<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD --> <!--X-From-R13: pnyvonaNqnexybpx.pbz (Qnyvona Fverfvnf Rnexybpx) --> <!--X-Date: from major.globecomm.net [207.51.48.5] by in4.ibm.net id 866930012.43408-1 Sat Jun 21 21:53:32 1997 CUT --> <!--X-Message-Id: 33ae4529.4199646#relay,mnsinc.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199706200554.AAA23891@dfw-ix15.ix.netcom.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:caliban#darklock,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="msg01411.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01413.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01403.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01416.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01412">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01412">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01412">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</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] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</A> (Caliban Tiresias Darklock)</LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 21:55:15 GMT</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 19:13:08 PST8PDT, "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com> wrote: >I think good user interfaces are very important. I am working on GUI >interfaces for players, builders and administration. This is still a >text mud server wrapped in a GUI and not a graphics mud in the sense >of something like Diablo or Quake. This is my own personal view on the matter of building interfaces, and my reasoning. Direct editing of a text file loaded directly by the MUD is a bad idea. People make too many mistakes. The actual MUD configuration file should be machine written if possible, to avoid problems. I do see some great advantages to having the configuration human-readable and human-editable if necessary, but I think it's a problem to require the builder to edit this file directly every time. Offline building is a good *option*, but should not be used in preference to online building. In most cases where I have worked on a MUD, online building was a must -- people I was working and consulting with were elsewhere in the country, and I needed to be able to communicate with them. It's also desirable for changes to a room or area to happen immediately. Perhaps a load/save concept would be useful, for areas that need significant rework of interrelated portions. GUI interfaces are not generally a good idea for a text-based MUD. There's too much text entry required, and the mouse/keyboard switching is ultimately a pain and a slowdown. If a particular command in the MUD building interface is easily automated by a button, it is also either easy to type or should be simplified in the MUD design. There *are* places where a GUI can be useful, for example a series of checkboxes that graphically illustrate the locations of exits -- these checkboxes could be turned on or off, and then a single button could make and destroy exits as appropriate through something like this: For each checkbox, Is the exit checked? Yes: Is there an exit there? Yes: Leave it alone. No: Make an exit. No: Is there an exit there? Yes: Destroy the exit. No: Continue. However, this could be just as easily done with a command like setexits <<n|s|e|w|u|d|ne|nw|se|sw>[=name]>[...] It's intuitive, simple, and easy to do. However, the designer would have to resist the temptation to make this command the ONLY command available; while this is, of course, easier than newexit e newexit w newexit s or some similar interface, if a single exit is desired it would be much easier to type newexit u instead of 'setexits w e s u' -- and of course, there's the associated problem of typos. 'setexits w e d u' is an easy typo to make, and now forces the builder to redesign the south exit as well as removing the down exit. Likewise, there's an associated difficulty in people who want to do EVERYTHING in one command line; resulting in commands like setexits s=A long tunnel/5321|This long tunnel leads off into the darkness.| n=A dimly lit room/4231|The dimly lit room appears to be uninhabited.| What I would consider the perfect interface for building is a command interface online, with the ability to bring portions offline for more long-term extensive editing, and some provision for loading the MUD config directly in the event that the MUD cannot load the config for some reason. A GUI designer could be great if properly implemented, but I see a lot of potential for mistakes in it -- is it possible that you could provide us with a few screen shots? -+[caliban#darklock,com]+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- I am here to grind your eyes harder into the miasmic bile of life; to show you the truth and the beauty in the whisper of steel on silk and the crimson scent of blood as it rises to meet the caress of a blade. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+[<A HREF="http://www.darklock.com/]+-">http://www.darklock.com/]+-</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="01419" HREF="msg01419.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Adam Wiggins <nightfall#inficad,com></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="01416" HREF="msg01416.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Nathan Yospe <yospe#hawaii,edu></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="01371" HREF="msg01371.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01411.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01413.html">[MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01403.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01416.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01412"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01412"><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] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="01505" HREF="msg01505.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 07:51 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01529" HREF="msg01529.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 15:40 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="01371" HREF="msg01371.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Fri 20 Jun 1997, 12:55 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01403" HREF="msg01403.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sat 21 Jun 1997, 16:41 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01412" HREF="msg01412.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Sun 22 Jun 1997, 04:53 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01416" HREF="msg01416.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Nathan Yospe <a href="mailto:yospe#hawaii,edu">yospe#hawaii,edu</a>, Sun 22 Jun 1997, 14:37 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01436" HREF="msg01436.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Mon 23 Jun 1997, 06:11 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01562" HREF="msg01562.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Sat 28 Jun 1997, 03:56 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01566" HREF="msg01566.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RP=MUSH/PG=MUD</A></strong>, Nathan Yospe <a href="mailto:yospe#hawaii,edu">yospe#hawaii,edu</a>, Sat 28 Jun 1997, 11:28 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </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>