Feature Creep

[ichijo_akari]

One of the issues I tend to clash with a lot of programmers on is the issue of tossing in options/toggles/etc on programs I work on, be they scripts, MUF, engines, servers, etc. When I maintained code on MUCKs in the past, and someone came to me with a problem they had with how a program worked for them, or how it didn't work like they were used to

Comments

[caitsith4]

Yeah, I've recently been developing a combat system based on the old VL style system. Right now I'm up to like.. 6 different behavior toggles and like 4 or 5 different field configs. Given a choice tho, I tend to skew modular on a lot of my stuff. Sometimes, custom code can really bite you in the foot, especially in the case of something like MotM.

I have come to the conclusion that uh.. most MU* coder folk (you and me included?!) are just plain crazy. It's been my observation that coders tend to skew 'this is the way I want it, for (this) reason. No other reason matters because it is inherently dumb and I can reason why it is dumb.'

-- I find this mindset inherently disturbing from a social perspective. It really kinda makes you wonder who it is we're coding for, you know? Feature creep is something to be watched for lest your system begin to look uglier than Venom, but in the end, it's our job to make toys, innit it?

A toy isn't worthwhile unless it's fun, yeah?

I do find it somewhat troubling that I somehow managed to miss most, if not all of the MotM page hullaboo--again given that I was the original coder behind that whole deal--but most of the reasons it is the way it is amount to 'it was the code peon's second program in MUF' I bet. ;O Don't let them tell you any different.

... course most of the behavior calls, in specific the = thing, were not actually made by me.
That's neither here nor there tho.

(the lack of a "pages to you." though--that was actually entirely my fault. I didn't know at the time how to edit it in without adding in a bunch of instructions and altering the way the system worked on a fundamental level. Someone complained at me a little bit about it but by that time I had thuroughly given up on MotM coding and likely MUF in general. Go fig.)

[ichijo_akari]

Yeah, I've always known that the inital page version there was one of your early learning projects. But that was years ago. There's no reason such a core communications tool shouldn't have been updated by then, whether by you still learning more about MUF or someone else taking over. It's not like the site hasn't had its share of capable MUF coders over the last 2 - 3 years. :)

-Akari

[caitsith4]

Yes, but they were all lazy. :O!!!