[MUD-Dev] Re: Character development [was Re: ]

[J C Lawrence]

To: rkoster at origin.ea.com
Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Character development [was Re: ] 
In-reply-to: <c=US%a=_%p=EA%l=MOLACH-980416225035Z-52886 at molach.origin.ea.com> 
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 12:25:04 -0700
From: J C Lawrence <claw at under.engr.sgi.com>

On Thu, 16 Apr 1998 15:58:11 PST8PDT 
Koster, Raph<rkoster at origin.ea.com> wrote:

> On Tuesday, April 14, 1998 12:25 PM J C Lawrence
> [SMTP:claw at under.engr.sgi.com] said:

>> On Thu, 9 Apr 1998 10:15:30 PST8PDT Koster,
>> Raph<rkoster at origin.ea.com> wrote:

>> How successfully?  Most (all?) of the magazine articles I've read
>> on OU equate it to a graphical DIKU with roadways lined waist-deep
>> with corpses.  You've mentioned here your efforts in pushing a
>> more, err, less DOMM-esque approach by your players.  Success?

> Success is moderate. On the one side, I think equating it to a
> graphical DIKU is really really wrong. A simple glance at the
> feature list will demonstrate that--heck, a simple glance at the
> typical player's activities will demonstrate it. 

<nod>

Yes, I know this.  You know this.  Your average Wired or Upside reader
doesn't know this, which is and was the point.  

> So, their motives are the same ("kill, kill, kill") but to maintain
> their status and abilities, they still need to deal with a much
> wider array of activities.

How to make that *depth* of involvement a known strength of the game,
and in itself an appealing factor for non-kEWLD00dZ??

> As far as how the magazines perceive it--sure, it's still a crude,
> rude, rambunctious, goal-oriented, profane, Doom-minded community,
> on the whole. Changing a public mindset takes a lot more than game
> mechanics.

<kof>  Quite.

>>> Now, level is awfully convenient, and players quickly found
>>> supplements for it, but I find that severing the advancement scale
>>> from character ability works quite well.
>> <nod> Do you have any tales of the form of Habitat's egg or other
>> prized tokens or recognition values that you could relate for UO?

> Ooof. Too many.

Thanks -- this is *EXACTLY* what I wanted.  Outside of recent list
traffic problems, there's a tendency on the list (heck, MUDdom) to
short-circuit and ignore game-depth characteristics which don't happen
in the cloistered world of their favourite r.g.m.*-style MUDs.  While
I don't have the time now to do so properly (trust me to attempt to
start this when I don't have time to do it right), I'd love to see a
lively list thread on just what these added values are and can be.
Tales such as the ones you recounted are invaluable.

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

--
MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.