[MUD-Dev] New Topic: Butthead features

[Jon A. Lambert]

On 24 Aug 97 at 19:13, Jeff Kesselman wrote:
> At 08:36 AM 8/24/97 PST8PDT, Jon Lambert wrote:
> >>   Build something to play /this/ sort of game and represent *that*
> >> sort of environment.
> >>
> >> On the face of it I suspect that this is implicit to a __designed__ RP
> >> game (ie game designed for RP as vs GOP), and more specifically to an
> >> RP game where a particular form of RP or an RP in a pre-stated
> >> milleau/character is desired.  
> >>
> >
> >Yes, but with a very large grumble...
> ><grumble on>
> >FORCING characters to SUBMIT to your environment is anathema to good 
> >roleplaying.  This is very commercial, white-washed, family-oriented 
> 
> No.
>
> This is not what he said.  I suspect Im hearing a chip fall off a shoudler
> here.
>
A <grumble> may be said to be chip or strong disagreement.  I thought
"anathema" was very appropriate since most of the limitations and
design decisions discussed in this thread are just that to most 
worlds.

JCL made the leap from YOUR design modus operandi to a general 
distinction in design methodology between GOP and RP games.  

I merely point out that this distinction only holds true between your
respective games and not the genres as a whole.  
The level of control over player activity in my game more closely 
resembles his level of control and yet we have very different games 
in the GOP vs RP aspect.  And at the core of the entire post if I 
didn't misread it or didn't requote it all, was "level of control".

The design decisions you make because you FEEL you are building 
for the greatest variable player pool are representative of a 
commercial-driven venture that must attract a sizeable population and 
not necessarily relevant or imperative to many of us.  And may well 
be contrary to RP specifically, since it isn't an activity that a 
majority of mud players choose to engage in.  

> There is a wide range ebtween games that very tightly force you into a
> particualr role and games that have a strcutrue but stil lallow free roleplay.

It's good to see you acknowledge there are wide differences in the 
way these games are conducted, run, and played.  No more need to 
define it here.
Jon A. Lambert