[Alexander Tau]

I am mostly trying to be helpful and nudge you in the direction
of full scale Mud design. Making a whole reality is a HUGE task but
one that many have accomplished.

I know you have a lot of player ideas, and good ones. But those are
really the end of the process. What your characters can do is based on
the World, rules, commands, and systems that are created.

So as you consider the map and how that might have to work, think
about the other details of the World. Terrain and what other factors
have to be included. I can tell you that a lot of the stuff that is really
vital to normal combat is not present in any mud codebase. Weapons
that fire beyond a single room are not standard, and a source of endless
debate.

A.T
(-)

[Steiner]

Believe it or not, I have done a lot of work on the more un-interesting parts of play, I am using the "Design as I play" idea. I start out as one of the characters and see what exactly this character will need to do (and rules to guide him) to make it a good game.

You're more than right when you say that I get sidetracked a lot, it's true. But I have also began to outline the hardcore material for the MUD, even the grid mapping of Vietnam. I have began research from outside and first-hand sources in the war, to see what features and weapons I need to include.

I suppose I will put a post for Coders and Builders, or any staff, since my server became a reality last night. Wish me luck guys.

[Frakkle]

However in so far as a realistic mud, I think it would be rather fun to play this.

One idea you might consider so as to avoid the controversial issues and whatnot is to fabricate a time in history completely, and thoroughly.

Say you want a pirate theme? Pick a time in history wherein very little was happening and make up a few villain figureheads, their domains, some fanatical cultists (there always are some.. just don't name them and don't make them seem to parallel any religion), some lunatics, heretics, a few prophets, the figureheads who try to be good and just but also have a few dark secrets up their sleeve, and your players, who have to figure out what the hell is going on and who they want to side with.

Simply place the geography on scattered islands and you have pirates. Players could pick a role of an evil pirate, pillaging and all that, or a tactful good-natured piarte, who try only to take out ships of cruel nations.

That sets you up for a reputation factor, where after awhile you get a bounty on your head (whether from good or evil kingdoms), and you'll find yourself hunted by other ships.

And so on.

There's a lot to go on in so far as a realistic mud, but it's best to stay away from 'real' history, in my opinion.

[Steiner]

You're right to a certain extent Frakkle, it is good to avoid certain controversy. On the other hand, many games out there don't bother... games based purely on history.

I've Decided that we are going to build a MUD based on Vietnam, however it will not be the same. It will not have the same people, or near the involvement in the beginning that it did in real life. Everything else will be the same as far as weaponry and the types of people that were there.

Everything in the past that has been done, and done well, has sparked some sort of complaint or controversy. I expect this. I am going to treat this MUD with the utmost respect to those that lost their lives in this war, and in memory of them show people what they really had to go through by recreating the same senario, that this time will be changed (the outcome and battles) by the players themselves.

[Cougar Khan]

How about starting a MUD from a certain point in history; The invention of electricity, and build from there. Let the MUD create its own future, while maintaining some portions of a history we all know. It may be fun, may not be.

This reminds me of the old story where people used Hot Air Balloons to travel into outerspace in the 19th Century - was that a TSR product?

[Letum]

Wonderful, someone else agrees!

I have actually had the idea for quite some time now. My idea includes enhanced detailed and would be based on the politics of the real world today. Everything would be player-controlled and the politics in-depth. If you can't tell, I would like to be a politician in a MUD world, so thats why I had the idea. Sounds good to me though, and if your developing that MUD I would LOVE to help out.

-Letum