[MUD-Dev] Re: skill system

[Katrina McClelan]

> > > [ consider bear
> > > Looks like you might need a hand with this one!
> >                             ^^^^^^
> Well *I* thought it was funny ;)
> 

If it hadn't been noticed by someone else I'd have missed it entirely.  I
feel dumb now.

> Interesting, and to be honest I'm not sure.  I don't see any problem with
> either method - if you were bullied as a kid, how would you feel if you
> met that bully again as an adult?  What if said bully was still far bigger
> and meaner than you?  Perhaps it could store the fact that you hadn't fought
> him for a certain amount of time (I might use 3 bits, giving a number of
> real-life days between 0 and 7 since you had last fought them - 7 days = 1
> mud year, which would be a reasonable maximum).  Then you could have messages
> like:
> 

Worse, what if the mob actually gains levels?  

>    [consider bubba
>    You've not fought him for several months, but last time you met he almost
>    killed you.
> 
> You could even have the messages vary over time according to traits of the
> player - if Bubba had a huge ego, he might remember a close fight a mud-year
> ago as "you almost won, but they managed to escape".  If Bubba had a really
> poor self-image though, the message might be more like "they almost killed
> you!".  

You could also have this ego vary by successes verses numbers of failures.
Continual success should boost your confidence, while getting beat 96-54
in the finals.... (heh... sorry, I'm a Bulls fan, couldn't resist)

> Such considerations could also be used to give penalties and bonuses
> in combat, and could work well when combined with intimidation as a form of
> 'will vs will' pre-combat technique.  Think of it as a sort of face-down, and
> such factors could well influence what you think your chances are of beating
> that person in a fight.  With a little work it could be worked into an optional
> non-fatal combat system that runs alongside (and influence) normal combat.
> 

The only real problem with this is that you'd almost have to have mobs
keep track of player reputation, since while Grimlock the player might be
quite frightened of Bubba after having seen him slaughter some friends,
Bubba might well know of Grimlock's exploits and be in awe of him as well.
This of course introduces a new consideration: prestige.  Bubba may be
of the "walk quiet and carry a big stick" build and not be known for his
skill (giving players less knowledge of him), however the dreaded Lord
Kilgoth carries a reputation and air about him, and anyone that recognizes
him is likely to know of the horrors that have occured by his hand.

Also, I mentioned before, experience is overriding, but in lack of it,
consider appearance.  Think of how you'd percieve a business man in a
three piece suit and tie with brief case, wearing glasses, clean shaven
with a "yuppie"  haircut walking past you to his Volvo at night compared
to a long haired tatooed guy with a goa-tee, in a Budwieser tank top,
leather jacket, and ripped up faded jeans, walking past you to his
motorcycle at night.  While the truth may be that the business man is a
martial arts expert, and the punk is a wimp, the perception generally
speaking would make you more nervous about the punk guy.  Certainly the
charging lupine would look scarier than the weakly old man, but if that
old man is a master wizard...

-Kat