[MUD-Dev] Re: Introductions and descriptions

[coder at ibm.net]

On 20/11/97 at 08:19 PM, Adam Wiggins <nightfall at user1.inficad.com> said:

>> read book
>The book tells you about the mighty Sword of Devestation, lost to the
>world with the sinking of Atlantis 10,000 years ago.  There is a picture
>of the sword.
>> 
>Bob arrives from the south.
>Bob draws a rusty old sword from his sheathe.
>You recognize the sword as the Sword of Devestation!

Please indent quoted MUD text -- it makes it so much easier to read when
quoted again:

>  > read book
>  The book tells you about the mighty Sword of Devestation, lost to the
>  world with the sinking of Atlantis 10,000 years ago.  There is a picture
>  of the sword.
>  > 
>  Bob arrives from the south.
>  Bob draws a rusty old sword from his sheathe.
>  You recognize the sword as the Sword of Devestation!

Given this it also makes sense to me to not instantly recognise an object,
but tio then recognise it only after deliberate study:

  > l
  Bubba is here.
  Bubba draws a rusty old sword from his sheath.  It looks somehow
familiar.
  > examine sword.
  ...rusty sword desc...
  > study sword
  You recognize the Sword of Devastation!

This could even be used to give more curious results:

  > l
  Bubba is here.
  Bubba draws a rusty old sword from his sheath.  
  > study sword
  Its looks like the Sword of Devastation!

Now whether or not it really is to SoD can be questionable (in both above
examples).  Perhaps the first sword is a forgery, or both merely
look-alikes.   Players would of course hate this, as they'd now have to
track how certain they are of the real identity of each object.  This
becomes especially interesting if you have many similar-appearing objects
and achieving a guaranteed identification is either excessively expensive
or difficult.

Consider one extreme of the implication:

  > l
  Bubba is here.
  > examine bubba
  Bubba is wearing a set of golden glowing plate armour.  It looks like 
  the famed armour of Damp Fizzle!  The belt about his middle seems to be 
  the belt of UltraWimpReborn!
  Bubba draws his sword.
  > study sword
  It looks like the Great Sword of the Great God Goo Goo!
  
Now is Bubba really dressed in tinfoil with a yellow spotlight directed on
him from the side, with a cheak knock-off copy oy the belt and a 10 cent
knick-knack sword from the souvenier stand down the road?  Or is he kitted
out in the local equivalent of a sherman tank?  Which is sham, which it
truth?

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