Senses (was: The MLI Project)

[s001gmu at nova.wright.edu]

On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:

> On 01:38 AM 2/25/98 +0000, I personally witnessed Niklas Elmqvist jumping
> up to say:
> >
> >The problem with using a Quake-like graphics engine for a MUD is the
> >connotations it bears with it -- players tend to PK each other by default 
> >(as they do on a regular Quake server). 

[...]
 
> Making the entire overworld non-combat, however, is not such a great idea.
> Which leads to another question: should combat be possible in the overworld
> environment, or should combat gate into a Quake-style engine a la the
> combat mode in Final Fantasy? How would this be represented in the
> overworld engine to other players?

I have always been fond of the image of a dust cloud with arms and legs
sticking out at all angles, flailing about madly, ala cartoons/Groo.  ;)
Add some sounds of grunts, the clang of a sword on shield, the occasional
grugled scream, etc etc. 

[...]

> How many people
> read descriptions on MUDs? Generally you walk into a room and look straight
> for things to kill.

Uh... I read them.  At least once.  I vastly prefer to go through an area
once, reading everything all the way through.  Granted, I turn on brief
mode after that, but that first time is very important to me.  For
standard MUDs.  I also have little to no problem with droping the literary
premise of a MUD from my project, and have long since done so, but there
is something about the 'traditional' MUD that I enjoy.  

[...]

> >but until we get smellcards in
> >addition to the soundcards we already have, the sense of smell will be
> >hard to reproduce in a computer game. ;)
> 
> Which is something of a shame, since smells are more emotionally evocative
> than anything else...

Aye, they are, but I tend to play games to get away from all the emotional
turmoil of my life, for a little while at least.  The last thing I want is
to be playing a game and wander across a room that smells the same as my
x-gf's shampoo.  You'd evoke a very powerfull emotion, aye, but you'd also
cause me to leave, quickly.  And air out the room.  Smell may be a little
too powerful.

-Greg