[MUD-Dev] Request for ideas

[Timothy Dang]

On Mon, 1 Oct 2001, Eli Stevens wrote:
> From: "Jon Leonard" <jleonard at slimy.com>

>>   * Economic-based games, where players control businesses, hire
>>   employees, consume resources for sale and profit.  In a MUD
>>   this has the unique potential of having the contracts actually
>>   enforced by the game.  (This has side effects as well...  What
>>   to do about illegal contracts, or players who can't meet
>>   contractual obligations?)

> Game enforced contracts...  Hmm...

> I am drawing something of a blank on what the game could enforce,
> beyond "I will buy X item."  Care to expand?

A couple times I've considered a kind of contract scripting
language. The contract could specify that:

  if Bubba gives Boffo 1 Hammer of Bashing before midnight, Nov. 15
  {
    if Boffo gives Bubba 1000gp before midnight, Nov. 30
    {
      contract fulfilled
    }
    else
    {
      blacklist Boffo
    }
  }

This would simply be an example of a trade of goods. There could be
contracts triggered by events (if Bubba slays Dragon before...). A
contract could be implemented with some kind of security deposit,
and instead of "blacklist Boffo", which will have no implications in
many games, it could be "Boffo sacrifices deposit to Bubba".

Possible exploits such a contract system bring up are using
contracts as sort of world-monitoring devices. If I can have a
contract enforced based on world events, then maybe I could use the
system to recieve improper alerts of certain events.

I think a thoroughly designed system of this sort would be neat,
though honestly, I don't know how much it would add to a game unless
the game is of a trade-wars sort.

------------------------------
Timothy O'Neill Dang / Cretog8
520-884-7261
One monkey don't stop no show.

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