[MUD-Dev] not about pk anymore

[Matt Chatterley]

On Sat, 12 Jul 1997, Huibai wrote:

> <<List Owner Comment: Original message fragmented by broken mail server 
> upline from me.  Message fragments re-assembled with possible missing 
> lines at this comment.>>

Ick. Any tail on why this sometimes happens, JCL?
 
> [lots of snipping; forgive]
> ::: The only problems I see with who lists, 
> ...
> : realistically it's important to the players 
> : to know if somebody else is playing too.
> 
> I've decided that by default, regular players will have
> their names displayed in the Who list, as will gods.
> Roleplayers will not have their names listed.  There
> will be a toggle for anyone to have their name omitted
> or included as they see fit. (Privacy if you want it, or
> publicity if you're waiting for someone.)  Regardless,
> the total number of people connected will be in the Who.
> Who.  (maybe i should call it the HowMany command? :)

Right. I was also pondering upon the matter of a who screen when you don't
wish to give away any information (I don't have a problem with it myself)
- if you use the approach that a player has an account, and characters
within it, you could list account name like most UNIX who's do, and/or use
the *player*s name, along with idle time, etc. Having a public/private tag
and just listing the number online is goodly too.
 
> ::: I forgot to bring up about making stuff less game termish,
> ::: So that you don't have someone saying "Oh man, that 50th
> ::: level dragon took off 200 hit points per round, he's tough."
> ...
> : I'm afraid you'll find many players will not like it at all. They
> : prefer the clarity of numbers over the deliberate obscurity of
> : phrases. In a game where combat and hit-points mean 
> : everything I don't think I can blame them, and a sliding bar
> : to indicate your health is really much the same as numbers.
> 
> both things being pretty much the same, i'd rather implement
> the bar, so that they don't know the mechanics.  in this manner,
> "hit-points" don't become the whole game...staying alive does.
> same thing, admittedly - i just want to control the focus away
> from the play-by-the-numbers so that no one forgets what the
> numbers are there to measure in the first place.  i also hope
> that the descriptions equate to "limits of perception" vice 
> "deliberate obscurity of phrases" (since the text is, after all,
> the only means we give to players for perceiving the world).

Yeah. Personally I've just moved HPs into being a somewhat arbitary
consideration - it's possible to die without losing all of them, and
possible to live if you run out. Being low on HPs does seem to illustrate
serious wounding though, and things will get progressively worse. First
thing to implement was penalties using limbs that are injured.
 
> On a new note, I've never wanted to include the attributes
> Wisdom and Intelligence in the player characters.  To do so
> is like telling a player (or roleplayer) what their creative limits
> are.  I figure the WIS and INT are traits that the person sitting
> at the terminal brings to the character.  "No you can't answer
> this math question; your character is too dumb." Ack!

I removed wis/int in favour of 'learning' and 'willpower' for vaguely
similar reasoning. Learning is a representation of how easy the character
finds it to acquire new knowledge (ie increase theoretical skills), and
willpower is well, strength of will (used heavily in death, when your
belief in yourself keeps you together, so to speak).

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"Never enter an arsekicking contest with a porcupine."-Cohen The Barbarian