Posts made by Lotherio

@cobaltasaurus Heh - like putting in footstep ambiance of walking to the guitar or something to show its in stereo and really doesn't have a point to be part of the song which doesn't use stereo effects of any sort?

@bob said in A New Star Wars game? (Legends of The Old Republic (Name pending)):

As someone who staffed in Age of Mortals

The Age of Mortals/Krynn joint from 98 to 2000-2002'ish? I never played (I migrated from original DL Mux to some SW places then), but I was under the impression each arch was a set of chars, and it was new chars for the next arc, just the plot and meta was determined by what happened in the prior arcs of time? I thought it was a great idea, but hadn't read the War of Souls at the time and thought that was part of the pre-game canon.

I am curious to watch this unfold and see its success. Seems lots of MU building/developing/etc has been done in small numbers or even just one. I mentioned in the Peeves thread, I'm curious about open collaborative type projects again (ie, let's make a place for Theme, I'll load up xNx hardcode, drop us a nexus off room zero and lets all have building quotas and see what we come up with). The sandbox beyond sandbox RP, but entire shared sandbox.

I hope some of the folks encouraging limits/alterations/fixes of rules are familiar with Rhost (I believe that was indicated earlier as the base code) to help Mr. Johnson make these alterations and changes they may want. He's indicated already its a side project to comply with the interest in just such a Mu from the other thread. I don't know Rhost or have the time to help (or would offer), but I see a lot of suggestions of what to do and only hope folks are recognizing he's indicated a need of code help (which could get the project running sooner).

@runescryer said in Star Wars?:

go with D6 instead of Saga

Dahan's D6 is available and easy to use. I think some of the others utilized the Dahan Skill System, but the code for D6 is still out there. http://download.pennmush.org/MUSHcode/ in here with other options, including the org manager system.

ETA: Its offered standard SW D6, but is configurable as Open D6, used this at The Rise recently.

@firepuff said in Travel Times - Enforced?:

Some of my best RP has been "enroute" somewhere. It's okay to RP being bored and throwing a ball at the wall. It's okay to RP that your rump hurts sitting on top of that horse and whine to someone that you want to rest for a bit. It's okay to get caught up by random bandits/pirates/whatnot enroute. It's okay to RP random gossip along the way.

Think Lord of the Rings. Can you imagine how short those books would have been with instant travel? How much adventure would have been lost along the way?

I agree, travel RP can be enjoyable. I recall after a fire on Sweetwater making a voyage to Laramie I believe (nearest US Fort) and playing out the time.

However, an issue with travel time isn't having a good group en route and enjoying the RP, its have people segregated from each other and forced to wait to RP. By quick example, John's friends all decided three days ago to make a journey, but he got left behind as he was off line/out of town at the time, and instead of hand waving his offline time, he's forced to wait hours or longer to RP with his friends/regulars due to travel times (which realistically he could have been traveling with the group the whole time).

ETA: I understand the abuse of hand-waving/no travel time as indicated, the metagaming to join fight/action when it happens and/or the person that goes to five events in one day despite each being weeks of travel time apart.

I remember the instant travels when 'action' happened, wasn't just Space/Star Wars places either. Folks could be in Kingdom Y that was 4 days hard ride from Kingdom X on fantasy/historical place and if something happened and they got pages from friends at the start, they'd make the jump. I do agree free travel sees this abuse, like the western and someone jumping between Dodge City and St. Louis to follow the rp. I remember it being like Dodge City is daytime active and St. Louis is nighttime active, and the 24-hour player would go events at both places too. I think that sort of abuse needs to be addressed, but like the 2-3 times a week or less player, I think hand waving is fine for then they log in after logging off in Dodge City and the active group they play with all spend some time traveling to St. Louis.

Mechanical penalty and/or travel resource sounds good (SW1 used credits for the free shuttle service to limit travel and jumps by non-cargo ship players; ie gain 300 credits per time period, it allowed 5-6 jumps until 'payday' again). Curious how it would work out without someone ending up penalized, if its only resources for travel what is the limit? X trips per time period, cap on how many such resources are banked to prevent someone from banking for 3 months then all of a sudden jumping halfway across the globe/galaxy 5 times in one day?

@faraday said in the Rothogna thread:

Maybe somebody should split this off into a Travel Times thread so we don't spam the poor OPs ad too much?

