[MUD-Dev] Wild west (was Guilds & Politics)

[Alex Oren]

On Tue, 9 Dec 1997 09:49:34 PST8PDT, Mike Sellers wrote:

} >As long as the separation between areas is *heavily* advertised, this might 
} >not be a problem.
} >
} >Harassment of others in the "wild west" zones will be allowed.
} >Don't want to be harassed?  Don't go there!
} >
} >In the "civilized east", you can implement all kinds of safeguards
} >discussed in other threads.  
} 
} Personally though, I don't want this to be too "canned."  If you try to
} design in areas that are necessarily safe or dangerous (excepting the wild
} beasties), then the very people you're trying to corral into the dangerous
} area will do their best to "ruin" (in our view, not theirs) the safe ones.
} Better, I think, to let the players do this themselves with local law
} enforcement at whatever level they choose.  Then people will find their own
} level.  It would be cool, I guess, if places where 'evil' events occur
} (multiple PKs, for example) started to take on more of an evil appearance,
} both for atmosphere and to warn newbies that they might want to be careful.
}  That'd give a cool rationale for _why_ the evil forest looks so evil too. ;)

Player-based law enforcement (or any player-run government) assumes (a) a
stable, more-or-less constant, player base, and (b) regular player cooperation.
Problem is, you just cannot count on it.

I think that code-based law enforcement in certain areas will provide newbies
with a sense of safety and social RPers with undisturbed play.
OTOH, the lack of it in other areas may create either lawless zones or,
eventually, player-run societies.

--
Have fun,
Alex.