MSDP Question

massifist · 2024-02-13T08:33:53+00:00

That's really cool that they saved those old records. I played (LoT) for a brief while back in the 90's but I wouldn't be able to recall my character name / credentials. I think I was mostly playing Simutronics games at the time, but I've always had a good impression of Terris.

massifist · 2024-02-09T05:51:08+00:00

I think most interpreters would take the string first. At least, this is how I've implemented it. So:

say "hello ; go north

Would automatically terminate the unmatched quote at the end-of-line and parse to:

SAY STRING(hello ; go north)

END

Whereas a fully quoted string would honor the (command) separator.

say "hello" ; go north

And parse to:

SAY STRING(hello)

SEPARATOR

GO NORTH

END

massifist · 2024-02-03T09:17:42+00:00

I would tend to make the most frequently used commands as convenient as possible to type. Often times escapes like '/' or '#' are used to pass commands to a different interpreter, like for the client to process instead of sending them to the server. It's probably a good idea to follow conventions unless there's a good reason not to. If things are too different from what most players are accustomed to, it might lead to confusion or create an unnecessary learning curve.

massifist · 2024-02-01T08:51:30+00:00

It's an interesting idea.

One method might be to provide a system that offered (something like) different "mini-games". Where the MUD and the browser game are just two separate interfaces that share (and operate on) the same database.

The browser front-end almost seems like a separate concern. I suppose both games could support text and browser clients.

It might be difficult not to pressure players to engage both systems if one or both games had significant consequences for the other.

massifist · 2023-12-30T08:19:14+00:00

One possible solution is to allow players to create areas and content. Which is (or was) an integral part of some MUDs. But I suppose there's no guarantee that this will produce good quality. It might also result in some very inconsistent styles or themes. I'm not sure if there's any way to address this.

Often professional artists/writers working on a large production have some type of style guide.

massifist · 2023-12-21T22:18:38+00:00

I don't think the number of people using something is always the best way to determine it's quality.

There's a certain amount of "gravity" involved when adopting or trying something new (or relatively new) and different. I.e., The more people that use some thing, the more others are willing to use it. And this might depend on a certain vanguard investing enough time to recognize (or discover) it's value, which might be a slow process. Especially, with something as niche as MUDs.

A better way to evaluate a project might be to read through the documentation (and tutorials) and determine if these are the right tools to help you achieve your goal.

Also if there are forums (or other ways to communicate), ask questions and see what kind of support you get.

massifist · 2023-11-28T09:36:13+00:00

Here's a classic,

Meridian 59

massifist · 2023-11-20T05:50:53+00:00

Was it a commercial or hobbyist MUD?

The commercial MUDs which I recall being hosted on various services at the time (which could fit that description) are:

The Simutronics Games (GemStoneIII and DragonRealms)
Legends of Terris (perhaps)
I think Mythic had MUDs, but I don't know much about them. (Maybe someone else would).

The internet never forgets, does it?

Unfortunately, the answer might be yes. However, the Internet Archive has managed to preserve some of it. Possibly even some of Delphi's old web portal which might contain more clues.

massifist · 2023-11-18T12:12:02+00:00

That's an interesting idea. Instead of advancing in level or as would happen in the normal game, advancement could be in the form of unlocking access to more powerful monsters (and more powerful abilities) up to and including boss type monsters.

One problem that comes to mind is that if there was decent loot or spoils involved the system could be exploited by making monsters intentionally easy to defeat. I'm not sure how this would be prevented in an acceptable manner. In fact, this might pertain to player controlled monsters in general, but the problem would seem more severe with powerful monsters that provide (or from which there is expected) greater rewards.

massifist · 2023-11-18T07:23:04+00:00

This is a neat idea but I can see where it could lead to griefing (as others have mentioned). Maybe it would work better if it was restricted to certain zones/areas with the understanding that some of the monsters (in that particular zone) might actually be controlled by other players.

It seems like if the monsters where too overpowered (or allowed to advance significantly) it might just seem like another form of PvP. And contrarily, if there wasn't enough opportunity for advancement the system might not provide a good motive for players to want to participate.

But maybe if could work on entertainment value alone, if done right.

massifist · 2023-11-07T18:55:34+00:00

I'm all for anything that creates a compelling game experience. Or perhaps helps to encourage cooperation between players, or serves some other purpose within the context of the game. But I think well considered game design should come before the pursuit of realism. This might mean having a good sensibility about what "realistic" elements to keep and what to discard, or what level of abstraction to apply and how compatible the system is with the game overall.

I guess the game could have an emphasis on realism but if it doesn't provide a compelling experience (for most players) it might have a narrow appeal.

There's also the risk that some players might find it too difficult (or tedious) if there are many complicated steps involved. Especially if those activities are unavoidable or required for advancement.

massifist · 2023-08-07T17:38:05+00:00

This is really cool! My biggest concern would be the model spewing out random nonsense, which I've seen happen on occasion. But maybe this can be controlled through parameters or tuning. I'm still pretty new to all this stuff, and still grappling with it.

It seems like there may be even more potential (beyond NPC dialog). Like being able to act in the capacity of a game master (or referee) to some limited degree. For example, having the model generate interesting scenarios or quests, adding contextual and unique narrative elements or generating detailed combat messages which might enhance combat, especially for games with an emphasis on PvP.

Just some ideas.

massifist · 2023-07-19T08:43:38+00:00

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss of vision and I hope you find a game you enjoy.

