[MUD-Dev] Commercial value of RP

[Mike Sellers]

At 10:01 PM 1/5/98 PST8PDT, Brandon Cline wrote:
>Not to repeat JCL's point, but using Travis's opinion of
>what "role-playing" is, is "that" a viable comercial pursuit?  The
>comercial RPG games atm, seem to have the ability for "role-playing" but
>in a competitive game, where possibly the players are paying by usage, or
>advancing through time spent, are they going to be willing to put forth
>the extra effort to "role-play" and/or is/will the game reward the players
>for role-playing?  Basically, if the game can be played without
>role-playing, how will you get the people to role-play.  

This is an excellent question.  If we do not construct the games and the
game-goals (those things for which you are rewarded) to support and reward
role-playing, then most people will not RP most of the time.  If nothing
else, it's just too much work. :)  And then you have to ask, if you *did*
create a game that actively rewarded actual role-playing (briefly, as
someone else said, making decisions based on your character's views, not
your own), would enough people want to play to make it a commercial
possibility?  

>Also, if not
>everyone is willing to role-play, how do you keep the ones that don't from
>detracting from other peoples ability to role-play within the environment?

I think the solution lies in first, making a game that in various ways
rewards role-playing without making it compulsory.  This means stronger AI,
stronger NPCs, and more human contact in general with those who can give
out such rewards.  

For example, schedule and hold a banquet in the game which the characters
are free to attend if they wish, but which is not mandatory.  At this
banquet, there will be no fighting or (competitive) magic use, but there
will be some interesting information passed out in the form of conversation
over the course of the evening.  In addition, those who please the baron
hosting the banquet may find themselves the recipient of his gifts, which
could range from a new sword to new land.  

So: the players go because they know information about the game, quests,
etc., that is otherwise unavailable will be given out there; and after all,
knowledge is power.  They role-play while there (and are given
opportunities to do so with both PCs and NPCs) because they know "the
baron" (the admins, visible and invisible) is watching, and they might well
be rewarded for their RPing in ways which make the rest of the game more
fun or more interesting.  To some degree the "peer pressure" of all those
other people RPing will help those who are a little uncertain, just as it
can at a well-run SCA gathering, for example.  Finally, I believe that
these sorts of events might well act as seeds for greater RPing in the rest
of the game: someone you meet at the banquet when you're in full RP-mode
might be more likely to continue this when you meet elsewhere in the game.  

Contrasting this sort of idea with things like M59's hack-n-slash "reign of
blood" events makes me just a bit ill. :-/


--

Mike Sellers   Chief Alchemist -- Online Alchemy   mike at online-alchemy.com

"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others 
may despise it, is the invention of good games.  And it cannot be done 
by men out of touch with their instinctive values."  - Carl Jung