[MUD-Dev] Virtual Chemistry

[Matt Chatterley]

On Sun, 3 Aug 1997, Marian Griffith wrote:

> On Sat 02 Aug, Nathan Yospe wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, 1 Aug 1997, Matt Chatterley wrote:
> 
> Lots and lots of stuff snipped  that uncomfortably reminded me of those
> two years I had compulsory classes in chemistry.

Heh. I had two nasty years in compulsory chem, which I hated. Then when I
had the choice, I chose to do it again. A year later, I'm starting to
wonder why. ;)
 
> Are we still talking about chemistry or about alchemy here? It seems to
> me that those two are not even remotely the same.  Even if the one sup-
> posedly originated from the other. Chemistry is a science while alchemy
> is for the most part a mysticism. Aims for the two are wildly different
> as well as the tools  and the 'theory' behind them.

I'd protest that alchemy (from a more scientific point of view, leaving
the mystical elements aside temporarily) is primitive "chemistry", and the
basic ways things interact are going to be same. This is the approach I'm
basing my system on, and allowing the mystical side as 'modifiers' to what
things do.

To give a pair of quick examples:

You could have a herbalist of some description (perhaps a priest from a
Shaolin temple), who mixes a few ground up roots with some water, to
produce a rather non-magical, but quite effective treatment (as a
poultice) to help stop severe wounds bleeding.

You could also have a different character, perhaps a small time mage,
turned alchemist, who mixes similar 'erbs with water, and enchants them
(by only allowing silver instruments into contact with them, in moonlight,
and chanting his name backwards while weaving a small magical charm into
them), to produce a very different poultice, which has a similar but more
dramatic effect - it doesn't help to stop bleeding, it burns the wound
clean, sealing it into a scar within seconds.

> Maybe this is  because most of you guys writing on this list are scien-
> tifically inclined?

The apparent slant is almost certainly because of this - Nathan and I were
two of the most vocal today, and are both scientifically orientated in
some way. I read the post you sent, but didn't actually reply, because I
don't have much to add. :)

I'm moving onto considering the actual user interface, and how to handle
things like the second example above, now.

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's
	mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them." -George Orwell