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

[Dundee]

On Sat, 11 Sep 1999 02:45:16 -0500 Mon, 13 Sep 1999 16:17:02 CST, Greg
Miller <gmiller at classic-games.com> wrote:

> Dundee wrote:
> > I think it's important to draw a distinction between consentual PvP =
and
> > non-consentual PvP (what I'd classify as "PKing").
>=20
> And what about the distinction between non-consensual PK to annoy =
random
> targets vs. non-consensual PK to enforce social mores?

Well, not exactly.  I don't think PKing is a problem when it takes place =
in
a manner/frequency/whatever that is expected.  The users "consent" (for
lack of a better word) to whatever is normal for that particular MUD when
they login.

It's on, for example, roleplay MUDs where in-character PKing is allowed -
and therefore OOC pking is possible - that PKs become the target of =
rants.
If there's an aliens-predator-space-marines mud out there and you get
jumped by a mixed gang of aliens, predators and marines all working
together, then you might start paging an admin to do something about it.
Whereas ten minutes earlier when you and 10 other space marines ambushed
some poor Alien, you weren't doing anything wrong at all...  space =
marines
are *supposed* to kill aliens.

Any angry words I've directed towards PKs aren't directed towards the =
types
of folks that would Act Right - whether acting right entails PKing or =
not.
It's directed toward the sorts of players that would login with a space
marine, kill some other space marines on their way out to meet their
"friends", which they aren't even supposed to be allied with on this
hypothetical mud at all, ever, anyway, and then just kill any other PC =
they
come across.

Even if the mud allowed for some random PKing, "evil roleplaying" (or in
the case of aliens, "good roleplaying"?), at some point I think it would
still be possible to cross the line between what's acceptable and what's
not - to hit a mark where even the people who logged in with no thought
beyond, "Let's go kill some people!" feel they're the victims of [insert
term for non-consensual PvP Combat here].

So... for "non-consensual combat to enforce social mores" my answer is:  =
If
it's standard practice on that mud to discourage jerkish behavior by
killing them (I think that's what you mean), then the users consented to =
it
when they logged in.

--=20
http://dundee.uong.com/



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