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

[Stephen Zepp]

At 03:15 PM 12/10/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:
>Stephen Zepp wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Wel, here's my question...why do you need an imm type person ( background
>> tinyplot creator ) to take "admin control" of the npc to start the war off?
[snip]
>> Zoran
>>
>
>A few comments here. The most important reason in my situation to do
>this is that I do not expect nor want any player at any time to
>completely understand all of the implications of their actions. 
[snip]
>
>The concept is such that the MU* will be a type of interactive story
>where your actions can influence what is going to happen, however, if
>the Dark Lord was planning to take over a town it is unlikely you could
>do anything to stop him. 
[snip]
>
>I also don't want to put the future of an important char in any set of
>algorithms hands. The characters motivations, personal goals, outlooks
>on life will be predefined, but it will still take an excellent
>roleplayer to pull off the effect that they are a living, breathing,
>important part of the history of the world. I don't believe any AI as of
>now could acheive that to a degree that would be satisfactory to me.
>Sure, the char could be AI run during normal day-to-day operation, but
>for anything important, into human hands.

Nods, all valid points, and I do see the _primary_ actors as having roles
that can ( should? ) be assumed from time to time by a "background"
controller.  However, I do think that ai's can provide the daily dynamicism
that is required IMO to keep a world "running"...in addition, without some
sort of system like this, it'll take at _least_ 1 "background" roleplayer
for every 5 players at a minimum to "keep up" with the player
base...something that I honestly don't think a single mud will be able to
find enough resources for ( good people are hard to find )...

>
>As to the little War2 comment, I love the game personally, but never for
>a moment did it's back story "enthrall" me as the story with this mu* is
>going to (well at least hopefully). Sure, things become slightly less
>"realistic" (in an RL way) but the intent if for you to get the epic
>feeling as with LotR or Dune, the feeling that you are a part of
>something greater that will last for eons to come.

I _think_ that I disagree :)) I have players on SoE that feel that this
stupid little hack/slash static, non-changing mud is their entire world,
and many others that spend countless hours days and months doin nothin but
wiping out towns....I think that any npc "retaliation", or _any_ npc
pro-action at all is gonna add that magnitude of "remembering for eons"
that you mention...tho, I could of course be way off my rocker!

Zoran

>
>-Sauron
>
>