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

[coder at ibm.net]

On 12/12/97 at 12:17 AM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said: >On
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:
>> On 09/12/97 at 01:04 PM, Vadim Tkachenko <vadimt at 4cs.com> said:
>> >coder at ibm.net wrote:
>> >> On 09/11/97 at 06:22 PM, "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc at ix.netcom.com> said:
>> >> >On  9 Nov 97 at 11:00, Marian Griffith wrote:

>> How about a MUD where players are effectively on a par with mice, and the
>> NPC's are typically on a par with wolves, ferrets, eagles, foxes, badgers,
>> etc?

>Laf. This could be very fun infact. Playing a small creature which is
>basically at the bottom of the virtual food chain.. 

Quite.

>this kinda happens to
>my players (depending on their race) in some regions of the world which
>are very dangerous.

The only extra work that I see is providing a reasonable learning curve
such that new users have a chance to note that the world is a big mean
place where they are the decided underdog.  On approach is to start
characters in a safe area which they can explore and do minor activities
in, but requiring special action to leave for the Big Bad World.

In the model I proposed back when I had multiple safe houses, which
changed seasonally due to the migration patters of Big Baddies.  This
would allow (and force) periodic frightened treks between the safe
locations as they changed and thus introduction to the world.

>> little to no command of tactics or strategy?  How about an NPC army

>You touched on this one and how to tackle it. Strangely lots of it is
>common sense.

Are you accusing me of being uncommonly strange?

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