.plan for Meat version two

Here are some sweeping changes I'm thinking about incorporating and adding to the TODO list (bear in mind this list is fluid and can change at will, especially if players offer good suggestions - this is your chance to participate in the next iteration of this MUD):

MUD School is going to be hosed and replaced has been supplanted by a new area with an active survival quest that new characters will be immediately dropped into. I might stick with the basic "MUD school" premise, but it will be something along the lines of "an army of skeletons has attacked the school and kidnapped the adepts of Furey and Hatchet - you must rescue them!" kind of scenario - probably not precisely like that but Something that would strives to make a new player eager to get started, rather than bore them to tears. Not to mention, the number one thing that causes new players to quit upon checking out a MUD is MUD School.

Likewise, Midgaard is going to get the post-apocolyptic treatment and will probably be renamed, a rebuilt early-world city featuring taller walls, towers and buildings, all made of stone.  I'm planning on making the new Midgaard more of a playground for new characters who like to flaunt the rules and risk getting in trouble with the local guards - especially thieves.  I don't know if Frank Zappa is going to survive the apocalypse intact - we will probably see the Immortal Spirit of Frank Zappa if he does manage to stick around. Other areas in the game will likely be hosed or completely revamped as time permits, but these two are the major ones and are high priority.

Traditional player-character max-levels are to be have been reduced from 60 down to 30 (currently level 31 is Hero but that is subject to change) and skills/spells will be rearranged appropriately. Available classes during character creation will be have been reduced restored to the classic four (warrior, cleric, mage & thief), and available races during character creation will also be reduced restored to the classic player-character races of D&D. Multi-classing will be has been disabled during character creation. Stats may be rolled during character creation, and extra points can be assigned afterward (in-game) using training points.

Practices will become "training points" only to be used to improve stats (one training point will increase a stat by one), and the method to obtain additional training points will require a spell/skill be mastered by the character (90-95% learned). Mastered skills will generate more training points earned than spells. The prime statistic for each class can potentially be increased to 19 (ie: intellligence for mages, wisdom for clerics), other statistics will be limited to 18 without bonuses from magical items.

Skills and spells will be unlocked automatically upon reaching each level, with a beginning percent learned based on the character's wisdom + intelligence scores. Skills and spells can only be improved with gameplay, or by acquiring a scroll of mastery which will raise the percent learned based on the character's wisdom + intelligence scores.

The required experience to reach each level will be has been doubled (from 1000 exps to 2000 exps). Death penalties towards gained experience will continue to apply. Death will potentially entail other losses. The current prior death system (ending up in the purgatory limbo zone w/ all equipment in the inventory) needs to be has been readdressed, dead players now respawn in the original room they start the game in, in the catacombs newbie area.

Upon reaching level 30, the player's option to participate in Tier II (levels 31-51) will be unlocked. Tier II can be considered class specialization - each class will be able to pick from (eventually multiple) enhanced class-types that are not available during character creation, such as assassin, paladin, monk and master sorcerer. Tier II classes must earn quest points in addition to 2000 exps in order to gain a level. Spells/skills will be unlocked as usual. Level 51 is Hero, granted the same basic rights as level 60 hero in the current game.

Also in addition to items already on the TODO list (http://meatmud.fatedtoend.com/todo) the vampire mobs are to become more likely to infect PCs (heros may remain immune) - currently vampires cannot infect someone who is a greater level, and there is a limited percent-chance of it happening even to someone who is a lower level what with saving throws and so-forth. I would like to add a vampire immunity equipment flag for special quest armor/clothing items to protect against getting infected. I also intend to add werewolves in along similar lines. I want it to be possible to permanently change your character's race in-game to certain races traditionally reserved to NPCs - some players WANT to be vampires/werewolves/angels/demons/dragonkind/etc/etc - as long as it's not ridiculous. No permanent full dragons, no permanent full gods/goddesses, no permanet large/extra-large races, no plants/fish or other races that cannot exist in a typical humanoid's environment.

Combat will need to be readdressed - IE: disarm had been disabled in an attempt to make the game less harsh - but will likely be enabled for mid-to-high level monsters in order to create better sense of danger during combat.  Other changes may go into effect in this area in order to create a better sense of balance.

With these sweeping changes the MUD needs a new name, and Meat II doesn't really strike home for me.  For this reason I will be changing the name to Havens, which will also be the name of the main town.  Never mind, we're going to be Meat II after all.