[MUD-Dev] Mass Creation OLC Functions (idea from Elder Games)

[Matthew Mihaly]

On Tue, 16 Mar 1999, Nathan F Yospe wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Mar 1999, Matthew Mihaly wrote:
> 
> :I agree that this is potentially interesting as a theoretical example, but
> :those sort of areas sound AWFULLY boring to play in. It'd be like making a
> :program to write a book for you! You'd end up with unimaginative trash
> :with no coherent plot, no individuality, etc. Not at all the sort of thing
> :I'd think that players would want to play in.
> 
> Yeesh! Doesn't *anyone* read the archives first anymore? OK, I think the
> old champion of the world generator had better step in once again. There
> is nothing in those traditional Diku/LP descriptions a good program (I'm
> refering to my own) can't match or better. A book? Maybe not. Certainly,
> I would take offense if anyone claimed a piece of software was my better
> in science fiction, but I wouldn't put most muds' areas past a hacked up
> piece of software... aside from the bizzare typos. I'm to busy to do the
> full post right now, so I'm just going to point you toward the archives.
> There are a few test clips from a (partially) autogenerating engine from
> one of my earlier versions in there...

Well, traditional Diku/LP descriptions are crap. Further, we weren't just
talking about descriptions, but about the mobiles that inhabit it, etc.
Just making an area and unintelligently populating it with a bunch of
goblins or whatnot is incredibly boring, imho. I think all areas should
have a story behind them and a history, etc, else they are just boring.

You say that a piece of software can't generate good sci-fi (I agree...a
computer is incapable of producing any even semi-readable fiction) and I
challenge you to write a piece of software that can generate a good area
(ie one that has personality).

--matt



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