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

[Jon A. Lambert]

Ok One last try at posting...  

> Dundee said:
>I think it's important to draw a distinction between consentual PvP and
>non-consentual PvP (what I'd classify as "PKing").


I do too.  Let me explain my own terminology and classifications.  

PvP actions are any action that a character performs that affects
another character adversely.  They come in three flavors - consential, 
non-consential and implictly consential.

Consential PvP is most often found on Mush-type RP games.  It can 
occur overtly through OOC channels, where players negotiate the desired
outcome of a PvP action or it can occur during the course of IC dialogue
and actions.   Typically a character initiates an action IC and the affected 
character resolves the result.  

Implicitly Consential PvP is when a character may have an action
forced upon them by another character.  The character has willingly
entered a state or game where they have been reasonably warned by
game rules or laws of nature that there may be adverse consequences.
For instance, in an mixed PK HnS game which has PK flags a character
might by choice turn on their PK flag.  They have implicitly consented
to be PKed from that point on.  Joining a Quake deathmatch is
implicitly consenting to be repeatly splattered.  In the Mush RP 
environment for instance, if one _consents_ to being captured and bound,
any action that is inflicted upon them after such consent is implicit consent.
Ignoring the laws of nature or man may incur implicit consent to 
reactions.  If one insists on spitting on the floor to show disrespect in
front of one's liege lord, one has implicit agreed to the whims and
imaginations of the player  playing the king.  Rules vary of course.

Non-consential PvP is when an undesireable action and result is forced 
upon a character by another.  It can even occur in the Quake game above.
For instance, if one is playing team deathmatch and given player insists on
intentionally 'fragging' teammates, although the system allows it, the 
fragged player hasn't really consented to play the game this way.  It's sort
of like playing chess with someone who continually rearranges the pieces
every time you turn your back.  It's when a players reasonable expectations
are violated.  This can and often does occur on mixed PvP muds through
system loopholes, ill-documented rules, admin meddling and plain bugs.
A common example is a mud that claims to not allow stealing from players.
Thief characters must make NPCs the object of their trade.  But if a 
character accidently drops an item and another character immediately
picks it up, well player stealing has just occurred.  Another common 
occurance is the non-PK character being effectively PKed by another
character's area effect spell, timed-trap, summoning of aggressive creatures. 
On one mud I played that prohibited PK, it was possible for a very-high
level sorceror to cast a disease spell on a wandering NPC.  The disease
could spread to anyone coming into contact with the NPC.  Hordes of
low-level characters could be effectively PKed in this manner.  Bad
design and forethought here.


PK/PSteal is a subset of PvP actions and can occur in any of the categories
above.   


--
J. Lambert




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