[MUD-Dev] Re: skill system

[Adam Wiggins]

On Wed, 10 Jun 1998 s001gmu at nova.wright.edu wrote:
> >   > stats
> >   Strength: 150
> >   > l
> >   Bubba picks up a huge boulder with one hand and crushes it to 
> >   sand on his head.
> >   > stats
> >   Strength: 25
> >   > l
> >   A leaf flutters off the tree above and smashes Boffo to the ground.
> >   Boffo is stuck under the leaf and can't move.
> >   > stats
> >   Strength: 65
> > 
> > Nothing changed except for his perception of strength.
> > 
> > The attempt is to model a form of self-image as weighted against
> > perception.  Most delightfully stat reports react to illusions as if
> > they were real.  The leaf above may well have been illusory, or Boffo
> > may well have been play-acting to purposefully delude your
> > perceptions. 
> 
> All I see this system doing is hiding important information... I would
> argue this most certainly crosses the line mentioned above.  How can I
> predict if 'lift rock' will work? 

The obvious solution would seem to be providing the player with
information that more directly maps to the game world.  For example:

% stats
Lifting power: 50 kg
% judge rock
It is made of granite, and appears to weigh approximately 45 kg.

One could take it further:

% consider "lift rock"
Considering lifting the rock, you decide that you could do it but that it
would be very difficult, requiring two hands and costing you 10 fatigue
points.

Orion once told me that early on in his mudding career he thought that the
diku "consider" command actually staged a quick mock battle between you
and the target, and then came back with a percentage chance of a win...

Adam