Daemonite: Hedonists Dilemma Archive

Hedonists Dilemma

This is something i was working on a couple of weeks ago. There are no prizes (unless someone wants to sponsor some), hell it's not even got a single line of code as yet - just an idea.

The point was to show off how incredibly easy it is to run a web service using CFMX. The only entry requirement would be getting a basic webservice set up and hosted so that a central game server on the internet can reach your server.

I have a lot of the pseudo code spec'd out but I ran out of steam. Everytime i mention it people seem to get excited so i figured it might be worth building if I knew there was a critical mass of people who would actually play.

** Hedonists Dilemma **
"Where Friday night is every night..."

Ok. Much more simplified game... much easier to build. Plenty of strategies for the developer novice to expert.

The Hedonists Dilemma is a game where wannabe hedonists pursue the good life and struggle to be on everybody's A list. Players have to choose either what party to go to or whether to host a party themselves.

There are two currencies in the game:
- kudos (status) and;
- moola (cash).

Each player has a social level (SL) of one when they start the game. If they earn three times (may vary on final analysis) their social level in kudos a week they go up one social level. If they earn less than 1 times they go down one level. You need kudos to increase in status and win the game. You need moola to attend and host parties - generating much needed kudos!

// Parties //
Parties cost money to attend. This cost is determined by the host.

Parties cost money to host. This cost is a factor of the number and social level of the people who attend. (ie high SL guests = good kudos = expensive party) Hosts can charge guests what ever the market will bear.

There are several "clubs" run by the server that will emulate hosted parties and have set entry requirements.

// Kudos //
Kudos is earned by attending a party of a socialite of higher status level.

Or a player can generate kudos by hosting a party that lots of the "right" people turn up to. This is a factor of the sum of all social levels that turn up. If the average SL is below the hosts SL, the host may lose kudos.

// Moola //
Every player earns a weekly income equal to a multiple of their status level. Players can earn more moola by charging people more to attend their parties than it costs to host.

// The Game Server //
Party registry:
getPartyList()
addParty()
removeParty()

// Player web services //
Guest (required to play):
goParty()

Host (optional):
registerParty()
hostParty()

// Party Nights //
Thinking maybe four party nights a week (mon-thu) with Friday for reporting and sat/sun for a breather.

Game server looks at list of parties. Determines what players are hosts. Loops over all other players (ie. Guests). Hits their web service for goParty(hostid) then hits the hostParty(guestid). Depending on results, Game Server calculates exchange of moola and kudos.

Timeouts on host means both player and host miss out.

// Weekly Ranking //
Game server calculates any movement in status levels based on the kudos earned by each player that week. It populates players accounts with their weekly moola income.

// Stratagies for Guests //
The guestservice should be considered novice to build. All you need to provide ia a hostid and how much you are prepared to pay to get in. If you nominate no hostid then the server will randomly nominate a party for you. More sophisticated services might dynamically select parties based on best kudos/moola ratio. Might remember who bounced you, who has an unreliable service etc.

// Stratagies for Hosts //
Hosting a party is more complicated. You can refuse entry to certain guests, guests of low social level or have a guest limit. You can vary cost depending on guest. For example, you can only go up one SL a week. So why waste all that moola on guests once you have the required kudos? You might raise money for a week by letting lower level players be guests at your party for a premium price.

Oh well another misspent lunch time.

Posted by modius at 11:11 PM | Permalink
Trackback: http://blog.daemon.com.au/cgi-bin/dmblog/mt-tb.cgi/6