[MUD-Dev] Re: Introductions and descriptions

[Maddy <maddy#fysh,org>]

Previously, Matt Chatterley wrote....

> 2. Set up probabilities of occurance for each name, rather than making it
> arr[random(sizeof(arr))] or something to that effect - this way you would
> have more Johns than Naseems, which is probably realistic. ;)

You could go one better than this and produce a probability for syllables
and then randomly generate new names.  I guess this probably wouldn't work
too well for English names, but it'd certainly work well for foreign/alien
names.

[Snip]

> By this notion, are there any good themes, or is something wrong with the
> 'non-automated' approach taken by many games? Personally I am either
> minimalistic (very little code, very little built, because the game is
> really just a social construct between the players), or the other extreme
> (very heavy automation, and suchlike).

The problem with basing the theme on a book or TV series is that you have to
include everything the author has designed.  Now that isn't so bad, except
that some of the stuff was designed with being a book/TV series in mind so
it doesn't map well to a mud.  It seems far easier in my mind, to just pick
a genre and to design your own game world around it - maybe borrowing a few
ideas.

Maddy