[MUD-Dev] Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement

[Jon A. Lambert]

On 17 Mar 98 at 18:57, J C Lawrence wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Mar 1998 21:25:46 PST8PDT 
> Jon A Lambert<jlsysinc at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> 
> > 2) Make shopkeepers much more powerful than any player or group of
> > players.
> 
> This one is nof course difficult and prone to trouble.  Given a
> flexible system with internally consistant mechanics (yeah right),
> the inventivness of players knows few bounds.  Sure you can't kill
> the shopkeeper directly.  But how about if you magically lift a
> small mountain and then drop it on him?  How about if you blow the
> damn and put him under a few hundred feet of water?  Lava?  Fell a
> tree on him? Dig a very large pit under his feet?  Poison? 
> Strangulation? Suffocation?  Starvation?  Dehydration?
>

Right.  There are some axioms here.  Well not exactly axioms since 
they are not necessarily obvious and I don't believe I'm equipped to 
prove them.   

1) As a virtual world's "realism" increases, the pool of possible 
character actions increase.

2) The opportunities for exploitation and subversion are directly 
related to the size of the pool of possible character actions. 

3) A bored player is a potential and willing subversive.

4) Players will eventually find the shortest path to the cheese.

Hmm.  Maybe this should be expanded into a another thread.  
Anyone?  Feel free to pile on. ;) 

--
--/*\ Jon A. Lambert - TychoMUD     Internet:jlsysinc at ix.netcom.com /*\--
--/*\ Mud Server Developer's Page <http://www.netcom.com/~jlsysinc> /*\--
--/*\   "Everything that deceives may be said to enchant" - Plato   /*\--