[MUD-Dev] Re: Prescience Rules? [Previously submitted under wrong thread :( ]

[Richard Woolcock]

Dan Shiovitz wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 17 Jun 1998, Larry Homer wrote:
> > Relating to my query of a few days back about the proper regulation of
> > IC Telepathy, I now would appreciate hearing about anybody's experience
> > with regulating IC Prescience!
> [..]
> > If we assume that "Prescience" in a given theme means, "Occasionally
> > sees visions that WILL occur," as opposed to "Sees visions that will
> > PROBABLY occur if things keep going the way they have been going, etc.,"
> > then you get into all sorts of knotty questions about predestination and
> > unavoidable doom versus free will and chaos theory.
> >
> > So how do you handle it when your theme requires Prescient Characters?
> [..]
> 
> Suggestion #1: change the theme. seriously. there is some stuff that
>                just doesn't work well without OOC negotiation, which
>                most muds aren't designed around. Telepathy and
>                Prescience and "Detect Lie" are examples.

I cannot disagree more.  I have implemented the first and last of the
above, and have a number of ideas for implementing the second (read my
other email).

> Suggestion #2: Occasionally, immortals give visions to prescient
>                characters. Prescient characters are free to do
>                whatever they want with these visions, including lie
>                about them. For other times, they should get good at
>                making up plausibly vague prophecies.

This is one way to do it, although a rather poor way IMO.  I prefer
code to be as automated as possible rather than rely on imm's to do
all the work.

KaVir.