[MUD-Dev] Re: There can be.. only ONE! (fwd)

[Matt Chatterley]

On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Adam Wiggins wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Matt Chatterley wrote:
> > On Wed, 29 Apr 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:
> > > Note: I'm not alking about a system enforced or guided justice system, 
> > > but a set of tools which players can use to assemble their own justice 
> > > system on the fly.
> > 
> > I recall some of the justice stuff you were talking about. Hmm. Giving
> > players a way to take prisoner members of their team (well, anyone).. then
> > they could set up whatever sort of court they wanted wherever they
> > wanted.. hmm. What other tools would they need, given that they already
> > have weapons?
> 
> Actually, they are missing quite a lot, if you're speaking of what is
> found on your average mud server.  The main area that is lacking is the
> ability to subdue or restrain someone.  Usually your only way to stop
> someone from doing what you want is to attack them, which usually results
> in their death.  If you're only trying to hold them for questioning, or
> take them to jail, or even mug them, you're out of luck.

Strictly speaking from my current context of thought, players have lethal
weaponry (when applied in relevant amounts.. some is obviously more deadly
than other bits). Given the capacity to take someone prisoner.. do they
need anything else for a kangaroo court of sorts?
 
> Probably you need two different methods availible to players.  One is to
> hold someone based on brute strength, the other based on pointing a weapon
> at them.  Thus:
> 
>   < hold bubba
>   You grab Bubba from behind and pin his arms to his sides.
>   Bubba tries to draw his sword, but you prevent him.
>   Bubba tries to run north, but you barely prevent him.
>   < say gimmie some help you guys!!
>   Boffo grabs Bubba and helps you hold him.
>   Buffy grabs Bubba and helps you hold him.
>   Biffo says, "Take him to the jail."
>   < drag bubba north
>   You begin trying to drag Bubba north.
>   Boffo begins trying to drag Bubba north.
>   Buffy begins trying to drag Bubba north.
>   You, Boffo, and Buffy drag Bubba north.

This is how I was thinking. Ponder. The ability to restrain (and forcively
move) a player in numbers is probably all else I need to add, really..
players have weapons, and know who they might want to punish (or
interrogate? Or am I hoping for too much...). THere won't be any quitting
in the game, although you could lose link to your character (and there
will be a command to do this), at which point it becomes a drone/NPC, and
you cannot reconnect to it.

[Snip 'variable force' method]

> If some good mechanisms like this were to be put in place, I tend to think
> that PKing would go down quite a bit, since there would be alternate ways
> to deal with people you want to force to do something.

PK being the pivotal point of the game.. the purpose here would be for
team-mates to be able to punish 'betrayers' in a satisfying manner.
Ponder.

--
Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.." -John Lennon (Imagine)


--
MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.