[MUD-Dev] Befriending Critters (was: Random Resets)

[Rayzam]

From: "Arthaey" <arthaey at hotpop.com>

> What does making the squirrels flee on sight of PlayerC accomplish
> besides pissing PlayerC off? ... PlayerC would have to go hunting
> something else, somewhere else, for a while. Is that a good enough
> reason? ... This idea also seems to mimic some of the features of
> a full ecosystem, in that a heavily hunted area will become
> increasingly harder to hunt in, since all the critters will
> eventually be running away from everyone. Meanwhile, this idea
> seems easier to implement than a true simulated ecosystem with NPC
> predator-prey relations and food caps, etc.

We have a system similar to that currently in place, in Retro. The
fleeing part at least. As a character kills, word may spread. Word
only spreads if those killed are sentient, and have a reason to
converse with each other. So killing fish doesn't do it. Thus,
terrorizing a town of goblins, the goblins would brand the character
with a reputation. It starts off as a rumored slayer, and works its
way up to an infamous one. The higher levels of reputation mean the
character has killed there enough to be recognized on sight. This
makes the victims of the mass-murderer attempt one of two things. If
they feel completely helpless/to weak to handle the character, they
run. If not, they attempt to make the character pay, and attack on
sight. Of course, the reputation diminishes with time.

So this is an NPC system more than an ecosystem or one to work with
animals, nor will it have anything to do befriending animals. There
is also one higher, parallel stage to the system: some places, like
patrolled cities, or closed enclaves: a dwarven stronghold that
recognizes everyone who should belong, can start hunting a cahracter
that kills any of their own, regardless of the reputation.

These two systems work pretty well. Some players like seeing those
goblins flee in terror when they are seen. Others are annoyed, but
at least with that annoyance comes the realization that what they do
has repercussions. The NPCs are at least a little bit more than bags
of xp.

    rayzam
    www.travellingbard.com



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