[MUD-Dev] Re: Current Projects

[Peck]

> From: 	Alex Stewart[SMTP:riche at crl.com]
> 
> I suppose this falls into the "documenting the current state of the
> field"
> aspect of things.. I have noticed in the responses to the two recent
> "meta"
> topics that there seem to be a fair number of people around here who
> are
> actively working (or considering actively working) on developing new
> MUD or
> MUD-related software, and there are at least several others interested
> in such
> topics in general.  While there is some information on projects some
> of the
> older, more active people have been working on in the FAQ that gets
> mailed out
> every so often, I get the distinct impression that there are a lot of
> other
> people (new people?) doing interesting things too who haven't made it
> into that
> document, so, my question to the list:
> 
> What are your current projects?  For those of us out here pushing the
> technological envelope (or just hacking around), what are we up to,
> anyway?
> 
> In particular:
>  * What kind of software are you working on? (MUD driver, MUD client,
> etc?)
> 
I am working on a (actually two) mud server(s).  They were originally
ROM, but I am modifying it to suit my needs.

>  * Why?
> 
Everyone always has a special place in their heart for their first MUD.
I guess it is the same way with codebases.  Although I realize that
there are a lot of great bases out there, ROM is what I know best, and I
am most comfortable with.  

The first mud I work on is not "mine" per se, but from all the work I do
on it, it might as well be.  Its based on the Wheel of Time, and my
current project is to reproduce the magic system found in the books (Not
your typical magic system).

The other mud is mine, based on Tolkien, and when I'm done with it, it
will be mutated and altered into a monstrous creation.  To tell the
truth, I am unsatisfied with ROM as a codebase (no surprises there for
most of you) but since I am most familiar with it, and it does a decent
job, that's what I use.  I would write my own, but I am not familiar
with how things should interact to attempt it yet.  I guess you could
call my projects research into the field, so that I can eventually learn
enough to write a startup.  


>  * What are its features?
> 
I'm not going to bore you with me-too's about my codebase, since most of
the features I desire to implement can be found elsewhere, but there are
a few ideas I had that are worth sharing, I think.  One of them deals
with book characters.  Most players can lead their lives around and do
whatever in the MUD, whether its being a mighty warrior or a tailor.
However, for those seeking added excitement, they can apply to be a book
character.  Now, these characters are likely to have more players
desiring to become them then slots open.  So my dilemma was how to deal
with this.  I could just make the characters mobs, but then any schmoe
could come by and take off with Sauron's ring.  And if I made them
players, we'd have the same problem.  

So I decided to combine the two, ad modify to taste.  All of the major
book characters will basically be handed out on a first come, first
serve basis to those who meet my requirements and complete the
application.  Instead of starting a new character, or having their
current character modified to become the new person, their current
character is basically put on hold, and they instead use the book
character (basically like a player switched into a mob).  If someone
else who has completed an application (and their character is suitably
flagged) enters combat with them and kills them, the book character
changes hands.  So the old owner goes back to the old character, and the
new owner enjoys the spoils.

I realize that this will prevent tailors from owning a book character,
but based on the setting, I really don't think that would be
appropriate.  It also ensures that players with book characters remain
on their toes, and concentrating on developing their character.  It has
potential to be an interesting system, and I've not seen it elsewhere,
yet.

I will also have some kind of spell research system available.  (I know
what all of you are thinking, dynamic code, on a ROM?  But I said I was
doing a re-write anyway, so why not?)  It will give anyone the potential
to work magic of some sort (kind of supported in the books), though only
those devoted to pursuing it will develop into a major power.

>  * What does it do (will it do) differently than other things do?
> 
That depends on what you mean by differently.  I am not really using
other codebases as references, so I'm basically going to be setting out
from the city of midgaard into the unknown on my own.  So in that
respect it will be unique, not because its never been done before, just
that I am doing it on my own, and will have unique quirks in some of the
features.

>  * Any neat concepts involved?
> 
I plan to have an extensively developed AI for mobs, giving them more
ways to interact with players, and each other.  All the talk in the list
and the archives have been generally useful for me in that respect.

The recent talk about quest engines has excited me also, and I plan to
see how implementable that would be.



Matthew Peck
No ICQ
No Homepage to speak of
x96724 at exmail.usma.edu or 
valatar at mb2.mudservices.com