[MUD-Dev] New Topic: Butthead features

[Matt Chatterley]

On Tue, 5 Aug 1997, Jon A. Lambert wrote:

> > From: Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org>
> > Subject: [MUD-Dev] New Topic: Butthead features
> > 
> > On Mon, 4 Aug 1997, Jon A. Lambert wrote:
> > 
> > > We will have imprisonment, trials and all that.  If no one is on who
> > > can play judge, players rot in their cells until it's convenient.
> > 
> > I don't by default plan on using players heavily inside the judging
> > process, though.
> >
> 
> I'd be interested on your thoughts on legal systems.  I've been thinking
> a detailed and interesting subgame could be played out in this arena.  
> I've got some starting ideas and will post some of these when I get back 
> from holiday. :)

I've only sketched things out lightly here - basically the judgement
system will be fairly harsh (guilty until proved innocent?), and based
heavily upon your reputation and social standing (for instance, a baron is
unlikely to be hauled up on charges for slapping a peasant, whereas a
peasant might be punished very harshly for the converse).
  
> > 
> > Wiznet? Similar to Intermud[2|3]?
> > 
> 
> No Wiznet is much like a in-mud communication channel.  You can turn it on 
> or off and you can configure it for the types of events you would like to 
> listen for.  The server writes event messages to the wiznet channel.  Events 
> like when a character logs in, when a character is killed, an npc is killed, 
> site banning, spamming attempts, character deletion, altering object 
> attributes, etc.  It was a nice administrator tool and I am adopting the 
> concept.  I'll be having two such channels, wiznet (events) and debugnet 
> (method tracing).  I'll also be using them to produce logfiles for later
> browsing.  

Ah. I have a similar thing, just its simply noted as an 'info' line for
wizards - and doesn't do much (like: work) at the moment. Certainly a nice
tool to bear in mind for inclusion.
 
> > 
> > Theres an approach to staffing relevant to all games (but perhaps
> > prominent in RP intense games), whereby the powers you have for your
> > status are vastly less important than your responsibilities, which 
> > involve people as much as, or more than code.
> > 
> 
> Exacto mundo.  Promotion does not necessarily give in-game power.  I 
> guess a get a little distressed at the notion that you have powerless 
> untrustworthy players on one hand and powerful trusted staff on the 
> other.  In this case, an accidental promotion of a major butthead has
> immediate and very bad consequences.  I would guess that many muds 
> have exactly this sort of power leap when promotion occurs.   

Absolutely. As far as I'm concerned, promotions in the wizard ranks give
absolutely no in-game power (only furthered responsibility and duties;
including those of having some say over the lesser wizards duties).
Wizards are also obliged to keep themselves out of the game world whenever
possible, and to ensure all testing (etc) is conducted in a secured area
away from players.

Actually promoting anyone on any sort of automated basis is really asking
for trouble - as are acts of silliness such as promotion people you don't
know (defined as having known in some form for a while.. even just
chatting online, I don't mean just promote good RL friends!), and
promoting troublesome players who apply.
 
> They very first level of promotion can be one where a player assumes
> the persona of very localized NPCs.  Here is a player promotion scenario
> that is pretty conservative:

Interesting premise.
 
>    The player is allowed to assume control of NPCs of the Grunt & Grime
> tavern.  In particular the player can jump into One-eye McGillycuddy
> the barkeep, Boopsie the waitress, and Bruno the bouncer.  The player
> has access to the cashbox and inventory has been taken.  These 
> NPCs are most likely less powerful than the player's own characters.  
> They have the responsibility for playing them in-persona, interacting 
> with other characters, etc.  There's really not a lot of in-game power 
> here and there's quite a bit more responsibility.

And some nice potential for some fun (all round).
 
> Now should one enter the tavern and find it littered with the carnage 
> of PC bodies, stacks of stolen boodle hidden under the bar, not a drop
> of liquor in the place, and the corpses of the tavern's employees at 
> the bottom of Crator Lake, one might want to reconsider the promotion.

Heh. :)
 
> There are a heck of a lot of different scenarios you can put interested
> players through before you give them teleport anywhere, slay anything, 
> irritate anyone. 

Heh heh. I'm probably going to physically bar low level wizards from
entering the 'game grid' (ie live rooms), as well as restricting most of
the standard 'powers' to those levels where they are likely to need them.
This makes it far easier to 'try out' wizards, too.

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." -Theodore Roosevelt