[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.

[J C Lawrence]

On Fri, 15 Jan 1999 21:01:10 +0000 (GMT) 
Marian Griffith<gryphon at iaehv.nl> wrote:

> In <URL:/archives/meow?group+local.muddev> on Fri 15 Jan, J C Lawrence wrote:

>> Both are good ideas.  Another fillip I've long liked are failed
>> spells.  Currently (most MUDs) failed spells either silently
>> fizzle or merely drain the resources of the caster.  I'd like
>> something more noticable than that:

> [snipped some ways to make spell casting more .. adventurous]

There's a newtonian action/counter-action principle here that I had
not noticed before.  Much of the social development problem in MUDs
can be traced to the problem of visible accountability.

  Nothing really matters when its all ones and zeros.

Go and slaughter every player on the game, and really, it doesn't
matter very much -- the "fun" factor is far more obvious.  Certainly
you yourself are immune from any real effect being created on you.

Making failed spells (or other similar failed actions) dangerous to
the operator helps balance that a little.  Not a lot, but a little.
Go swining swords at people and there is a finite abd definite
chance that you're wonderfully deadly weapon and your well honed
skills with it mught just be reflected back on you, and even worse,
it might all be your fault with nobody else involved.

--
J C Lawrence                              Internet: claw at kanga.nu
(Contractor)                             Internet: coder at kanga.nu
---------(*)                    Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
...Honorary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...