[MUD-Dev] Wilderness

[Freeman]

> From: John Buehler [mailto:johnbue at msn.com]
> Jeff Freeman writes:

>> Not so much to have vast tracks of wilderness.  What I mean by
>> "wilderness" is "the stuff that connects points of interest".  I
>> don't like long boring walks through featureless terrain either.

> I think that choosing to adopt the attitude that wilderness is the
> stuff between points of interest is a major mistake.

I think I'm just not expressing myself very well.

> You've immediately relegated wilderness to something that is not
> of interest.

That's what I mean by "wilderness".  I could call it something else,
if you like.  "Portals that link large areas of rooms to one
another".  i.e. "This collection of rooms is the Forest, and it is
connected to the collection of rooms which are the Town by this
portal, which is the wilderness."

So I'm reading you say "Portals aren't fun.  Don't put them in the
game."  :)

> As a result, it only exists to separate points of interest.

Right.

> From an entertainment standpoint, that makes no sense.  If you're
> going to put it into the game world, it has to be inherently
> entertaining.

I'm *not* putting it in the gameworld.  It is, quite literally,
this:

] The town is to the north.  > go town.  ] You arrive in the town.

"Wilderness" being the spot right after "go town" and right before
"You arrive in the town".

> If it's not entertaining, don't put it in.

Ok.

> EverQuest understood this to an extent, but then still put in the
> Plains of Karana, which were, in a word, BORING.

I'm thinking more of a text MUD, room and zone-based, although it
could be done graphically with on overland map.

> The entertainment of the wilderness is going to be derived from
> whatever it is that tree huggers like.  They like the views, they
> like the wildlife, the foraging, the diving off cliffs into lakes,
> the fishing, and so on.

Then they can go to a point of interest that features those things
they are interested in.  What they travel *through* to get there can
be skipped, as far as I'm concerned.

> The wilderness must be entertaining.  If it's not, don't put it
> into the game.

I don't plan on it.
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev