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<H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook </LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: Ling &lt;<A HREF="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</A>&gt;</LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 11:49:31 +0100 (BST)</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
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<PRE>
On Sun, 13 Sep 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:
&gt; On Sun, 13 Sep 1998 19:22:44 +0100 (BST) 
&gt; Ling &lt;K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk&gt; wrote:
&gt; 
&gt; &gt; Unlike fantasy muds that can assume some cliches are universal, eg:
&gt; &gt; dwarves are short, elves have pointy ears, I have a sci-fi mud which
&gt; &gt; has a huge unknown factor.  Absolutely nothing can be assumed so
&gt; &gt; somehow, I must introduce an almost entirely different universe to
&gt; &gt; the players.
&gt; 
&gt; I have the same problem.

No offence but you were the last person I expected to get a reply from,
pleasantly surprised and kinda unsurprised considering your gameworld. :)

&gt; &gt; Does anyone have any suggestions?

[snip example Guide from HHGTTG)
 
&gt; The advantage of this approach is that the data is not forced on the
&gt; player but made available upon request, with the format and
&gt; requirements for that request being utterly reasonable in a game world
&gt; context and constant across the game space (ie sort of a universal
&gt; HELP command, but for IC issues instead of OOC issues).

Good suggestion but doesn't quite fit into my gameworld, unfortunately.  I
don't plan on having numerous solar systems, it's going to be quite
confined, to have newbies enter play with a guide would seem unfitting, as
well as being marked.  Against all current thinking I don't mind using
methods that isn't IC, I'm pitching more to educate the player than the
character as I feel the character should know quite a lot.

&gt; Another possibility is to retain a set of flags, either on the
&gt; character or account, which record whether that character/account has
&gt; ever done XXX (unusual thing) before.  If no, the first attempt
&gt; (successful or not, your choice) generates an extra text highlighting
&gt; some of the differences from likely expectation and providing pointers
&gt; to more in-depth data.

I like!

[snipped a bunch]

Current thoughts have led me to think I'd *really*really*really* like a
decent mud client.  Something that can be proactive, download a little
picture about Doodah and a funky button that says: "More..." on it so the
player can chase up information on anything that looks interesting.  I
wanna fill the player in on stuff he doesn't necessarily had to have
encountered yet.  It's definitely going to have to be pictures coz a new
sentence appearing in a corner doesn't have any impact on the player's
attention.

  |    Ling Lo (fish)
_O_O_  Elec Eng Dept, Loughborough University, UK.     kllo#iee,org



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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="01034" HREF="msg01034.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> J C Lawrence &lt;claw#kanga,nu&gt;</LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01073" HREF="msg01073.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Sat 19 Sep 1998, 10:20 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01042" HREF="msg01042.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
Michael.Willey <a href="mailto:Michael.Willey#abnamro,com">Michael.Willey#abnamro,com</a>, Mon 14 Sep 1998, 14:46 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01033" HREF="msg01033.html">[MUD-Dev] Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Sun 13 Sep 1998, 19:23 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01034" HREF="msg01034.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 13 Sep 1998, 19:36 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01072" HREF="msg01072.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Sat 19 Sep 1998, 10:50 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01036" HREF="msg01036.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Introducing the background hook</A></strong>, 
chris <a href="mailto:chris#realm,zfn.uni-bremen.de">chris#realm,zfn.uni-bremen.de</a>, Sun 13 Sep 1998, 20:53 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01032" HREF="msg01032.html">[MUD-Dev] Admin: Unsubscriptions</A></strong>, 
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 13 Sep 1998, 17:46 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01041" HREF="msg01041.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Admin: Unsubscriptions</A></strong>, 
Alex Oren <a href="mailto:alexo#bigfoot,com">alexo#bigfoot,com</a>, Mon 14 Sep 1998, 14:40 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="01043" HREF="msg01043.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Admin: Unsubscriptions</A></strong>, 
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Mon 14 Sep 1998, 16:05 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>

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