Here''s what I''m doing: I''ve got a scripting language for an multiplayer RPG(hopefully massive as well). Part of its chore is server side, but part of what I want to do is expose it to players through various mechanisms.

Here''s my example: Magic. Many people have said that programming and magic share similiar properties. Not only will the built-in spells be written in this scripting language, I want to allow players to write their own spells.

MY QUESTION: How should I expose the scripting language to the user? Should I just pop up a text box and let them hack away(admittedly not user friendly, and included only as baseline idea). Graphical "connect the components" style interface? I want ideas on how to let the player CREATE scripts in a way friendly to the player.

I''m also curious about ideas for other ways to allow players to create in-game scripts. I know that there are problems: The Kill-Everyone-Now spell will inevitably be attempted. Ideas for preventing this would be welcome too.

Yeah, I''ve been leaning toward the connected components idea myself, partially because the components can implement checks and still allow the user to do anything they can think of. I was also think of using "feed forward" and "feed back" links to alter the affects of connected pieces(and allow for interesting reactions when a spell quite literally backfires).

However, I am interested in ways this can be used to enhance gameplay. I find some attraction to the way it reduces the reliance of power maxing and brings into variability and dramatic customization of characters. So first off making it accessible to the player,i.e. non programmers , and how this can be used to affect gameplay, balance, etc. in other places besides magic(Surely my barbarian had CSC 201 as well as my mage, well maybe he _DID_ cheat on the final ;>).

(Total gibberish)?Vas an Grav Vor Aqa?Si am Aqa: Aqa plu. Si am Fir: Aqa min, Grav plu.!Ba a Tar! 

Elements are Gravity, Darkness, Water.If near water: Increase water element power. If near fire, less water and more gravity.Cast to target. 

Thanks for the interesting replies. I couldn''t find anything much than a paragraph description of Amiga Vision(at Google or Altavista), but it sounds like its along the lines of part of what I''m looking for. Loom sounds really cool, I just looked at it, It''s good to know that at least someone else tried something like this once .

Does anyone think this could enhance other aspects of game play? I was thinking of ways to make Magic systems more fun and evolutionary and thats how I got started on this idea, but I''m wondering what other kinds of things this could be used into. Weapon smithing? Religious orders? In my MMORPG, player characters can eventually be "translated" into deities. There are plenty of issues this brings up, but gods will have plenty of ways of having fun without molesting mortals; however they can influence the mortal plane by creating items to give(or "bind") to mortals. Maybe the deity could enhance the items by attaching a script to it? Of course I''ll have to work this into my item existance equations(some kind of component system is looking good here too). The Equation is a test which determines whether an item can exist, the simplistic expression of it is: Add all the "good" enhancements(damage, stats bonuses, etc.) and subtract all the "bad" enhancements(slow attack, stat detriments, etc.) and there are some scaling factors. Anyway, if the value exceeds a certain value, the weapon cannot be created.

I like the idea of "elemental" stuff, and runes, and some of the other things suggested. Here''s some more of my thoughts after reading some replies, was thinking(more like a programmer) of "components" which require certain things(like reagents, stats, environmental conditions, nothing). They would have inputs and outputs. You connect them to anything else. A complete spell could also be used as a component. There would be targetting components(area affect, person, location, etc.), summoning, elemental, inverter. Very "basic" sorts of things. The components individually succeed or fail, and the results feed forward(or backward) through the rest of the spell. If they all fail or feedback to the caster, sucks to be him. Perhaps there could even be components which prevent things from flowing back on the caster(at the expense of the qualities it feeds forward into the rest of the spell).

quote:Original post by Dogfood

Yeah, I''ve been leaning toward the connected components idea myself, partially because the components can implement checks and still allow the user to do anything they can think of.