[MUD-Dev] Character Restraint & Capture.

[Jester]

Mike Sellers wrote

> An approach I've always wanted to try goes something like this:
> when you're captured (by bounty hunters or town guards, etc.),
> you're put in a holding cell, stripped of all items but one
> weapon, staff, etc., but at full strength.  You spend just a
> moment in the holding cell -- just enough time to sting a bit, but
> not so much time that you log off in frustration (and if you did
> log off, you'd be right back there when you logged in again).

> After 10-30 seconds, the side of the cell opens up onto an arena
> floor.

Mike you are a genius! I can tell you've done this sort of thing
before ;)

My planned implementation already has gladiatorial combat as a
player 'profession' so adapting it to include this purpose would be
quite straightforward :)

> There you've been paired with a monster of approximately your
> power level.

Well my idea would match players of similar abilities to fight each
other (or to schedule matches). With NPC fighters (of varying
abilities) there to take up the slack when not enough players are
around.

> Finally, other PCs are encouraged to sit in the arena and watch,
> jeer, make bets, etc. (but not affect anyone on the arena floor
> with spells).  In effect, the griefers and others that often hold
> the more mild-mannered players in some fear now become objects of
> entertainment, thus somewhat de-fanging them.

My system also has a progression system partially based around skill
usage so although they will be suffering a punishment (and ridicule
:) ), their character will still have the chance to develop their
favourite type of skills (combat) to a certain degree.

> And yet the players so captured aren't held in a game-killing
> blank cell or anything like that; and their punishment fits their
> crime.

Well I'll still be keeping a fining system to give financial
reparation to their victims and to help the cities fund the guards
and arenas but this addition will mean that those PKer's who cant
pay their fine could be held in indentured service in the area until
they have earned their way out. Obviously the maximum time they are
held this way will have to be capped at something acceptable to all
of the players, but I think it is very feasible :)

> Anyway, I've never playtested that, but it's something I've always
> wanted to try out.

Well I've rolled all the ideas up so far up into a simple paper on
the theme. It's too large to burden peoples mailboxes with so I've
put it up as an ongoing document on my project's website:
http://www.futuremmorpg.org/capture.asp

It's going to be at least a year before our game is in a state to
try this out for real(plenty of time for refinement), so please keep
the ideas coming, thanks to all those who have contributed to this
thread it's shaping up into a very viable alternative to the more
traditional 'artificial' PvP control measures.
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev