[MUD-Dev] distributed objects

[Caliban Tiresias Darklock]

Charles Hughes wrote:
> 
> In a normal game, such a system ("cheat all you want...") is not possible.

What the hell is a "normal game"?
 
Seriously, my game works under just such a system: if you find a bug,
USE THE HELL OUT OF IT. If you *report* it, I'll fix it, and you'll get
your name in the credits. 

The dynamic which emerges is peculiarly effective. When players are
using the hell out of a bug and not worried about being caught (because,
after all, it's NOT against the rules), the bug starts to stick out like
a turd in a punchbowl. This means I can find it and fix it. However,
it's hard to keep bugs secret anyway, so news of the bug spreads like
wildfire. Even if it doesn't get to me by osmosis, someone will report
it -- maybe because they find this sort of "cheating" offensive, maybe
because they can't do it themselves for some reason and are jealous,
maybe just because they're vain and want their name in the credits. A
reasonably common sequence is for someone to find a bug, use the hell
out of it for personal gain, tell their allies so they can use it, and
then report it so it will be fixed before their adversaries can use it
too much. 

The end result, in all cases, is that the bug gets found and fixed.
Strangely, while this method virtually always works, virtually no one
uses it... preferring to institute policies where people who abuse bugs
are punished. Human nature being what it is, this doesn't work too well.
;)



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