[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun

[Matt Chatterley <matt#mpc,dyn.ml.org>]

On 01-Jul-98 J C Lawrence wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Jun 1998 03:28:40 -0700 
> Richard Woolcock<KaVir#dial,pipex.com> wrote:
> 
>> J C Lawrence wrote:
> 
>>> If you really want players to set up burger flipping enterprises
>>> and others such in your MUDs, and you want such attempts to be the
>>> default, you're going to have to establish event (player-visible
>>> effects) rates and feedback rates for burger joint attempts that
>>> match or exceed the event rates of shish kebabbing newbies.
> 
>> Or make shish kebabbing newbies a very messy, predictable and
>> unrewarding event?  
> 
> Its difficult to make in unrewarding when it continues to create such
> a large and often emotive effect on the victim.  "Hey!  You killed me
> you arsehole!  I'm gonna get you!"  Is one hell of a reward to try and 
> combat via code.

Bazoom. Thats the big question. Or one of them. It's not even totally possible
to rig things so that the victim does not *know* that it was a PK. It's
possible to take steps towards this, and also, similar steps in the other
direction with your NPCs - why shouldn't an NPC beg for mercy? Or run away, or
launch sneak attacks?

I think this partly comes down to blurring the definition lines between PC and
NPC - to me, the only significant difference is a technical one; that PCs are
connected to a socket, and NPCs are not. Perhaps by reducing the extent to
which the game revolves around the PCs, more to a point where PCs are an
important part of the game (but not the sole point and aim). Interesting.
 
>> The result?  Hopefully killing will only be done out of necessity or
>> for political gain.
> 
> And the above?

Something else to ponder: Non-lethal combat.

---
        -Matt Chatterley
        http://user.itl.net/~neddy/
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.." -John Lennon (Imagine)

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