Introduction Code, of One Sort or Another

From: StormeRider (silk@ICI.NET)
Date: 11/11/97 

Ok, just had to throw my hat in the arena because this is something I plan
on doing and haven't begun yet.

First off, let me say that I know the CD mudlib of lpMUD does indeed
support character introduction like this, so it can be done. Not only that,
I've seen a Rom (*EoD style*) mud that has done it as well. Their HD
recently crashed and blew away the code (*idiots didnt have backups on
another server that were anywheres close to recent*) or else I'd point you
to them as an example.

However, before that happened, they had to take it out for the most part
until they fixed a problem. A problem we all know and love (*rofl*). LAG.
The way I see it, sorting is all well and good, but takes time. (Having
been there while they were doing it, I spent many a moment theorizing about
the best method and offering suggestions to the coder I get along with.)
Linked list style the way they did works up until a certain point... like
when someone has about 213 intros and tries to look in a room that has 20
people. Running through the list, needless to say, put some serious lag
into the game.

Basically what I have been planning is doing both: sorting and a linked
list. Actually, 26 linked lists. I'll have it check the first letter, then
have a smaller list based on that.

Alternatively am thinking of some sort of an array that would basically be
on/off for the player, but thinking while that would be fast it would be
horribly memory inefficient.

Hrmns. Any followups on this thread would be appreciated, just remember
that you'd want to run a LOT of intros through and then have a lot of
people all in the same room.

--Stormy--


StormeRider                  --- http://www.windsofstorm.net/wos/
silk@ici.net                 --- telnet://cmoo.com:4004


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