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

[Ling]

On Mon, 11 Jan 1999, J C Lawrence wrote:

>   For me names are not global (there are a very few exceptions).  As
> such objects don't have default names.  The character you ran into
> at the castle is only "Bubba" to you because that is what you
> explicitly named him.  You have no idea what he calls you.
> 
>     > l
>     You are standing outside of a ramshackle store.  A sign,
>     creaking in the wind, reads, "Bubba's Inn".
>     > name store moshpit
>     Okay.
>     > l
>     You are standing outside the moshpit.
>     An ugly troll approaches from the south.
>     > name troll sucker
>     Okay.
>     Sucker says, "Hi!  My name is Boffo!  Want to go do the castle?"
>     > l
>     You are standing outside the moshpit.
>     Sucker is here.
>     > kill sucker
>     ...etc.   
> 
> Notice however that the "sucker" name assignment is private to the
> character that you are playing.  It won't resolve for the troll, for
> any other players, or for the player of the troll.

Having mucked around on a mud that uses private namespaces between
characters, my only gripe with it is that I wish the mud would help me
name people by keeping a token of some sort in memory.  More often than
not, I go around naming people I meet random names so I can associate a
bunch of letters with someone until I get to know them properly. 
Otherwise I feel everyone I meet to be one stranger with lots of anonymous
identities.  It's the equivalent of knowing faces without the names. 

Like you posted an age back, it would be nice to be able to do: 

	> name that man who I saw doing somersaults down the street Bubba.

Maybe the player can access a list of people recently met for just this
purpose.

  |    Ling Lo (aka Lethargic Lad)
_O_O_  kllo at iee.org