[MUD-Dev] You, the game of philosophy.

[coder at ibm.net]

On 18/11/97 at 07:49 PM, Richard Woolcock <KaVir at dial.pipex.com> said:
>Derrick Jones wrote:

>This may be going a little off-topic, but if your 'puppet' can exist
>without you, is it really a puppet?  In your mud, is your character: (a)
>A 'mud' person, who's personality you temporarily replace with your own,
>or (b) An empty shell, a 'puppet' which just sort of sits there without
>you.

>This is a serious question - I know at least one person on this list is
>doing something with players being 'spirits' who take over bodies when
>they want to interact with the real world (or something like that). 

I assume I'm the one referred to here, so I'll expand slightly.

>Another way of thinking about it...when you log off, if your character
>didn't 'vanish' or 'go to sleep' would they (a) flop on the ground, maybe
>twitching a bit, or (b) go down the pub (or whereever else they usually
>hang out)?

Simple hightlight coverage:

  0) This is a goal oriented game.

  1) Your character is a "soul".

  2) Your soul needs a body or bodies to actually do anything in the (MUD)
physical universe (well, until you advance a lot).

  3) Run out of bodies and you die, permanently.

  4) Yup, that's perma-death.

  5) You can steal bodies from other players and NPC's -- the supply is
limited only by your ability to steal them and maintain control of them.

  6) The more bodies you control the greater your pool of abilities, and
the greater the strain on you.

  7) No global namespace.

  8) Characters have two private namespaces, one for the physical universe
and one for the psychic universe (spirit world if you wish).  The two are
utterly distinct.  Names may be assigned to physical objects such as
bodies, or names may be assigned to other souls, but there is no in game
method of determining what soul is controlling what body at any instant.

  9) You are actually a severely beaten up and degraded God.  

  10) The goal of the game is regain your former stature, memories,
powers, etc. as a god.

  11) Most of the major lines of advancement are illusionary at core,
require losing position on other fronts (trade offs), are real red
herrings in the long run, offer negative returns if pursued too long
(hidden), etc

>I suppose you could even expand on (b) - perhaps the body will do things
>if left alone for a while?  

The bodies of a logged out character remain in the game.  It is up to the
player to arrange for their safekeeping as needed.  THis can be done via
user programming, using services provided by other players, or whatever
method that player see's fit.  If he does nothing, the body merely sits
there, a vegetative piece of meat, reacting to nothing.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...