March 1998
- Describe Concept Stephen Zepp
- Describe Concept Jon A. Lambert
- Describe Concept J C Lawrence
- Describe Concept Jon A. Lambert
- Describe Concept J C Lawrence
- Describe Concept Vadim Tkachenko
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XI: Lexical Scan Revisited Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XII: Miscellany Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XIII: Procedures Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! Chris Gray
- VEIL Network Protocol Brandon Gillespie
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XIV: Types Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XV: Back to the Future Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part XVI: Unit Construction Jon A. Lambert
- For Ling's FAQ Koster, Raph
- MUD Ratings jlsysinc.ix.netcom.com@ix.netcom.com
- Random Generation Tools Ling
- ANNOUNCE: DB Robin Carey
- THE DARKWHOLE TESTS J C Lawrence
- Magic as Metaphor J C Lawrence
- Magic as Metaphor J C Lawrence
- Magic as Metaphor Jon A. Lambert
- Magic as Metaphor J C Lawrence
- CT - A Hypothetical Session (mid 1995) J C Lawrence
- 2Cyberconf: An article J C Lawrence
- (long) AnarchyMOO Primary Log J C Lawrence
- (short) AnarchyMOO parting salute J C Lawrence
- AnarchyMOO purpose J C Lawrence
- (fwd) CODE RELEASE: [client] Spod! (Java mud client) J C Lawrence
- (fwd) CODE RELEASE: [client]: lyntin (hacker's client) 1.1b Released J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole Test #1 J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole Test #2 J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole test #3 J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole test #4 J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole test #5 J C Lawrence
- DarkWhole test Identity Crisis J C Lawrence
- The Craft of Adventure J C Lawrence
- What in THE Hell was that? Stephen Zepp
- What in THE Hell was that? Ben Greear
- What in THE Hell was that? J C Lawrence
- What in THE Hell was that? Jon A. Lambert
- (fwd) Varying Time Commitment Levels: what's an admin to do? J C Lawrence
- Hello, and a brief intro cimri
- Hello, and a brief intro Ben Greear
- (no title) Time limits? s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- (no title) Time limits? Justin McKinnerney
- (no title) Time limits? J C Lawrence
- Speaking of Avatars Jon A. Lambert
- Speaking of Avatars Jon A. Lambert
- Speaking of Avatars J C Lawrence
- Speaking of Avatars Jon A. Lambert
- Re: Vadim Tkachenko
- META: Broken mail headers coder@ibm.net
- META: Broken mail headers Alex Oren
- META: Broken mail headers J C Lawrence
- META: Broken mail headers Alex Oren
- META: Broken mail headers J C Lawrence
- META: Broken mail headers Chris Gray
- META: Broken mail headers J C Lawrence
- META: Broken mail headers Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- META: Broken mail headers Chris Gray
- Turn-based MU*'s Sauron
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement cimri
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Justin McKinnerney
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement J C Lawrence
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Jon A. Lambert
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Ling
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Jon A. Lambert
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Matt Chatterley
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement J C Lawrence
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Jon A. Lambert
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Matt Chatterley
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Adam Wiggins
- Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement Joel Dillon
- SfD: Clientside Caching Nathan F Yospe
- SfD: Clientside Caching Jon A. Lambert
- SfD: Clientside Caching Nathan F Yospe
- SfD: Clientside Caching Chris Gray
- SfD: Clientside Caching Jon A. Lambert
- (subject missing) J C Lawrence
- Balancing Addicts Ling
- Balancing Addicts Richard Woolcock
- Balancing Addicts Ling
- Balancing Addicts J C Lawrence
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Ben Greear
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Niklas Elmqvist
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Jon Leonard
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Ben Greear
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Jon Leonard
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Ben Greear
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Chris Gray
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Niklas Elmqvist
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Jon A. Lambert
- Transport layer (UDP vs TCP) Ben Greear
