[MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes

[Chris Gray]

[Chris L:]
:  Does the character in a MUD represent an "being" who has a life
:independant of its human player's, and whom the human player guides,
:interacts with, and suggests directions to periodically?
:
:  Or does the character in the MUD literally and directly represent the
:human player, much in the way of a proxy or avatar, with changes in the
:MUD character literally representing changes in the human player (they are
:indistinguishable)?

I'm probably in much the same situation as Chris L on this. Something
similar had occurred to me while reading the RP messages going around.
When I play a MUD or adventure game, etc., it is *me* playing the game,
not me roleplaying someone else playing the game. The fact that the
character in the game is good at combat, or can cast magic spells,
somehow doesn't bother me as contradictory. So, I would have to work
quite hard in an RP MUD, just in order to stay in character. Having
never actually tried it, I don't know whether I would find it fun or
not. I think it would have to be a fairly forgiving environment.

With playing me in the game, I don't think I would be too bothered by
the game imposing a few character constraints on me, as long as I can
attempt to control them. So, in the earlier example of the berserker
tending to go off and berserk, I don't think I would mind that, as long
as I got advance warning of the impulses, and could try to counter them.
It's much the same as your character being near death from combat - you
get advance warning and can attempt to avoid it, but sometimes cannot.

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