[MUD-Dev] Alignment (very long)

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

Christopher Allen said:
> We have been talking some at Skotos about something very similar to this,
> but not for purposes of "alignment", but instead, for reactions of NPCs to
> players.
> 

You know, I was just thinking last week about how these same values might be 
used for the AI of NPCs and perhaps SPCs (scripted player characters).  How 
difficult would it be to set up the system so that characters choose whatever 
course of action maximizes their skill gain based on a comparison of their 
personal values profile and the action profiles with which they are presented?  
Of course, it probably wouldn't work as a foundation for the AI, but it might 
augment it in a way that helped make NPCs/SPCs more interesting.

So, a values based role-play system (VBRPS?) :-) might have the following 
benefits:
1) Encourage thoughtful and consistent role-play
2) Form the basis for a reputation system
3) Act as a foundation on which alignment and the favor of deities can be built
4) Augment the AI so that NPCs/SPCs act according to values

I think you guys are on the right track with your ideas for deepening social 
interactions.  Perhaps you might want to take your alignment system into account 
when deciding which opposing pairs to implement.  It would be excedingly cool to 
see the two working together, especially if alignment is important to the game.  
I started off in a similar direction, but I was looking to encourage consistent 
role-play by having the gamer choose what their character valued and then trying 
to check these values against actions.  It took me a few tries until I realized 
that pairs of opposite values would work best.  Then I was able to reduce the 
value pairs down to the four that I thought might be easiest to track based on 
what is actually exchanged in a MMORPG.

--Phinehas

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