[MUD-Dev] Spellcaster, or Waving Hands

[Michael Hohensee]

clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:
> 
> 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....

*WHACK*  >:)

One could have the client program display a list of known finishes for
the opponent's spell too. Of course, if you're inexperienced, there
might be a time lag between sight of gestures and understanding. 
Perhaps one can make this time lag player defined, by having the client
be able to "test" the player's abilities.  The client could send over a
sequence of gestures, and the time it takes the player to realize what
spell it is becomes the time it takes the client to tell the player what
spell is being cast in the future.

Of course, one would need a graphical mouse interface, for this to be a
fair test.
 
> >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.

A better idea would be to introduce the effect of "timing" to
spellcasting.  Sure, you can gesture through the spell real fast, but is
that really enough time for the magical forces to accumulate and be
shaped?  Of course not!  Likewise, going too slowly allows some energy
to escape...  The client can oversee how much time there is between
keystrokes, and pass this information to the server.  (or just possibly
tell the server how much energy the spell is supposed to have).

If you get the rythm right, your spell has a greater effect than it
would if you did it out of rythm.  

This is much more realistic than: Bubba has cast "fireball" 15
godzillion times, Bubba can toast a continent.  With this system, we
get: Bubba has cast fireball 15 godzillion times, and *still* can't
quite get the rythm right.  While Boffo (the drum player) gets the rythm
right every time, and regularly uses fireball to annihilate small
planets that get in the way of his astronomical studies.
 
> >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.

Yup, and with a timing factor put into it, spellcasting could get really
interesting. :)
 
--
Michael Hohensee       michael at sparta.mainstream.net
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/9025/
      Finger me for my PGP Public Key, or use: 
http://sparta.mainstream.net/michael/pgpkey.txt