[Meta] Re: [MUD-Dev] Future of MMOGs

[amanda at alfar.com]

"Ted L. Chen" <tedlchen at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Anything that is dynamic will have data that is dependent on how
> you represent those dynamics.  For instance, the take the simple
> case of coordinates.

Hmm.  Most MUDs I've used don't really have coordinates.  "Rooms"
are linked to other "rooms", but any distribution in space is
completely arbitrary.  Even in MMO graphical games with continuous
terrain, coordinates are local to a "zone" or "dungeon".

"Zoning" is just being transferred from one server to another, after
all.  It might as well be to someone else's server entirely.  Want
to go from World A to World B?  Walk through a portal, cast a spell,
use whatever non-local transportation mechanism the engine supports.

> I would say that MUDs differ from what's generally termed "virtual
> worlds" in that the later generally lack any underlying mechanics.
> Now, if you can distribute pluggable portions of the client code,
> at the same time your sending content.. then maybe.

I think that VRML suffered from hitting the wrong level of
abstraction.  Something more like NWN with in-game links between
servers might be a little closer to what I've been pondering.  Just
like a web site, I can host anything I want (or rent space on
someone else's server, in accordance with whatever policies they
have).  If my content has little appeal, nobody links to it or
visits it.  If it's really hot, it gets laggy, or I get a bigger
pipe, or whatever.  That's the sort of direction I've been thinking.

Amanda Walker


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