<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again) --> <!--X-From-R13: [nevna Uevssvgu <telcubaNvnrui.ay> --> <!--X-Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 21:11:29 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Marcel-1.26-0924214558-0b0Ky&5#Gryphon,knoware.nl --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 01BCC8E6.B713C250.caliban#darklock,com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is sup</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl"> </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="msg01424.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01426.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01412.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01441.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01425">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01425">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01425">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</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>'" <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Marian Griffith <<A HREF="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 22:45:58 +0100 (BST)</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Wed 24 Sep, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote: > On Wednesday, September 24, 1997 4:29 AM, clawrenc#cup,hp.com > [SMTP:clawrenc#cup,hp.com] wrote: > > Reese reports that being a fisherman, and thus spending ones play time > > sittting about fishing and telling stories is popular with a certain > > set of players. One could easily imagine a similar scenario for > > musicians sitting about strumming and swapping songs. > Note that you would not actually need a fishing skill or musical instrument > skill for either of the above. I agree, musicians are a nice thing, they > contribute vastly to the enjoyment of the world; but why do we actually > need game mechanics to handle it? My original reply to this was snipped. I still maintain that there are many ways in which an instrument skill could be usefull in a game, and not just to solve a particular quest. It does require a game that is elevated above the typical mud where the sole purpose is to kill. > > >> All of us are PROGRAMMERS. > > Most of the active list participants are programmers, of which Marian > > (nod) is the most obvious non-programmer. She's not alone. > She's very programmer-like in her approach to things, however, and I would > hazard a guess that if she decided she *wanted* to be a programmer it > wouldn't be too difficult. Part of this is just a basic logical intellect > and problem-solving ability, as well as the associated knack for seeing the > way things should probably work. I wouldn't say she's *obviously* a > non-programmer. ;) Believe me I'm not a programmer. I have a real ability to make computers not work ;) I do on the other hand have plenty experience talking to the coders of a assortion of muds to try to explain what I thought would be a great idea. > I'm very concerned with such issues, myself, because I tend to do a lot of > things at once. My guess would be that the game should supply the obvious action without bothering the user with it. If you want to get something from your back- pack and you have your hands full the game should simply put away/sheat whatever you have in your hands and get it. And if you're wearing a cloak it should remove that first as well. When you are attacked you should automatically try to draw your weapon, but at other times you should not run around wielding it. And so on. I am not certain if such messages should appear or not. ] Get bread from your backpack. You put your sword away and drop your shield before you remove your back- pack. It's dark in the cavern so you have to feel your way around inside. After a little searching you think you find a stale bread and you take it out. or ] Get bread backpack Ok. You now have a bread in your right hand. Personally I prefer the first, but I guess that the majority of power gamers would hate it for being too spammy. It does however tell that to find the bread you had to remove sword shield and backpack. If you suddenly have to run you probably would forget one or more of them. If on the other hand you simply move on the game should pick them up for you again. Marian -- Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world, out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again will there be loneliness ... Rolan Choosing Talia, Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey </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="01412" HREF="msg01412.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban#darklock,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01424.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01426.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Stranger in a Strange Land (was Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again))</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01412.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01441.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is suppo</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01425"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01425"><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] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="01493" HREF="msg01493.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></strong>, Shawn Halpenny <a href="mailto:malachai#iname,com">malachai#iname,com</a>, Fri 26 Sep 1997, 17:03 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01524" HREF="msg01524.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></strong>, Michael Hohensee <a href="mailto:michael#sparta,mainstream.net">michael#sparta,mainstream.net</a>, Sun 28 Sep 1997, 21:46 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01506" HREF="msg01506.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] War and language (Was: Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway?) (Was: PK Again)</A></strong>, Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Sat 27 Sep 1997, 10:09 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="01412" HREF="msg01412.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Wed 24 Sep 1997, 16:36 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01425" HREF="msg01425.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing, anyway? (Was: PK Again)</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Wed 24 Sep 1997, 21:11 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01441" HREF="msg01441.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is suppo</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Thu 25 Sep 1997, 17:18 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01465" HREF="msg01465.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is suppo</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 26 Sep 1997, 00:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01517" HREF="msg01517.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is suppon</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:nightfall#user2,inficad.com">nightfall#user2,inficad.com</a>, Sun 28 Sep 1997, 01:16 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01496" HREF="msg01496.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is suppo</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Fri 26 Sep 1997, 18:38 GMT </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>