[MUD-Dev] Usability and interface

[Caliban Tiresias Darklock]

On Thu, 25 Sep 1997 09:06:01 PST8PDT, Maddy <maddy at fysh.org> wrote:

>IIRC only thieves could read magical scrolls in D&D and even then only at
>high level.

Thieves at high level were permitted to read magic-user spells from
scrolls. There were two types of scrolls; the spell scroll, readable and
usable only by the appropriate spellcasting class (or in the case of MU
scrolls by a high-level thief), and just plain magical scrolls like
'protection from evil' which could in fact be read by anyone.

>> Security professionals and police officers routinely walk the streets
>> with holstered weapons, which is the modern equivalent of a professional
>> adventurer packing a sword. 
>
>There is a whole lot of difference between brandishing a weapon and having
>it in your holster.

Not in the eyes of the law, actually... walking out in the street with a
holstered weapon is indeed considered 'brandishing'. But this is a
legalistic term, in any case, and what you might also want to consider
is that the social standards on a MUD are significantly different with
regard to weaponry, as you can logically expect each and every person
you see on a MUD to be armed at all times and rather experienced in
combat.

>why on earth would he do all these draining things
>just to drop you in trouble?

Why would he want to get you in trouble in the first place?

>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.

If you know what he's planning to do. Once he has the portal open, he
could THEN pick you up and haul ass through the portal. ;)

>> Yeah, you'll just have areas that don't look tough but actually are, so
>> the low-power characters will get killed more easily. 
>
>Low-power _stupid_ characters will get killed more easily.  A tough area
>will obviously give plenty of warnings.  Large numbers of well chewed bones,
>signs warning of great evil, neighbouring villages full of frightened
>villages with scary stories to tell.

Excuse me, but this is a bad assumption. I've been in level 5-15 areas
on MUDs and taken one step too far east to find myself in a level 35-50
area, with only one sign saying 'The area to the east is dangerous to
those who are seen'. I had therefore cast invisibility on myself before
stepping east, which unfortunately did not fool the mob that attacked me
one bit. 

>It depends on how you impliment the spell.  I for one would want an
>invisibility spell to be broken if you do anything which gets the attention
>of another person.  Now that does mean that if you're clever, if you're
>going to pick something up, you'll make sure no-one is watching.

I strongly disagree. If I am invisible, and I pick something up, and the
spell is canceled because someone saw me: what if that person wasn't the
one I was trying to hide from? What if that person saw me cast the spell
in the first place? When I walk into the next room, do I turn back
invisible? Basically, you're saying I have to cast the spell in utter
secrecy and then do nothing whatsoever... some spell!

>> Just because you know someone is there doesn't mean you know WHO.
>
>It doesn't even matter if you know who - you should still be able to swing
>at someone if they're invisible, especially if they've got someone over
>their shoulder.

It *does* matter, because I'm trying to hide ME. Not what I'm carrying.
If I wanted to hide what I was carrying, I would have cast invisibility
on that instead. ;)

=+[caliban at darklock.com]=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=[http://www.darklock.com/]+=
"It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more 
doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a 
new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by 
the preservation of the old institution, and merely lukewarm defenders in 
those who would gain by the new one."                      -- Machiavelli
=+=+=+[We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams]+=+=+=+=