character screen identities

[JeffCrook]

This subject spins off from my previous question about dueling. Would it be possible for a player to have several different names or screen identities for the same characters? In my game, it would not always be advisable to use your character's real screen name, especially if your character is fracturing the laws of the land. Using the street brawl example, lets say a character named Lin has decided to go to a fight between two player factions. He is of low social class and is not allowed to carry weapons, but he goes to the fight with a sword and stabs somebody. Other players might report him to the authorities and Lin would be in trouble, all because he was forced to use his real screen identity. However, in my game, there is a disguise skill. This would be a perfect opportunity for real game use of the disguise skill - to be allowed multiple character identities for the same character. Does the game engine allow for this?

[LisaD]

Jeff, funny you should ask.

Check out the "Articles" section, read the short article "Disguises When Everybody Knows Your Name." The programming staff insists that the system I've described be at least a year off, if not longer, but this is the thinking so far.

To be honest, it is very likely we will have a simplier, "skill check" version of disguise, well before the system in the article is implemented. For the computer to understand your efforts to disguise yourself is a daunting bit of programming for a very narrowly useful, though really keen effect. Nevertheless, I wanted you to know that we are thinking in these terms.

All the "StoryPlayer Articles" are descriptions of where we want the game system to go, not necessarily where it is now -- after all, we are yet, pre-beta. And even when we beta Castle Marrach, we will be focusing most intently on the systems that Marrach, as designed, requires, such as Proximity in regards to Consent and Sound, also the Clothing system -- though I don't believe we will be able to track wearing boots on your hands and pants on your head like described in the article -- not yet anyway....

Lisa Eichler -- Skotos Director of Markeing
[wearing her older "Game Developer" hat http://www.skotos.net/ubb/wink.gif]

[JeffCrook]

To be honest, it is very likely we will have a simplier, "skill check" version of disguise, well before the system in the article is implemented. For the computer to understand your efforts to disguise yourself is a daunting bit of programming for a very narrowly useful, though really keen effect. Nevertheless, I wanted you to know that we are thinking in these terms.


Sorry, I missed that article. Yes, something this elaborate would indeed be keen, but I was thinking something a little simpler. To use my previous example, let's say Lin wanted to go to the fight and use his sword. Before leaving for the fight, he changes his screen name, provided he has the disguise skill. Nothing else changes, just the name. Other players who know him well might recognize him by his actions or speech, but he would at least be protected and could operate with some level of anonymity. Basically, this is like putting on a mask to go to a riot. This would be enough to satisfy my needs, as a player or designer, at least for the moment.

[ChristopherA]

Originally posted by JeffCrook:
Nothing else changes, just the name.

There is no reason why this isn't possible with the current code. This may sound like gobbledygook, but to use our terms of art -- a players name is not 'hard coded', instead, like all other text it is text that can be modified by active markup. Thus you can have an active markup test if a disguise is currently on, and give different text.

The harder problem are game design problems -- is what is name that does identify the player? It probably shouldn't be another player's name -- identity is hard enough on the net and people get very uncomfortable if someone else can 'take' their identity. So you come up with some 'no name' name, but then you know the player is disguised. So you have to create NPCs with no names, but they don't pass the turing test, etc.

Related but different, there have been some games on the net that have experimented with 'introduction' systems, where you have to 'introduce' yourself to some before your name shows up. Some even allow you to introduce yourself as different names to different people. Most of these attempts sounded cool, but in practice ended up with serious complaints from users.

I'm not against the idea, but the larger design ramifications are such that it is probably worth while trying out some of the ideas in a stage to see what the players reactions are to them.

-- Christopher Allen

[JeffCrook]

Originally posted by ChristopherA:
There is no reason why this isn't possible with the current code. This may sound like gobbledygook, but to use our terms of art -- a players name is not 'hard coded', instead, like all other text it is text that can be modified by active markup. Thus you can have an active markup test if a disguise is currently on, and give different text.


I thought this would be possible.

The harder problem are game design problems -- is what is name that does identify the player? It probably shouldn't be another player's name -- identity is hard enough on the net and people get very uncomfortable if someone else can 'take' their identity.

I was also wondering about this. When you say player, do you mean character? I would never want to identify a character by the player's name or even the player's screen name. the only thing that should show up is the character's screen name, which, with the disguise skill, you should be able to change. As for someone stealing another character's identity, again the disguise skill would be required to do this. However, I think the ability to actually mimic someone else should be restricted until the level of complexity discussed in the disguise article is implemented. Until then, I think a simple code to prevent assumption of any other character name would suffice.

Speaking of, this brings up a new question. Maybe I overlooked this. It seems kind of obvious. What is the naming standard for the games? Can two players have characters with the same name, so long as they define each by an epithet or place name, like Rogar the Red-handed and Rogar of Dale?

[ChristopherA]

Originally posted by JeffCrook:
What is the naming standard for the games? Can two players have characters with the same name, so long as they define each by an epithet or place name, like Rogar the Red-handed and Rogar of Dale?

This is also game specific. Right now, Castle Marrach only takes a single first name, which must be unique. Titles and honorifics (Sir, Dame, Lord, Lady, etc.) have to be earned in game. For reasons specific to that game, people do not have family names.

Big games like Alvatia names will likely not be required to be unique, and can have different requirements on surnames. For instance, people could be differentiated by place (Bren of Darcyville), by nickname (Bren the Elder), by father or mother (Bren Carrickson), by profession (Bren the Smith), or family name (Bren Carrick).

Obviously Stages will have to support the traditional First Name - Family Name pairing for many games.

-- Christopher Allen

[Malichor]

I had been working on this very thing for my mud,

solution one:
do not give the person another "name" but rather reduce them to a generic description
a male human... a female dwarf...

the system also does this when you "look" several rooms distant.. while bob the mage may be in the room beside yours.. put him 3 rooms away, and he becomes a robed human(body item check, and race check), and even further.. a humanoid (body style check)

[Malichor]

solution two:

add in obscuring clothing, hooded cloaks or hooded robes

while the hood is "up" the person is reduced to item desc and body type "a robed humanoid"

with a "lower hood" command, all is revealed

although, in my game, use of hoods, over time reduced alignment from positive towards neutral ( actin sneaky, makes someone less trustable, and "good")