[MUD-Dev] common server design

[Chris Gray]

[Caliban:]

:Then I'm sure you have some opinions and thoughts on the matter which
:would be helpful. Not anything like a full grammar, but just
:observations on what makes a good command set and what doesn't; for
:example, someone mentioned recently that "dig" was a really bad metaphor
:for creating a room. (Other people are saying that the room/exit concept
:is totally wrong and should be discarded completely. I hear you. I don't
:agree. I haven't heard a compelling argument on it yet.) There are a lot
:of theoretical issues that really shouldn't be defined by a programmer,
:but by the public; and since all of us here are gamers, we might easily
:be considered a sample of that public. I think the command set is
:something that really ought to be defined by someone other than the guy
:writing all the internals of the code.

To a certain extent, yes. But, the facilities available in the server
will influence what make sense in designing the way in which things like
rooms, objects, commands, etc. are put together. Doing that stuff while
ignoring what the server is like is bound to run into troubles. If you
have a concept of separate "exits" (I don't), then any support in the
server for them should be considered, and vice versa. You can't do the
two completely separately, since the base of the scenario is dependent
on the server and what it does well.

:I don't begrudge people their God-given ability to write crap <GDR>, but
:I also like to think that a significant number of us are pretty tired of
:crap and would rather write something really cool.

Certainly, but I think it is unwise to equate "cool" with "useful". In
real life, the best way to do something may not be cool at all.

:I often see a sentiment expressed on this list (and others) that goes
:something like "I am writing a server for ME to run MY game on, and I
:could give a flying leap if you like the way I do it or not". If you
:take a step back from that, you might wonder why someone with that
:attitude even bothers to discuss their server on a mailing list in the
:first place.

The fact that someone doesn't intend to be totally driven by the demands
of "users" doesn't mean that person isn't interested in what users and
other implementors have to say. Quite the contrary, I would say.

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA