[MUD-Dev] Room-based vs. coordinate-based

[Jeff Kesselman]

At 08:28 AM 6/3/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:
>Jeff wrote:
>
>} > I have some questions regarding a room-based vs. a coordinate-based
>} > MUD issues.
>} 
>} Well, they aren't necessarily mutually exclusive...
>} 
>} I do both.  A "room" based system (really a N deep hirearchical tree of
>} containers) where there is a coord system inside of each "room".
>
>How do you handle cross-room actions?

As I understand your question, I don't.  As I say "room" is too narrow a
term. My model is a world of nested containers, each iwth acoordinate
system. If you want something like a voice to be heard in multiple places,
or an arrow to arch across an area, the areas in questio nare all part of
the same "container" and exist in the same coordinate space.

As an example... a large expanse of desert might all be one container.  The
streets of a city m,igth be another container. Inside a bar in the city is
in a third conatiner.

The whole purpose of containers is to cut down on the interraction between
players where logical and reduce the n-square problem. (Actually, thats not
entirely true, my parse system is also inhearently tied to the container
hirearchy.)

>What do you handle in a "room" fashion and what in a "coordinate" fashion?

Everything is both.
See the above examples.  All containers have internal and external width,
height, and inetrnal coordinate system.  All containers exist at a point in
the coord system of the container that contains them. (There is a root
container for those at the "TOP" that, as a special case, has a null parent.)


>What algorithms do you use? 

Um... thats BIG question. All code is algorithymic.  Im not sure what your
question is here...

JK