[MUD-Dev] Re: Dynamic muds

[Mik Clarke]

ryan wrote:
> 
> This really doesn't cover what I was getting at. I don't need/want to know
> how to
> program this or how you go about doing it, I want players/admins/and especially
> builders' ideas on the subject.

I think the secret here is to firstly make it as automatic as possible
and secondly to make it produce a reasonable effect even if the builders
don't try.  They only have so much time, and it's hard enough coming up
with an interesting description for the 4th room on the forest trail,
never mind having to think up varients for sunny, sunny/windy, night,
night/windy, cloudy, night/cloudy etc...

For CthulhuMud I'm currently at an approach using 2 techniques.

o Descriptions should be weather/time independent and a description of
the
  weather will be automatically added.
o There is the ability to shift players and mobs to another room at
night
  time (and back again at dawn).

It is possible for builders to add extra detail dependent upon all sorts
of
things (thursday, raining, full moon, after 7pm, cast has astrology >
70%)
but this would only be done for special rooms.  They have enough trouble
finishing areas as it is...
 
> Builders - Are you willing to put the extra code forth to make rooms much more
> versatile as season and day/night changes occur? Possibly other things as
> well.

As long as I don't have to do it for every room.
 
> Admins - Have you done this system and found it to be successful with builders
> a/o players?

It puts the 'inspection' time up quite a bit.
 
> Players - How much of an addition do you think dynamic rooms are to the
> atmosphere
> of the game?

As long at the rest of the world reacts, I think it's ok.  A scantily
clad
mob sunbathing is ok on a warm summers day, but jars something horrible
in the middle of a snowstorm.  This means that mobs must be able to
react
to weather changes...the ones in CthulhuMud can, although it would have
to be coded for each mob.
 
Mik



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