<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Character evolution --> <!--X-From-R13: "Xba O. Znzoreg" <wyflfvapNvk.argpbz.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 17:52:27 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199708211752.MAA26512@dfw-ix12.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, [MUD-Dev] Character evolution</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="msg00700.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00702.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00787.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00699.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00701">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00701">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00701">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Character evolution</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>: [MUD-Dev] Character evolution</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>: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 13:51:16 -5</LI> <LI><em>Comments</em>: Authenticated sender is <jlsysinc#popd,ix.netcom.com></LI> <LI><em>Reply-to</em>: <A HREF="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> This is a repost. Last post was unusual(?). Hrmm it's my end I'm sure. > From: Richard Woolcock <KaVir#dial,pipex.com> > Subject: [MUD-Dev] Character evolution > Okay we've talked about the world evolving, but what about players? > I have often thought about coding it so that players hair/nails > slowly grow, causing them social/combat problems unless they do > something about it. Players would therefore have to trim their > nails every so often, and get their hair cut (unless they wanted it > long, in which case they would need to tie it back). Shaving would > be another option. > Character evolution is perhaps the one thing which is currently handled in "most" muds. World evolution is something that has not been handled well to this point. But these comments aside, obviously you are interested in new directions of character evolution. Hair growth and shaving are interesting options as they can influence character recognition and a sense of changing appearance over time. My current plans are to allow characters to alter hair styles and facial hair at will either through special shops or skills. These also include tattoo parlors and body piercing shops as well as custom clothes tailoring. All of these are part of my layered wear system and form the primary means of describing the character to the outside world. With the exception of wounds, crippling and scars these things are static. That is player intervention is required to evolve one's appearance rather than system evolution over time. Now all of these appearance altering options are objects in my system and are attached to the character body at pre-defined locations. Since I do implement wound decay and armor/equipment decay, it would not be much of a stretch to provide decay to hair/beard objects in such a way as to cause them to grow (or shrink, male pattern baldness anyone *grin*). My clothing/equipment is planned to decay in a very simple fashion. It decays from useable to not useable. As well as wounds decay into scars depending on the severity. Tattoos are permanent of course. Perhaps I should consider a more elaborate decay where clothing would decay from new to worn to tattered, etc. A more analog approach rather than binary. Hrrm... Nail clipping and the normal body functions strike me as somewhat too detailed. > In addition, what about eating and drinking? I've always found the eating and drinking requirements in many muds as irritating. I'm attempting an automated eating system where characters located in civilized areas simply have money subtracted for this. I will allow starvation and eating in wilderness areas and through lack of funds though. I have never considered implementing nutrition, however. > Age is another factor that could be taken into consideration. As > your character got older, your hair would go grey - maybe fall out - > and your skin would wrinkle. You would start losing attributes and > maybe pick up some mental conditions. Eventually you would die of > old age. This is one of the reasons I am thinking of using my > mudsex/pregnancy/ birth code for - so that players can 'prepare' > their child (thus passing on their skills and knowledge) for when > they themselves die. This would effectively allow you to 'live > forever' in theory, even though you would be living through several > different people. It would, however, require some planning by the > player. > Hmm, excellent. I implement aging but have only considered the effects on character statistics. Attaching wrinkles and hair alterations to the character are quite interesting and doable. :) If one implements character ageing as a limiting factor, I think it natural that characters would become interested in all sorts of "immortalizing" options. There are certainly implementations of the more fantastic options such as deityhood, vampirism and lichedom, but the more mundane and common method you describe seems much more fascinating to me. Here are some random thoughts/questions on the matter. Would liasons be possible between PCs only or combination of PC/NPC? I have an actively deistic world (aka ancient Greece) so some unusual offspring possibilities are possible (Hercules, Cyclops, mermaids, etc.) Some "offspring" code would perhaps be necessary with possibly some stat merging and random manipulation along with appearance (genetic algorithms anyone?). If PCs become pregnant some affects and limitations an activity are in order (Should I treat pregnancy as a disease?) Characters raising children would effectively become NPCs for the duration. I'm not fond of "dwarven daycare" although on second thought nannies and stewards are quite common to my period with the appropriate expenditures. I don't like the idea of skill transference, but wealth and equipment are another matter. Once play begins with the new character perhaps there are necessary expenditures for the NPC parents if still living? Some other unusual avenues of character evolution: Age - decay of senses - sight, hearing, etc. Disease - chronic and terminal affects. Social - reputation, political, economic, guild, religious growth along with promotion, demotion, etc. Pre-evolution - generation of background, talents, flaws, siblings, social rank, culture, parents, family, etc. Jon Lambert </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00700.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Looking for books...</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00702.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re:</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00787.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] DESIGN: R-Trees (fwd)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00699.html">Re:</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00701"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00701"><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="00724" HREF="msg00724.html">Inebriation</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 00:06 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00721" HREF="msg00721.html">Comments on MUDs from Shadists</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Mon 25 Aug 1997, 18:43 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00712" HREF="msg00712.html">DESIGN: R-Trees (fwd)</A></strong>, Greg Munt <a href="mailto:greg#uni-corn,demon.co.uk">greg#uni-corn,demon.co.uk</a>, Sun 24 Aug 1997, 22:41 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00787" HREF="msg00787.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] DESIGN: R-Trees (fwd)</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Thu 28 Aug 1997, 00:53 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00701" HREF="msg00701.html">[MUD-Dev] Character evolution</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Thu 21 Aug 1997, 17:52 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00699" HREF="msg00699.html">Re:</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 21 Aug 1997, 16:54 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00702" HREF="msg00702.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re:</A></strong>, Richard Woolcock <a href="mailto:KaVir#dial,pipex.com">KaVir#dial,pipex.com</a>, Thu 21 Aug 1997, 18:01 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00704" HREF="msg00704.html">[MUD-Dev] Character evolution</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Thu 21 Aug 1997, 19:12 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00725" HREF="msg00725.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Character evolution</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 00:42 GMT </LI> </UL> </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>