[MUD-Dev] Character evolution

[Chris Gray]

[Travis C:]
:I can't think of *any* SF or fantasy world that doesn't mostly 
:resemble RL, and I think there's a good reason for that.  Quite
:simply, if you came up with a world that was different from RL even
:down to the basics, there would be no frame of reference for readers
:or players to understand things -- the only real possibility would be
:to start things off with a long lecture about what the basic rules of
:this world are.  Even then, most people probably wouldn't be able to
:"wrap their heads around it."

Perhaps that just means we have to try harder. I agree that it would
be quite difficult to play such a game, but it might be fun to try.
Consider what is available in some of the MUD servers we have talked
about here: persistent language, free user programming, perhaps some
good multimedia effects, etc. Ok, so do away with any attempt to have
English-like input, and just use the system's programming language.
Players would have to add routines to customize things to make it
easier to use - fine, they would each do it a bit different, and perhaps
even drastically differenty. How do you interact with others? Well, you
can send multimedia effects (sounds, mathematical drawings and animations,
etc.) at them. You can run programs that do things over time to and
near them. Perhaps you can modify the environment they see (in terms
of the program code they can see, the stored values they see, etc.).
What would be the point? Who knows - it would have to be tried, before
we could readily guess what the point might be, or what might or might
not be fun. Combat could literally be programming, as could socializing -
offer some of your fun stuff to others in exchange for some of theirs;
exchange tips on things that have worked. The kind of interface in
that CACM article we talked about a month ago might be useful here.

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA