[MUD-Dev] Re: Introduction (Marian)

[Marian Griffith]

On Tue 13 May, Jeff Kesselman wrote:
> At 17:19 PM 5/13/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:

> >To quote one of my favorite authors: There is no one true way.
> >You play the game for developing its intricacies, and to explore
> >what works and what doesn't. I'm something of a mix of an actress
> >and a gossip when I'm playing. Yet others enjoy the attempt of winning
> >the game (i.e. becoming the most powerfull). There's room for all of
> >this in a game if it's properly designed.

> I agreed til you hit the alst senatnce.  Thsi is the holey grail of design,
> but i do NOt believe it is reacahble.

I don't know. I'm still hoping to find a game like that. It will be a
different type of roleplaying from the 'storyteller' type, just like
it will be a different type of mudding from the hack and slash.
And perhaps you are right, but that won't prevent me from dreaming.

> The only way Ive EVER seen it possible to mix these typoes successfully is
> to not really mix them, but push them to their own seperate areas of the VR
> world.

This may be. I can't help to think that if somebody manages to find a
objective that's sufficiently IC yet requires active gameplay you can
have both. Things that require the cooperation of others. Voluntarily.
Much of the games nowadays are based around the exchange of objects and
rather simple interaction with the game's monsters (you kill them).
If the focus shifts to exchanging knowledge with other players and
supporting, or at least meaningfully interact with, each other the
game becomes more roleplaying. Even if you don't want to shift a lot
in that direction I feel the change is a good one to make the game
more enjoyable, even to die-hard gamers.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey