[MUD-Dev] Mud Games

[Matt Chatterley]

On Sun, 7 Sep 1997, Jon A. Lambert wrote:

> On  7 Sep 97 at 2:53, Matt Chatterley wrote:
> > On Sat, 6 Sep 1997, Jon A. Lambert wrote:
> > > On  6 Sep 97 at 17:45, Matt Chatterley wrote:
> 
> > > Horse racing, Bull fighting, cock fighting, frog jumping.
> > > Running, swimming, three-legged race, sack race, marathon.
> > > Archery contests, Taber tossing, Rock/shot/discus throwing, weight 
> > > lifting, Gladiator events, wrestling, boxing, martial arts.
> > > Horse shoes, rowing, canoeing.
> > > hrrm.. team sports like mud-football(?)..
> 
> Maybe these can be categorized:
> 
> 1) Races - players or animals/pets.
> 2) Dueling - players or animals/pets.
> 3) Player executing a skill set to manipulate an object.
> 4) Team sports

Hmm. I think I'd first categorise them as "Player active" and "Player
passive", then divide them down as something like the above.
 
> > I've seen football (by which I mean soccer) coded badly on one mud (It
> > basically didn't work, but was a nice idea), and lots of mud have 'arena'
> > pits where players can duel (this is rather unimaginative, and on my mud
> > would be rather lethal for the players involved - no safe deaths!)
> 
> Of course with referee Bubba in ring to provide warnings, checking 
> equipment, etc.  Wrestling and boxing might be reasonably safe 
> events.  

Yup - I have a provisional setup (ie: its not finished, but more or less
exists notionally) in bits of the various combat stuff to allow for
'non-lethal' combat, where you are not actually trying to kill the other
guy, but aiming at some intermediate level of injury.
 
> > I like the idea of translating field events (and possibly track events!)
> > onto the mud, and other sports in the vein, but I think having
> > combatative, and watchable events (as well as directly particible in) is
> > good too. Bull fighting, Cock fighting and races of some kind (which you
> > can bet on) look good to me.
> 
> The gambling aspect comes almost for free.  Some "house" code to 
> collect and pay bets adds to player security.  Side-bets handled by 
> players involved.
> The spectator aspect could be exciting.  I've listened to horse 
> racing over the radio and would bet an exciting textual presentation 
> could be made to viewers.

Yup - the excitement almost creates itself with something like this, if
you can conjure up the atmosphere of competition and the 'win/lose'
thrill/upset.
 
> > Oh yes. The 'fayre' is something that I will probably use - as a host
> > place for both lighthearted, and less pleasant things (something for
> > everyone - for instance a cock fight off to the side out of public view).
> > Several historical civilisations have had a great love for public games
> > and entertainment - they didn't have television!
> >
> 
> I would think that much of the Fayre setup could be automated.  
> Booths built, tracks laid out, targets erected, etc. over the course 
> of a few mud days.  These could be regularly events held in some 
> conveniently empty field near town.  The "lists" could be posted some 
> mud days in advance, allowing players sufficient time to enter 
> events.  

Definitely. Certain regular events for which a town is well known, and
which attract lots of strangers (non-regular NPCs such as a 'tribe' of
tourists, and so forth), also giving us a springboard for non-regularised
quests and such.

> > > > The jousting tournament and other medieval things are somewhat cliched,
> > > > and I'd like to think of something original, hmm.
> > > > Catch-the-greased-swamp-dragon? :P
> > > 
> > > Then again I haven't seen jousting implemented, so it might not be a 
> > > mud cliche yet.
> > 
> > True - its a thematical cliche though. It'll be implicitly possible as a
> > consequence for me (since if you have a large weapon like a lance, and are
> > on a mount, and dash at something, you joust it).
> 
> Can you unhorse someone?  If so, you've got the meat of it.

Thats the ticket. Being hit hard, or being hit in the horse can throw you
off.
  
> > > Some questions come to mind. 
> > > Take the simple(?) case of a character racing event. 
> 
> Hmm. I have a few answers, I think.
> 
> > > 
> > > Can one effectively implement a "race" in a mud?  
> > 
> > Yes, and no - doing it in a way that has 'player participation' could be
> > tricky.
> 
> Prolly.
> 
> > > What sort of mud structures would be needed?  
> > 
> > A racetrack? :P
> >
> 
> How about a course layout.  At certain defined milestones/legs the 
> player enters a strategy script. More below. 

Hmm, yes..
 
> > > What sort of presentation do you deliver the racer?
> > 
> > Toughie. Lots of messages, rather than room descriptions?
> > 
> 
> Yes.  A portion of the race description that would be presented to
> the viewers.  Typically those ahead of them.  And perhaps some
> sensory input from their own bodies, indicating how they are feeling.
> Perhaps some clues in these messages as to why they are loosing.

This is good, indications of how tired they're getting, which bits are
aching and so forth.
 
> > > Would user input be needed to sustain a racing character?
> > 
> > I'd say no - but we should have some degree of interaction with the
> > player, so perhaps allow 'foul play' and/or allow them to pace themselves
> > for long races (eg, run slower .. run faster .. at key points).
> >

[Snip nice race script/thing]

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"In space, you never know when to expect danger.. except when an
Enterprise away team beams down on a routine mission." -Greg Proops