- Time Limits? Jon A. Lambert
- META: topic and thread culling (was Balancing Addicts -> soft vs. hard enforcement ) J C Lawrence
- (subject missing) J C Lawrence
- XShipWars J C Lawrence
- (fwd) INFO: [client] Chaco looking for new parent for Pueblo J C Lawrence
- SIMULATING FUTURE HISTORIES: THE NAU SOLAR SYSTEM SIMULATION & MARS SETTLEMENT J C Lawrence
- (fwd) Functional Security J C Lawrence
- (fwd) Functional Security Ling
- (fwd) Functional Security Chris Gray
- (fwd) Functional Security Matt Chatterley
- (fwd) Functional Security Miroslav Silovic
- (fwd) Functional Security Felix A. Croes
- (fwd) Functional Security J C Lawrence
- SIMULATING FUTURE HISTORIES s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Character development [was ] Matt Chatterley
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] Matt Chatterley
- Character development [was ] Travis Casey
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] Travis S. Casey
- Character development [was ] Marian Griffith
- Character development [was ] Travis S. Casey
- Character development [was ] Vadim Tkachenko
- Character development [was ] Travis Casey
- Character development [was ] Vadim Tkachenko
- Character development [was ] Travis Casey
- Character development [was ] Vadim Tkachenko
- Character development [was ] Marian Griffith
- Character development [was ] Vadim Tkachenko
- Character development [was ] Marian Griffith
- Character development [was ] s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Character development [was ] Marian Griffith
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] Cimri
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Character development [was ] Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Character development [was ] Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Character development [was ] Vadim Tkachenko
- Character development [was ] Ben Greear
- Character development [was ] Matt Chatterley
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] Matt Chatterley
- Character development [was ] Travis S. Casey
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] Koster, Raph
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
On Thu, 9 Apr 1998 10:15:30 PST8PDT
Koster, Raph<rkoster@origin.ea.com> wrote:
> On Wed 4/8/98 JCL said:
>> True. An idea I've been playing with for a while now for more
>> "typical: MUDS is the idea that the character as a net whole never
>> changes, but that the balance of allocation of stats changes.
>>
>> Possibly the simplest example: The initially create character has
>> almost no strength, but enourmous endurance. Given hard woork and
>> sufficient "development" the character now has enourmous strength,
>> but is exhausted within seconds...
>>
>> Other models are easy to come up with, and pose some intersting
>> challenges. (Note: This is a variation on the sum-zero particle
>> economy I use).
> This is the heart of the UO skill system. It leads to very
> interesting stuff.
> 1) You have to intelligently pick what goes down when a given thing
> goes up. There's lots of methods to do this.
The phrase "black art" comes to mind. Additionally if the alteration
of one stat results in changes in multiple other stats, care needs to
be taken that there are no positive or negative feedback loops --
otherwise players will stat wiggle themselves to godhood or poverty.
> 2) Boy did we have problems by combining a usage-based system with
> this. :) Everyone screams when something they don't use goes down!
I can only imagine. The term "feature" also comes to mind. Tho I
doubt that pleasant retort would go over well. <kof>
> 3) It solved the problem of the fixed-size scale for advancement,
> but raised the issue of limited advancement. Just today I was
> discussing with someone how power (meaning, greater ability at
> things you already do, such as more hit points) and advancement are
> traditionally tied in games, when really what works better is
> possibility (meaning, access to a wider array of capability) and
> "ownership" in the game as a means of measuring status.
Translation: Its not a question of how much better you can do the
things you used to do but how many new things you can now do that you
couldn't do before.
I like this concept. For one its largely open ended, and for two it
invites the intrigue of discovery, especially when combined with
semi-hidden "Oooo! Neato!" effects. Ownership is the most prized and
hidden value -- most especially when you have a world which allows
large permanent effects, "Yeah, I burned down Castle Krak and build
Fortress Fract in its place." -- but it requires a (carefully
cultivated) sense of history and cultural effect to do well.
