HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Clayten_Hamacher@mindlink.bc.ca (Clayten Hamacher)
Subject: World Design (maps)
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 10:23:34 GMT

I have been meaning to write a map generator, not just one that puts
mountains and rivers on a map, but one that generates a world like we have.

I'd use most of the rules of plate techtonics and a few other things, maybe a
gravity variant (how many hills and how high..)

Start with a sphere, draw 'plates' on it.
Toss a big chunk of land (1/3 or so) in one clump onto the map.
Assign directions and speeds to the 'plates', making all move roughly out
from        the center.
Keep track of convection currents for future use.
Note what plates eventually meet, depending on the type of boundary they'd
       form different landscape features (volcanoes etc)
Add hotspots and other 'phenomenon' to make small deformities.
Map the land roughly, only the big rivers and such things.
Print map of random Earthlike world..

Sorta simplified but I think it'd work.

Things like land percentage, world size, gravity (or link it directly to
size), number of 'phenomenon', tiny plates, hot spots, etc..(sorta like
turning disasters on in Sim City...:) )

Then output the map in a graphic (human form) and a computer readable map as
well (for a later program to map any specific part in great detail).

Please send and/or post any ideas/suggestions etc.

--

Clayten_Hamacher@Mindlink.bc.ca                 Land of the rising snow.
From: torbenm@diku.dk (Torben AEgidius Mogensen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: World Design (maps)
Date: 8 Jan 93 13:04:53 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

Clayten_Hamacher@mindlink.bc.ca (Clayten Hamacher) writes:

>I have been meaning to write a map generator, not just one that puts
>mountains and rivers on a map, but one that generates a world like we have.

>I'd use most of the rules of plate techtonics and a few other things, maybe a
>gravity variant (how many hills and how high..)

[tectonic "algorithm" deleted]

>Please send and/or post any ideas/suggestions etc.

Running a good tectonic simulation is hard. It is only moderately
difficult to move the plates, but deciding how the crust folds when
plates meet is extremely difficult. Also, one should consider erosion
as well. At present, our world is determined as much by erosion as by
tectonics. Old mountains become flat and glacial action has rounded
the mountains of Scandinavia. Rivers have carved canyons and
accumulated silt has created new land. Erosion from rapid temperature
changes has powdered rock to sand in the deserts. Etc. etc. etc.

Since erosion depends on climate, this should be simulated at the same
time.

All in all, trying to make a "realistic" world development simulation
is going to be extremely difficult and time consuming.

I have made a program that uses a variant of the mid-point
displacement method to create a fractal landscape on a spherical
planet. It is simple, relatively fast, and makes some fairly pleasing
and superficially natural looking planets, but on closer inspection it
is obvious that it is not natural: mountains come in clumps rather
than chains, there are no rivers and the lakes all have their surface
at sea level. I have added (not on the sphere, but on a flat map) rain
and flow of water to generate high-altitude lakes and rivers, but it
is very time consuming and not (yet) capable of making good-looking
rivers.

Anyway, if you have a magical world, why assume that it is created
like our own? Glorantha is an example of the opposite and I'm
currently working on Yggdrasil, the world tree. People live on the
branches, where the folds in the bark form mountains and seas. The
width of the largest branches is about the width of Western Europe
(from Britain and Spain in the west to Germany and Italy in the east).

Other example from literature are Diskworld and Ringworld. Though the
latter is not constructed magically, a similar concept could be used.

	Torben Mogensen (torbenn@diku.dk)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: skinner@fuzzy.stdavids.picker.com (Andy Skinner)
Subject: FUDGE melee combat simulator
Organization: Picker International, St. Davids
Distribution: rec
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 16:01:31 GMT


I've put together a C program to simulate melee combat in FUDGE.  Given
two character files, it runs some number of combats and calculates wins
and losses, damage done, damage condition at end of combat, and number of
rounds per combat.

There are lots of options, like the 2d6 method vs the 2d10 method, adding
bonuses to the roll or to the level (right now, damage penalties are always
applied to the level for 2d6, to the roll for 2d10, so it needs a bit of
correction), and the standard opposed roll method vs the one in the addenda
vs a new one: each player rolls once for attack and once for defense.

If anyone would like to play with it, send me email.  If there are enough
responses, I may post it.  I'm going to hold on to it for a little longer
to check again for bugs.  Once it is out, I'd like to keep editorship of
it in the same way that Steffan is editing FUDGE itself.  That way I can
try to add things in a way that further changes won't have to be hacked in.

andy
skinner@stdavids.picker.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: naam@cecer.army.mil (Ramez Naam)
Subject: Re: New Game
Organization: US Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Labs
Distribution: rec.games.design
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 05:03:41 GMT

pjhst10+@pitt.edu (Peter   J Hill) writes:

>I have an idea for a new game.  Does anyone know if I should copyright it, or
>do I have to get a patent, or what?  Thanks for your reply

If all you have is an idea, you can't do either.  If this is a
role-playing or other paper game, you can copyright the final rules (or
any sets of rules up until then, for that matter).  Copyright only
protects the _form_ of the document, though.  Someone can still take all
of your ideas and use them in a different game, with only very slight
modifications.  

