[MUD-Dev] Fear of magic (was:Usability and interface)

[coder at ibm.net]

On 26/10/97 at 10:10 AM, Derrick Jones <gunther at online1.magnus1.com> said:
>On Mon, 20 Oct 1997, Marian Griffith wrote:
>> On Wed 15 Oct, Michael Hohensee wrote:
>> > > On Tue, 14 Oct 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:


>The problem here is twofold.  1.)  Magical travel is instanteous and
>doesn't leave tracks...

Why doesn't it leave tracks?

Why don't the guards also have a mage component to their forces, charged
with pursuing magical offenders instead of the cannon fodder plebs?

Would it make sense for the guards to have magic-nullifying devices?

>... so its next-to-impossible to catch a mage with a
>head start.  

I recall an SF short story and later I think a novel based on the idea
that instantaneous matter transmitters became the ultimate boon for
criminals, as four or five hops later they were essentially untracable. 
Turns out of course that the police lagged, and then adapted new
techniques.

>The guards have to be able to react quick enough to prevent
>the mage from casting, else the mage can get away.

Or they must be able to place a tracer on the mage so that their mages can
follow him.  Probably cheaper, hearder to detech (by the fleeing mage) and
provides for more interesting chases.

>2.)  If player manages to get their character to its house, it has to be
>designed to prevent determined PC's from entering (protect PC's from afk
>PK), so a NPC won't fair all that much better.

How about:

  > telelport to inn.
  You are in the Inn.
  Bubba is here.
  > kill bubba
  Bubba is dead.
  A guard crashes through the door!
  > teleport home
  The guard waves at you.     // Casts tracer spell
  You are home.
  With a small clatter a glittering pebble lands near your feet.
  > examine pebble
  Its a magic nullifier.      // Telports to location of tracer
  > teleport pebble to inn
  You can't work magic any more.
  A guard teleports in front of you!

Of course this also allows for all sorts of mayhem when PK'ers get ahold
of tracers, and the arms race cycles again.

>Basically, I'd have to create a near-omniscient, near-omnipresent, and
>near-omnipotent police force protecting this anti-violence zone, but such
>a force would by its nature overrun and control the entire mud-world to
>impose its doctrine of non-violence everywhere.  While this could be an
>interesting twist to the mud's theme, its not what I'm looking for.

You can create in-game artificial limits to their scope.  First thought:

  The militia are omni-* as long as they and the event all occured within
XXX distance of a holy relic of the Great God GooGoo...

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...