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noodles · 12-07-2005, 08:41 AM

To me, what is interesting is the idea of where text based MUDs will go.

I've always thought that by having an engine where the world was defined in a processable way, would enable a deeper more interesting world. What I mean is a 3D world, room-less, where the description for the current position is generated automatically based on a generated world. Then procedurally generated life, cities, towns, villages and entities that populate these going through an abstract simulation of life.

Doing a 3D world is doable, even for a text based world. Procedurally generating content in that world is doable. To me, the hardest bit is defining the materials, resources, processes of manufacturing, what an entity of a given profession does for a living. But once you have, you have a flow of resources. A simulated economy. A base world where the entities are the normal people and the players can be the heroes. Players could organise businesses and employ entities or other players interchangeably.

There is one company making a graphical game where the world is defined in such a way that players can take any part in the world, bringing in the harvest, etc.. I believe it is called . Personally it sounds like drudgery, but to me when I read about it I just see the potential for middleware where you can buy the logic to define the contents of a medieval world and the processes which involve these materials.

Because the world is defined in a way that is abstract and code can reason over it, the builders place would be to take the generated base and to tweak it and paint over it. Giving it colour, perhaps even editing the generation parameters to build in that colour at an ever lower level. In a way, it reminds me of the way Star Wars Galaxies did their terrain generation, they generated the planet randomly, then had artists tweak it and colour it building on top of the base.

Anyway, thats the vision I have had for a long time, and not all of it (if any of it) is unique, I have seen similar things in some of the aspects out there. But not a text based MUD based on a generated 3D world, maybe PhysMUD by Nathan Yospe qualified as an implementation (but has anyone ever seen PhysMUD and does it really exist seems to be a common thought). There are things out there which implement parts of this, more likely in the graphical approach, but I see no reason that it could not be done by someone with the motivation and the skill. And while I may not have explained what I see the potential to be well enough here, I think it would be a next level in text mudding.

12-07-2005, 08:41 AM	#35
noodles Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 30	To me, what is interesting is the idea of where text based MUDs will go. I've always thought that by having an engine where the world was defined in a processable way, would enable a deeper more interesting world. What I mean is a 3D world, room-less, where the description for the current position is generated automatically based on a generated world. Then procedurally generated life, cities, towns, villages and entities that populate these going through an abstract simulation of life. Doing a 3D world is doable, even for a text based world. Procedurally generating content in that world is doable. To me, the hardest bit is defining the materials, resources, processes of manufacturing, what an entity of a given profession does for a living. But once you have, you have a flow of resources. A simulated economy. A base world where the entities are the normal people and the players can be the heroes. Players could organise businesses and employ entities or other players interchangeably. There is one company making a graphical game where the world is defined in such a way that players can take any part in the world, bringing in the harvest, etc.. I believe it is called . Personally it sounds like drudgery, but to me when I read about it I just see the potential for middleware where you can buy the logic to define the contents of a medieval world and the processes which involve these materials. Because the world is defined in a way that is abstract and code can reason over it, the builders place would be to take the generated base and to tweak it and paint over it. Giving it colour, perhaps even editing the generation parameters to build in that colour at an ever lower level. In a way, it reminds me of the way Star Wars Galaxies did their terrain generation, they generated the planet randomly, then had artists tweak it and colour it building on top of the base. Anyway, thats the vision I have had for a long time, and not all of it (if any of it) is unique, I have seen similar things in some of the aspects out there. But not a text based MUD based on a generated 3D world, maybe PhysMUD by Nathan Yospe qualified as an implementation (but has anyone ever seen PhysMUD and does it really exist seems to be a common thought). There are things out there which implement parts of this, more likely in the graphical approach, but I see no reason that it could not be done by someone with the motivation and the skill. And while I may not have explained what I see the potential to be well enough here, I think it would be a next level in text mudding.