--
Ramez Naam
naam@terra.cecer.army.mil
From: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: FUDGE melee combat simulator
Date: 12 Jan 93 01:45:21 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, NH.

Just a request for any who take up Andy on his Simulator offer: if you
play with it, please post your findings!  Even if it's a simple: "FUDGE
seems to return satisfactory results as I'd expect," or "Lots broken:
look what happened when I ran this warrior against this warrior," etc.

Thanks,

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: bmedley@hounix.org (Bert Medley)
Subject: Re: World Design (maps)
Organization: Houston UNIX Users Group (HOUNIX), Houston, TX
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 15:01:00 GMT

In article <19376@mindlink.bc.ca> Clayten_Hamacher@mindlink.bc.ca (Clayten Hamacher) writes:
>I have been meaning to write a map generator, not just one that puts
>mountains and rivers on a map, but one that generates a world like we have.
>
>I'd use most of the rules of plate techtonics and a few other things, maybe a
>gravity variant (how many hills and how high..)
>
>Start with a sphere, draw 'plates' on it.
>Toss a big chunk of land (1/3 or so) in one clump onto the map.
>Assign directions and speeds to the 'plates', making all move roughly out
>from        the center.
>Keep track of convection currents for future use.
>Note what plates eventually meet, depending on the type of boundary they'd
>       form different landscape features (volcanoes etc)
>Add hotspots and other 'phenomenon' to make small deformities.
>Map the land roughly, only the big rivers and such things.
>Print map of random Earthlike world..
>
>Sorta simplified but I think it'd work.
>
>Things like land percentage, world size, gravity (or link it directly to
>size), number of 'phenomenon', tiny plates, hot spots, etc..(sorta like
>turning disasters on in Sim City...:) )
>
>Then output the map in a graphic (human form) and a computer readable map as
>well (for a later program to map any specific part in great detail).
>
>Please send and/or post any ideas/suggestions etc.
>
>--
>
>Clayten_Hamacher@Mindlink.bc.ca                 Land of the rising snow.

Look at SimEarth for an example.  Also there is an archive site for this 
kind of stuff ... you may want to check out the rec.games.frp.archives FAQ
for the location.  I remember plate tectonic code and several other goodies 
that could be adapted.




-- 
Bert Medley                            | HOUNIX:  bmedley@hounix.org
2476 Bolsover #293                     | Work:    medley@synercom.hounix.org
Houston TX 77005                       | Home:    bert@medley.ssdl.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.design,rec.games.programmer
From: soth@spock.uucp (Samid Hoda)
Subject: Writing CRPGs
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:33:47 GMT

I am interested in writing a RPG, but do not know where to start. I would
appreciate advice on writing role-playing games or if there are any good
books that would help me learn about writing RPGs. For instance I am
interested in knowing if there are any bitmap libraries available for
an Eye of the Beholder or Underworld evironment for the game. If there are
such libraries what language are they for. I am an experienced programmer
in C and Pascal and would appreciate if the libraries would be for those
languages. 

-- 

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
/       soth@choate.edu                                                    /
---------------------------------------------------------------------------/
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- | |  / _\/| | ||| | _\/|    \ | /      / ___|/ / _\/| |_____|/ |||__||| -/
- | |_ || | | |--|/ || | |  \  \_/       |_|__/| || | |   | ||   ||/__||| -/
- | |_/||_|/  ||\\ \||_|/ -+|========>   /__\ || ||_|/    | ||   ||---||| -/
- \___|\__/   ||/\\/|__/    /            |____|/ \__/     |_|/   ||/  ||/ -/
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From: pjhst10+@pitt.edu (Peter   J Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: New Game
Date: 6 Jan 93 14:56:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: blue.1435
Distribution: rec.games.design
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <naam.726296621@terra.cecer.army.mil> naam@cecer.army.mil (Ramez Naam) writes:
>If all you have is an idea, you can't do either.  If this is a
>role-playing or other paper game, you can copyright the final rules (or
>any sets of rules up until then, for that matter).  Copyright only
>protects the _form_ of the document, though.  Someone can still take all
>of your ideas and use them in a different game, with only very slight
>modifications.  
>
>--
>Ramez Naam
>naam@terra.cecer.army.mil

