Less numbers, more roleplaying.

[coder at ibm.net]

From: lunfo at aol.com (Lunfo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.misc
Subject: Less numbers, more roleplaying.
Date: 30 Aug 1997 17:55:00 GMT

Having telnetted and developed extensive characters in many MUDs ever
since my first exposure to them about 6 years ago I've started to divide
them into two categories:  number oriented vs. imagination oriented.  

For the sake of comparison I will use the two most popular MUDs that I
have come across:  Gemstone III and Dragonrealms.  (if you will take the
luxury of berating me for "selling out" or picking the mainstream, the
"aol of all MUDs" just remember a self-conceived quote I have:  

	Beleaguering "pop culture" is the pop culture of modern time.

Now to get on with the comparison.  As most of you know (if not from
playing the game then from hearing all the newbies auction their items
here ;) Gemstone bases its entire experience system and its combat system
on "numbers."  (i.e.  Attack strength = 200, defense strength = 190,
caster's strength = 250, etc...)  From my experience, these numbers
overcame me and became my primary concern every time I signed on to GS3. 
I would pull "all nighters" for a week to get these "numbers" up.  And no
matter how high they become it was never enough.  When I would see my
friends exploring new places and just being in-character I would tell them
that they will never get "their numbers" up doing this.  

But then after I reached a decent level I would realize how systematic and
parasitic my whole experience with the game has been.  I would realize how
much it took away from my real life experiences and how it made me into
pretty much a hermit.  Then I would go straight to the local inn and
retire my character.  After a week or so I would start this process again
and it would have the same ending.  I did this about 5 times before I
realized something. 

That there were words in this game that actually were interesting to read
and had nothing to do with numbers.  After going through the whole realms,
reading the room descriptions, exploring new places, talking with an
eclectic amount of people and just acting out my character I realized that
no matter how high my skills were that I have been a newbie until that
point.  From my personal opinion - "numbers" increase the competition in
the game and pull it towards the "hack and slash genre" (for those people
that are going to jump all over me saying that Gemstone was in the "hack
and slash genre from the very first time of its conception I have this to
tell them:  They are probably playing Gemstone on the level I was playing
it when I was obsessed with numbers.)

A couple of years after my experience with Gemstone, I ventured into the
second Elanthia, Dragonrealms.  I found the experience and the combat
system of this game totally fascinating.  Although the experience system
had numbers, it wasn't based on "numbers."  In contrast to GS3 where one
exp skill determines your level Dragonrealms had about 30 ( each different
for different personalities and professions) that do.  And each experience
needed for an increase in level was very unique and enticing:  mechanical
lore, foraging, musical lore, magical devices, targetting, primary magic,
swimming, climbing, heavy edged weapons, medium edged weapons, two-handed
edged weapons, brawling (I know not put in yet but many people got a lot
of experience with that from the bug) composite crossbow, teaching,
scholarship, and lots lots more.  The combat system was even better since
it didnt have any numbers altogether.  It was all sentence oriented.  i.e.
 The bolt lands a devastating hit that ruptures the spleen and causes an
outflow of green mucous.  

Although I believe Dragonrealms took Gemstone to an entire new level, it
still deserves critique.  To begin with, the guild specifications for
experience (mainly until reaching level 10) confine young players too much
and not let their own personality to transcend into that of the
characters.
 I believe that a player, who is in the barbarian guild, that wants to
convey his love of music through his character and learns musical lore is
discouraged from doing so because musical lore is not in his immediate
experience requirements.  Furthermore, one might also say that the hits of
the combat system could be equivalent to numbers.  i.e. each combat
message specifies the extend of the hit: light hit, good strike, heavy,
extremely heavy, hard, brushing, awesome, devastating, etc...  

However the best experience one would get from playing any MUD (that has a
rank system or money system where competition is inevitable) is to forget
about the exp system and the money system and just follow your character's
instincts, whether it be to travel distand lands in search of knowledge,
or engage in philosophical arguments with other characters (this latter
urge I have to admit was very difficult to fulfill in GS3 and Dragonrealms
- I think we all know the reason for that)

As the French say,
Finis. :)  

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...