[MUD-Dev] Breaking down the walls

[Brian Lindahl]

I'm currently working on a more CPU intensive, but definately more
interesting style of location. My interest was sparked in this
concept by an intelligent post on one of the google.com groups.

The concept basically does away with all directional movement. You
don't really move in directions, you move TO things. For example, if
I want to go to the Inn, which just happens to be to the east, I
don't type 'go east', I type 'go inn'. Of course the locational
system has much more intriciate commands which include modifiers of
speed, pace, manner, etc. But thats the basic idea.

The system uses a simplistic line of sight and polygonal region
system. Locations are designed as layers of polygonal
regions. People are passed into a polygonal region, and out of one
when they hit the boundaries (determined by coordinate collision
detection). The system is quite math intensive, but considering I'm
not using it in a graphical MUD, the CPU will be able to more than
handle it.

I haven't actually gotten to the code design of the system, but I
have a good idea as to what it'd look like. The main problem lies in
the creation of these polygonal terrains. Since they're described by
coordinates, a graphical editor of some kind will most likely need
to be utilized, a project I've half started and put off until I
finish my database file management library, MudDB.

Thats about as much detail as I'll go into, since I'm neither
currently working on the design of the system, nor is it
finished. But it should give you some good ideas on how to start
afresh, apart from the strong grip the room system has on our
thought processes when it comes to locational systems.

-Brian Lindahl, coder of TCP ('The Cathyle Project')

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