Let me clarify myself, I have an idea for a board game (monopoly type of
setup, but totally different concept) I am making up the prototype for
the game.  Once that is finished, I want to be able to sell it.  What
do I have to do to protect myself from people trying to take my idea
and make a game just like it, and take all of the money from my idea.

pjhst10+@pitt.edu
From: Andrew.Stratton@cm.cf.ac.uk (Andrew F Stratton)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: HELP - anyone heard of a computer board game creator - will summarise
Date: 6 Jan 93 10:49:38 GMT
Distribution: rec.games.design
Organization: University of Wales College of Cardiff

I have heard of several adventure systems creators, but are there any
similar systems for creating board games.  Examples games that I think
could be created are Risk, Cosmic Encounter....

I will summarise to the net,
  Andy Stratton.

P.S. If anyone wants to write one - be my guest - I do not claim this
     idea, but I would like to test any package.
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: cffitzge@IASTATE.EDU (Charles F Fitzgerald)
Subject: Re: net.rpg:  world design
Reply-To: cffitzge@IASTATE.EDU (Charles F Fitzgerald)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 05:22:51 GMT

In article <1992Dec24.001604.6727@trl.oz.au> s.mathers@trl.oz.au writes:
>I am getting bored with talk of mechanics.  I think mechanics are of
>secondary importance when designing a RPG, and I think you would
>get a better and more consistent set of mechanics if you worried
>about them only after you have a reasonable idea of where the game
>will take place and what the world is like. (world=universe)

I agree with your sentiments.  I have always said that genre (and
hence, world) must be considered before any other desicisions are
made.  net.rpg, however, is designed to be a multi-genre (and hence,
multi-world) game system.  One might begin a discussion on how
game worlds are to be created, but discussion on one world would,
in my opinion, not fit within the net.rpg discussions.

The discussion on magic which was started prior to break was an
example of a world-specific discussion which still could be put
under a net.rpg heading.  Though not all worlds will have magic
in them, some will and we must consider the consequences of that
addition during the game design stage.  

Many interesting views were expressed concerning magic, and it is 
probably impossible to create a single magic system from those
views, nor is it necessary given the choice of a multi-genre
game system.  If we wanted to create a single fantasy world,
however, we would have to come to a consensus on how magic was
to be handled which would not be easy.  It would also likely
leave many out in the cold when their views were discarded in
favor of someone else's.

So, although I personally agree with most of your post, I would
say that discussion of the specifics (for example geography, 
population, etc.) of a particular game world is not the
province of net.rpg; such a discussion is more aplicable to 
private work by each individual or by a small group of 
individuals.

--
Charles F. Fitzgerald | '...it's a tale, told by an idiot,
Iowa State University | full of sound and fury,
cffitzge@iastate.edu  | signifying nothing.'
                      | _MacBeth_, by W. Shakespeare.
From: allen@baja.viewlogic.com (Dave Allen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: world maps
Date: 8 Jan 93 14:35:33 GMT
Organization: Viewlogic Systems, Inc., Marlboro, MA
Originator: allen@baja

Clayten Hamacher wrote:
> I have been meaning to write a map generator, not just one that puts
> mountains and rivers on a map, but one that generates a world like we have.
> I'd use most of the rules of plate techtonics and a few other things, maybe a
> gravity variant (how many hills and how high..)
> Start with a sphere, draw 'plates' on it.
> Toss a big chunk of land (1/3 or so) in one clump onto the map.
> Assign directions and speeds to the 'plates', making all move roughly out
> from        the center.
> Keep track of convection currents for future use.
> Note what plates eventually meet, depending on the type of boundary they'd
>        form different landscape features (volcanoes etc)
> Add hotspots and other 'phenomenon' to make small deformities.
> Map the land roughly, only the big rivers and such things.
> Print map of random Earthlike world..

Well, this isn't a FAQ, but it is an O(ften)AQ.  I wrote such a program and
posted it to comp.sources.misc two years ago.  You can get it from anyplace
that archives comp.sources.misc, volume 18.  My favorite place is to ftp from
ftp.uu.net, directory usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume18/planet.  It does
everything you asked for.  Get it, read the doc, and ask me questions.  Here's
the README:

This is version 1 of a scientific planet generator (as opposed to a
die-rolling planet generator).  It is written in C and runs in graphics
mode under Xwindows, or in text-only mode under UN*X.  There are three
programs:

   - tec: a continental drift simulator
   - clim: a climate generator
   - globe: computes and displays a rotating planet

Copyright (c) 1991 by David Allen.  You may distribute this freely as long
as you leave my name and copyright notice intact.

I'd really like your comments and feedback; send e-mail to
allen@viewlogic.com, or send us-mail to David Allen, 10 O'Moore Ave,
Maynard, MA 01754.

