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

[J C Lawrence]

On Thu, 30 Apr 1998 12:51:45 +0000 (GMT) 
Matt Chatterley<matt at mpc.dyn.ml.org> wrote:

> On Wed, 29 Apr 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:

>> On Fri, 24 Apr 1998 18:12:44 +0000 (GMT) Matt
>> Chatterley<matt at mpc.dyn.ml.org> wrote: 

>>> On Wed, 22 Apr 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:

>> >> cf The Running Man.

>>> Strangely, I was going to mention this in my previous post. This
>>> is the model I am now working towards. I always thought that film
>>> would have been more fun if they hadn't tied in the
>>> resistance/hero crap, and had just played out the game to the more
>>> 'normal' conclusion (or even to the team being the first ever to
>>> 'win').

>> They had the (dis)advantage of basing the film on a prior book.

> Wasn't aware of that. Shame. The book worth finding?

Yes.
 
>>>>>> Nahh.  Everybody is *ALWAYS* anonymous _except_ to members of
>>>>>> their own team.  

>>>>> So the notion of 'names' doesnt even exist, except within teams?

>>>> My tendency would be for the global score board etc to list
>>>> "names", but for individual characters in-game to not resolve back
>>>> to their "names" except for team-mates.

>>> Yeah. *ponder*

>> Anything else sets individuals up as targets.

> *agreement*

> Which leaves me at having a 'name' for the login, but which does not
> necessarily connect to characters. 

Nope.  They can log in as their character name -- its just that once
in-game characters don't resolve to their character names.  eg:

  Login: bubba
  Password: **********

  Welcome to OverTask!
  
  > score
           Kills      Deaths      Assists
  Boffo:    28          16          37
  Bubba:     5	       213           2
  ...etc

  > "Damn, need to stop getting killed!
  > play
  ...parachute sequence into game world...
  > who
  Boffo
  Bubba
  ...etc
  Someone suddenly appears ahead of you!  They shoot!  You're hit!
  Ouch.  You are dead.
  > score 
           Kills      Deaths      Assists
  Boffo:    29          16          37
  Bubba:     5	       214           2
  ...etc

You can figure out who killed from the score change, but in-game you
can't resolve character names to bodies.  

> I think I'll move 'persistant communication' (bulletin boards etc)
> to a pre-character login state (account), after which you can choose
> a name to play under. Hmm.

<shrug> I agree that it should be outside the game world, but you need
to keep the feature set minimal.  You need something very clean and
simple, sparse even -- otherwise you'll end up with Wallowing
Monstrosity Mark II.

Consider: You could add a full feature introduction and naming system
such as I've discussed and proposed here many times.  It would even be
argued as being "useful".  The problem is that it does not forward the
basic mechanics or functions of the game.  Its fluff.  Its a
distraction.  

You do however need *some* sort of in-game naming system.  Thus the
resolution when members of the same team:

  Login: bubba
  Password: **********

  Welcome to OverTask!
  
  > score
           Kills      Deaths      Assists
  Boffo:    28          16          37
  Bubba:     5	       213           2
  Bernie    17           5          23
  ...etc

  > "Damn, need to stop getting killed!
  > play
  > l
  ...
  Someone steps out beside you.  
  Someone says, "Hey, want to join team Smashers?"
  > say "Sure!"
  > join smashers
  You have joined the Smashers team.
  > l
  Boffo from team Smashers is here.
  Someone suddenly appears ahead of you!  They shoot!  You're hit!
  Ouch.  You are dead.
  > score 
           Kills      Deaths      Assists
  Boffo:    29          16          37
  Bubba:     5	       214           2
  Bernie    18           5          23
  ...etc

Boffo was anonymous until you joined his team.  Bernie of course was
not a member of team Smashers and so remained anonymous outside of the 
score changes.

--
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...

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