[IDEA] Thus the storms did come...

From: Daniel Koepke (dkoepke@california.com)
Date: 02/01/97


Since some people seemed to like the ideas that evolved from the
brief thread on object/weapon weights, I thought I'd try bringing
out more ideas towards realism in hack-n-slash (or role-playing)
MUDs.  One of the things that popped into my mind as being rather
poorly implemented: weather.

Weather, as it is now, accounts for a lot of things, but it's
universal.  A storm in one place means a storm in another.  Thus,
I might suggest making different zones have different weather.  So
it could be raining in Midgaard and bright and sunny in Rome.  The
natural extension thus, is to make zones be able to modify the
weather, so it's burning hot in the desert, rainy and stuffy in
the rain forest, freezing cold on the peaks of mountains, etc.  If
we then have zones that are traditionally colder, we can then
evolve weather even further.  Make it colder at night, have zones
with longer/short seasons that affect weather, etc.

So, now we have the base system here designed.  We can then get to
the really fun stuff in having weather affect players in nasty ways.
It's burning hot?  Movements down (or exhaustion up), getting thirsty
faster, getting weaker...  Freezing cold?  Watch out for frostbite!
Raining?  Don't want that armor to get rusty...  Hail?  Owwww, that's
got to hurt!  Snowy?  Moving will be a lot harder.  Wet/Icy?  Don't
slip!

Adds quite a bit of depth when players aren't going around wearing
full plate mail in the middle of a desert, eh?  Give them a challenge!

I think a common problem implementors face is making their game more
challenging.  The "obvious" (but wrong) solution to this problem is to
make tougher mobiles, weaker objects, etc.  Instead of upsetting the
game balance like that, why not put players up against the enviroment
they're in, as well as it's inhabitants.  Traps and perils, bad weather,
fog and mist, creepers and tangled mats of vines to trip you up.  It
doesn't necessarily discourage any activity, just makes players think
about more things before they rush and attack.  If things are in the
way, they might decide against playing rough while in that rain forest.
Tripping could be their death.

Your thoughts, suggestions, bashing?


--
Daniel Koepke
dkoepke@california.com
Forgive me father, for I am sin.


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