There are three subdirectories:

   - src: contains all source and a UN*X Makefile
   - example: contains some sample input and output files
   - doc: contains details about how to use the programs and how they work.

Dave Allen: allen@viewlogic.com
From: bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Bryce Koike)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: net.rpg:  world design
Date: 11 Jan 93 16:30:50 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1993Jan10.223147.9119@trl.oz.au> s.mathers@trl.oz.au writes:
>In article <43160@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Bryce Koike) writes:
>|> In article <C0GFq8.C97@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> alyon@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (arthur alexander lyon) writes:
>|> 	I disagree.  A bad set of rules will make a game quite
>|> unplayable.  (de-emphasis of such rules helps, but then why bother?)
>
>I find it hard to see any redeamable features about AD&D mechanics,
>but it's awfully popular.  Sort of reminds me of IBM PC's in a way.

	I disagree on both accounts.  AD&D mechanics are simple,
leave the generation of the character's personality up to the
player, have a very simple combat mechanic, a wide variety of spells
available...blah blah blah.  It works.  It works strangely, but it
works.  (No, I don't like AD&D, but if I want to game on weekends I
often don't have much of a choice...)

	So far as IBM PCs, that's just an opinion and really doesn't
say anything about the actual machine itself which works quite
nicely, to tell the truth.

Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: Clayten_Hamacher@mindlink.bc.ca (Clayten Hamacher)
Subject: Re: New Game
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 10:10:12 GMT

>You can get patents on board games; I know of some people who did.  I
>assume that most board-game patents are like theirs, "A patent on the
>method of moving playing pieces... blah, blah, blah" or something to that
>effect.  I'd heard that getting a patent was expensive (for lawyers and
>patent searches), but I don't think they had huge resources (they just sell
>the game mail-order, and they still have day jobs) so maybe it's not as bad
>as I've heard.
>
>        -- Jim

Well, I talked to a friend who is a patent lawyer about a patent I was trying
to get and he said I'd be looking at $4k or so, mainly for searches and other
lawyer fees. I am patenting a telephone device so I'm not sure of searches
for board games etc but I think it'd be around the same general price range.

P.S. it also took a long time.. I was told it could be up to 2 years before I
actually had it officially patented. As soon as I actually asked my lawyer to
start the process I was entitled to put 'patent pending' on it but he said
that patent pending means absolutely nothing. The only good it can have is
scare people away, they could pay a few thousand to engineer a copy and not
get any rights because the patent just came through..  This is different with
a board game (nothing to reverse engineer or anything) but you can (c) the
rules and the board etc.. and then they can't just copy it...
(much more useful than 'patent pending')

--

Clayten_Hamacher@Mindlink.bc.ca                 Land of the rising snow.
Xref: sparky rec.games.design:2585 rec.games.board:13021
Newsgroups: rec.games.design,rec.games.board
Subject: Design Software
From: shane@ewd.dsto.gov.au (Shane Kelly)
Date: 7 Jan 93 15:10:48 CST
Distribution: world
Organization: Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Salisbury, South Australia
Keywords: PD Software

	Does anyone know of any PD software to assist in the
development of board games? I am thinking of things like postscript
output for game cards, postscipt hex grid generators or the like.
I am currently designing a fantasy board game based around combat
between mythological beasts controlled by wizards. This is my
3rd attempt at board game design and I think this one might even 
be playable.

	Any comments appreciated

			Shane

-- 
Shane Kelly                         E-mail: shane@ewd.dsto.gov.au
Electronic Warfare Division         Phone: (08) 259 5460 
DSTO Salisbury, South Australia     Fax: (08) 259 5938
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
From: naam@cecer.army.mil (Ramez Naam)
Subject: Re: New Game
Organization: US Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Labs
Distribution: rec.games.design
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:37:06 GMT

pjhst10+@pitt.edu (Peter   J Hill) writes:

>Let me clarify myself, I have an idea for a board game (monopoly type of
>setup, but totally different concept) I am making up the prototype for
>the game.  Once that is finished, I want to be able to sell it.  What
>do I have to do to protect myself from people trying to take my idea
>and make a game just like it, and take all of the money from my idea.

>pjhst10+@pitt.edu

I really don't know what the rules for copyrighting things like playing
boards are, or even if there are any.  Sorry.  In any case, there isn't
really anything you can do.  If a big game company sees your idea and
decides that it wants to use it, they'll use it.  Fortunately, from`
what I hear from people involved in the business, most companies
(at least, role-playing companies, but I'd presume board-game 
companies are similar) are pretty good about respecting others' ideas.

--
Ramez Naam
naam@terra.cecer.army.mil