[MUD-Dev] New Topic: Butthead features

[Jeff Kesselman]

At 09:49 AM 8/3/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:
>> How do you control them?
>
>Short answer is that you can't, not easily - not without direct

Heh. I was lloking for discussion, not necc TEH answer. Frankly I don't
believe any ABSOLUTE answeres exist.  There are however techniques. What
you suggested (huaman admin intervention0 is definately oen of thsoe
techniques.

IMo avoiding the inclusion of features that are too easy to abuse, or cause
too much damage WHEN abused, even if they are logical sensical thinsg that
normal players could have fun with, is another.  But tahts just another
opinion.

>Nothing at all guarantees you will be at all successful - and avoiding
>features with anything to add to the game, but potential 'abuse' side
>effects, is a serious mistake. Other mechanisms are limited, but all you

Hmm. I woudl disagree here.  A hand gun is a great thign for imrpoving ahnd
eye coordiantion-- doesn't mean everyone should be handed one though.  In
general I find this way to dogmatic a POV for my tastes,. I personally
believe that this is mreo a balancing act then an abolsute-answer type
question.

>I really don't see how you can avoid stuff I'd categorise as 'butthead
>features'.
> 
>> Some exampels of butthead features include..
>> 
>> (1) PC pickpocketing of other PCs... always upsets people.
>
>But this shafts PC thieves?

This shafts a PC wh owants to be a pick pocket. "course you cannto be a
martian in most fantasy MUDS either.  I personally thin kits perfectly
apporpriate for the judge to say what kidsn of chaarcters he does or deosnt
want in his game, maybe thats my pen and paper experience talking.

BUT it doesn't shaft theives as a class-- rememebr that theives as a class
were taken directly from The Hobbit and Bilbo Baggins... who never picked a
pocket in his life..
>
>
>But if you have a tport method that should thematically allow this.. and
>ambushing is fair play, IMHO. It's just using fair means to get an unfair
>advantage. All is fair in war, physics and chocolate. ;)

But, in return, if it makes your game unplayable, then yo uhave a problem,
yes?  Theme is great but IMo it talkes second seat to game design.  I mean
I coudl define a game whsoe THEME is that everyone is a little formless
blob with no ability to do anuything lyign on the floor and then implement
it faithfully-- and have a rpetty damn annoying game that noone wants to play.

>
>> 
>> 
>> There are lost mroe but there are some starter catagories.
>
>Got anymore to list? :)

Tons, but I hate to start laundry listing.

I'ld be more inertested in what OTEHRS think might be "butthead features".

JK
Jeff Kesselman
Snr. Game Integration Engineer
TEN -- The Total Entertainment Network -- www.ten.net

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