[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Design doc (long)

[Nathan F Yospe]

On Fri, 8 Jan 1999, Mik Clarke wrote:

:Nathan F Yospe wrote:

:> On Fri, 18 Dec 1998, Mik Clarke wrote:
:> :This can be done by adding 'smellable' objects to rooms in the same
:> :fashion as 'examinable' objects are added. Diku/ROM uses extra

:> This *should* be done by making the root object explicitely "scentless",
:> and deriving doors and such from them, and by actually having props when

:Yes and no.  Props take more resources (and more builder time) than 2 or
:3 line extra descriptions tagged onto a room.  Using the descriptions
:you can make a detailed (and explorable) description for a room or an
:area that is much more efficient than one that has 5 or 6 props standing
:around in each room just to add background flavour.  I tend to use props
:only for game significant items.

Like I said, props are all that can be done with my design. On the other
hand, comparing the sizes of a (mostly inherited) prop and a description
from a DIKU (probably unfair, as any other codebase would probably use a
text compression scheme), I don't see a lot of difference... and any use
of a previously defined prop is going to use up one 64 bit long, until a
player alters the prop... and even then, there will be a cost of at most
64 bits per alteration.

--

Nathan F. Yospe - Born in the year of the tiger, riding it forever after
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Dept of Physics, second year senior (joy)
(On Call) Associate Algorithm Developer, Textron Systems Corp, Maui Ops.
yospe#hawaii.edu http://www2.hawaii.edu/~yospe Non commercial email only