The discussion relates to length of enforced travel and how much/what should be enforced. It was in relation to space, but I'm sure most of us have seen it 'enforced' on non-space, non-coded games (ie, the travel time by horse from Y to Z is 2 weeks please don't abuse this).

I'm in the camp that does not prefer travel times in favor of RP and hand waving if needed. Though on the other hand if the system has some coded trade/travel minigame and uses travel time to limit how fast one becomes wealthy with the system (and the avid player of such a system usually does), I can see its use. But ... only if a sidestep is available. The cargo ship can take hours/days to get between planets/cities/ports to enforce a limit on coded wealth gain, but the average player not interested in playing a trade simulation should have some means to bypass the coded travel time. SW1 eventually had shuttles, they reduced travel time but cost a minimal amount of in game credits; I think that was to prevent too many hops in one week from the average player? Otherwise, the ships better have some means to RP without keeping folks out of the RP part of the MU (enough players traveling together to continue RP).

@thenomain said in Favorite Minigames:

Adventure!

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck - it must be a dragon. I have an Atari 2600 that is still operational, I may have to fire it up now.

@wizz said in Coordinates-based Grid:

will involve territory and hunting as a giant flying creature

I'd play it. I enjoyed Battletech to no end. Not the game versions with meta-plot at all, I enjoyed Battletech 3065 Mux, which was just get in a 'pod' load up a 'mech' and play a virtual combat against other's in pods/mechs. Earn credits, by bigger Mechs, rinse and repeat. I had way too many hours of fun doing that, but as @faraday mentioned, people got over it. Old dino's left for other fun, new players didn't have the patience to learn 12 different HUD displays, aliasing in game to get fast readouts when tics mattered, using favorite Mu*client to spawn multiple windows to read it all at once, and just fast keying to move, change speed, conduct jumps, turn torso, keep an eye on relative location of enemies and chat in team chat to keep coordinated (and being yelled at by vets when you messed up).

I couldn't tell you who all has done what. I can't tell you how easy/difficult it might be going from hardcode MUD to Python for use in Evennia.

I enjoyed Nightmare LP Mud, one of the last places using a similar skill/class based system is Haven. Its not active but staff still hang out. The main grid is traditional, room/exits all interconnected, but they updated to a virtual ocean and there is a large island out on their massive globe that is coordinate based. It could be something similar, it could be completely different. You're welcome to visit them and chat it up I imagine: http://haven.havenmud.com/.

Coord-based grid isn't new. It was more widely used on space games, mostly Star Wars as far as I know (and I don't know much). The A-Space, C-Space, H-Space and other variations, meant to possibly allow up to infinite space with minimal DB usage. They're still out there as far as I know, most on github. I do believe some were converted from 3D-virtual space to 2D-virtual ocean space. I don't know if any have been converted to land/continent but don't imagine that's much more than a change in the configuration.

Here a quick google search: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_system_(gaming) - links to code repository where they are currently stored.

Looks like most include things like range as well. I am not certain, never played it, but The Greatest Generation may have had something similar (help account for bullet travel between 'rooms'). Heck, even FS3 includes some range code that may seem out of place, but joining a combat in progress can be done regardless of rooms so the potential to go coordinate or more open grid was probably thought of in the design as well.

I think its to say, it has been done and can probably be looked at, altered or used to inspire new coordinate-based grids. A main reason I think they're not popular is due to it being linked to vehicles and travel times?

We’re narrowing down time to open to the scale of weeks here, started out as undefined months when we dusted off the code from Realms.

As mentioned last week, we really focused on Vindicti (formal vendetta) over this past week. In the end we’ve concluded it would work best as a formal ‘event’ entered between two houses. A challenge issue/accepted system that will be monitored through the code to allow communication between Heads of the Houses and Staff as needed. At any time two houses start to argue/fight (You sir are a codfish, you ma’am are a spendthrift, I invoke Vindicti, Concurred), one makes the challenge, the other accepts. At that point, within the system they are each awarded 1 attempt of vindication. Once per week, they may submit an attempt including a log or logs. Whether that is an honorable duel, a social slander, some chicanery, some attempt to poison the other house, or user defined form of vindication, they get one attempt for the week. The only caveat is that killing is not acceptable, so even poison its more a sick, with most likely a time to RP recover (get an antidote, hire a special physician, etc.).

