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Old 02-28-2009, 08:11 PM   #7
nasredin
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Name: Boris
Location: Moscow
Home MUD: ArcticMUD (mud.arctic.org 2700)
Posts: 38
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Re: Any interest in a MUD programming contest?

The original idea is interesting but I don't see how to make a contest out of it.

In particular, the way you described it, it's a contest for the coders. Since most coders are working full-time for their favourite MUD, they aren't likely to implement something valuable just for practice. If they implement something for the contest, that should be useful also for their main project.

The problem is, the MUDs are very different. For example, our MUD (Arctic) is a competitive world, with limited objects and full PK. That makes balance a very important matter. Adding an ability to tear a hole in any pack with a frozen rat tail doesn't sound like a good idea. An unexpected use is usually an unbalanced use, that is bad and should be avoided.

Further on, even if such a system is implemented, it would require setting 128 flags on EVERY mob or object entity in the game. That's a LOT of work. Forget to properly set the flags on 1 rat type - and the picture becomes inconsistent.

Thus, our coders provide general purpose functionality and the scenarios such as the one you mentioned are for the builders to create. When the 'special' use is limited to a single location in a single zone, it's easier to control and to maintain the balance.

Other than that, there are almost no limitations. Within my zone, I may have animals with pointed limbs, the corpses may be frozen and broken etc.

I guess almost every MUD has their own specifics and my example may shy in comparison with the others. How would you compare the work of coders and builders from different MUDs if everything they do is so different?
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