[MUD-Dev] Usability and interface

[Todd Lair]

[On 09/26/97 cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA (Chris Gray) said]

>:I think the best solution would be to stop the instant spell thing.  Casting
>:a summon portal spell shouldn't take a second.  I want that MU to wave his
>:arms about and sing the Happy woodcutters song until he's blue in the face
>:before he gets a portal.  By which stage you've stabbed him in the back and
>:long since left.

>I think I'd prefer a setup where the more experienced/powerful a magic
>user is, the quicker they can cast a given spell. So, someone who has
>only just gained the ability to cast a portal spell would take quite a
>while to do the cast/summon/carry/portal, but a much more experienced
>magic user might manage it before the fighter could react and do
>something.

We planning on implementing a system that would focus more on preparing
the spell which would be quite laborious.  The preparation would take
place in a safe area where the player could easily concentrate.  Things
detering this concentration would increase the spells preparation time. 
Once the spell was prepared, the player would be able to walk to the place
where the spell would be cast.  The time the spell was held in memory
would contribute to the players sanity count, which would be as dangerous
as getting hit with an axe.  The complexity of the spell prepartion would
also contribute to the player's sanity point.


-------------------------------------------------
tlair at mailzone.com
-------------------------------------------------