<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun --> <!--X-From-R13: X Q Znjerapr <pynjNhaqre.rate.ftv.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 15:44:06 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199807242241.PAA08686#under,engr.sgi.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199807090518.BAA03194#crystal,palace.net --> <!--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:claw#under,engr.sgi.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="msg00343.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00345.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00482.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00345.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00344">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00344">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00344">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>: J C Lawrence <<A HREF="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 15:41:54 -0700</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> On Thu, 9 Jul 1998 01:18:44 -0400 (EDT) Matthew R Sheahan<chaos#crystal,palace.net> wrote: > 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. While I've never verbalised it before, the main flaw I've found in such designs is that they are dependant on the figureheads being logged on to the server. What do you do when your mayor isn't connected? Is off on holiday in the south Pacific for a couple weeks? Back when I came up with the concept of Rank Points for building societal heirarchial structures: URL:<A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/~petidomo/lists/mud-dev/1997Q2/msg01504.html">http://www.kanga.nu/~petidomo/lists/mud-dev/1997Q2/msg01504.html</A> --<cut>-- A simple model: Player characters can award each other "rank points" (RP). Each player character is given (free) 1RP per day. A player character with sufficient RPs can be automagically promoted to a high status position. Maintaining a high status position costs a player character XXX RPs per day (automatic debit). A player caharacter can promote other player characters to other (lower) status positions. Such a promotion costs the appointing player a one time cost of YYY RPs. The promoted player has his own daily RP cost for his position. Should the high ranking player lose his position thru lack of RP's, all appointees will also lose their position as it they had failed to acquire enough RPs to maintain their own position. A junior ranked player can still appoint sub-juniours with the same mapping as above. Ergo: To survive a high ranking player must persaude many many other players to give him their daily RPs so he can keep his position. A high ranking player may appoint juniours who are then also in the same position, but can be required to funnel some portion of their collections to their appointer. --<cut>-- This doesn't attempt to address the general impermanence of connection problem. However a simple extension to the above model may: 1) Allow players to award their RP's to any number of other players, and to assign the order of that assignment (ie an order of preference). 2) Have RP assignments "tagged" towards a particular position or status. 3) Change the definition of the "currently ranking player" in defining a position to "that player who currently holds the largest number of RP's based on who is currently connected", where RP's are only assigned to players that are currently connected. Ergo, during play Bubba may find that he suddenly become the Mayor as others disconnect and the balance of assignments to him changes such that he is now the current office holder. Later, when a more popular player connects Bubba will suddenly lose his Mayorship as the RP's re-assign to that player. It *should* work, but I'm not very fond of it as I suspect that attempting to functionally model such heirarchial social models in code is both doomed and self-destructive. That said it offers promise in a much more interesting direction: -- As players accumulate RP's they gain in power and gain new commands, abilities, and other game and socially useful capabilities. -- Vary the RP's exaclty as above. Thus Bubba is very popular and finds that he can cast dragon toasting fireballs without a second thought -- that is until he's in the middle of toasting Tiamat and VeryPopularPlayer logs on rendering Bubba down the scale and capable of casting only smoke rings... Potentially more interstingly this can also be used in small group and party scenarios. A group of adventurers forms to do XXX. They all assign their magic RP's to the mage, whose resultant magical resources grow proportionately. They assign their leadership RP's to their leader with the result that he gains the ability to partially control their characters and have his commands take affect on all members of the party. Etc. Later, if the party dissolves or fracts, the RP's are de-assigned and powers wane. Side effect: Well RP-assigned groups become truly fearsomely powerful and capable, capable of acting with flawless coordination and precision. Now extend the same structures to NPC AI's and NPS group intelligences. Your standard band of maurauding Orcs suddenly becomes a lot easier to make mildly crafty. -- J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net (Contractor) Internet: coder#ibm,net ---------(*) Internet: claw#under,engr.sgi.com ...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... </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="00345" HREF="msg00345.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban#darklock,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00102" HREF="msg00102.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Matthew R. Sheahan" <chaos#crystal,palace.net></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00343.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00345.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00482.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00345.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00344"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00344"><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> <LI><strong><A NAME="00102" HREF="msg00102.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></strong>, Matthew R. Sheahan <a href="mailto:chaos#crystal,palace.net">chaos#crystal,palace.net</a>, Thu 09 Jul 1998, 05:19 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00138" HREF="msg00138.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>, Fri 10 Jul 1998, 03:37 GMT <UL> <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> <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> </LI> </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 </LI> </UL> </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>