nu.kanga.list.mud-dev

2729: Re: [MUD-Dev] Graphic MUDS.

In <Pine.LNX.3.96.970730071840.133A-100000@mpc.dyn.ml.org>, on
07/29/97 
   at 11:23 PM, Matt Chatterley <root@mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:

>On Tue, 29 Jul 1997 clawrenc@cup.hp.com wrote:

>> In <199707290933.CAA02081@user2.inficad.com>, on 07/29/97 
>>    at 02:25 AM, Adam Wiggins <nightfall@user2.inficad.com> said:
>> 
>> Re: What is needed to make a MUD
>> 
>> >...At the very least you need
>> >something where you can choose a lot of options to personalize your
>> >character, then have that character use those abilities to grow,
>> >change, and learn new abilities, all of which are 'remembered' by the
>> >game.  This can include anything from your skill with long blades to
>> >scars to your character's birthday.
>> 
>> This would imply that simplistic level based MUDs with no character
>> customisation outside of name, level, inventory, and possibly current
>> HP value are not MUDs.  (cf MUD2, Shades, most Abers, etc).

>Most relatively modern servers allow far more than this though -
>perhaps a progressive definition. I do still maintain (pretty much
>for the same reasons) that the real 'key point' of the definition of
>a mud lies within level of interactivity with the environment itself.

I'm not about to attempt a point by point definition of MUD.  I see
the definition of MUD being rather like a blob of black ink, recently
dropped into a bucket of still water.  You can definitely see where
the black blob is, but as you move away from there, well, its still
inky, but less so.  Just where does the ink stop and the water begin
(esp seeing as the Ink is a water suspension)?  

Its moot.  Its a multi-dimentional sliding scale.  The centre is
undoubtedly a MUD.  The definition of where the exact centre is is
questionable,  The definition of whether any point not on the centre
is a MUD or not is more or less questionable, and I'm not about to
start arguing how many angels can dance on the head of a virtual pin
coded in LPC/ColdC/etc.

I'm content with:  DOOM, Diablo, Duke Nukem etc are not MUDs. 
Nightmare, LP, DIKU, MOO, Tiny-*, ColdC etc are MUDs.  Between the two
sets there be dragons.

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw@null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder@ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc@cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...