<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying --> <!--X-From-R13: "Xbua Pregbtyvb" <nyrkoNvagreargpqf.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 26 Apr 1998 00:26:10 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: E1fBbI3-00028c-00#mail,kanga.nu --> <!--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] fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Rolepla</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:alexb#internetcds,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="msg00726.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00747.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00758.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00764.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00736">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00736">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00736">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "John Bertoglio" <<A HREF="mailto:alexb#internetcds,com">alexb#internetcds,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 00:27:58 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Delivery-date</em>: Thu Apr 26 00:26:11 1998</LI> <LI><em>Delivery-date</em>: Thu, 26 Apr 1998 00:26:11 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Envelope-to</em>: claw#kanga,nu</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: "Petidomo List Agent,,,," <<A HREF="mailto:petidomo#kanga,nu">petidomo#kanga,nu</A>></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> FORWARDED From rec.games.mud.admin -----Original Message----- From: Richard Woolcock <KaVir#dial,pipex.comNOSPAM> Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.admin Date: Saturday, April 25, 1998 3:23 PM Subject: Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying >Lisa Bjerre wrote: >> >> In article <6hqa7h$lmt#corn,cso.niu.edu>, >> morphis#niuhep,physics.niu.edu wrote: >> >> > So yes, the default should be general impressions, the babble, the mixture >> > of smells, the jostling, the rows of stalls ... >> > >> > Most specifics are of no interest to you, the challenge (we are interested >> > in a challenge aren't we?) is to figure out what is of interest. The >> > challenge to the writers is to make that possible and to emulate real life >> > so that most of the time when some heavily armed bozo starts walking across >> > the square toward you you notice it. (unless you are seriously involved >> > in haggling down the price of breakfast...) >> >> Can you clarify how you see this done on a MUD? Since the part of the >> discussion I entered was in short wether to write in a roomdesc "The room is >> crowded" or to put in all the mobs that would make the room crowded, I don't >> understand from this post what would be your view on this. > >Well there are many ways to do it. Here are three: > >1) Generate a single mob called 'a crowd of citizens', that have a flag set > making them impossible to attack. The description of the crowd can be > literally what you would see when looking into the crowd. This is the > easiest way, and it sucks. > >2) Write a form of the 'combine' code to work for people with a 'citizen' flag, > similar to that used for objects in Merc. Depending how many people you see > in the room, you should see "a couple of citizens stand here", "a small group > of people stand here"...etc..."a huge crowd of people jostle you around". > In the 'look' code, the parameter 'crowd' could list every single person in > non-combine format. This is probably the best way out of the three I have > suggested, its easy to implement, but could get spammy with lots of people. > >3) Write a form of mob-joining code, similar to the object-joining used in smaug. > The result would be a single mob, called "a crowd" or whatever, which would > spit out individuals as needed (ie if you attack the crowd, one of the people > in it would get split off from the crowd mob for you to fight). This is the > most efficient of the ways I have described, but will be difficult to get > working properly (primarily making the parts of the crowd still act separately). > >The crowd should exclude 'special' people (such as that huge giant walking towards >you with a big axe). My favourite way would probably be 2, as it would allow each >viewer to determine which people were insignificant. > >KaVir. Had similar thoughts about player and player/npc adventuring parties. Our system creates a party object when the leader (a player with suitable leadership and other skills) announces the formation of group. This party is for all intents and purposes another player, (it is added to the character database). This "character" had certain default characteristics which make it interesting. It derives it stats and some skills from the characters who join the party. It inherits excess cargo capacity from the characters as well as other things. This party is moved through the world by the leader. The leader can issue a few party commands as well as have full control over his own character. Players in the party have full control over their character but a using a movement command will automatically remove them from the party (after a warning message is overridden). Messages which target the "Party" character are shown to all members of the group. Because of the shared strength and pooling of skills this "meta character" is quite useful compared to the powers of its members. The party can portage a small boat, haul logs for building a stockade and other feats impossible for even the most capable individual. Of course, each player controls his on character in combat, takes