<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist --> <!--X-From-R13: Pehpr <oehprNcherzntvp.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 23:49:29 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 38AE9CFF.ABD9F909#cubik,org --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: Pine.LNX.4.10.10002170243480.12147-100000#pulsar,neptune.net --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:bruce#puremagic,com"> </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="msg00415.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00422.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00387.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00418.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00416">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00416">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00416">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</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>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Bruce <<A HREF="mailto:bruce#puremagic,com">bruce#puremagic,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 05:39:11 -0800</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#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> Bryce Harrington wrote: > Licensing / General > * Freely available codebase > * Ability to use codebase commercially, but is more hobby-oriented > than commercial-oriented. > * Allows/encourages sense-of-community (the key to success) > * Allows/encourages player-world-building (the key to uniqueness) > * Allows/encourages community to establish and enforce its own > rules (the key to avoiding burdensome administration) One problem that I have is that many people equate the above to being a server under the GPL. Since I'm approaching this with a highly commercial bent (and plan to announce our open source project real-soon-now), that really doesn't work well for me. I much prefer a highly modular system with well defined APIs, licensed under either the LPGL or the Mozilla Public License (with the appropriate modifications to the boilerplate). The suitability of the GPL and LGPL is a good subject for debate as well in a system that has a very dynamic runtime. They aren't very clear about the boundaries of what is allowed and what isn't, and when mixed with a system where there aren't any real files and you can dynamically replace any bit of code that you like, things can be interesting from the perspective of licensing. > Server > * Should support on the order of 100-500 simultaneous players > (Is this a realistic number?) This is easily doable with any of a number of servers around today. My goal is to scale well past that. My base requirements are to be able to support at least 5000 users in a single world. I'd be happy to support ten times that. > * Should permit scripting in easy to learn, existing language There are some other options here. Customization (not extension) need not involve scripting. Rules-based authoring systems can provide for customization in an even easier way than scripting. > * (Desired) should allow use of any arbitrary scripting language(?) I'd rather have one well done, consistent system. I want a single clean object model that fits the requirements of my system, not a hodge-podge that was jury-rigged to make it work with any given scripting language. But, I might be odd in that I don't mind learning new languages and new object models to get a job done. > * Should abstract rules in a way that allow modular replacement > * Should be genre-generic, and even game-generic, at the core > * A stock world/rules should be provided, as a basis to work from. > Further, it should include all graphics, music, and text media to > characterize that world. This shouldn't be seen as an excuse to avoid documenting the server though as happens all too often. :) > * In general, the server should be easily customizable by the admin, > so that new wannabe admins can take a stock world and immediately > and quickly turn it into something interesting and unique. (A topic to avoid, but what are the odds that this will happen or that it will be within the capabilities of the average newbie admin?) > * As much as possible, customization and editing should be doable > while the game is still running. Of course. To do otherwise would be to ignore the fine heritage of MOO, Cold and LPC. > * Allows "building" and "inventing" > * Free market, player-driven economic system > * Allows for creation/optimization of sophisticated AI's > * Dialectization - Modify player speech to suit the race/nationality > they're playing (orcs speak orcish, etc.) > * Coordinate-based rather than room-based. > * Able to make large scale world changes (meteorites, massive weather > changes, etc.) > ? Server distribution? Should it be possible to link several > different people's servers together? There's a lot of fun technical issues here, but what does it really add to a game? > Client Interface > * Should support graphics (to compete with UO/EQ/etc.) > * Cross platform playable > * Don't forget about importance of text and text interfaces Don't forget that the availability of a text interface doesn't excuse the lack of a good graphical interface for most things. Widespread consumer acceptance doesn't typically involve a command line. > * Can't trust client (treat it as already hacked; it _will_ be) > * Configurable dynamic music (music changes to suit the scene, > and can download new tunes between play sessions as they become > available) Some of the new stuff in DirectX (some of which is still forthcoming) looks really useful for this type of thing. Of course, there goes your portability. > * Semi-dynamic graphics: can upload your character portrait or > animation to a central server, for others to (auto?)download. > (This encourages the players to generate the hardest artwork - > character animations - themselves.) If all of this is to be the 'Next generation' of MUDs, then we (the mud world) are largely already there. MOO and Cold have been here at this level for some time, or had the capabilities of being at this level at the core architecture level. They've had graphical clients. Some of them have had coordinate based systems. They've been able to handle 100-500 users. That said, I've moved on from those systems for reasons explained in the list archives. Isn't it time to really move on to the next generation? - Bruce _______________________________________________ MUD-Dev maillist - MUD-Dev#kanga,nu <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A> </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00458" HREF="msg00458.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> <adam#treyarch,com></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00418" HREF="msg00418.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Bryce Harrington <bryce#neptune,net></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00387" HREF="msg00387.html">[MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Bryce Harrington <bryce#neptune,net></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00415.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] code base inquiry</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00422.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] code base inquiry</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00387.html">[MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00418.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00416"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00416"><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>RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00384" HREF="msg00384.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>, Chris Turner <a href="mailto:christ#rd,bbc.co.uk">christ#rd,bbc.co.uk</a>, Thu 17 Feb 2000, 18:40 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00391" HREF="msg00391.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Thu 17 Feb 2000, 20:47 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00420" HREF="msg00420.html">RE: [MUD-DEV] a shrinking pool of players?</A></strong>, Chris Turner <a href="mailto:christ#rd,bbc.co.uk">christ#rd,bbc.co.uk</a>, Fri 18 Feb 2000, 17:43 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00387" HREF="msg00387.html">[MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, Bryce Harrington <a href="mailto:bryce#neptune,net">bryce#neptune,net</a>, Thu 17 Feb 2000, 18:40 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00416" HREF="msg00416.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, Bruce <a href="mailto:bruce#puremagic,com">bruce#puremagic,com</a>, Fri 18 Feb 2000, 07:49 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00418" HREF="msg00418.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, Bryce Harrington <a href="mailto:bryce#neptune,net">bryce#neptune,net</a>, Fri 18 Feb 2000, 17:43 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00429" HREF="msg00429.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, Bruce <a href="mailto:bruce#puremagic,com">bruce#puremagic,com</a>, Sat 19 Feb 2000, 05:04 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00430" HREF="msg00430.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sat 19 Feb 2000, 06:56 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00431" HREF="msg00431.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Next gen MUD wishlist</A></strong>, Chris Jones <a href="mailto:cjones#v-wave,com">cjones#v-wave,com</a>, Sat 19 Feb 2000, 17:36 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </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>