[MUD-Dev] Alignment

[Lee Sheldon]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu
> [mailto:mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu]On Behalf Of
> Travis Nixon
> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 9:59 PM
> To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Subject: Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] Alignment

> Thinking purely about the good vs evil issue, there are
> really two lines of
> thought that come to mind.  One is that it is easier to be
> evil than to be
> good, but I'm not entirely sure this is true.  I would have
> to say that it
> is definately easier to be indifferent than either good or
> evil.  Which
> brings up another line of thought: staying on course is more
> difficult than
> straying.

I think it might be interesting to simply forget about alignment and
concentrate on the situations in the world that get us there.  It seems far
more profitable to me to start with the possibility to go in many moral or
ethical directions, and design the world to react to them.  Rather than
coming up with an alignment system, allow it to reveal itself as a player
interacts with the world.

I'm much more interested in providing indicators through NPCs and things
that need to be done in the world.  For example in a product I'm sure most
of you have never heard of, and now probably never will, The Gryphon
Tapestry, the NPCs were the skill teachers (through tutorship or
mini-quests).  The PCs actions affected their relationship to NPCs in very
big ways, so it was necessary to figure out (not hard in most cases) what
was a GOOD way to behave, and what was not, if you wanted to follow a
particular career-path, religion, whatever.  This is the way children learn
after all.

If a player pursues only the "dark side," then results of that are mirrored
in the way the world reacts to them, and players recognize it, either go
with the flow, or rebel.  In either case, the moral and ethical choice being
made determines "alignment."  We measure it behind the scenes, but it is
never overt anymore than it is in real life when we meet a stranger on the
street.  Of course, if that stranger is notorious enough, that is dealt with
more prominently.  Key to the City?  Wanted Posters?

Lee





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