[MUD-Dev] Alright... IF your gonan do DESIESE...

[Marian Griffith]

On Sun 01 Jun, Jeff Kesselman wrote:

> >Maybe you can have the perceived danger and the real danger coincide  more
> >or less, but give the players plenty of opportunity to back out gracefully
> >if they belief themselves in something over their head.

> <dragon example deleted>

> Interesting idea. Seirra's The Realm does soemthing like this.,
> Unfortunately its too EASY to escape any danger you fidn yo ucan't happen.
> The game ahs a real problem that perceieved danger is too low...

The idea is that if you encounter a dragon  you have no chance of surviving
a fight. No matter how powerfull a fighter you are. No matter how well made
your dwarven armour is. Dragons are simply too strong and tough, and deadly
to fight. To survive a meeting you must hide, or run faster than the dragon
can fly. So there is a very real chance, and most people would opt for hid-
ing themselves.  But of course dragons have a keen eyesight  and an equally
keen sense of smell so no matter how well you hide, a dragon may be able to
track you by scent alone. If it is so inclined, is hungry and picks up your
trail in the first place amongst the myriad of other smells. And the dragon
will also find you  if you're not particularly adept at hiding.  Or if your
hiding spot isn't very good.  Another thing, I think, should be that higher
level players have a harder time of hiding from beings like dragons.  Their
armour at least should make it harder for them to hide.  After all the high
level players have a better fighting chance to escape.

> Now, IF when you encounter the Dragon there is osme % chance it MIGHT jump
> you...  that might raise tension without TOO much actual danger...

There should indeed be a certain risk involved in meeting a dragon. No
matter how well you hide. And this risk should increase as you're get-
ting to higher levels. (In a game that measures in levels of course).

This is also where a game that has real space instead of a series of rooms
gets much more interesting. You can actually hide behind the dragon's back
and have a better chance of escaping undetected. And you can hide behind a
tree or underneath a rock to avoid detection.  And you can more accurately
model the effect of the wind (and have some real use for scent and smell).

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey