[MUD-Dev] NPC grouping (LONG)

[Hulbert]

<EdNote: Duplicate HTML copy removed>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ling at kanga.nu [mailto:ling at kanga.nu]
> 
> One thing I noticed was the lack of criteria for which a mob decides
> to join or leave a group.  I suggest, perhaps, a selfish reason for
> joining teams or perhaps a team rating in various categories.  For
> instance, a gang called Anarchy might have a high mortality rate but
> have a good record for getting cold hard cash.  On the other hand,
> another gang, called Paracetamol, is very good at protecting itself.
> A mob on the lookout for teams might initially be in need of
> protection, then as that becomes less of an issue, look for
> something more, like cash.  Teams can then have a versus factor (for
> lack of a better name) which would prevent a mob being members of
> similar but opposing teams.
 
 
My example was a relatively simple one, and a cow 
doesn't have the brains for much more reason than: "He fed 
me, I'll go with him."  In more complex mobs, the joining and 
offering of teams would be governed by the SELF team.  If 
SELF's goal(s) include protection as a high priority, than 
PARACETAMOL would look like a good group, and it would agree 
to join.  Later, when SELF has become more concerned with 
cash, and the mob run's into a slick ANARCHY recruiter, it 
might jump ship.  Add this with the dynamic loyalty number, 
and you get mobs that may start out identical at spawn, but 
quickly diverge into their own personalities.  

Intelligent mobs would start out with more default team 
memberships.  SELF, RACE, perhaps even a TRIBE or CITY that 
they were born into, and some combination/selection of their 
parents.  (Yes, parents...who's idea it was that dark caves 
spawn orcs?  Shouldn't adult orcs spawn orcs?  Even if the 
new orc is fully adult, it would be an improvement over the 
current system in most MUDs.)  They would also have a more 
complex determination of the SELF goal, which would be a 
small mirror of the team code...  HUNGER, GREED, ANGER, 
SLOTH, LOVE, FEAR, and so on, jostling around to be the one 
that determines the current SELF goal.

Teams would, of course, have a another set of that code 
for themselves, to determine team goals.  Heavily weighted by 
the leader, but the followers would have some input, too, and 
large groups could overcome the leadership (mob rule, 
anyone?(no pun intended)).

This is, in fact, why I asked the question about large 
mob code/complex mobs.  I want to enable this kind of 
'thinking' on all the mobs, and provide enough mobs to 
sustain a diversity of groups.  And a lot of background.  In 
any self-sustaining society, there should be more merchants, 
bakers, servants, and general non-violent types, than there 
are soldier, warriors, wizards, monsters, and other violent 
types.  Most MUDs I've been on are very violence heavy.  The 
pure RP MUSHes have it better, but mobs all around are 
generally designed as hack/slash victims, or opponents.  In 
my system, most of the mobs will be governed by 
self-protection and team-preservation.  A PC may see this as 
a killing ground, but when those 'victims' decide that their 
team-goal is 'kill Sir-Kill-a-Lot' to protect themselves, he 
will have to watch out every where he goes.

Not that the system isn't useful for combat oriented 
decisions.  The same system should work well for any kind of 
decision making, including whether to swing my sword or raise 
my shield this round.  But what I'm looking for is a 
developed mob society, or group of societies.  A well-running 
virtual world machine.

  OK,  ranting is over...sorry about that._______________________________________________
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