[MUD-Dev] Unique items

[Richard Woolcock]

Vadim Tkachenko wrote:
> 
> On August 6 97, clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:
> 
> > In <199707300840.BAA25834 at user1.inficad.com>, on 07/30/97
> >    at 08:06 AM, Adam Wiggins <nightfall at user1.inficad.com> said:
> >
> 
> [skipped]
> 
> > >Examples of stuff that happens all the time on dikus
> > >via object limits: most keys are limit one, so players get a key to
> > >(say) the dwarven kingdom immediately on reboot and then hold a
> > >monopoly over anything found inside until they rent or the mud
> > >crashes.  I've also seen things like spiteful players throwing the
> > >keys to Mahn-Tor's keep into the ocean just to keep other players
> > >out, for whatever reason.
> >
> > All of which seem quite ideal I'm afraid.  Note the quote in the
> > recent Bartle posts of the chap sitting by the falls waiting to give
> > the brand to someone.  Its a trap.  Its obvious, simple, and *really*
> > elegant (outside of the player hitting ^L repetitively).  Its also
> > something I don't think should  either be prevented or designed
> > around.  Call it a happy accident.
> >
> > I think the baser problem is that there really is only one way in to
> > Mahn-Tor's keep.  Why can't the walls be scaled?  Or mined?  Or a
> > player catapulted over the walls?  Or magical teleport?  Or a fish
> > charmed to go eat the key and then be caught by the player and the key
> > retrieved?  Or the key magically summoned?  You get the idea.
> 
> I've been playing with a different idea - make unique/restricted items
> change their properties - an example:
> 
> - There's a door, you really need to open it to get some big reward.
> - There's the key, and the only one.
> - You accidently found it, or killed somebody who had it in possession,
> [optional] you found the door.
> - (to simplify) the further you from the given door, the heavier the key
> becomes, so you either are forced to go in a right direction (btw, not
> nessessarily, thus it becomes more compelling to solve the quest of
> finding the right door), or drop the damned no-good thing.
> 
> 'course, there are exceptions like above - one-way actions like dropping
> into ocean, which should be resolved separately.

(Hmmm this reminds me of Lord of the Rings :)

But the Key had a will of its own, and way of slipping from one person,
only to be found by another.

Two friends were fishing in the ocean one day...

As a side note, I've redone the way my eq works, if anyone is interested.
Each object stores a number of values which can be accessed in a function
called name_object(), which (unsurprisingly) names the object.  Not only
do these objects take up much less disk space than the old merc objects
(they take about 30 bytes each), but they also change name during the
game.  Thus "a pair of black jeans" worn by Big Bubba will become "a
pair of loose-fitting black jeans" when I put them on.  If my legs take
some damage, those jeans will become "a torn pair of loose-fitting black
jeans" (then ripped, and shredded).  Other object types can become dented
or notched, and I also intend to add things like dirt, blood stains, burn
marks, and so on, resulting in players wandering around after a fight
wearing ripped, blood stained clothing :)  This could also be used to make
players smell after a while if they don't wash their clothes - bad for
social situations.

My character descriptions are automatically generated according to eyes,
hair and appearance.  What I think would be really nice is if equipment
descriptions could be incorporated into the description as well (rather
than showing a description followed by a huge list of objects), so that
you might get something like:

[look woman
She looks absolutely beautiful, with soft brown eyes and long, curly
black hair which reaches down to her waist.  She is wearing a torn 
pair of tight-fitting black jeans, fastened at the waist with a brown 
leather belt.  A shredded and blood stained white shirt barely covers 
her body, and beneath it you can make out a ripped black silk bra and 
several painful-looking wounds, one of which is still leaking blood.  
In one hand she holds a slightly-notched steel knife, while in the 
other is a lit silver lantern.

The main trouble is people who wear lots of equipment, which could
result in very long (and silly looking) descriptions.  I'm trying to
decide if this would be a good thing to code, or just not worth it
in the long run.  Has anyone got any better ways of doing this that
they might suggest?

KaVir.