<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests --> <!--X-From-R13: pbqreNvoz.arg --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 17:05:21 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199710231704.RAA47664#out1,ibm.net --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199710192040.QAA02142#polaris,net --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:coder#ibm,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="msg00142.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00144.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00135.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00150.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00143">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00143">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00143">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</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] Reusable plots for quests</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 22 Oct 97 22:44:08 -0700</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On 20/10/97 at 09:54 AM, "Travis Casey" <efindel#polaris,net> said: >Brandon J. Rickman <ashes#pc4,zennet.com> wrote: >>On Sat, 11 Oct 1997 22:58:39 PST8PDT "Travis Casey" >><efindel#polaris,net> wrote: >>>Brian Price <blprice#bedford,net> wrote: >IMHO, a mud should not have a "steady-state" position -- if it does, then >the players can't really change the world in any significant way, and all >their actions are for naught. While this might be realistic, it's >definitely >not fitting in the heroic mold. (Of course, if your mud isn't supposed >to be in the heroic mold, it may be appropriate for the actions of the >PCs to never have any significant effect.) <<Much of what follows is of course, obvious, but I think it bears spelling out as it allows concetration on the internal wrangling of the steady state.>> I don't think this is possible if there is any form of game continuity (echoes of the evolution threads that ran a while back?). Consider, if it is possible for players to fundamentally affect and change the game, and the game does not have a steady state, then the game will progressively mutate over time until it becomes utterly alien to its initial incarnation. Ignoring all the really interesting aspects and problems of this, the game design problem is that your inital game design is now no longer applicable, and you have little to no (I suspect guaranteed no, due to the character of the changes players will attempt to effect in attempt to better their positions) probability that any aspect of your initial game design will pertain to the new game world. Consider: Could you make a game which was playable in Flatland but which was also equally playable in out RL world, __and__ in the interesting warps of time and space about a black whole, __and_ in a high magic world etc etc etc? Much more tempting I think is to attempt a game world which interally strives to maintain a macro steady state. Sure, there can eb major upheavals and changes to the internal structure and minutae of the world, but the bnasic pattern remains unchanged, and left to its own devices, the game world will internally conspire to return the minutae to their default-ish characteristics. Thus you can have a game which is set, perhaps, in the Rebel Alliance against Darth Vader, The Rebel's are never totally defeated, and Darth Vader never actually dies. The game then occurs within the defined steady state of the war. What particular planets are on what side, who lives, who doesn't, and what the curent power balance is, is all in flux with the curves asymptotic on both sides. -- J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net ----------(*) Internet: coder#ibm,net ...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... </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="00155" HREF="msg00155.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Derrick Jones <gunther#online1,magnus1.com></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00150" HREF="msg00150.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> "Travis S. Casey" <efindel#io,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00127" HREF="msg00127.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Travis Casey" <efindel#polaris,net></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00142.html">multiple intelligences</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00144.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Mud governance</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00135.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00150.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00143"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00143"><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] Reusable plots for quests</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00098" HREF="msg00098.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Brandon J. Rickman <a href="mailto:ashes#pc4,zennet.com">ashes#pc4,zennet.com</a>, Mon 13 Oct 1997, 00:09 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00126" HREF="msg00126.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Travis Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#polaris,net">efindel#polaris,net</a>, Sun 19 Oct 1997, 19:57 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00127" HREF="msg00127.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Travis Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#polaris,net">efindel#polaris,net</a>, Sun 19 Oct 1997, 20:40 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00135" HREF="msg00135.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:nightfall#user2,inficad.com">nightfall#user2,inficad.com</a>, Tue 21 Oct 1997, 08:51 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00143" HREF="msg00143.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Thu 23 Oct 1997, 17:05 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00150" HREF="msg00150.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Travis S. Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Fri 24 Oct 1997, 18:30 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00152" HREF="msg00152.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sun 26 Oct 1997, 06:08 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00156" HREF="msg00156.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:nightfall#user1,inficad.com">nightfall#user1,inficad.com</a>, Sun 26 Oct 1997, 11:21 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00161" HREF="msg00161.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Reusable plots for quests</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Tue 28 Oct 1997, 17:36 GMT </LI> </UL> </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>