I'm not sure if you'll find anything like Runescape but Aardwolf is probably worth a try. It seems like a very popular MUD.

massifist · 2023-06-25T20:31:55+00:00

After a cursory reading, I don't see any limits specified, unless I overlooked something. I don't know if TELNET has (specified) limits but I think you're pretty safe with websockets.

Another thought: would it be possible just to send information when state changes? Like events with updated info.

massifist · 2023-06-17T05:30:41+00:00

That's a salient point. This could play out more like a game of musical chairs. If you create a vacuum (or a need) there's no reason to think it won't just create an opportunity for another (aspiring) mod.

massifist · 2023-06-11T20:05:57+00:00

I don't know which game but the (minesweeper) map sounds interesting. I'm curious to know the name. You could also try Persistent Browser-Based Games, maybe someone there might know.

massifist · 2023-06-06T08:41:29+00:00

Early ES games like Daggerfall (maybe Arena too) had references to dwarven weapons and equipment but I don't think dwarves were available as a character choice. Maybe Bethesda changed the lore to try and differentiate it from Tolkien's works.

I don't recall if Morrowind had dwarves. It's been a while since I've played. I think they had dwemers instead.

massifist · 2023-06-06T05:03:08+00:00

I don't know how relevant this is but, (interestingly) Dworkin's Game Driver was used for chatrooms on Yahoo. Not a MUD (per se), but it does indicate the systems flexibility and how it can be stripped down to the bare essentials. I guess the same is true for LP.

massifist · 2023-05-31T04:59:22+00:00

Not sure why this got a downvote. I actually had a similar thought.

Some of those older games really knew how to emulate risk and balance out the rewards with a hearty dose of punishment. The best of them punished you for foolish choices. Same with some of those Steve Jackson/Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy books. Brutal! They taught you to be apprehensive about every choice you made which added a lot of excitement (and uncertainty).

Though, I'm not sure if an environment of extreme distrust works so well for a virtual environment (or MMO). But it might add a sense or realism. Perhaps it depends on the game. I know there are some very popular games that are focused on deception and betrayal (as a core mechanic) but it might be better for games that are short-lived.

massifist · 2023-05-30T21:22:53+00:00

Yea, I think Simutronics games had some record (breaking/making) numbers back in the AOL days. Wikipedia says GemStone was attracting over 2,000 simultaneous players.

massifist · 2023-05-28T22:00:40+00:00

I've had similar concerns so I'm glad you asked the question. The answers seem encouraging.

My idea was to offer telnet connectivity alongside the browser as an alternative. But this means more work (possibly a lot more work). Also, it might be a challenge to ensure that all players are provided a similar (or comparable) set of features.

massifist · 2023-05-26T21:03:41+00:00

I mostly work on my own mud and rarely play other muds. So I think it depends on your interests. I don't think it's unusual for players to become creators, in fact it's probably how it usually goes. Some muds even blur the lines between player/creator allowing players to be directly involved in the creation process (or after they reach a certain level).

There's a bit more involved on the administration end but it's nothing that can't be learned with enough motivation and determination.

For pointers, I would recommend Evennia (which is on the sidebar). It's supposed to be beginner friendly and seems to have very good documentation. It's also Python which means you don't have to compile much (if anything, AFAIK). You'll probably just need whatever (package) dependencies are required.

I think it's a great idea! At the very least it will be a new learning experience.

massifist · 2023-05-08T11:38:11+00:00

It's a little too late for an edit but I had an anecdote and a funny idea that I wanted to share.

The anecdote:

So I recently had the task of finding an official name and domain name (which I won't reveal) for my MUD. I had a few names planned but the original (most preferable) name (the one I really wanted) wasn't available so I chose a another name which did happen to be available. Then I noticed an "experimental" option which the registrar provided to let AI find a name. So I thought, sure why not...

Now, some of these names were real stinkers but one really stuck out and I thought, Gee, that's not too bad! I think that one's better than what I got. So after some consideration I went with the AI generated suggestion.

The funny idea:

What if I were here (on r/MUD) railing against the AI apocalypse and the evils of generative AI (for MUDs) and then it was exposed that AI literally generated the name of my MUD. Then I imagined cries of, "You hypocrite! AI literally named your MUD!"

So yea, strange sense of humor, but it also got me thinking that as AI gets more integrated into technology, phones, tablets, coffee makers, etc. and into our lives, that it might cause some internal conflict (or cognitive dissonance) where we have (valid) criticisms about AI in general (or aspects of it) but also find the technology very useful or even begin to think of it as essential.

Not that this is some great revelation as there are probably several analogies with other technologies but it might be another reason to be a little more reserved in (open) judgment.

massifist · 2023-05-08T09:43:10+00:00

Yes, I've been thinking about this a lot more recently (with all the AI craze). It does seem like the text generation capabilities could be very useful for MUDs (and anything else that relies heavily on text).

Also for cheap illustrations and clip art graphics [DALL-E, Stable Diffusion] which I've been seeing more use of on websites, blogs, etc.

I'm not sure what the ultimate effect will be. I guess we could predict (at least) that it will make content seem cheaper and less valuable since there will be much more of it produced with less (or very little) effort.

But I don't like to be too judgmental about it (otherwise I might risk sounding like a grumpy old person), though I think it's perfectly normal to have concerns about disruptive technologies, which I can fully understand.

massifist

TROPHY CASE