Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Subject: Re: [general] multiple player IF
References: <e68ee7614a%cdl24@utopia.jesus.cam.ac.uk> <m28zlrartq.fsf@snail.nowhere.ch> <378c624a%cdl24@utopia.jesus.cam.ac.uk>
From: Alex Schroeder <kensanata@yahoo.com>
Date: 28 Mar 2001 20:22:36 +0200
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As to the MUD/MUSH distinction.  As far as I can tell, all of these
things look more or less alike.  Like a text adventure but
multiplayer.  There seems to be a "cultural" difference, though: MUDs
focus on quests, fighting, levels, experience, while MUSHes focus on
roleplaying, plots, playing together.  As to the discussion at hand I
don't think the distinction matters.  :)

I'll describe the MUSH I'm playing on, Elendor,
http://www.elendor.net/

Chris <cdl24@pop.hermes.cam.ac.uk> writes:

> See other post (by the way - I may disagree on some points, but on the whole
> very informative and thank you :-)

Thank you.  I'll try to do some more convincing.  Somehow I feel that
the main problem is lack of experience -- reading some of the other
posts I feel as if people here want to reinvent the wheel.  Therefore,
I suggest we collect arguments *against* using a MUSH so that I can
see wether we can dispell these arguments or wether a new solution is
actually called for.  Obviously nobody wants to code something from
scratch if an existing solution can be adapted.

The following seems to be your main point (correct me if I'm wrong,
add more if you're still not convinced to look at it):

> This is more like what I need.  I need a way to implement a storyline which
> people can play together.

Several problems arise, I'll try to address some of them:

Objects

Objects are owned by their creator.  Each object exists exactly once.
When a character disconnects, he is inactivated (invisible, non
attackable, no events react to him).  He keeps his objects (which are
therefore also invisible, since they are "inside" the character.

Plots

Plots usually involve several people (at least one) that oversee the
plot much like a game master oversees a roleplaying game (AD&D etc).
These plot owners coordinate everything, prepare players for their
role, prepare any objects and rooms needed, etc.  This is what you
will need to do.

Note that a lot of roleplay (most of the roleplay I've seen) doesn't
revolve around plots but is the result of several players improvising
together.  You may not want to encourage this play mode, but then
again, why should you forbid it.

Uniqueness

As you prepare the game ahead of time, and as players go through the
plot and talk about it afterwards, the entire thing is usually a
one-time affair.  You may not like this.  Since a plot usually
involves *people*, however, there's no avoiding it.  Nobody wants to
play the bad orc again and again and again.

Note that from an IF perspective, coding semi-intelligent NPCs is not
a problem.  IF authors are often used to coding.  Often enough MUSH
players don't code or don't have the priviledges to do so, therefore
not many people code the NPCs of their plots.  Back when I did this, I
had to do this because we didn't have enough players (the MUSH
eventually closed down).


OK, enough for now.  Perhaps you should take a look at a MUSH coding
manual to get a feel for what is possible and what is not.  Jump right
to the 2x2 file for the coding, skipping the intro...  ;)

http://pennsic.com/MUSHMAN/mman.html

The MUSH I play on is a PennMUSH (that refers to the "hardcode"
underneath all the descriptions, rooms, objects, etc.  Sort of like
calling it the "Inform-Server" or the "TADS-Server").  There is a lot
of information on the homepage, including a short paragraph on MUD,
MUSH and PennMUSH:

http://pennmush.org/

Alex.
--
http://www.geocities.com/kensanata/
Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love.
	-- Turkish proverb
