[MUD-Dev] Spellcaster, or Waving Hands

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <33E9E729.41049A12 at sparta.mainstream.net>, on 08/07/97 
   at 08:42 AM, Michael Hohensee <michael at sparta.mainstream.net> said:

>clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:

>> 
>> http://shaw.iol.ie/~ecarroll/mud/spellcaster.html
>> 
>>                       WAVING HANDS
>>                (also known as: SPELLCASTER)
>>                     Richard Bartle

>This looks like an excellent spell system, as it allows players to
>actually have a magical combat that is just as complicated as a
>physical one.  (most muds relegate magic to "You hit Bubba with a
>fireball"  or  "You miss Bubba with a fireball")

Precisely.  I suspect taht I'll steal it whole coth and then invest a
terrible amount of time trying to extend it to the various neat things
I also do (will power fights etc), as well as some sort of generic
magic/spell extensions:

  Wiz1 #1: waves hands...
  
  Wiz #2: "Hurm, that's no known spell he's leading up to there, but
it could be one of the standard extensions of XXX or YYY, in which
case its either going to be some sort of missile/fire spell or its
a....

>However, it seems to me, that to fight out one of these combats with
>any amount of speed or efficiency, a client program would be
>required.  

Much as I hate cients for telnet MUD play, I've come to think taht
*not* having a client for any decently advanced game is a recipe for
disaster.

>The client can prompt the player for one character inputs,
>and also provide other information to the player.  (ie: after you've
>started casting W-C, the client can display a list of possible known
>conclusions).

Yup.

>Otherwise, a fast typer would murder a slow typer. :)

Enfoced pacing might be the key, with the pacing forced to a floating
average between the slowest and the fastest typers in the warring
groups.

>One could also introduce new spells to the game this way. "Yes, my
>student, W-C-C-Q is the basic firestarting spell, but W-C-C-Q-!
>creates a fireball of intensity level 5." *BooOooM*

Now you're talking.  I'd really like to see if I can't extend the
system such that it becomes really compnent based.  Then a spell
caster starts assembling components:

  (waggle fingers)  that's some fire
  (..............)  that's some explosion
  (..............)  that's some more explosion
  (..............)  that's some motion or missle characteristics
  (..............)  that's some ......
  (..............)  And release it!

Then any particular released spell would be an assembliage of the
entire set of previously unreleased components. 

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...