From: Rhonda Peters Subject: Re: TFA stuff On Tue, 8 Apr 2003, Melissa Tabbifli wrote: > I think that part of what needs to be done is getting some of the theme > worked out, and yes that's largely my job. I'm the one with it in my > head, and without that, we'll have a harder time figuring out what we're > doing. However, I think that going too detailed on the theme may be > counter-productive, until such time as we've managed to actually figure > out how certain systems work. Then I can write with the systems taken > into account. It's a bit of a catch-22 on needing to know X about the theme to do Y about the systems and vice versa, but hopefully it can be muddled through. :-> > One of the things I'm trying to decide is if I want an OOC-mail and an > IC-mail. I like it, from the perspective of having messangers, sendng > packages, having the Mail Coach, etc. On the other hand, it's yet another > damn system. I think my first question on this one would be what's IC for mail, and is that universal amongst all the cultures? Like would it be pigeons, messengers (possibly a guild?), some kind of pony express, or possibly a combination depending on the culture/location or what have you. As a side thought on this one, should some consideration be made to ways to intercept/mess with/spy on the IC mail depending on skills or some such factor? My big communications thought is to push for using Web forums. I'd recommend it both for +bb type uses and group communication (guild/area/what-have-you, also could be useful for adminning type stuff.) I recommend this for a couple of reasons. One is MUSHing is a multi-tasking kinda thing, so this would allow people to read up on upcoming events or peruse general discussions while waiting for slow posers. The other is convenience. It's easier to write a forum post, and it's easier to read threaded forum posts and keep up with the discussion. I know I'd find a threaded post summarizing the ongoing antics of some plot easier to follow, likewise easier to have a debate on something when you can just scroll back and remind yourself what person X said than to have to rifle through your +mail. (Or even email.) > When I say a heavily coded game, I mean things like a closed micro/macro > economy, pre-generated characters, combat, magic and stuff. What do you > mean? It's been a long time since I thought about it in terms of ideals and specifics... In the general sense, I guess I mean a philosophical standpoint that code can be an adjunct/helper to RP, and also that code can be fun in its own right. All or most of what you said fits into that, also other ideas like games, coded quests, coded activities that factor in skills and abilities, stuff like that. > JT had a bizarre idea for the base-type races that were present on the > island before the newcomers started popping in - all of the races are > hexapods (six limbs). I could see this, but I couldn't even remotely > envision how to play it - and if I can't, then I think it's probably a > bit too bizarre for your average player. Plus, it'd be a stone cold > bitch to code into for the combat system. I think I need a bit of a better idea of what the current thinking is on what the island was like before any new arrivals. Unless things are explained away by magic (which is always a fine answer in a fantasy game), you get into some science fictiony type questions when making big changes like this. Like I don't remember the specifics, but McCaffery has her critters with copper based rather than iron based blood or something like that. To me this raises questions about would us iron based types be able to eat anything off this planet and vice versa. But this is a fantasy game, so there's only so realistic we need to be I guess. ;-> Six-limbed is an interesting idea, but does raise some issues, yeah. Though I guess if you assume four of the legs are always involved in mobility and only a max of two in manipulation, that might smooth out some of the coding problems. > I'm trying to decide if I like the concept of +command. What I mean is > this: Joe goes to buy a sword. He RPs out with Sue the price of the > sword, and then types "buy sword" or "+buy sword" (depending on if we > have the + or not). To my way of thinking, the + in front doesn't > really add anything and rather thoroughly points up that we're pretty > heavily softcoded. You'd be amazed at how much people think is > hardcoded if you don't tell them otherwise. I can't help but think we'd > get more people who would otherwise think "heavily coded is bad" if they > just weren't faced with the CONSTANT + in front of everything. Of > course, some things would be +commands, just to show that yes, they > aren't really a part of anything else. However, I think that shouldn't > be much, and mostly OOC commands. My take from way back was always that + distinguised a global command that you know will work anywhere in the game, whereas non-+ commands are tied to a particular room or object and will only work in that vicinity. Given the amount of code we're talking about, that might be a useful distinction to maintain? > I can see wanting to have a few macro type code things on yourself, > though, and that's one of the things I'm trying to figure out. I want to > seriously restrict how much coding each individual person can do, > without something like a coder's flag. I want the focus to be on RPing, > with the aid of systems, rather than what kind of nifties can be written > up. There's just got to be a middle line between "everything can be > coded" and "nothing can be coded" by the players. I'm all about the middle ground, and I think this is a crucial area to consider it for. Cosmetic text edits would take care of my main concerns, and probably those of most players. (Although I'm not sure it eliminates the risk of flying coffins, although presumably something like publicly accessible ex attributes like species can make that sort of thing quicker to catch.) I figured that any attribute that interacted with a global system would be locked and stuff like that. I guess the thing I would wonder about is can people add code. There's also the question of what commands are and aren't available and what to do with coding wannabes. The command question I think is somewhat separate from coders. An original theme game is likely to draw heavily on existing MUSH player populations, and I've heard people get cranky about being locked out of commands. (I don't know how well I'd like being locked out of ex on Firan, for example. ;->) Which is not to say we can't decide to lock people out, just to say that I think it's worth looking at what and why before we decide to do it, and considering the ramifications. The coding wannabe question is what do you do with someone like Angharad or Clint who likes to do it and wants to do stuff to add to the game. For them we do have something like a coder flag? > We talked over a list of major systems the game would need. I'll get > that typed in once I have a chance to transcribe the tape. I'm also > looking at Firan to see what they have - not to use, but just to see if > it sparks any ideas (including "god, what a piece of CRAP" ones). > Additionally, I'll see if I can find Javelin online at some point - he > had a macro economy on DuneMUSH, and I want to pick his brain. I've also > got one former Firan player to talk to, and two current player/admins. It's probably worth it to peruse other games, and I'll try to get back on the forums and such to see what people are bitching about and lauding for the general buzz. Back in the seed stages of Tales, I spent a fair amount of time logging on games reading news, looking at their globals, etc. to get ideas. Actually now I think of it I didn't even just do that for Tales, I did it to build Benden Hold, and I think it helped a lot. Unfortunately I don't know that I have the brainpower or energy to do that sort of thing anymore, but I'll ponder that. I know there's a web page around somewhere that lists original theme games, it'd be worth checking that, maybe they even have forums or something. And I have this vague memory of hearing that the guy who made Gohs is working on something now. > Incidentally, I was wondering about at least an initial limit on alts.. > 3 or 5, maybe? Before I can comment on this one, I'd like to hear your reasoning for wanting to put a limit in place.