Re: [Off-Topic] Number of Coders for a MUD

From: Marc Gale (MARC@BGC.AC.UK)
Date: 09/17/98


> How about perminent damage to characters, loss of limbs? sight?
> Anyone think of that yet?

Yep, thought of that in depth and discarded the idea.

The idea sounds fun, for the admin.  Put yourself in the players
position.  You're playing along quite merrily, when
something attacks you and you lose a leg.  You now find it harder to
flee.  You then lose the other leg, fleeing is impossible now.  Then
the monster starts taking more limbs off, as you vainly struggle
against it's attacks.  You can't quit, because you're in combat.
Eventually, you die.  You come back in the game...do you have your
limbs or not? If you do, then you might still be *very* disturbed
about what happened (bear in mind we cannot control the age of our
public players, I for one do not want to have the parents of a seven
year old hammering at my virtual door because little johnny is having
nightmares about decapitation).

Although combat and killing things is harsh, it is quick and very
much like comic books.  Decapitation is another thing entirely,
especially if the player has to sit and watch, powerless to do
anything.

If the loss of limbs is permanent, how does the player restore them?
Do they have to walk to a healer, what if this is impossible?  More
than likely, the player will quit, may or may not delete the
character if they are feeling tidy, and never visit your MUD again.

I agree that a lot of people would find this system fun, and perhaps
the option could be on a toggle, but for the psychological risk, I'm
not willing to implement it.

Marc


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