If one succeeds in the attempt, the targeted house then gains another attempt to exact revenge/vindication. Only one attempt may be made in any given week. If both succeed, each house gets another attempt. A house may choose not to use the attempt and let it expire, once all attempts have failed or are expired the vendetta is ended. However, this may continue for an uncertain amount of time. Once a Vindicti expires both houses will gain reputation commensurate with the total number of successes accumulated during the formal feud over its duration. Full award to the victorious house, marginal award for the losing house. This will, thankfully, not conclude as the traditional feuds of the time did; no tower houses will be torn down and destroyed.

Logs will be required. Logging is not necessary to play Valorous Dominiom, participating in Vindicti is not necessary to RP here as well. Houses are a supplement that will hopefully drive RP, we’re viewing them something like factions and those willing to be the heads of houses are akin to faction heads. A little more will be required as such, as we expect this to help drive RP for those in and around active houses. Again, the focus is away from PK, death will result in negative outcomes for PCs that kill. This system will be monitored, as success is subjective, likewise if they seem to grow with no possible end, total time limit may be set to force expiration of the Vindicti.

That said, we’ve delved deeper into theme. The main faiths of the game are well underway, as is general history of the world and of our fair city. We’re turning towards neighboring kingdoms and city-states. While all of this is generally done, just adding a little more depth to give options for things previously mentioned, including politics and local NPCs that can act towards or react against the thrust of our primary city. Plots that will affect the city as a whole are in the works for launch shortly after opening as well.

Going forward, we’ll code up the Vindicti system in conjunction with +jobs. We will finalize valor (our version of Glory) and how it is gained along with how to use it for personal improvement. We are looking at both valor gained and time on for personal improvement (a specified amount of improvement per season or month even).

Also on +scavenger game, to second what @Apos said:

as long as the objects or standards are visible to everyone

The ones I've played on, nothing over the top was ever gained by the +scavenge code, it was just an RP aid. No one found a $40K commercial grade, operational generator and a home propane tank full of natural gas to run it for the following month, ever, with scavenger code; or a car, or a secret militia armory. That was still meta/gm related or requested. It was hand waved sort of things that they could find anyways, but added flavor to scavenging without breaking the game. Finding a twinkie didn't provide food for a week, finding one first aid kit didn't break the necessity of the doctor PCs role, it was a lot more curious odds and ends. The ones I have seen. The code wasn't necessary but gave a little flavor to RP.

I think, and could be wrong here, that the +scavenge code referenced isn't a necessity to eat or find potable water.

The one's I've seen that were enjoyable were added as an RP booster. They might find interesting food (twinkies in the wrapper still) or other odds n ends, location dependent such that scavenging a house might turn up a first aid kit, but scavenging in the forest might find murshrooms or some old junk. Just it was never a scavenge or die implementation. Again, only from the times I've seen them and enjoyed them. But similar to the Cheese Hat, which is sort of what I was getting at in that scavenging on survival places is fun, they need updating such that the same odds and ends don't keep cropping up. On the place I used it most, plastic model (car or some such) cropped up, it was a novelty until everyone had one to build and couldn't find model glue. Its a simple fix too, instead of just generic list, fun unique things could be pulled from a word bank and removed as they're found.

@arkandel said in Favorite Minigames:

And I want my damn carrots

You'll have to help @Pyrephox with that rabbit problem to save those damn carrots, just saying.

@arkandel said in MUSH Marriages (IC):

could have come off as blaming the victim

Just want to further this, most likely not in a direction @Arkandel intended. I get the 'why is your IC-SO paging me' thing, but that is also putting some responsibility of the stalker/creeper SO on a potential victim in the situation (not is, but potentially).

I've been there on a few occasions. Once months down the road (after some IC incident involving IC-SOs), I received an @mail from someone saying they'd do their best to play with me even though I somehow stole their SO or something after, at the time they'd accused me of it and I pointed out I did nothing OOCly, didn't know what the deal was and finally told them to stop paging me with OOC drama. It was bizarre, but it had nothing to do with person filling in the shoes of the perceived 'stolen SO'. Another time I was in a private room with a friend, doing nothing, and a creeper type not only did the interruption thing, but instead they sent a coded puppet to repeatedly knock on the door until someone 'answered' it for the sole purpose of ICly delivering some message which could of just as easily been handed with @mail; using the time to pose the puppet in an NPC like format as if to eat up the time that was spent between my PC and their SO's PC. More came off as an attempt to interrupt whatever the puppeteer believed we were up to, which was nothing other than idling in a room and idle chat between OOC friends.

