<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes --> <!--X-From-R13: Oqnz Ivttvaf <avtugsnyyNvasvpnq.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: from fabius.globecomm.net [207.51.48.6] by mx3.ibm.net id 864007121.92196-1 Mon May 19 01:58:41 1997 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199705190201.TAA27932#user2,inficad.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 9705181655.80rw@ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:nightfall#inficad,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="msg00580.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00583.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00576.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00584.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00581">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00581">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00581">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Adam Wiggins <<A HREF="mailto:nightfall#inficad,com">nightfall#inficad,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 18 May 1997 19:01:45 -0700 (MST)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:nightfall#inficad,com">nightfall#inficad,com</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> > [Chris L:] > : Does the character in a MUD represent an "being" who has a life > :independant of its human player's, and whom the human player guides, > :interacts with, and suggests directions to periodically? > : > : Or does the character in the MUD literally and directly represent the > :human player, much in the way of a proxy or avatar, with changes in the > :MUD character literally representing changes in the human player (they are > :indistinguishable)? [Chris G:] > I'm probably in much the same situation as Chris L on this. Something > similar had occurred to me while reading the RP messages going around. > When I play a MUD or adventure game, etc., it is *me* playing the game, > not me roleplaying someone else playing the game. The fact that the You're getting confused here. There is a fundamental difference between role-playing and the kind of direct control found in arcade games. When I control Ryu, I might as well *be* him. He does nothing "automatically" - if I tell him to do something stupid, he will do so without complaint, and if I do nothing (don't touch the controls) he will just stand there and stare dumbly as Ken kicks the living crap out of him. A role-playing game is different. Your character *is* your character. She has a set personality, history, attitude, reactions to various stimuli, etc. You are sort of the frontal lobes for this character - you tell her what to do and when, but you can't dictate how she sees the world and may even loose control altogether in some (hopefully very limited situations). Thus, you can tell her to hold her hand in the flames, and she may well try - but eventually, depending on her strength of will (or maybe just the thickness of her skin), she'll jerk her hand out. If someone attacks her, she'll do what comes naturally; likely your brains will provide her with better choices, however, than her instinct. Of course, this is all perfectly fine, sine YOU are the one that defined her personality and other traits. If you don't want to play a character that's going to be easily provoked, don't make a berserker! As a cavet I should mention the question that arises from this definition of RP - "Do 'traditional' computer RPGs such as nethack, Moria, or even the modern-day pop hit Diablo count as RPGs?" The answer is, by my definition - not really. They are usually tactical combat combined with personal management, set in a fantasy world. This is mostly related to computers being a very poor substitute for human interaction, which is the basis for true RP. (I don't consider this a 'flaw' in those games, they're just a different kind of game.) > character in the game is good at combat, or can cast magic spells, > somehow doesn't bother me as contradictory. So, I would have to work > quite hard in an RP MUD, just in order to stay in character. Having > never actually tried it, I don't know whether I would find it fun or > not. I think it would have to be a fairly forgiving environment. Well, I have to agree with your setiment if not your reasoning. I don't play a lot of pure RP (that is, Tiny-based) muds mostly because I just find it to be too much work. Usually when I mud I want to relax and enjoy myself, and I find that making my character behave a certain way is sometimes trying. (On the other hand, it's frequently a lot of fun, as my many hours of pen and paper RPGing will attest to.) This is why we are making our mud a sort of "passive role-playing" - I crave RP, but not the acting talent required to make it happen. We've built things so that the role-playing part comes naturally. I think I've already mentioned one of my favorite and more humours examples - if you're stupid enough and strong enough, sometimes ripping a door off of its hinges is easier than trying to figure out how to work the knob. This is 'natural' RP - you don't say, "Gee, my character is really stupid, but strong...I had better play into this role" (although such an attitude certainly doesn't hurt). You simply did what was easiest and natural for your character. > With playing me in the game, I don't think I would be too bothered by > the game imposing a few character constraints on me, as long as I can > attempt to control them. So, in the earlier example of the berserker > tending to go off and berserk, I don't think I would mind that, as long > as I got advance warning of the impulses, and could try to counter them. > It's much the same as your character being near death from combat - you > get advance warning and can attempt to avoid it, but sometimes cannot. Sure, you should get plenty of warnings about everything. One of the points of the game is learning how to properly interpret those messages. This is part of adapting to the role - just like an actor learning how his character thinks and behaves, so you have to learn how YOUR character thinks and behaves. Hopefully you should have a pretty good idea from character creation; the more you play him, the more you get to know his quirks and responses. </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="00565" HREF="msg00565.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA (Chris Gray)</LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00580.html">CORBA</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00583.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] CORBA</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00576.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00584.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00581"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00581"><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] Re: Administrative notes</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="01002" HREF="msg01002.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:nightfall#inficad,com">nightfall#inficad,com</a>, Sat 31 May 1997, 18:55 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01067" HREF="msg01067.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Tue 03 Jun 1997, 03:58 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> </ul> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00565" HREF="msg00565.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 00:12 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00576" HREF="msg00576.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Miroslav Silovic <a href="mailto:silovic#srce,hr">silovic#srce,hr</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 08:26 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00581" HREF="msg00581.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:nightfall#inficad,com">nightfall#inficad,com</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 08:58 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00584" HREF="msg00584.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 09:36 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00587" HREF="msg00587.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Miroslav Silovic <a href="mailto:silovic#srce,hr">silovic#srce,hr</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 10:13 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00589" HREF="msg00589.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, ashen <a href="mailto:ashen#pixi,com">ashen#pixi,com</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 12:27 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00596" HREF="msg00596.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Mon 19 May 1997, 23:47 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>