[MUD-Dev] Introductions and

[Matt Chatterley]

On Wed, 17 Dec 1997, Adam Wiggins wrote:
> [Chris Gray:]
> > [Adam W:]

> > This is not at all meant as an attack, but more a reminder that there is
> > a lot that has to go on behind the scenes, in order to make a MUD do what
> > looks like simple things. We sometimes forget that in our discussions here.
> > Alternatively, some of the MUDs that are out there may just be a lot more
> > sophisticated than I imagine!
> 
> Oh, certainly.  I think that applies to 90% of what gets posted to this
> list.  That's why I enjoy it.  You have to know where you're going - if
> not with this generation of muds, than with the next.  Personally I
> think all the stuff in this post is *far* below the level of a lot
> of the crazy stuff proposed here :)

Absolutely. Anything is possible, but not everything is feasible. To look
at my current list of projects, I am working on some mundane things and
some experimental things - the former would be a combat system (albeit a
new approach for me; it is the second one I have written), and the latter
is an NLP system to facilitate 'talking back' NPCs who seem to have at
least Clue1.00 when they talk to you (Clue97 is too bug ridden and hard to
simulate).

[Snip example]

> I didn't just make this up.  This is identical to how our system is
> set up, right down to the shopkeeper responses.  It looks complex, but
> if you break it down into the parts, it's actually fairly simple.

Yup. I wanted something like this from the start and fretted over it until
I finally thought, 'Okay Matt, draw a flow chart for this', and I did, and
it wasn't as drastic as I thought, so I drew it again (with more detail),
and then wrote the ensuing system.

It doesn't work properly, of course. But then again, it worked after a
fashion, and someone is now rewriting it with extra parameters in mind to
create what we actually want.
 
> > First, the description of the room is algorithmically generated. This
> 
> Yeah.  We finally gave up and went to this a little while ago.  This *does*
> result in some slightly 'stale' room descriptions at times, although
> we continue to try to expand the function which generates them, adding
> in new phrasing and methods of concatinating objects in order to get
> something that looks more like a hand-written area.
> Upside is that we have an infinitely dynamic system which requires no
> specific area building.  Although you certainly *can*, just by plunking
> objects down.

This is very interesting. We have statically written descriptions (which
can be made to modulate with time of day), with dynamic elements (sounds,
smells, levels of vision).

[Snip]

> > [Aside: I've always thought it would be fun to use the old English
> > monetary system in a MUD - its so colourful, with farthings, ha'pennies,
> > thre'penny bits, shillings, etc.]
> 
> Heh.  Currently the money denominations we have are brass rings, steel
> rings, golden rings, silver Celendrian pieces, jade Celendrian pieces,
> mithril marks, galvorn pieces, and galvorn pentacles.  However we may
> well be throwing all of these out as we're axing a few of our more
> boring races for something a bit more original.

:)

The typical form of currency within my theme is any material cut into
convenient pieces; related to its value in gold (which is an important
metal to the peoples of the world since objects of special note are always
made from gold - such as betrothal rings, and it has some magical
properties or at least, mythical ones).

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	ICQ: 5580107
"I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world." -Einstein