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3583: Re: [MUD-Dev] more classes (Usability and interface and who the
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From: Matt Chatterley <root@mpc.dyn.ml.org>
Newsgroups: nu.kanga.list.mud-dev
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 1997 20:53:22 +0000 (GMT)
References: [1]
Organization: Kanga.Nu
On Wed, 1 Oct 1997, Brian Price wrote:
> > From: clawrenc@cup.hp.com
> > at 09:44 AM, "Brandon J. Rickman" <ashes@pc4.zennet.com> said:
> >
> > >And why does everyone start with a weak character? In heroic science
> > >fiction or fantasy characters start out with some expert skills.
> >
> > A couple basic reasons:
> >
> > It allows MUDs to more easily play off __two__ of the basic plots:
> > _Man_Learns_A_Lesson_, and _The_Little_Tailor_ (man goes out, has an
> > adventure, comes home and tells about it).
> >
> > It allows the same game to be played repetitively: Each time the
> > character can advance differently.
> >
> > The sense of advancement provides attractive goals for players.
>
> Do you believe a mud can be successful if it puts much less emphasis
> on advancement, and much more on adventuring? Especially if
> mechanisms are in place which mutate the game as it is played?
I certainly believe so - a game tilted to such an extent would be far more
likely to keep my attention, at least. I rapidly become bored with
simplistic games where variations upon the 'do X lots, be better at X..'
loop make up the entire game play.
> Also, what exactly is character advancement? Does not the gaining of
> equipment which makes one more powerful qualify? As well as
> advanced training in exotic skills? The aquisition of wealth? The
> aquisition of power?
This is the notional view that I take - character advancement has many,
many dimensions, of which physical improvement (whether physically
physical, or physical in the knowledge sense) are but one facet of this.
Regards,
-Matt Chatterley
http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics." -?