CONCEPT
	viruses

LAST UPDATE
	Organimedes, Mon Nov 16 23:44:48 MET DST 1992

DESCRIPTION

	Note: This is a preliminary version. If you have any questions
	regarding viruses, ask one of the (V)AWs of Health or leave a
	note at the board in the Health office. We will try to clarify
	your point in a future issue.

	Viruses (better described as diseases, but the term "viruses" is
	more familiar to computer scientists :-) are objects which affect
	the health of a player or his/her abilities to perform things.

	Viruses may have the following properties:

	1) They may be autoloading.

	2) They may infect players and NPCs. (If a virus also infects NPCs,
	   this will greatly enhance its infectivity.)

	3) They may reduce HPs, SPs or affect a player's health in another
	   way.

	4) They may be dependent on race.

	5) They must notify the infected player of the infection. This must
	   happen not longer than 30 seconds after infection.

	Viruses must not have the following properties:

	1) They must not kill players.

	2) They must not act in complete silence.

	3) There must be a possibility to get rid of a virus without asking
	   Your Friendly Wizard (TM); that is, there must be a kind of cure
	   against the virus.

	4) Viruses can only exist in the inventory of living objects; that
	   is, if the object carrying the virus is killed, the virus must
	   self-destruct. Since this can only be accomplished by using
	   the function heart_beat(), you should it implement in the following
	   way:
	   - When the virus checks if it can be transmitted, it first has
	     to look if its environment is a living.
	   - If this is not the case, the virus is not allowed to reproduce
	     itself, but instead must self-destruct.
	   The exception to this rule is the object which brings the virus
	   into existence.

	5) Viruses may not reduce XPs, levels, change the alignment or do
	   other things which are not health-related. If in doubt, contact
	   one of the (V)AWs of Health or ask at the board in the Health
	   office.

	6) The infectivity must not be dependent on level, guild membership
	   or other not health-related things. If in doubt, contact one of
	   the (V)AWs of Health or ask at the board in the Health office.

SEE ALSO
	health(C)