[MUD-Dev] MUD universe

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <199709042256.AAA11535 at xs1.simplex.nl>, on 09/05/97 
   at 12:56 AM, "Felix A. Croes" <felix at xs1.simplex.nl> said:

>clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:

>> Not quite.  You can also have quests created by systems, which create
>> a desired state where the purpose of the quest is to restore a state. 
>> The key is to make the incidental specifics of the state indeterminate
>> (who kidnapped, where held, why, what obstacles need to be overcome,
>> etc), and only have the defining points predictable (ie princess is
>> missing, get her back).
>>
>> The kidnapped princess scenario as discussed here a few months ago was
>> a good case in point.  There any of a dozen different compeating,
>> cross-affecting and unpredictable systems could result in the princess
>> being kidnapped.  The same systmes continued after the kidnap to
>> shuffle the princess about and change her
>> what-needs-to-be-done-to-recover state frequently and unpredictably. 
>> The princess could wander away from her kidnappers, get lostm be lost,
>> be multiply kidnapped (from other kidnappers), never get kidnapped in
>> the first place but just be wandering, etc.  

>Apologies if I am repeating obvious conclusions: the system would
>have to be <very> dynamic to avoid visible repetitiveness to a
>player.  If the princess is first kidnapped by red-headed orcs, and
>in the next quest the prince is kidnapped by blue-elbowed trolls, it
>won't take users long to discern a pattern, even if the individual
>components do not reappear.

True. there are common elemets (after all, the Princess is always
missing, which is the ultimate constancy).  However the means of
re-acquiring the Princess would vary each time dependant on the level
of interaction and complexity of the systems that absconded with here
in the first place.

Note: The very fact of this sort of system also allows for a much more
interesting possibility:

  Players kidnap the Princess (an NPC) and demand a ransom.

  Other players then attempt to locate and rescue the Princess for a
reward.

The obvious abuse would be collusion between the kidnapper and the
rescuer, but I'd hesitate to label this a "problem" as vs ensuring
diminishing returns for repeated 'naps, and some attempt to detect
such short circuits by the system (Princess, upon being returned to
the court, "But he's the man who ran away with me!").  Continued
pursuit of the kidnapper, especially if repeated, may also help.

>I have the same problem with automatically generated room
>descriptions: they tend to look so...  automatically generated.

True.   The main problem I've noted is moving the focal point of the
description in an interesting as vs logical manner, and use of
similies, and metaphores.

--
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...