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

[Matt Chatterley]

On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, Mike Sellers wrote:

> At 01:17 PM 12/10/97 PST8PDT, Alex Oren wrote:
> >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.

ObDisclaimer: I *detest* player run government because I have had huge
troubles with it in the past. I will approach this from a negative point
of view, but try to draw positive comment.

> I'm not so sure.  In a commercial game I can count on a more or less
> constant player base for months (at least) at a time -- by which I mean
> that the churn level of fairly to very experienced characters is very low
> (if you're doing your job in customer support right! ;) ).  And you can
> count on some significant degree of player cooperation *IF* they perceive
> that they are acting independently and working in their own best interests.  

In a *commercial* environment, yes, you can count on a larger player base,
because of the scale of publicity you have, I think it is fair to say.
However, this is also true of many normal muds. Now, my main problem with
player-run councils comes when you have a 'core' of regulars, who are the
most likely to be elected because everyone knows them, gets kit from them,
and so forth (assuming you have 'free' elections to your council).

The other large problem is that many game administrators think having a
player-run council will be great, and wipe out problems. However, they
fail to define the duties of the council and expect it to enforce things
it cannot (for instance, things wizards normally use logs to enforce and
other OOC matters, when the council is an IC construct). Also, they
dislike surrendering power to the council in some cases, and instead begin
to 'direct' the council - basically turning it into a front for
themselves.

That said, there is potential to the idea when it is *more IC and
freeform*.
 
> >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.
> 
> Player-run societies will only emerge when the players have the ability to
> regulate themselves -- law enforcement is part of this.  Player-run
> societies is, frankly, one of my top goals. 

True. While my law system is automated, there is room for players to 'make
themselves' the law. Nobles who live in areas can have some affect on the
law itself, players can join the guards, take over cities, form their own
'mafia' and so forth, and to a degree the game will help them.

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	ICQ: 5580107
"I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world." -Einstein