But its not necessarily the responsibility of the middle party to deal with it; they may be embarrassed or even ashamed that their IC-SO is doing it too (not are, may be, just I wouldn't try to put it on them to fix the situation by shifting blame). Taking time to ask them (middle party person I'm playing/idling with) what the deal is may come off wrong? Or they may think its cute/masculine or something on the IC-SO part, but could stand to hear a third party finds it intrusive too, just to know the grounds? I'd rather directly page the interrupter to just say 'I don't know you, we have never talked before, don't know why you feel the need to interject into this but its unwelcome'd'.

Just for ponderance; what about a minigame that supports the main emphasis of storytelling?

Sort of what @Thenomain may have been getting at by referencing combat as a minigame, one they may not like buy in essance a side element of a MU that some people enjoy or look forward too. If the emphasis on a MU is action oriented story telling with a great combat system (minigame) to add combat on the fly in a manner that doesn't rely on splat books and rules/mechanics knowledge that otherwise slows down game play, does the minigame of combat and maximizing for combat in anyway detract from or add to the action oriented story telling focus?

I like @pyrephox's idea of the farming minigame. This could seem like a distraction, but what if the main focus of the Mu* is on home building and social drama, where the better the garden is just something that helps further story telling, friendly competition between houses, or friendly focus between friends to make a good garden together?

I was seeing correlation between the farming minigame and the house building emphasis we're working on after that post. The house building is more a minigame really, but it adds to the house dominion/dynasty aspect of the story telling we're after right now. Whether its bragging about the house, or being better in some realm of play, its meant to tie in with the story focus overall; similar to individual char sheet and netting XP or Skill gains or some other form of mechanical character growth. Its not needed, I've enjoyed plenty of MUs with no systems or coded combat or character sheets.

I absolutely get the minigame as a deterrent that can absolutely take away focus from RP and story telling. I played SW1 for years, where most people idled on ships all day to do the trade minigame for in-game credit to buy more coded machines (swoop building machines, trade machines, shipyards, ships, etc.) all driven by a game economy that was great stuff but detracted from RP aspects quite often (it could benefit RP and story telling, but more often than not it had PCs idling for hours at a time to get more loot).

Just, 'mini'game could mean an aspect of gameplay that is not necessarily essential to playing on a Mu* but can contribute to the story telling focus?

@bananerz said in MUSH Marriages (IC):

that doesn't mean it isn't fun for someone else as evident by so many getting involved in things like this and I say good for them because they are having fun in a game and that’s what a game is about.

This, for everything. Sure its about marriages and such, but everything. Been said time and time and time again, but I like the way it was said right here. Just saying cause I can't upvote it more than the one time.

Divorce came up. I just want to throw out there, I've played around the data pool/marriage lottery and such on various MUs, the matchmaker stuff.

I think more intrigue to this idea would be updating it to include third parties/keep couples in the shuffle and run it every few months with them regardless. Instead of just finding someone to date, it should include people already dating or married but assign a new partner to meet. Like meeting someone on the side to flirt or stir drama or to just switch after a bad breakup/rebound or whatever. Realistically few people I know have remained with the first person they dated and all. Maybe it leads to break up, maybe it strengthens the initial couple, but couples shouldn't be removed from these pools/lotteries. That would create some interesting drama if you ask me. Or if the first is a flop for those who try these lotteries, it gives them a new potential.

@apos said in Favorite Minigames:

What are some features that you feel like made finding RP easier, or improved the quality of life playing there, that you wish other games had?

I'm curious about the miniggames, but this is above and beyond and I'm really curious about this one in particular. Could be its own topic, just wanted to put that out there. Its not minigame specific, like setting RP flags to highlight names in who/+who lists. I like to include a global @wall like command at my MUs for opening a scene, allows people to announce a starting scene to get more interest if they like but not really a minigame.

Actual minigame that I still tend to play ... bowling on modern MUs. Fun to play and pose around, winning or losing. Scavenging on Survival places is fun at the beginning but tends to lose its steam without updates to what is found to be relevant to locations being searched or new locations in genera.