[MUD-Dev] Learning through failure

[Maddy]

Previously, Jon A. Lambert wrote....
> forwarded from rec.games.mud.admin
> 
> In article <34394304.3B5D at netusa.net>, rscott at netusa.net says...
> >
> >One of my theories is that skills should go up via success (ala
> >runequest), but rather via failure.  Every 10 failures gives you a
> >small increase in skill.  Once you are at the higher proficiency
> >levels, failures come few and far inbetween, thus making it harder to
> >advance.
> >
> >---ralph
> 
> I found this idea rather interesting.  If failure is used as the 
> basis for calculating a possible skill increase, one should be able
> to implement a fixed scale for all skills, say 1% - 99% for 
> instance.  This allows a fairly rapid early development becoming
> progressively more difficult as one's skills approach the 100%
> mark.  Couple this with a skill decay system and you have something
> nice and simple.  Well maybe too simple...  Repeated mindless 
> execution may pose a problem.  I like the idea of skills approaching
> a maximum threshold that they cannot attain.

Well RuneQuest solves the problem of repeatedly doing the same task, by only
letting players have one skill increase per skill and then only letting them
do the increase after a weeks rest.  This probably wouldn't work so well in
a mud - a week would be too long.

Skills also aren't limited to 100% - the increases are worked out by rolling
above your skill but you subtract an "experence bonus" (based upon
intelligence) from your dice roll.  This kinda makes sense, as intelligent
people are going to be better at learning and analysing their mistakes.

Maddy