damage, changs weapons, etc. I'm sure this has been done before, but here is the new (?) wrinkle: What if a given leader's party character was not deleted when the leader disbanded the party? What if the party "character" continued its existance. The party could gain experience, fame, auras and other characteristics. While the the meta character would not actually perform any actions, it would provide bonuses for anyone in it. The RP justification would be the leader's ability to coordinate the team around him (or her) to get the job done. When you fight along side Cyrano, you are a better swordman. When you slink with the grey mouser, you are a better slinker, and so on. It also represents the parties ability to improve the plans of even a skilled character. The party character would be represented by a standard, sash, pendant or some other object. It would only have value to and could only be wielded by the leader character. When you viewed the party you would see a description written by the leader (or generated by the server if the leader declines to enter the text). It might say: You see a party of hearty adventurers led by a powerful elf carrying a green standard with a red diagonal slash. Click on the party and you are presented with a short display of the members which can in turn be drilled down to detailed view of each member. Now, if your dealing with the green-red group in the past had led to problems, it might be time to run! As the party (or members of the party) performed actions, the same mechanism which improves individual skills would work (at a reduced level) on the party stats. Take the ambush skill. Since the ambush is assumed to being organized by the person in the group with the highest ambush skill, that skill is used to calculate the success. A successful ambush has the possibility of increasing the lead ambusher's skill as well as the parties skill. All party skills start at 0 and are used as adds to party-based attempts. So a party with an ambush skill of 7 would simply add 7 to the score of the character leading the ambush. Of course, it is also possible that characters in the party without the ambush skill could gain an initial value in this skill if they participate in enough of them. But that is a subject for another post. I have roughed out some code I will add to my server in the second round of improvements unless some wiser head persuades me as to the goofiness of this idea. John Bertoglio -- MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future. </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="00243" HREF="msg00243.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> J C Lawrence <claw#under,engr.sgi.com></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00763" HREF="msg00763.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Ling <K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00764" HREF="msg00764.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Richard Woolcock <KaVir#dial,pipex.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="msg00726.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: How to represent a 3d object...</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00747.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) AD: [custom graphical] whitestar Crossfire MUD</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00758.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00764.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00736"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00736"><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="00767" HREF="msg00767.html">[MUD-Dev] RE: How to represent a 3d object...</A></strong>, Justin McKinnerney <a href="mailto:xymox#toon,org">xymox#toon,org</a>, Mon 27 Apr 1998, 08:04 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00761" HREF="msg00761.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, John Bertoglio <a href="mailto:alexb#internetcds,com">alexb#internetcds,com</a>, Sun 26 Apr 1998, 21:39 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00772" HREF="msg00772.html">[MUD-Dev] Group mechanics/Leadership [was: Room descriptions]</A></strong>, Shawn Halpenny <a href="mailto:malachai#iname,com">malachai#iname,com</a>, Mon 27 Apr 1998, 14:33 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00758" HREF="msg00758.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Sun 26 Apr 1998, 16:00 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00736" HREF="msg00736.html">[MUD-Dev] fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, John Bertoglio <a href="mailto:alexb#internetcds,com">alexb#internetcds,com</a>, Sun 26 Apr 1998, 07:26 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00764" HREF="msg00764.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, Richard Woolcock <a href="mailto:KaVir#dial,pipex.com">KaVir#dial,pipex.com</a>, Sun 26 Apr 1998, 16:46 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00763" HREF="msg00763.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Sun 26 Apr 1998, 21:56 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00243" HREF="msg00243.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: fwd [MUD-DEV] Re: Room descriptions, was Re: Roleplaying</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Wed 29 Apr 1998, 23:16 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00694" HREF="msg00694.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) AD: [custom graphical] whitestar Crossfire MUD</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Sat 25 Apr 1998, 10:43 GMT </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>