[MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD

[Jeff Kesselman]

Pulling out "techno-evangelist" hat, Ill attempt a decipher for you...

At 08:59 AM 6/23/97 PST8PDT, Marian wrote:
>On Sun 22 Jun, Jon A. Lambert wrote:
>
>> > Marian spaketh:
>
>To make my problems more clear I underlined all words I'm not certain of
>their meaning...
>
>> I am writing a game server not a generic programming environment server
>                      ------       ---( I know each of the words above
>                                        individually, but together? )----

Okay. what he is sayign is he is writing a prgoram that specificly
implements his game rules and logic. Some systems used for MDUS 9like Cold)
are really fully featured programming languages in themselves, that you
could just as  easily write a Web server as a MUD in.  He's NOT doing that.


>> like LP or Genesis.  The game's configuration and objects reside in a disk
>             -------

Genesis is the name of the sever part of the ColdX distribution. ColdX
consist of a compiler (coldc) and a server that runs the compiled code
(egenesis).  This is alot like the difference between the JAVA compiler and
the JAVA Virtual Machine.

>> database and these objects are not extended via the servers language, 
>                    ------------------------- (rest isn't too clear either)


What he's sayign here is that you cannot design new kinds of obejcts in his
language, his language is just a "scripting" language to control obejcst of
fixed types. At least thats what I get out of the snippet...

>> they are only manipulated by the server language.  It is my opinion that 
>> complex languages like C, C++, Java, LPC and Cold are too difficult to

Ah, this makes the above clearer.  He intends to have both a langauge for
the game creator (himself most likely) to create new kidsn of obejct in,
and language for non-technicla "world builders" to sue the monsters, items,
etc he has created in building environments and quests and such.

"complex" is an opinion point and not really worth commentign on. the
improtant thing is he wants soemthing mroe accesible thena real programmign
language so non-programmers can add to his world.

>> My building programs will be GUI editors with nice point and click 
>     -----------------         --- -------           (not sure what this

"Building" is short for 'world building" and is the term often used to
describe the creatio nof the settings, adventures and such.  GUI ==
Graphical User Interface, the Windows desktop is a GUI for the Windows
operating system. He is sayign that he wants to make the job of buioding
stuff in his world more "point and click".

>> interfaces and the language used by them will be minimal and integrated
>means either)
>> into the building interface.  This will probably end up resembling a 
>           ------------------

See above. Hes just referring to those graphical world-builder tools again.

>> Visual Basic IDE environment (*giggle*).  Controls which represent 
>  ...... ..... --- <- is all that one thing?)

Yes.  Visual basic is a programming language. The IDE means Integrated
Development Envrionment. In the case of Visual Basic thsi includes a poitn
and click tool for doing menus and such, an editor for code, and a
debugger, which is a program used to help you find errors in your program.

>> "black box" C++ programs can be happily dragged about and attached to 
>   --------- (this is that thing in aeroplanes isn't it?)

Um, yer kidding right?  Black box is a term used by sceintists (including
computer scientists) to refer to ANYHTIGN that is 'sealed".  That is, that
you can use as a unti but cant tear apart and get at the peices of.  The
flight recorder in an a airplane is also called a "black box", probably
becasue you don't crack it open til after a crash, but maybe just because
its black (I'm not a pilot.)

>> objects, rooms and NPCs.  They will have properties boxes for minimal
>                                           ----------------
>> tailoring.

He's just sayign that certain peices of informatio nabout these fixed
objects will be changeable by his "builders" (NPC's name, monsters hit
points, room's description, etc...)

 
>
>I know  I don't understand a great deal about computers  and programming

There was, to be frank, ALOT of jargon in this post.  We often use jargon
as computer scientists as short hand because we all share an understanding
of its meanings, but it can be needlessly confusing to outsiders.

This really was NOT a terribly techncial post in concept, just a bit opaque.

Yer friendly cs-to-human translator,

Jeff Kesselman