[MUD-Dev] Re: CGDC, a summary

[Chris Gray]

[J C Lawrence:]

:The nominative value of progress is also significant.  "I know I'm
:playing well becasue I keep gaining score and advancing in levels!".
:Its a self-referencing, self-supporting, and self-defining closed
:system which defines both the goals and the expected accomplishments
:of players.  Its actually almost definitionally impossible to have an
:open-ended or user-defined game with this sort of system in place as
:point rewards are tied to activities, and thus implicitly devalue and
:thus damn all non-rewarded activities.  ("Thou shalt have fun killing
:monsters 'coz you get points for that, but thou shalt NEVER poison the
:water supply to kill all the monsters, or build towns, or RP, or set
:up wineries and blacksmith shops because you get no points for that.")

Whilst reading the above, something just occurred to me (probably already
been tried). Many MUDs have safe zones where player-killing is not allowed.
Its a simple mechanism, but seems effective. In mine, I only allow combat
in the single combat zone. Similar effect. So, how about letting players
choose whether or not their character particpates in the "kill things and
gain levels" race? Such a character can still fight and kill things, and
may well have an internal, never-revealed set of stats, but no-one (except
perhaps admins or wizards) can determine the actual stats. If someone (e.g.
a player-kill d00d) attacks them, then they can fight back, with whatever
skill they actually possess. If they are killed, the PK-er gets *no* points,
but if the PK-er is killed or harmed, they lose as they normally would.

Levellers would always be free to participate in the non-levelling activities
of the game, right along with the rest of the characters. The two systems
would not really be separate - they would share currency, etc.

Is it too much to hope that the PK-ers would tend to leave the non-levellers
alone, since they really aren't worth it? Unless of course they are *really*
ticked off, but then they are effectively role-playing in their killing!

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA


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MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.