[MUD-Dev] Fear of magic (was:Usability and interface)

[Vadim Tkachenko]

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Matt Chatterley wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 9 Dec 1997, Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
> 

[snipped some]

And, every time you read my posts, please keep in mind that I'm looking
at MUDs as a _developer_, not as a player - my experience as a MUD
player is virtually zero (because, first of all, English is not my
native language, and I find them terribly boring and tiring, given the
amount of spam and speed of actions), but I've spent HUNDREDS, if not
thousands, of hours playing single-user RPGs - notably Eye of Beholder,
Ultima Underworld I & II.

Once again, all generalizations above, here and below are from the
coder's point of view.

> > Q: What is a difference between a monster and NPC?
> > A: None, except that NPC is apparently is able to talk and [pretend to]
> > express other sign of intelligence (which presumes a different level of
> > hostility, too).
> 
> The difference here being one that is 'thematic' or 'definitional' rather
> than actual - some people group NPCs as monsters, others like me prefer to
> reserve 'monster' for its actual implications (relatively unintelligent
> creatures, or horrors which you care not to describe in detail, and so
> forth). It presumes a different sort of hostility rather than level - one
> that is less primal, and far more 'pre-meditated'.
> 
> > Do you consider a dragon a monster or NPC? In according to fantasy
> > books, dragons are highly intelligent and can talk many languages...
> 
> Aha. Good call; but to me this depends upon context. If you encounter a
> Dragon, and manage to communicate with it or it appears in a vaguely
> civil or 'human' light, it is an NPC. If it attacks you, ransacks a
> village, eats members of your party, torches your sheep, or so forth, it
> is a monster. To the public, it is terrifying, and falls instantly under
> the monster heading.
> 
> > Q: What is a difference between a PC and NPC?
> > A: None, except that NPC is being controlled by the computer, and PC by
> > the player (which is not true in some MUDs when the player is offline).
> 
> Yes; the difference can be summed up as "PCs (sometimes) have
> socket/network connections attached to them".

[offensive to the truck drivers]

What is a truck driver? A piece of ... between the steering wheels and
the driver's seat.

[offensive to the MUD players]

What is a MUD player? ... You continue...

> > Conclusion: NPC == PC == monster, to some extent.
> 
> <g>
> 
> Regards,
>         -Matt Chatterley
>         ICQ: 5580107
> "I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world." -Einstein

--
Still alive and smile stays on,
Vadim Tkachenko <VadimT at 4CS.Com>
--
UNIX _is_ user friendly, he's just very picky about who his friends are
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