[MUD-Dev] Room-based vs. Coordinate based[Was semi-graphical muds]

[the_logos at www.achaea.com]

On Tue, 13 Feb 2001, Warren Powell wrote:

> The main reason that I would consider a co-ordinate based system is
> the environment. I would love to have true weather patterns,
> kingdoms that people can fight over, rivers that can be travelled
> and roads that can be followed. Wilderness encounters would be
> varied and players would have the freedom to go wherever they want.

Hmm. In both coordinate and room systems, players have the freedom to
go where you allow them to go. No more, no less. Since no one on earth
has yet succeeded in modeling true weather patterns, I suspect that
simply implementing them in a coordinate-based text mud is going to be
insufficient. However, it's not hard to add semi-realistic weather
patterns to room-based MUDs. I don't understand why rivers and roads
can't be followed in room-based MUDs either. Certainly the players who
use the highways and rivers in Achaea (room-based) would disagree with
you there.

> The world can be given strict borders and allow guilds or
> individuals the chance to gain control of those lands, giving them
> monies and other benefits. Holding on to the lands is a different
> matter of course. Guild wars ahoy!

This can be done in room-based systems too. We do it, in fact.

> Which leads me to water bourne travel. With a co-ord system, you can
> place trade routes. The good thing about this is that people can
> procure a ship and raid these trade routes, then shoot off to
> another location to count the booty. Player run customs ships would
> give chase and ship battles could be devised in a realistic style.

Again, can be done in room-based muds. Having said that though, we're
going to put in an extensive ocean and ship system, and the ocean will
be coordinate based. Oceans are inherently boring, so I don't mind
using a coordinate-based system for that.

> Now the kicker....how about incorporating an area based system in
> the co-ord based world. When a point of intewrest is discovered,
> like a castle ruin or a town, the player reverts to a normal area
> based system and comes back to the grid based when he exits the
> town/castle/dungeon. This would lend to a good level of detail in
> the world itself without it being too restroctive.  Entry and exit
> points could be on seperate grid points to simulate tunnels or large
> dungeons and would not necessarily have to coincide with each other.

This is pretty common. I remember playing Batmud back in '93 or so and
it was like that. Coordinate based with areas scattered around in
it. I doubt it was the first either.

--matt

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