[MUD-Dev] Level abstractions - Realism vs Game Issues

[Matt Chatterley]

> On Fri, 4 Jul 1997 clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:
> > at 01:36 AM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:
> >> On Wed, 2 Jul 1997 clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:

> >> 
> >>   Causing any effect within the game increases your own liability 
> >>   to have that same effect created on you.  
> 
> >Thats really, really, really evil. :)
> 
> Thanks.

I love the way that all the best mud designers (on all levels - from
server level coders to area builders) are really evil b*stards. :)

> >You could do it more as generalisations (ie, split magic into strands
> >such as elements, and have using one strand increase your liability
> >to spells in that strand), to make it a little subtler than being
> >"directly" tied to each spell - but I do have a vaguely similar rule
> >in mind, more a generalisation of the above.
> 
> I have some general ideas in this area, (I think I posted on them
> earlier).  The basics are making magi, energy, and everything else
> more or less abide by the standard conservation of energy etc laws,
> and the concept of anti-/non-anti quantums for each energy type.  The
> old four elements don't actuall feature in here, my "energy types"
> include such as life, force, mass, magic, etc.

Yeah - I read the stuff you posted recently on this. It seems a goodly way
to approach things given the sort of way you seem to intend on going about
things - I like it.
 
> >Magic (as a power) is very much like I inisist it to be as a literary
> >tool - double edged. It can be a very powerful ally, but it can also
> >be extremely dangerous, like a hand-grenade you've just pulled the
> >pin from. If you have trouble throwing it, you've got a problem.
> 
> Yup.  see prior postings.  I'm looking at makcing the entire world
> ambiguous in this manner.

Ambiguousness (is that a word?!) is a good thing IMHO. For too long, games
such as muds have given far too much specific information to their
players.

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"He can't stop us, we're on a mission from Glod!" - Soul Music (Pratchett)