Re: [MUD-Dev] Life

[Jeff Kesselman <jeffk#tenetwork,com>]

At 08:21 AM 6/3/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:

>>No.  I want characters to die, both at other player's hands, and by
>>the game.  There are no better predators that other players.  I
>>certainly can't write a mobile script as good as even a mediocre
>>PK'er.
>
>I'd question whether your total lack of control over that PKer is worth
>the trade-off, myself. 

At risk of continuing a thread we are trying to kill... I think this is a
good example of the dichotomy between RP goals and Game Oriented goals.  If
you are building a game with a 'win" condition were that win is defined as
beatign the other players, its not a big deal that you have limited control
over this aspect.  You do not want control over those areas that are most
related to the game goals or it becomes a "rigged game".

If, however, you are building an RP envrionment, as I've noted both you
(caliban) and I seem to be slanted towards,  then player combat is NOT the
primary goal or purpose and death is ntoi the focus of the game.  In tehse
cases I would personally be more emphatic and say it MUST be controlled to
keep it from being dtrimental to the goals of your environment.  I just
wrote a bit on where death fits into the RP game, and in a  good game its a
carefully controlled commodity.

JK