<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions --> <!--X-From-R13: Fenivf Qnfrl <rsvaqryNcbynevf.arg> --> <!--X-Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 09:58:25 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 13538.980927#io,com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 11A17AA2B9EAD111BCEA00A0C9B41793EDBE38#forest,origin.ea.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:efindel#polaris,net"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg01305.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01307.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01335.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01309.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01306">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01306">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01306">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Travis Casey <<A HREF="mailto:efindel#polaris,net">efindel#polaris,net</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 12:54:58 -0400</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> Some random thoughts inspired by this thread... On rec.games.frp.advocacy, there's an idea of a "group contract". This is an agreement among the players and GM(s) of a particular gaming group about how the game will work, what sort of behavior is acceptable, etc. In most cases, it's an implicit contract rather than an explicit one, but it's still a useful idea. This idea is applicable to muds too. The way Raph's describing it, part of the group contract of Legend is that players may be put in situations where their character's personality is going to be changed (e.g., when you're supposed to be experiencing things as Beowulf, at that point, you should be trying to emulate Beowulf's personality, no matter what your character's normal personality is). In such a case, I don't see any problem with descriptions telling you how your character feels -- the describer knows what your character should be like in that place. Some of us work under a more traditional group contract, where the personality the player sets up for the character is supposed to be sacrosanct. In such a case, room descriptions should not tell the players how their characters feel, since not all characters will necessarily feel the same way. Thus, I think the best answer to Raph's question is: it depends on the mud, and possibly on the place in the mud. -- |\ _,,,---,,_ Travis S. Casey <efindel#io,com> ZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ No one agrees with me. Not even me. |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' '---''(_/--' `-'\_) </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="01284" HREF="msg01284.html">[MUD-Dev] Room descriptions</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Koster, Raph" <rkoster#origin,ea.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01305.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01307.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01335.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01309.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01306"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01306"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="01294" HREF="msg01294.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, Raph & Kristen Koster <a href="mailto:koster#eden,com">koster#eden,com</a>, Sun 27 Sep 1998, 03:08 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01295" HREF="msg01295.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, Hal Black <a href="mailto:hal#moos,ml.org">hal#moos,ml.org</a>, Sun 27 Sep 1998, 03:57 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01301" HREF="msg01301.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, #Make Nylander <a href="mailto:thenewt#use,usit.net">thenewt#use,usit.net</a>, Sun 27 Sep 1998, 13:48 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01335" HREF="msg01335.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Mon 28 Sep 1998, 19:41 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="01306" HREF="msg01306.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, Travis Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#polaris,net">efindel#polaris,net</a>, Sun 27 Sep 1998, 16:58 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01309" HREF="msg01309.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 27 Sep 1998, 17:58 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01282" HREF="msg01282.html">[MUD-Dev]</A></strong>, apocalypse <a href="mailto:apocalypse#pipeline,com">apocalypse#pipeline,com</a>, Sat 26 Sep 1998, 21:30 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01275" HREF="msg01275.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Unix is a mud (Re: Ugh, IS Diablo a mud?)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Sat 26 Sep 1998, 20:17 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01278" HREF="msg01278.html">[MUD-Dev] EC Habitats Beta Program URL...</A></strong>, Andrew Wilson <a href="mailto:andrew#aaaaaaaa,demon.co.uk">andrew#aaaaaaaa,demon.co.uk</a>, Sat 26 Sep 1998, 20:58 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>