I mentioned these on another thread. At least one player thought they would be a cool idea.
ALL of our roleplaying on EVE takes place on the equivalent (EVEquivalent?) of a MIRC channel. Our corp chat, custom channels, even local, are all MIRC channels.
I think the addition of a MIRC bot to the EVE channels would be a tremendous boon to EVE roleplay.
For those who aren't familiar, a MIRC bot is a computer script which is designed to perform certain actions or say certain phrases when a symbol proceeding a trigger word is introduced. For example, if you type !dance, the MIRC bot would respond with 'Leeloo the exotic dancer twirls around the pole and shakes her booty at you.' The bot text would be a different colour, such as red.
A MIRC bot is an NPC that you can interact with. It can perform several roles. It can kick/ban someone from the channel, it can introduce a randomizing element, it could serve as an NPC instructor for lore.
In a channel that is a Minmatar bar in Low sec for example, you could have a bouncer, a sand pit for fighting, and a 'wise elder'. These could all be different characters on the same bot.
The bouncer would respond with an automatic line of script that he gives your character a 'hard, mean scowl of distrust', unless you are placed on it's friends list. The bouncer could also automatically intercept knives, pistols, clubs, etc. with a pre-programmed script. e.g. A character named Joker roleplays in character and types "Joker gives Tommy a cold stare, reaching towards his belt towards his vibroknife." A channel mod, or even an ordinary patron, types !knifeJoker. The MIRCbot automatically responds with "Benny the bouncer moves like a Tuularian monkey on Frentix, grabbing the wrist of Joker and knocking the knife out of their hand."
When Incarna was introduced, reams and reams of EVE forum posts were made about how cool it would be if/ when we would be able to fight in stations. Has your war target docked up? No problem! Dock up yourself and hunt them down in the station! Shoot them with your scrambler pistol, or maybe just punch them in the face!
Of course, this never happened. However, the randomizer element on a MIRCbot can come up with a random number between 1 and 100. This has potential not only for gambling, such as roulette, blackjack, rodent racing and so on, but also for roleplay melee fights.
Personally, I don't think that ranged weapons would be allowed in Space stations, since that laser or bullet might either ricochet around in the station's interior, or penetrate the wall and lead to decompression. Melee weapons are a little more fun. Leave your ranged weapons for fighting in space!
I just came from a Jiujitsu lesson, so let's assume that some form of martial art is programmed into the MIRCbot. Punches, kicks, throws, holds, etc. Of course, due to the complexity of fighting this would have to be something like a rock, paper, scissors method. Also, it would have to be random. No skill involved, purely chance (in this example).
There would have to be some sort of script for an Arena. Let's say two characters want to 'text fight' through the MIRC bot. You would type !Arena:Bob,Steve. The MIRCbot would say "Bob and Steve have entered into the fight pit. Let the combat begin!"
Then, a variable set of circumstances could be programmed to happen between 1 and 10.
1. Bob throws a left hook at Steve's face, smashing him in the jaw.
2. Bob throws a right hook at Steve's face. Steve blocks it.
3. Bob throws a right hook at Steve's face. Steve leans back and misses the blow, taking Bob's wrist and elbow and maneuvering him into a shoulder throw.
4. Bob throws a left hook at Steve's face. Steve steps out of the way and Bob's fist just sails through the air.
5. Bob throws a left hook at Steve's face. Steve blocks it, and strikes with a devastating hammer fist to Bob's Jaw.
then 6- 10 is a repeat of 1-5 with Steve as the attacker, and Bob as the defender.
This 'Fight bot' script could be as complex or as simple as you want. I would suggest something like a 'Russian roulette' script, where one in every five (or ten) techniques is devastating to the opponent and automatically results in defeat, with a temporary channel kick, kickban, or mute. Either that, or the Bot simply announces the loser. The script is highly variable and customizable.
Weapons could be added, perhaps even different fighting styles can be incorporated. It's possible (through a bot net) to add 'hit points' or endurance to your character. You could also add the benefits of 'training', which would basically mean your chances of defending are better. The devastating blow might be a well placed blow, for example.
Our ship's weapons work on a similar principle, which is why some of the shots are 'devastating', and other shots are just a 'glancing blow'. This could be turned into a kind of in station text based mini-game, like hacking. Something new other than station spinning, and also encourages a deeper study of the PF as well as roleplay.
Now for the 'wise elder'. In many of the entirely script based games I have played, (MUSH, MUD, MOO) such as Achaea, there have been NPC 'educators' who were able to provide in game information and be consulted on certain in-game things. Granted, it was a little spammy, but it did the job well.
In EVE, newbies have the help channel where they can ask other players essentially the same questions over and over. A lot of the new players are either unaware, or simply too lazy to consult the information which exists in the EVElopedia, as well as the Chronicles and so on. At least some of these questions could be answered by a MIRCbot 'elder', at least in roleplay channels.
A 'wise elder' may serve as a sort of roleplay encyclopedia short cut, especially for newbies. Amarrian prayers, Minmatar rituals, Caldari traditions, and so on, could be programmed into the bot to provide more roleplay content.
For example, in channel type !prayerenemy, and the bot will respond like this.
