Here''s a nightmare design for ya: Darkmage139''s dead people post & cannibalism (*uck*) reminded me of an old idea for RPGs... What if a CRPG''s game rules were constant, but exceptions were made based on a global modifier that represented context. You know, the overall situation and atmosphere. The state of affairs. Normally, this would be a slippery concept, but look at it this way: It''s illegal in just about every place on the globe to kill. Yet if your life is threatened, you can kill in self defense. And if you''re sent to war, killing the enemy is allowed. But killing enemy who have surrendered is (by most) considered illegal or at least reprehensible. Same is true with cannibalism. Depends on the context. Someone who does it for fun isn''t the same as someone who does it because they''re trapped and starving, or because it''s part of their cultural heritage (certain tribes around the world). This is context. I wonder if it *context* can be encoded simply, rather than as a series of a bazillion if/then rules. Any ideas? My first thought is that something like this would have to be a part of a game rule''s natural formula for an action''s resolution. I''m almost seeing a finite state machine for rules, but that''s getting WAAAAAAAY too bizarre!!! -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...

quote:Original post by Wavinator

Same is true with cannibalism. Depends on the context. Someone who does it for fun isn''t the same as someone who does it because they''re trapped and starving, or because it''s part of their cultural heritage (certain tribes around the world).

As an aside, read the synopsis of this book.