[MUD-Dev] Bio of John Bertoglio

[J C Lawrence]

Forwarded as reuested:

From: "John Bertoglio" <alexb at internetcds.com>
To: <claw at under.engr.sgi.com>
Subject: Bio of John Bertoglio
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 23:13:29 -0700

Mr. Lawrence:

Here is a bio if it would be of any value....

John Bertogio
Occupation: head geek for Pulse Research,Inc.  < www.paper.net > 
Portland,  Oregon

Addresses: alexb#internetcds,com (son's account, hits machine at home)
           jb#internetcds,com (son's account, hits machine at home)

Web page: <http://www.paper.net/mud/> (just samples)

Personal details:
 

- - Married 25 years, three children. Ages: 4, 12 and 19 
    (sophamore at Reed College in Portland
- - Politics: Non-doctrinare Libertarian (Wife: Bleeding heart liberal)
- - Excessive use of "", () and ... in posts.
- - Table top war gamer in my youth. (Hobby killed by family life)
- - Engineering education. Started in 1970. Finished with liberal
    arts degree in 1989
- - Worked in sales and marketing, first in audio industry, later
    moved to computers when audio went goofy (pre-cd).
- - Worked for Egghead Software in its salad days...played hundreds
    of pc-based computer games.
- - Moved to Pulse Research about 10 years ago. Did sales and systems
    work. Company has over 2000 newspaper clients in North America
    We got into internet systems for newspapers almost 4 years ago
    with (god help us) bbs systems. 
- - Started bbs project with contract developer...very talented person
    with serious flaws. We developed and still own world's best 
    newspaper-oriented bbs system. Of course, no one including us
    now cares about that. Used RIP techology...great technology
    god-awful CEO. BBS used xbase database at its core.
- - Implosion of bbs market led to decision...find a way to move 
    technology to the web or get a real job and actually work for a 
    living.
- - Moved technology to the web. Used FoxWeb <www.foxweb.com> to link
    MS Visual FoxPro dbase. Fired contract developer and rewrote and
    expanded all programs from  BBS. Something of a trick since 
    previous programming experience was a D in one quarter of Fortran in 
    1971 and a few "Hello World" level projects in basic.
- - Got idea a xbase mud was possible from TBBS program Legends (no 
    connection to mud of the same name)
- - Used company technology to build a prototype mud. Mud development
    now produces technology used in company products.

Server concepts/features:
 - Built on relational database model. Extensive use of SQL. Engine
    has very high speed indexed searches
- - Totally persistant world with the ability to handle millions of objects.
- - 1200 by 800 cell base world creates "Civ" style world map. Not
    tiled currently...but could be, uses solid color pixels for maps.
- - Current world has 1 million base cells with 4 million gateways 
    connnecting. 
- - Each cell can have infinite number of traditional mud style rooms.
- - Auto generation of some terrain features as areas are exploited
    (Example: Mines) 
- - Stateless elements dealt with by combination of cookies, session
    tracking, auto events and auto refresh.
- - HTML form-based editing for all system elements. 
- - System is designed to be very extensible. Adding new features or skills
    can often be done in minutes.
- - Hybrid NPC/flora/faunua generation. 
- - Adventurers can form parties which are persistant and gain stats 
- - PC, NPC and significant creatures use the same data structure.
- - Designed to allow active gamemastering

Client concept/features
- - Client program is MS IE 4.0...stock, no plugins, no ActiveX
- - Hate frames? You'll really hate this one.
- - Multiple user interfaces. Selectable
- - On-the-fly generated HTML provides most of the content

Game concepts/features:
 - Game system based on amalgam of systems: Aftermath, C&S, elements of 
    AD&D, GURPS and some freeware systems.
- - Skill based. No fixed classes. Skill trees encourage differentation.
- - Attempts to bring the elements of good single player frp games
    to multi-player existance. Inspiration is the "Dream Park"
    novels.
- - Ability to 'get lost' in a huge world and build a presense
- - Managed Pk system with subtle intervention
- - Easy player building of elements
- - Unusual use of world time elements
- - Extensive use of profiles. Player controls plans of character but
    does not have absolute control over all actions, especially in 
    detailed interactions like combat.
- - Very limited exposure to numbers. Game has stats on/off command used
    for development and testing.
- - IC advantages to eating and drinking in taverns.  

John Bertoglio
                  --------oOOOo--------

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                               Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------(*)                     Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...

--
MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.