[MUD-Dev] Magic system that can do anything

[matt hellige]

[Eli Stevens <wickedgrey at wickedgrey.com>]
 
> You have a MUD where each object in the game (those that represent
> anything the player can interact with in the game fiction) is just
> a collection of abilities slapped on a base lump of inert clay.
 
 [... snip ...]
 
> Would a system like that be fun?  Might interesting fights result,
> if the opposing side can mold the world around you at whim, while
> you try and do the same to them?  They make a golem, you make a
> small room and shut the golem in it, while they make the air
> around you fire, while you make fire your natural habitat?
 
> Dopplegangers, golems, wizard's towers with larger insides than
> outsides, shapeshifting...  Although you are essentially making
> mages builders.  Likely, everyone would be a mage because that
> would be the only option offered (how does a fighter fit in to
> this?  I don't really see it).

i've thought a lot about this. one of my big questions about such a
game is: how do you keep it a game?

in other words, what kind of interface for magic/building/etc would
you advocate in order to prevent the game from turning into nothing
but "duelling programmers"... presumably, at the very least some
kind of scripting/macros would be necessary... otherwise, so much
typing might be required that the pacing would turn it into a
virtual play-by-mail.

incidentally, i'm not sure i buy into your idea of matter-
with-abilities as the fundamental model, but at a higher conceptual
level, i am definitely interested in this idea.

matt


--
matt hellige                  matt at immute.net
http://matt.immute.net
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