nu.kanga.list.mud-dev

102: Re: Resets and repops

On 20/03/97 at 01:47 AM, "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc@ix.netcom.com>
said: >> From: Nathan Yospe <yospe@hawaii.edu>
>> :On 17/03/97 at 12:17 PM, "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc@ix.netcom.com> said:

>> :>I have attempted to balance this by programming some
>> :>NPCs to be "marshalls" for other NPCs or controllers of city/town
>> :>subsystems.  Thus not all NPC scripts are  active and consuming
>> :>resources all the time.  For instance city guard captains are  
>> :> programmed to issue patrol orders and attack orders to their 
>> :>charges.  An interesting side affect is that by taking out a 
>> :>"marshall" or subsystem controller, a great amount of chaos
>> :>ensues until a replacement NPC is found.  
>> 
>> :Cute.  I like this.
>> 
>> Hmmm. I tend to like everything remotely active to be completely active,
>> thinking for itself to a greater or lesser extent.

>I agree with this, the type of activity I refer to occurs whether or
>not players are present.  The individual tactical activity occurs when >players are present.

To clarify what I like here:

Squad23 is mostly composed of grunts with an IQ failing to reach that
of a drunk maggot.  Left to their own devices these fellows will fight
anything that moves encluding each other, fail to provision
themselves, go AWOL, starve, spurge, and generally be stupid. 
However, should Squad23 acquire a sergeant by some means, that
sergeant will form an anonymous group out of the disparate members,
and then control/guide them into unified semi-intelligent action by
forging events for each of the members and inserting them into their
event streams.  Thus they become organised and animated as a cohesive
guided group.  Decapitate the sergeant however, and the group
dissolves into chaos again as the guiding events cease to generate.

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