[MUD-Dev] Re: Issues from the digests and Wout's list

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <9705181736.80sg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA>, on 05/18/97 
   at 10:29 AM, cg at ami-cg.graysage.edmonton.ab.ca (Chris Gray) said:

>[Chris L:]

>:Aside: I'm actually considering making user-programming a dangerous
>:activity unless done under very guarded circumstances...  Probably this
>:would take the form of user-programming realising "aethir" (for want of a
>:bettter world).  Said aethir flows like a liquid in much the same ways as
>:mana, but also has the interesting property of attracting rather vicious
>:predatory teleportory beasties who are intensely irritated by it.

>There is something to be said for making programming be something
>that is actually part of the game context itself. Requiring 'aethir'
>would be one way. I think a wizard that is programming would be
>"absorbed" in the programming, and thus paying less attention to the
>MUD world. It might also be noticeable to bystanders. A "builder" in
>my scenario can compose small "programs" to attach to rooms, objects,
>etc. Since it was easy to do, I emit "<name> starts gesturing
>arcanely." when someone starts entering one of those, and either
>"<name> finishes gesturing." or "<name> abruptly stops gesturing and
>grimaces." on completion, depending on whether or not they got it
>right. With that in mind, I also made some rooms in the "Builder's
>Guild" that only builders can go into. The idea was that they would
>be less likely to be distracted there. I'm sure this is something
>that many other MUDs do too - similar to private rooms.

FWIW my specific idea was to do something ala "The Lion Game" (forget
author), and have telepathic beasts (cf the lions), which detect the
action of "programming" and home in on that as their primary source of
prey.  Thus surrepticious programming becomes the order of the day.

>Perhaps this could be carried further - can someone near a
>programming wizard affect that programming? Perhaps trigger an error?
>Perhaps cause a silent change in what is programmed? Oooof!

This gets really nasty in having the error not just core the program,
but instead cause some amusing run-time result.

Think of it this way -- you have a directly full of compiled binaries
and a scriptable hex editor.  What can you do with that hex editor to
make those binaries do something more amusing?

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...