<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun --> <!--X-From-R13: QXbarfNnntvf.pbz --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 06:45:42 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: BF298EBEB7E5D111A3CE0060083E51864C8CE2#cinexch01,galic.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] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:CJones#aagis,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="msg00107.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00109.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00345.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00134.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00108">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00108">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00108">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</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] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:CJones#aagis,com">CJones#aagis,com</A></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 09:48:56 -0400 </LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#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> > -----Original Message----- > From: Matthew R. Sheahan [<A HREF="mailto:chaos#crystal,palace.net">mailto:chaos#crystal,palace.net</A>] > Sent: Thursday, July 09, 1998 1:19 AM > To: mud-dev#kanga,nu > Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun > > Jon A. Lambert propagated a meme to the effect of: > > I assume that self-governance refers to extending the > capabilities of > > Player governance. It's the nature of these "posited" mechanisms > > that interests me. :) > > once upon a time, i had planned out a system of "player government" > which centered around mayoral and law-enforcement figures for the > various settlements which function as player homelands, and so on. > very PC, with elections and so forth, and the only real driving force > behind it being control of PK. > > i have lately decided that this is entirely too limited in scope, and > what i now have planned is something based on adding on an entire > layer of territorial rulership to the game. if you're going to have > "player government" in a medieval fantasy setting, to hell with small > time mayors and sheriffs, let's have some noble dukes, > witch-kings, and barbarian warlords. put some tools in their hands > for performing law enforcement and make sure people know that overthrow > is an option if they don't use them. -------- >8 snip 8<-------- > chiaroscuro I have been considering a not dissimilar scenario, though on a smaller scale. :-) Imagine Bubba and his party hear about the evil wizard Boffo and his henchmen who rule a tower over the tiny village of Smallburg. Boffo (the scripted NPC) regularly sends his henchmen out to harass players, kill the dumb NPCs of the village, etc. One goal of noble minded (or greedy) players is to kill Boffo and take over the tower. This issues I realized while planning this are: (1) I need NPCs that can run scripts of high complexity (Boffo) and generic scripts of low complexity (henchmen that follow orders like "kill bubba", townspeople who scream at the sight of steel) (2) Players need some mechanism to take over the tower ownership (which implies things like collecting the taxes, paying for the henchment, paying for tower upkeep, defending the realm) (3) How do I deal with who actually owns the tower? Do I create a "group" or "party" identifier that gives the whole party the capability to administrate the tower and give orders to the henchmen? If so, what happens if the party has a falling out, or players stop logging in regularly? (I would probably regenerate Boffo and transfer ownership back to him in that case.) (4) And if I don't allow group membership, I'll have some tricky player who assumes control of the tower behind the party's back. Now, the players will have some degree of control over an area. There aren't any real boundaries unless I enforce "zones" or "realms" which, for me, are convenient mechanisms to make sure that objects stay in the correct scenario. I assume that for the players to take their roles and responsibilities seriously, they'll have to command their "tools for enforcement", the henchmen NPCs and PCs, to police the area, collect taxes, etc. The players decide the policies, and with appropriate scripting, the NPCs can carry them out ("Aye, lad. Abide by the laws and us'll be friends."). As the stories and rumors get passed from town to town, other players will hear about what happened and challenge Bubba and crew in the same way Boffo was challenged. The MUD can regenerate Boffo as Boffo, jr., and let him try to recapture the tower with a small army of henchmen (I hope this would be an automatic process). Upside: The game starts to develop its own systems of tyrannical player rulers, an atmosphere of achivement and competition for less powerful players striving to rule, and laws can begin to be enforced. Downside: I would have to ensure that I have a small army of programmers ready to write the scripts or code to make things happen. Bubba decides that he wants to fortify the tower, so he builds a keep around it. He then adds traps, etc. This is definitely not something for a compiled MUD. :-) Assassins, invisible killers, and others of that ilk will have an easier time taking a tower than Bubba the buffed fighter-type. Similar idea, different execution: why not have player or scripted NPC barbarian horde leaders, with small armies of henchment? That would really shake up small town life. :-) Chris </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="00134" HREF="msg00134.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Nathan F Yospe <yospe#hawaii,edu></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00107.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposa</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00109.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00345.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00134.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00108"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00108"><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>[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00461" HREF="msg00461.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Mon 03 Aug 1998, 20:02 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00482" HREF="msg00482.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Wed 05 Aug 1998, 04:52 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00344" HREF="msg00344.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Fri 24 Jul 1998, 22:44 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00345" HREF="msg00345.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 24 Jul 1998, 23:00 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00108" HREF="msg00108.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, CJones <a href="mailto:CJones#aagis,com">CJones#aagis,com</a>, Thu 09 Jul 1998, 13:45 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00134" HREF="msg00134.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, Nathan F Yospe <a href="mailto:yospe#hawaii,edu">yospe#hawaii,edu</a>, Fri 10 Jul 1998, 00:25 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00136" HREF="msg00136.html">[MUD-Dev] Support for remote NPCs</A></strong>, Joel Kelso <a href="mailto:joel#ee,uwa.edu.au">joel#ee,uwa.edu.au</a>, Fri 10 Jul 1998, 02:56 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00160" HREF="msg00160.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Support for remote NPCs</A></strong>, Nathan F Yospe <a href="mailto:yospe#hawaii,edu">yospe#hawaii,edu</a>, Sat 11 Jul 1998, 03:07 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00114" HREF="msg00114.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, Till Eulenspiegel <a href="mailto:choke#sirius,com">choke#sirius,com</a>, Thu 09 Jul 1998, 17:48 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>