[MUD-Dev] Re: Family, was characters per account

[Raph Koster]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu [mailto:mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu]On Behalf Of
> Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
> Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 3:34 PM
> To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Family, was characters per account
>
>
> Jeff Freeman wrote:
> > They're wanting npc versions of their characters that will actually work
> > for them - harvest resources, craft widgets, etc. - while they are
> > off-line.  I can already see someone taking four warriors to a dungeon,
> > logging out in guard-mode, logging in with a 5th warrior and just
> > harvesting mobs for hours on end...
> >
> I see a number of issues here.  Where to begin?  Hmmm.  You never
> know what
> activity some gamers will really enjoy.

This is actually on the sheet I give to new designers joining my team. I
forget the wording, but it boils down to "a lot of players actually think
fishing is fun. Don't assume YOUR standards of fun for your playstyle are
what all players will see as fun."

> I recall a number of
> people posting to
> the Middle-Earth development board who really wanted to be a
> hobbit and farm
> pipeweed.  I think that would get boring after a while, but they
> insisted that
> it was essential to their enjoyment of the game.

They are right. If ever I learned a lesson from working on UO, it was that:
PLAYERS define fun, not you.

> IMHO, a game should be about fighting dragons, but never about
> harvesting mobs.

Bye bye huge chunk of your audience. Also bye bye practicality: it's
impossible to dictate how players will, in their heads which you can't
really get at, view your creation. You can't legislate their perception. You
can only encourage a worldview, not mandate it.

-Raph




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