[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook

[Ling]

On Sun, 13 Sep 1998, quzah wrote:
> J C Lawrence <claw at kanga.nu>, on Sunday, September 13, 1998 wrote:
> >On Sun, 13 Sep 1998 19:22:44 +0100 (BST) 
> >Ling <K.L.Lo-94 at student.lboro.ac.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> Unlike fantasy muds that can assume some cliches are universal, eg:
> >> dwarves are short, elves have pointy ears, I have a sci-fi mud which
> >> has a huge unknown factor.  Absolutely nothing can be assumed so
> >> somehow, I must introduce an almost entirely different universe to
> >> the players.
> >
> >I have the same problem.
> 
> I was thinking of doing something like making characters only know
> very few things when they start the game. For example, I would assume
> they know the difference (or can determine) in color, in temperature,
> in weight (ie: this is heavy, this is hot) and a few more very basic
> things. Aside from that, they would know nothing.

What with me trying to gather a somewhat realistic universe, I don't feel
this approach would be beneficial.  Creating a character that has served 2
terms of active duty and finding him to have absolutely no knowledge of
the universe wot so ever is.. er.  Um.  I suppose it's mud-like. :)

> Ideally, they would have to learn everything. If they wanted to make
> paper from plant pulp, they'd first have to find out what happens when
> they smash a plant up into bits.

I have reservations about this.  Sounds like you'll have a brick wall for
newbies trying to get into the mud.  You'll probably need to avoid the
trap of leaving almost everything unnamed.  Imagine it from the player's
point of view, upon starting out, he'll have to label to everything in
sight.  It's fun for once.....  Unless you're kind enuff to let players
carry some generic names from one character to the next.

> They would have to eat something to find out it was poison or not, and
> so on. Now, then, I'd like to make it so if they saw someone they
> could tell eachother things, and gain knowledge from it.
> 
>   %eat berry
>   The shiny red berry makes you sick.
>   %learn shiny berry sickness
>   You see Boffo
>   %teach Boffo about shiny berry
>   You tell Boffo that the shiny red berries cause sickness.

Looks a bit like a 1st person's version of Creatures.  After picking it up
in the bargain bins and doodling with it, I've found out that my little
Norns teach each other that certain things are Good and a number of other
things are Baaaaad.  Especially if I spank them.

My other thought is that you don't want players to feel as if they're 3
years old again.  Fun as it was from what I can remember, the world
would is a little bit too scary and confusing.

Imagine, if you will, a giggling of newbies pointing at random things and
going: "What's that?" like the Teletubbies.  (you shall not receive any
more hints regarding the Teletubbies - browse the web)

> Ah, that'd be nice. Perhaps some day, I'll figure out a way to be
> able to do all that... Right now, it is more of a wish list. I would
> also like to do something with creatures and such, that you don't
> know what they are until you see them.

Would it be another feature or add to the gameplay?  Ask yourself that.

> Also, I would like to - in a related way - keep track of the world
> knowledge pool, or area knowledge. This way, as the big group of
> people in in area showed up and sort of learned things, that area
> would gain its knowledge base. Then, new players starting in that
> area would learn about things that the area knew about faster than
> an area where they knew nothing about whatever topic.

Kinda addresses my above concerns, it's also something I'm interested in
myself. How often have you see help/information files that are in
need of an overhaul?  If I do end up with an item similar to the Guide
from HHGTHG then I would certainly like the information to be routinely
updated.  (I suppose the truely lazy maintainer can say the Guide has been
neglected by the Society)

I've been to one or two muds that contained dated rp information, the plot
had evolved well beyond and I had to ask around to figure out what was
going on...

> Sorry if this is way off topic, and not what you were thinking
> about. Shrug.

It's a tradition.  You can now call yourself a true MUD-Devite.

  |    Ling Lo (fish)
_O_O_  Elec Eng Dept, Loughborough University, UK.     kllo at iee.org