[MUD-Dev] Re: Marian's Tailor vs. Psychopaths

[Koster]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marc Hernandez [mailto:marc at jb.com]
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 1998 3:58 PM
> To: 'mud-dev at kanga.nu'
> Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Marian's Tailor vs. Psychopaths
> 
> 
> On Fri, 18 Sep 1998, Koster, Raph wrote:
> 
> }Basically, these measures seem to be insufficient based on UO's
> }experience thus far. A big factor to consider: are the safe cities
> }enough for a tailor, or does the tailor want to see the whole of the
> }world? 
> }-Raph
> 
> 	By 'see the whole of the world' I assume you mean go 
> adventuring?
> If so I think the tailor is going to have to practice at 'adventuring'
> skills such as (depending on environment) basic defense, running,
> climbing, etc and probably also only go out with a group 
> (like a safari).

If leaving town by definition constitutes am "adventure," sure.
Basically, players (even those who are poor warriors, etc) seem to have
the expectation that they should be able to traverse the majority of the
landscape without fear. This expectation is unrealistic given the
setting, but nonetheless they have it. (Side note to self: another
"law"? Players seem to have higher expectations of virtual spaces than
they do of the real world.)

Basically, the argument they make is "You are forcing me to cease to be
a tailor, in order to actually derive full enjoyment from the virtual
space."

Yeah, we can tell them to be satisfied with the smaller subset of that
space that we have set aside, but it doesn't seem to satisfy them.

> The only other option is make the environment safe or 
> scripted as with a
> glass bottom boat or DisneyLand(tm)[1].

This is an interesting idea I have not seen before--a "virtual" tour of
an already virtual space. :)

> 	Another potential option is having societies large enough to be
> mostly self sustaining (ie require their own pools of 
> merchants etc).[snip]...groups band together and help each other
> out... [snip]
> Whether or not players would take it a step further in a persistant
> environment and include guarding some plot of land and providing safe
> environments for needed specialties (blacksmiths, tailors, farmers)
> remains to be seen.  

They seem to do it to defend social spaces (eg taverns) but not places
of business (eg tailors and their shops). There's something interesting
to investigate there, I think.

> 	Perhaps providing something worth fighting over in a 
> tangible game
> sense (ie fame? land?)

We supply buildings and the land they sit on as that impetus.

> 	From casual exposure to UO (via newsgroups, reading the 
> website as
> well as player ones) it seems there are 2 set factions, Lord 
> British (and
> those that are part of his empire) and all the rest.

Nah, not really. We supplied that basic fiction, but that doesn't
reflect the relty of player culture at all. Lord British is an absentee
ruler, he does nothing. Player politics and conflict is the real name of
the game...

-Raph