[MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?

[Ilya]

On Wed, 8 Sep 1999 17:39:27 -0700 (PDT), Matthew Mihaly wrote:

))and realism obviously isn't really the goal of any fantasy or
))sci-fi mud. The goal of most muds is to make a fun game, not a realistic
))world.

I would contest that one hotly. The two propositions or concepts do
not stand in contradiction one to another.  These concepts (realistic
world and fun game) are foundation and structure.

Realistic world (or just realism) is the reasonable foundation on
which the structure of fun game can best be built.

I mean realism in two aspects:
1 - realism = correspondence with familiar things in reality; and
2 - realism = internal consistency

Oh yes, playability comes in there.  Suspension of disbelief comes
into play to.  But realism (in one of those two forms above) is the
most effective tool in reducing the frequency and scale of all those
silly "gotchas" one finds in so many game worlds ("But _why_ can't
I knock on the door -- it's right there?"  "But _why_ can't I take
the candlestick -- I can see it there in the room?"  "What do you mean
'You can't do that?'").

It is certainly impossible to remove all silly gotchas.  This is
a given.  But this is no excuse to try to reduce them.  Realism is
a great tool for this, and is unworthy of being placed in opposition
to 'making a fun game.'  The latter always requires huge doses of
the former, in both the aspects I describe.

--
  Ilya, Game Commandos     http://www.gamecommandos.com     





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