|
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "taking over another character in another world", Thoric, but to answer both you and Unifex...
The basic idea is that this protocol at the user level (the mud transferring the pfile) just sends it over to another mud, or sends it to a database processing server. I would personally prefer code in each MUD that interprets the different player files from various MUDs, but the end result is this:
A filter-like program that would be added to each time another MUD joins the group of MUDs running their version of the PTP checks which MUD the pfile is coming from. Based on a list of differences in stats, gold usage, hp, mana, move, etc. this program modifies those characteristics up or down. Anything in the pfile that can't be used is stored for later use on MUDs where it would apply. Skills that a player might automatically have on one MUD are not just given to the player; obviously, when you travel to a different land, you have to learn their customs and practices the hard way.
Pfiles could get pretty large after a while of travelling to different muds, but there are already patches out allowing pfiles to be gzipped for more efficient HD storage.
The other problem is security; problem admins, problem players with shell acces, etc. Quite frankly, there is no code I can think of that's going to stop a stupid admin from wreaking havoc on a system like this. At that level, the admins who are already in on their PTP group will have to make decisions based on the integrity of the people who are requesting admittance into their MUD system. This also has the effect, possibly, on having like codebases stick together, or at least have different code bases working on the same basic ideas so that they transfer to more MUDs.
The code itself is going to be complex, but it's fairly straightforward once the most obvious problems have been discussed and worked with. A lot of the things that are coming up in this thread are really good problems, and it took the two of us a few months to put all of these onto the table. However, the end result of the conversation was that this isn't just something you patch into your MUD and go with; this requires a bit of time and a good bit of energy to implement and maintain well. But once the code is out there, I think everything will be just a tad easier.
-Visko
|