[MUD-Dev] Re: skill system

[J C Lawrence]

On Wed, 10 Jun 1998 10:25:53 -0400 (EDT) 
s001gmu <s001gmu at nova.wright.edu> wrote:

> On Tue, 9 Jun 1998, J C Lawrence 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

> I'm not sure I really like the idea behind this system.  IMO, the
> strength stat should be there to help you answer questions like 'Am
> I able to lift this rock?'  I don't see how watching boffo lift it
> (or not lift it) would affect my perception of MY strength.  It
> might alter my perception of the weight of the rock, but not my
> strength.

The idea is that both observation of others and observation of self
will affect the internal stat weight.  Eventually you'll get an
average which won't vary much until you meet real extremes.  The
valuable bit is that (hopefully, but I haven't tested this bit) every
player's average will be different, if similar, resulting in different
if similar perceptions and stat reports.  Ergo stat trading as a form
of genetalia waving is instantly ultra-silly.  More interestingly
given the grouping and clique habits of players, members of a clique
will tend to have very similar if not identical averages and average
histories, but new imports to a clique will/may have widely different
averages which then slowly adapt to their new context.

An ecology of stat awareness.

> 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?

Bubba looks very strong, stronger than you (you have seen him do
things requiring great strength) and fails to lift the or a similar
rock.  It seems unlikely you'll be able to.  Boffo has demonstrated
himself weaker than you historically, yet lifts the rock or a similar
rock...

The neat bits which I don't address at all come when Bubba fails to
lift the rock and Boffo does lift it, or Bubba lifts the rock, Boffo
fails, Bubba gets flattened by the leaf and Boffo brushes it off.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                               Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------(*)                     Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...