April 1999
- In-Game Languages Eli Stevens {KiZurich}
- In-Game Languages Per Vognsen
- In-Game Languages Chris Gray
- In-Game Languages Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- In-Game Languages Eli Stevens {KiZurich}
- In-Game Languages Matthew D. Fuller
- In-Game Languages Mik Clarke
- In-Game Languages Michael Hohensee
- In-Game Languages Ben Greear
- In-Game Languages Michael Hohensee
- In-Game Languages Mik Clarke
- In-Game Languages Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- In-Game Languages David Bennett
- In-Game Languages Richard Woolcock
- In-Game Languages Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- In-Game Languages Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- In-Game Languages Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- In-Game Languages Andrew Ritchie
- In-Game Languages Matthew D. Fuller
- In-Game Languages adam@treyarch.com
- forward: consistency Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Confined Gameworld Ling
- Confined Gameworld Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Confined Gameworld Richard Woolcock
- Confined Gameworld Eli Stevens {KiZurich}
- Confined Gameworld The Wildman
- Confined Gameworld Koster, Raph
- User centered? Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- User centered? Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- User centered? Marc Bowden
- User centered? Adam Wiggins
- User centered? Richard Woolcock
- User centered? Benjamin D. Wiechel
- User centered? Koster, Raph
- target audience Matthew Mihaly
- target audience Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- target audience Marc Bowden
- Fw: Self-organizing worlds (was: Elder Games) Kylotan
- Fw: Self-organizing worlds (was: Elder Games) Matthew Mihaly
- ScryMUD 1.8.11 released. Ben Greear
- Mud driver architecture info B. Scott Boding
- Blending graphics with text u1391470
- Blending graphics with text Laurel Fan
- Blending graphics with text Kylotan
- Blending graphics with text Chris Gray
- Blending graphics with text J C Lawrence
- Blending graphics with text Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Blending graphics with text Chris Gray
- Blending graphics with text Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Blending graphics with text Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Blending graphics with text Mik Clarke
- Blending graphics with text u1391470
- Blending graphics with text claw@kanga.nu
- Blending graphics with text Alex Stewart
- Blending graphics with text J C Lawrence
- Virtual machine design Shane King
- Virtual machine design Alex Stewart
- Virtual machine design Jo Dillon
- Virtual machine design Ben Greear
- Virtual machine design Niklas Elmqvist
- Virtual machine design Shane King
- Virtual machine design Ben Greear
- Virtual machine design claw@kanga.nu
- Virtual machine design Alex Stewart
- Virtual machine design Felix A. Croes
Ben Greear <greear@cyberhighway.net> wrote:
>[...]
> I'm curious why so many people want to build internal languages into
> their MUD? I don't mean to sound critical, it's just that I have never
> really seen the benefit.
There are several advantages, some for particular types of muds and
others for all kinds.
> These are the issues that I see:
>
> 1) Common users can't program in any real language, so why implement one
> in the game. Surely it would be easier to just write all the code in
> a 'real' language of your choice and then use readily available compilers
> to make it into a binary....
What constitutes a "real" programming language? My guess is that you
consider internal programming languages too slow and not powerful
enough.
Too slow: taking a look at the history of the LPmud server family,
it is interesting to note that the "speed wars" which spurred much
of the development of the various servers until two or three years
ago have all but died out. The reason for this is that with
current hardware, or even with previous generation hardware, most
of these muds have all the speed that they'll ever need.
Lacking in power: may be true for some languages, but not necessarily
for all of them. Some are powerful enough that you cannot just write
muds in them, but any sort of internet server.
"Common users can't program in any real language": did you just grant
internal programming languages the status of "real language"? Or do
you mean that since internal programming languages are not "real", it
is possible that common users may be able to program in them?
While a lot of users who attempt mud programming never master the
basic principles, it is be surprising to see how much they can
accomplish even so. Anyone can make rooms and monsters, which may
have predefined behaviours implemented by more capable programmers.
However, those who stand to gain the most from an internal programming
language are not the commot users -- who may never see any code,
depending on the type of mud -- but the expert programmers, because
of the boost in productivity obtained by writing in a high-level
language.
> 2) Common users can script, so I definately see the need for simple
> scripting.
>
> 3) I understand that many people strive for a basic interpreter type of
> shell, which is incredibly flexible, and then use this language to write
> their game particulars in. However, to me this looks a lot like re-writing
> the OS.
Precisely.
Of course, there would be no point in redoing the operating system as
it is. There have to be specific advantages to make it worthwhile,
such as:
- Programmers cannot crash the mud. Nothing as silly as dereferencing
a NULL pointer is possible.
- Any change can be made without taking the mud down, and takes effect
immediately. If necessary, it can also be instantly undone. A well-
run mud doesn't have to reboot. This is particularly interesting
for commercial muds, where downtime means loss of revenue and/or
customer dissatisfaction.
- The mud can be made enormously complex without affecting the
complexity and reliability of the basic server, which can in fact
be smaller and simpler than what would be needed for even a
medium-sized mud without internal programming language.
Regards,
Felix Croes - Virtual machine design Eli Stevens {KiZurich}
- Virtual machine design Mik Clarke
- Virtual machine design Schubert, Damion
- Virtual machine design Ben Greear
- Virtual machine design Ben Greear
- Virtual machine design Felix A. Croes
- Virtual machine design Matthew Mihaly
- Virtual machine design Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Virtual machine design claw@kanga.nu
- Virtual machine design Mik Clarke
- Virtual machine design Oliver Jowett
- Virtual machine design Chris Gray
- Virtual machine design claw@kanga.nu
- Virtual machine design Chris Gray
- Virtual machine design Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Virtual machine design claw@kanga.nu
- Virtual machine design Petri Virkkula
- Virtual machine design Ben Greear
- Virtual machine design Chris Gray
- Virtual machine design Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Virtual machine design Nathan F Yospe
- Virtual machine design Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Virtual machine design Petri Virkkula
- Virtual machine design Jon A. Lambert
- Virtual machine design Koster, Raph
- Virtual machine design Jon A. Lambert
- Virtual machine design Chris Gray
- Rebooting (was: Virtual machine design) Eli Stevens {KiZurich}
- Game design highpoints (was Virtual machine design) claw@kanga.nu
- Sockets Quzah [softhome]
- ScryMUD 1.8.13 snapshot released. Ben Greear
- Interview I did that may interest you Koster, Raph
- Censorship Greg Munt
- Censorship Ben Greear
- Censorship Matthew Mihaly
- Censorship Shawn Halpenny
- Censorship Darren Henderson
- Censorship Quzah [softhome]
- Censorship Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Python B. Scott Boding
- Python Gaffney, Jeremy
- AW: Censorship Hofbauer Heinz
- AW: Censorship Matthew Mihaly
- AW: Censorship Damion Schubert
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Greg Munt
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Matthew Mihaly
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Ben Greear
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Matthew Mihaly
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Matthew Mihaly
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Ben Greear
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Dan
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Matthew Mihaly
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Marian Griffith
- Censorship, Virtual v Artificial Worlds, Python Benjamin D. Wiechel
- Censorship & Its Impact On World Immersion Greg Munt
- Censorship & Its Impact On World Immersion Matthew Mihaly