Re: Religion

Carl Edman (cedman@golem.ps.uci.edu)
Mon, 31 Aug 92 05:55:24 PDT

> As interesting as it may seem I don't think that having PCs
> as Gods in olympia is feasible or practical in the long
> term. My reasons for saying this are.
>

> 1. Whilst gods should be vain, malicious and petty I think
> that the control of said emotions should be in the hands of
> a program than in the hands of an ex-PC. Primarily because
> a PC reaching God-hood would be very tempted to exorcie
> his/hers new found powers and take revenge on those who
> have caused him/her strife in his/her mortal existance.
> (Ultimate power leads to ultimate corruption??).

I doubt that you or I or even the Great God Atnerks can write a
program which manages to be as vain, malicious and petty as some our
players manage to be :-). Program controlled gods would be just as
hapless creatures as currently the various orcs, trolls and savages
are.

> For instance should Son of Wulf [910] reach God hood the
> temptation to turn Spiney Norman into a pillar of salt
> would be enormous. (Spiney Norman killed my first
> charactor Wulf on his first turn of existance).

That is why the powers which at least I have proposed for gods are
very limited and subtle. A god would not be able to strike anyone
dead except perhaps his own followers. And if spiney norman became a
follower of the player he killed he deserves what gets.

> 2. The argument that PCs get bored with playing at the
> mortal level and should have the interest re-inspired by
> a new range of powers/ skills etc. will not stop said PCs
> becoming bored again.

Maybe. But at least bored, confined gods are less of a disruption
than bored, powerful and reckless players are. A god can just set
himself to permanently increase commerce in a province and go into
hibernation without any problems.

> 3. Richard S will need to incorporate another parser and
> additional code for a seperate section of players.

Not at all. In the simplest case, the player characters who become
gods just lose all their skills and possessions and are moved to
valhalla (a region without an exit). Then they get their god powers
(lets say series 99XX) and that is that.

> 4. The directions, motivations and aspect of the god
> should be controlled (indirectly) by those that worship
> IT. (i.e. GOD is made in mans immage).

Now, that is even harder than a good computer controlled god.

Carl Edman

PS: I will be incommunicado for the next two weeks, so don't expect
the usual quick response. Please, don't all try to kill me. And if
you do, I've made preparations. :-)


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