nu.kanga.list.mud-dev

28261: Re: [MUD-Dev] ghost mode (was Re: SW:G)

I am very sorry for the double-followup, but there was an issue I
intended to address but evidently edited out by accident:

Rayzam" <rayzam@travellingbard.com> wrote:

>   4) No pain, no gain. I'm an explorer type, but I gain a bigger
>   feeling of accomplishment by earning my way there.

There's an aspect here for commercial games that puts a twist on
this, though: I "earn" at least something by paying the monthly fee.
If I have to spent 3 months in the newbie backyard because I only
play an hour or so a night and don't have an existing guild to
powerlevel/twink me, there's a point where the game stops being
worth my investment--I'm paying for content I don't receive, even
though it's described right there on the box.

This is, of course, a really tough balance to strike.  I *don't*
agree with the "I paid my ten bucks!  I should be a god!" crowd
(though that could form the basis for an interesting game).  On the
other hand, gatekeeping everything with combat selects for people
who grind combat xp.

I should note here that this is one of the things I do like a lot
about SW:G and other recent games: different sorts of experience,
and occasional "cross training" benefits.  I like the fact that
combat xp unlocks some things, commerce xp unlocks others, crafting
xp unlocks yet others, and so on.  There are still some bottlenecks,
but I find it more interesting than having everything hang off of
combat.  by "cross training", I'm referring to SWG, where mastering
skills in one area can confer mild benefits in others (example:
master musicians get combat defensive bonuses).

Amanda Walker.
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