[MUD-Dev] Usability and interface

[Marian Griffith]

On Mon 29 Sep, Broly wrote:

> On Fri, 26 Sep 1997, Marian Griffith wrote:

> > You can't compare mud worlds to medieval worlds of course. But it  would
> > make sense that mud cities would have the same restriction as many towns
> > in the american west used to have. Strangers are to hand over their guns
> > to the sheriff before entering the town, or at least before entering the
> > local bar.
> > People in a mud world would expect travellers to carry weapons,  or come
> > with an armed escort, but they would not particularly want them to bring
> > those weapons into town.  Drawing a weapon bigger than a eating knife in
> > town would probably be a serious offense  -because-  all adventurers are
> > armed and experience in combat.

> Why stop at weapons?...I'm throwing about a design for a restaurant ('The
> OOC cafe') that won't seat male players if they don't remove their
> headgear...

*grin*

> However, I've found that most players 'speedwalk' thru town, knowing
> exactly which roads to take, and since there is nothing new to them there,
> they really don't want to waste time when just passing thru.  I'd hate to
> force them to remove their weapons everytime they wander by.  Inside the
> various shops/homes within a town, I might actually make the guards and
> merchants enforce a 'no weapons' policy...Probably in the form of orders
> to remove followed by an attempted arrest.

In most cases I'm in favour of making such things happen automatically.
E.g. the moment you cross the towngates  the guards order you to remove
your weapon and you simply immediately do so.  What is the point of re-
fusing after all?  You want to enter town for trading or something like
that,  not to take on all guards at the gate  (who should realistically
win any fight).

> Also what about magic in these places?  Even though magic is commonplace
> in a mud-world, I'd imagine that a mage casting any spell will be
> suspicious in some towns...particularly those that have been attacked
> magically in the past...

Most like the town's resident mages would be alerted by the presence of
possibly dangerous competition. They would most certainly start to fol-
low said mage with scrying spells and such.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey