<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions --> <!--X-From-R13: "E. Bngevpx Unyyngl" <pubxrNfvevhf.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 11:53:59 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 003701bdeca3$a2d60000$b27f14cf#patrick,gric.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: Autogenerated room descriptions</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:choke#sirius,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="msg01383.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01385.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01396.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01369.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01384">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01384">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01384">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions</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: Autogenerated room descriptions</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "S. Patrick Gallaty" <<A HREF="mailto:choke#sirius,com">choke#sirius,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 11:53:38 -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> -----Original Message----- From: Richard Woolcock <KaVir#nospam,dial.pipex.com> To: mud-dev#kanga,nu <mud-dev#kanga,nu> Date: Wednesday, 30 September, 1998 11:34 Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions >> On Sun, 27 Sep 1998, T. Alexander Popiel wrote: >> >> :The recent thread on room descriptions and senses leads me >> :to wonder: has anyone done any work with using the story >> :paraphrase AIs to autogenerate room descriptions from >> :individual elements? It seems like that would satisfy >> :the craving for variant room descriptions quite nicely... My map manager creates the room long() from the types of surrounding rooms. As well as objects on the map which are considered 'highly visible'. This makes for interesting and somewhat varied room descriptions... Sample constructed room descriptions would be: You are in a dense forest, which blocks your sight. To the far northwest you see the outlines of mountains. You are in a grassy plain. To the north and east lay rolling hills, to the south is a shallow marsh and to the west is a group of low buildings made from stone. You are in a cold, barren desert. Barren desert lays in every direction as far as you can see. Far to the north you see a thin black spire. The way I did all this fanciness was to have an array of terrain types which have several factors: vis_mod: The amount that this terrain impedes visibility vis_bonus: The amount that this terrain adds to visibility (only applicable when the player is in this terrain, can be negative if the terrain is obscuring) visibility: How much this terrain stands out from other terrain. (Generally only positive for things like tall trees, mountains, hills etc.) Additionally objects on the map have a 'visibility' factor which if (object->visibility > sum(all_squares_in_between->vis_mod) the object is added to the long() based on the distance from the object to us. All 'map objects' have additional text descriptions for near_short() and far_short(). An example near_short() would be "towering black spire, engraved with arcane runes". An example far_short() would be "a black spire". I load a template object then configure it with the head_object and then pop it into the 2-d array of rooms. At some interval I scan the array and recycle rooms which haven't been visited and are empty. Of course this code isn't in use anywhere, since I am a hacker and not an area coder. Usually I try to inspire young, new and energetic wizard types to use my tools to make things ... if they can understand them. </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="msg01383.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01385.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01396.html">[MUD-Dev] UO lawsuit (fwd)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01369.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Simulation (Was Re: Room descriptions)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01384"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01384"><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="01397" HREF="msg01397.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: UO lawsuit (fwd)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Thu 01 Oct 1998, 01:30 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01396" HREF="msg01396.html">[MUD-Dev] UO lawsuit (fwd)</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Thu 01 Oct 1998, 01:11 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01384" HREF="msg01384.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions</A></strong>, S. Patrick Gallaty <a href="mailto:choke#sirius,com">choke#sirius,com</a>, Wed 30 Sep 1998, 18:53 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01369" HREF="msg01369.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Simulation (Was Re: Room descriptions)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 20:54 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01352" HREF="msg01352.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</A></strong>, Scatter <a href="mailto:scatter#thevortex,com">scatter#thevortex,com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 10:38 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="01361" HREF="msg01361.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 18:15 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01351" HREF="msg01351.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Robert Woods <a href="mailto:rwoods#honors,unr.edu">rwoods#honors,unr.edu</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 08:36 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>