[MUD-Dev] Level abstractions - Realism vs Game Issues

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <Pine.LNX.3.96.970703092211.273D-100000 at mpc.dyn.ml.org>, on
07/03/97 
   at 01:36 AM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:

>On Wed, 2 Jul 1997 clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:
>>    at 08:43 AM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:
>> >On Sun, 29 Jun 1997, Jon A. Lambert wrote:

>> As mentioned earlier I'm attempting to implement a general underlieing
>> rule in the game world:
>> 
>>   Causing any effect within the game increases your own liability 
>>   to have that same effect created on you.  

>Thats really, really, really evil. :)

Thanks.

>> The biggie here for magic is: cast a lot of fireballs on others, and
>> you become increasingly subject to being hit by fireballs.  Cast a lot
>> of magical protection, and your own magical protections work better. 
>> Etc.  This will of course be unstated.  Mostly I've been thinking
>> about doing this by manipulating probability fields, but I'd really
>> like to make it a direct tie-in.

>You could do it more as generalisations (ie, split magic into strands
>such as elements, and have using one strand increase your liability
>to spells in that strand), to make it a little subtler than being
>"directly" tied to each spell - but I do have a vaguely similar rule
>in mind, more a generalisation of the above.

I have some general ideas in this area, (I think I posted on them
earlier).  The basics are making magi, energy, and everything else
more or less abide by the standard conservation of energy etc laws,
and the concept of anti-/non-anti quantums for each energy type.  The
old four elements don't actuall feature in here, my "energy types"
include such as life, force, mass, magic, etc.

>Magic (as a power) is very much like I inisist it to be as a literary
>tool - double edged. It can be a very powerful ally, but it can also
>be extremely dangerous, like a hand-grenade you've just pulled the
>pin from. If you have trouble throwing it, you've got a problem.

Yup.  see prior postings.  I'm looking at makcing the entire world
ambiguous in this manner.

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...