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<H1>Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 28 Oct 97 21:41:07 -0800</LI>
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<PRE>

On 26/10/97 at 06:12 PM, Derrick Jones &lt;gunther#online1,magnus1.com&gt; said:

&gt;On Tue, 21 Oct 1997 coder#ibm,net wrote:

&gt;Toughest part of the system as I see it will be to comunicate the
&gt;information to players in a way that doesn't seem twinkish. (with the
&gt;troll example, how would a player playing a troll know that eating a
&gt;carrot could prove fatal?  &lt;sarcasm\&gt; Surgeon General's Warning:  If you
&gt;are a troll, eating this product may be hazardous to your health.
&gt;&lt;/sarcasm&gt;  )

First thought:  Handle it the same way you'd handle your character putting
his hand down on a burning hot stone -- automatic reaction jerks his hand
off.  Should a troll attempt to eat a carrot, his first reaction is to
retch and spit it out.  

&gt;&gt; &gt;Not all skills have to advance/decay at the same rate.  Or even at all.
&gt;&gt; &gt;For the golf example, each character would have a personal maximum based
&gt;&gt; &gt;on character stats, so that poor dolt would never really become good at
&gt;&gt; &gt;the game, but after many, many years he wouldn't be quite so bad.  If you
&gt;&gt; &gt;really don't like the idea of basing maximums and advance/decay rates on
&gt;&gt; &gt;player stats, determine them at the time of character creation (either
&gt;&gt; &gt;random or chosen).
&gt;&gt; 
&gt;&gt; For me this echoes back to the seperation of character and human player. 
&gt;&gt; I have no problem with the character having stats which limit their
&gt;&gt; current ability, but I have a big problem with those stats being
&gt;&gt; unalterable.  For me the game is more about overcoming those limitations
&gt;&gt; than it is working within them.
&gt;
&gt;Again agreed.  I meant determine initially at creation.  There's no
&gt;reason why they shouldn't be able to change.  

All too often I forget the body stuff.  For me this is not problem:  Your
body can't do something you want to do?  Go get or steal a different
body...

&gt;Back to the Golf example (I
&gt;spend way too much time at a country club (I work there)), the main
&gt;reason that women's tees are so far in front of men's tees (thus evidence
&gt;that women on average drive the ball shorter than men) is that the female
&gt;anatomy is such that ...

True, anatomy can account for a lot.  There are few hourglass figured
sprinters, ballerinas, or marathon runners.  Heck there are too few
hourglass figured...err...hourglasses.  Yeah.  

Similarly, at 6'4" I have a much tougher time putting on muscle than a
shorter fellow.  Muscular strength is proportional to the cross sectional
area of a given muscle, which, given that my musceles are proportionally
longer, means that I have to grow significantly more tissue to get the
same increase in strength than, say, a dwarf.   Oxygen consumption also
has some interesting curves with increased body mass, especially when
crossed with height.  Then there's the basic bone strength problem....

-- 
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw#null,net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder#ibm,net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...


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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00099" HREF="msg00099.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</A></strong>, 
Derrick Jones <a href="mailto:gunther#online1,magnus1.com">gunther#online1,magnus1.com</a>, Mon 13 Oct 1997, 18:59 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00138" HREF="msg00138.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</A></strong>, 
coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Wed 22 Oct 1997, 05:55 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00154" HREF="msg00154.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</A></strong>, 
Derrick Jones <a href="mailto:gunther#online1,magnus1.com">gunther#online1,magnus1.com</a>, Sun 26 Oct 1997, 09:06 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00102" HREF="msg00102.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</A></strong>, 
coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Tue 14 Oct 1997, 18:14 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00162" HREF="msg00162.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Usability and interface ...</A></strong>, 
coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Wed 29 Oct 1997, 05:50 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00040" HREF="msg00040.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Types of game</A></strong>, 
Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sun 05 Oct 1997, 10:29 GMT
<UL>
<li>&lt;Possible follow-up(s)&gt;<br>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00042" HREF="msg00042.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  Types of game</A></strong>, 
Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sun 05 Oct 1997, 10:30 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00039" HREF="msg00039.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  PK again (was: Character evolution)</A></strong>, 
Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sun 05 Oct 1997, 10:29 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00059" HREF="msg00059.html">Re: [MUD-Dev]  PK again (was: Character evolution)</A></strong>, 
Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Mon 06 Oct 1997, 20:55 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>

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