PM, clawrenc#cup,hp.com said:
>I am sufficiently uncomfortable (can you say "allergic reaction"?)
>with the concept of attempting to embed a concept of "good" and "bad"
>or "good" and "evil", let alone any sort of morality or ethical
>structure (note: ethics != morals), that I wouldn't touch this with
>an infinite lever. This is not to say that such morality games are
>not fair grist for a MUD, indeed they are, but I see them as things
>to be embedded in the social constructs of the world, not within the
>base mechanics of the game.
Been doing some reading and thinking about this.
Its a rather tenuous and hard-to-define line for me which essentially
has to do with my distate for game systems that invade the player's
heads, or in some way to tell the players what they should think. The
term alignment can cover a host of things from Travis'
rebel/imperial/etc, to good/neutral/evil, to what the view of a game
system is of the character.
The idea that I would ever see something like:
> l at bubba
...
Bubba is evil.
is extremely distateful. That is a decision I feel should be left
solely to players. However:
> l at bubba
...
Bubba has a faintly glowing putrid green aura.
> tell bubba The Great God GooGoo must really like you!
is more attractive. Reverting to Travis's StarWars scenario, the idea
that I would be able to determine a character's alignment thru simple
examination seems bogus. Instead something on the order of:
> l at bubba
...
Bubba is wearing an imperial stormtrooper's armour.
> tell bubba I'm gonna kill your imperial arse.
Bubba tells you, "No! I'm a Rebel! I'm in disguise!
Check the membership logs!"
> consult rebel alliance membership lists on bubba
Bubba has helped the alliance significantly within the last year.
However he has been seen with many high level Imperial officials
which casts some suspicions on his actual role.
> think lets find out whose side he's really on...
Seems a lot more playable and invasive (well, with shorter commands).
For this goes back to the base question of the role the human player
holds in regard to his character in the game, and how much capability
that character has independant of his human. Having the game make
decisions for the player on what to think of another character (NPC or
player) is distasteful. Having it observe and report the obervations
to let the human decide is attractive:
> l a bubba
Bubba is surveying the town square.
> go to court house
> consult recent crime records
...There have been many unsolved beggar murders lately...
> ask police chief about bubba
The chief says, "He seems a pretty upstanding citizen, but somehow
he's always one of the ones we see at these beggar death crime
scenes. maybe he's just sort of sick that way... He's really
rough on his clothes too for such a rich guy. Seems to get them
dirty a lot."
--
J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net
----------(*) Internet: coder#ibm,net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00757" HREF="msg00757.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 04:08 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00811" HREF="msg00811.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Thu 28 Aug 1997, 20:24 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00826" HREF="msg00826.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 29 Aug 1997, 00:26 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00854" HREF="msg00854.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sat 30 Aug 1997, 03:10 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00868" HREF="msg00868.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sun 31 Aug 1997, 05:16 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00750" HREF="msg00750.html">META: Attributions and Eudora</A></strong>,
clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 00:27 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00851" HREF="msg00851.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] META: Attributions and Eudora</A></strong>,
Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sat 30 Aug 1997, 01:56 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
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<LI><strong><A NAME="01188" HREF="msg01188.html">Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
S001GMU <a href="mailto:S001GMU#nova,wright.edu">S001GMU#nova,wright.edu</a>, Fri 12 Sep 1997, 13:27 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01195" HREF="msg01195.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>,
clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Fri 12 Sep 1997, 20:41 GMT
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