> So UO went
> the route of having a LOT of different things to do,a nd the ability
> to gather hirelings, pets, houses, guilds, etc, to provide the sense
> of status, in place of "level" as an abstraction.
How successfully? Most (all?) of the magazine articles I've read on
OU equate it to a graphical DIKU with roadways lined waist-deep with
corpses. You've mentioned here your efforts in pushing a more, err,
less DOMM-esque approach by your players. Success?
> Now, level is
> awfully convenient, and players quickly found supplements for it,
> but I find that severing the advancement scale from character
> ability works quite well.
<nod>
Do you have any tales of the form of Habitat's egg or other prized
tokens or recognition values that you could relate for UO?
--
J C Lawrence Internet: claw@null.net
(Contractor) Internet: coder@ibm.net
---------(*) Internet: claw@under.engr.sgi.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... - Character development [was ] Koster, Raph
- Character development [was ] Alex Bertoglio
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- Character development [was ] John Bertoglio
- Character development [was ] J C Lawrence
- 3D engines for MUDs Niklas Elmqvist
- 3D engines for MUDs Chris Gray
- 3D engines for MUDs J C Lawrence
- 3D engines for MUDs Niklas Elmqvist
- 3D engines for MUDs Chris Gray
- 3D engines for MUDs Ling
- 3D engines for MUDs Koster, Raph
- 3D engines for MUDs Mike Sellers
- 3D engines for MUDs Niklas Elmqvist
- 3D engines for MUDs Koster, Raph
- 3D engines for MUDs Ling
- 3D engines for MUDs s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Niklas Elmqvist
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Greg Munt
- Dynamic Loading of Modules J C Lawrence
- Parlez vous NPC? Matt Chatterley
- Parlez vous NPC? Vadim Tkachenko
- Parlez vous NPC? Matt Chatterley
- Parlez vous NPC? Chris Gray
- Parlez vous NPC? Matt Chatterley
- Parlez vous NPC? Nathan F Yospe
- Parlez vous NPC? Matt Chatterley
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Niklas Elmqvist
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Chris Gray
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Jon A. Lambert
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Jon A. Lambert
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Greg Munt
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ross Nicoll
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ross Nicoll
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Jon A. Lambert
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Jon A. Lambert
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Joel Dillon
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Matt Chatterley
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Adam Wiggins
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Orion Henry
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Nathan F Yospe
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Vadim Tkachenko
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Greg Munt
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Ben Greear
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Jon A. Lambert
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? Chris Gray
- World Persistence, flat files v/s DB v/s ?? J C Lawrence
- Jukebox Vadim Tkachenko
- Another recruit for the list? Joel Dillon
- OT: Martin Keegan J C Lawrence
- Old code Joel Dillon
- Old code Michael Hohensee
- UML/Commercial v Free Muds Greg Munt
- UML/Commercial v Free Muds Nathan F Yospe
- UML/Commercial v Free Muds Jon A. Lambert
- Heightfield Terrain Rendering Paper Niklas Elmqvist
- (subject missing) J C Lawrence
- (fwd) Roleplaying J C Lawrence
- (fwd) Roleplaying s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- (fwd) Roleplaying Katrina McClelan
- (fwd) Roleplaying Ling
- (fwd) Roleplaying J C Lawrence
- (fwd) Roleplaying Travis Casey
- Predicting future motion intelligently J C Lawrence
- META: New Mail server and ISP J C Lawrence
- (rec.games.mud.admin) Roleplaying (fwd) Nathan F Yospe
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Jon A. Lambert
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. J C Lawrence
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. J C Lawrence
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Chris Gray
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. J C Lawrence
- Persistant storage.... My current idea. Ben Greear
- UML & CORBA Greg Munt
- [MUD-Dev]: smoothing J C Lawrence
- [MUD-Dev]: smoothing J C Lawrence