"The Amarrian monk stops his chanting, lowers his hood, and bowing his shaven head low he reads from the electronic scripture. "Face the enemy as a solid wall. For faith is your armor, and through it, the enemy will end no breach. Wrap your arms around the enemy, for faith is your ere, and with it, burn away his evil. So it is written, Amarr Askura verse 10, chapter three. Amen""
Or, !Voluvalritual
"The Vherikor clan mother cackles with a deep, hoary laugh. She fingers her bone necklace, leans forwards on her carved Tribal staff and speaks in a thready, broken tone. "The Voluval uses a special type of tattooing process, consisting of two injections. One is an injection of tyrosine, the amino acid precursor to melanin, and it is administered to the heart. The second injection, delivered to the ventral root near the base of the spinal nerve, is a formula known only to Vherokior mystics, and is a secret still closely guarded by them even today."
The Caldari tea ritual, 'Way of the Winds', Blood Raider rituals, and so on, all of these can be transcribed into a 'wise elder'.
Like the 'fight pit', the 'wise elder' could be programmed to recognize friends from strangers and develop a hierarchy, so that each character is recognized by the MIRCbot on a spectrum from 'enemy' to 'closest friend'. Players would each have a recognition level from zero to ten, (or a hundred) which ranks that can be assigned. The higher you are on the ranking scale, the more exclusive access you get to the religious rituals and traditions programmed into that bot.
Since EVE has such a steep learning curve, and it takes 'years of training before you can actually play EVE', newbies (or anyone else) could advance their characters in religious/ cultural studies while sitting in the station through the 'wise elder' script. This would be a way to 'spoon feed' them Prime Fiction while rewarding them for roleplay activities.
This might involve participating in religious rituals which take place at certain times, such as once a week, or once a month. Participation in the ritual advances your character in the religious hierarchy. The rituals are different for each level, increasing in intensity/ solemnity as your rank increases.
It might even involve tests of knowledge. The bot would recognize certain words as a proper response to a preprogrammed script. e.g. "The Amarrian monk asks you "What was the name of the Mad Emperor who built the City of God?" You answer' Zaragram 2'. Answer enough questions properly, and advance to the next devotion level.
Ranking system: Certainly better words/ ranks could be found, and would vary between the factions. Your rank indicates how the NPC/ MIRCbot would greet/ treat you.
0 = Enemy 1= Stranger, 2= Associate, 3= Believer 4= Congregant, 5= Follower, 6= Worshiper 7= Devout, 8= Adept 9= Fellow 10= Cleric.
Everyone loves being part of a secret/ elite crowd and advancing up through the levels, even if it is just a roleplay window dressing sort of thing. The MIRCbots would all recognize one another through a bot net, so the ranks you have earned would transfer from one bot to another.
I remember in Achaea how it was a happy moment for me when my character was finally accepted into a religious order, although I was rejected for the one that I applied to. It might be a similar 'thrill' for a player when the Amarrian monk finally trusts you enough to light the sacred brazier and read from the book of scripture, or the Clan Mother gives your character a facial tattoo or something.
Note that the 'wise elder' would also conceivably know everything within the EVElopedia that relates to roleplay, at least within their own faction. They would however, only give a brief outline, describing a paragraph or so.
EVE is apparently already written in stackless Python. I think the MIRC chat bots can already be written in Python as well.
I am wondering if the MIRCbots could/ should be made to work in conjunction with the 'livestock' trade items. In other words, you have to have the item of a bouncer, soldier, or a Priest in your station hangar before your MIRCbot will start speaking/ have accessible functions in the chat channel. Exotic dancers could dance, slaves could snivel and beg, and so on. This makes them seem a little more like they were real people, and less like inanimate livestock items.
The MIRCbots might even be local/ station based, so that the 'wise elder' in Hek wouldn't be accessible to you in Jita. This would make it a bit more of a logistical challenge, since you would have to fly your Elder/ stripper/ bouncer out to the station where you wanted to use them. You could also get your ship destroyed and lose all your cargo in the process.
Kidnapping/ ransom might also be added to Corporate hangar theft. Removing the MIRCbot from that station would trigger an alarm across the channels though, or perhaps in an EVEmail where it wouldn't be as spammy. "Help! Help! I have been kidnapped by Blood Raider Bob!" It would also mean that you lose all your standings with the other 'elder' bots and you are now considered an enemy by them. However, wouldn't it be a roleplay incentive to try and rescue a kidnapped Nun from a Blood Raider holding her for ransom for 100 million ISK?
Also, if your bar is only in one system, why would you want those services available in any other station or in space?
Oh, and speaking of bars...you could also use a hierarchy system for the consumption of alcohol. 0= sober 1= slaked 2= relaxed 3= glowing 4= tipsy 5= stoned 6= inebriated, 7= drunk 8= plastered 9= wasted 10= Hammered.
Each drink might have it's own intoxicant level, and characters can learn to build up their alcohol tolerance with experience.
For a bartender bot, as many drink names as you can possibly imagine. Each drink is prepared a different way, and might have weird ingredients. !Pangalactic, !MatariMead, !AmarrWhiskey, !CaldariRum, !Asteroid, !Blaster, !Warpout, !Autocannon, etc.
You could include food as well. Long legged Roe, anyone?
