[MUD-Dev] Secure distributed operation (was: Quake II has gone GPL)

[Nicholas E. Walker]

On Thu, Jan 17, 2002 at 11:45:08PM -0800, Frank Crowell wrote:
 
> A lot of that information is on the server (tucked away in some
> database or secure object) and not on the client.  The basic
> problem with current mud worlds -- all of them-- is that the
> character is private to that mud.  This is a subject for another
> thread.  But anyway, it fairly hard to edit your character when is
> really defined outside your system.

Indeed, it could be easier to edit just about everything.  However,
I do not believe that this is because the character is defined
somewhere beside your own personal computer.  I am, though, very
keen on seeing a new distribution model for MUDs.  I would like to
see something to the effect of every user maintaining their own
persona and personal space, and having "scene servers" or something
to that effect.

I've had a few ideas as to how to implement combat and other such
activities which require trusted data.

One of them is to have a combat-body existing on a scene-server
which one attaches to in order to engage in combat within that
scene.

Another is to have a stats-server that has a list of scene-servers
allowed to access/manipulate stats.

Another is to have immortal combat, and to find a new way of
determining the winner (i.e. through the first weapon to break).  In
the example, the winner might take some amount of funds from the
loser.  This doesn't really eliminate the need for stats, but I
thought it was an interesting premise..

Have any of you actually created a system where the operation is
decentralized but does not rely on security-through-obscurity?

--
Nicholas E. Walker <new at gnu.org>

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