Restore Hatchery

[frandallfarmer]

The current Bridge code creates a random avatar for any new users. This is not how it worked in 1986 - we had the "Hatchery" (see hatchery.pl1) - a custom interface on the client and server that allowed some initial customization of a new users' avatar.

Restoring this is a stand-alone task for a medium skilled Java/JS engineer who can compile/run new server/bridge code regularly. My suggestion is to implement it entirely in the Bridge (JS) as it's a special mode at the start of a new user's time in habitat, and we won't have to refactor the Java server. But this is totally up to whoever chooses to implement this task.

As always, @chip and I are available for consultation (including live stream sessions.)

[StuBlad]

Just updating this here.

We've been discussing a different hatchery method rather than restoring the original method used. If someone still wanted to do that, it'd be something to consider but right now it would be simpler to create a new region or hatch an avatar in an existing region.

Currently this is where we are at:

1: New users could arrive alone as an avatar in a starter/orientation region which connects 1-way to The Fountain. This is a very lite replacement for the Hatchery (more like the Argo in WA.)

2: Returning avatars arrive as ghost in the last region they successfully arrived in, and auto deghost if (and only if) they logged out as an avatar.

[frandallfarmer]

I am deprioritizing this. With the new Welcome center, bots, and vending machines we should be able to accomplish the goal of the hatchery without all the work to fully restore this purely modal (though historically accurate) interface. We had no problems deciding to drop QLink flow from the mix, I don't think the original hatchery is all that important.