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

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

Phin said:
> > IMHO, a game should be about fighting dragons, but never about
> > harvesting mobs.
> 
Raph responded:
> 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.
> 

I think that in one sense, _should_ can be very practical.  It gives me a focus 
for my design.

I'm only talking about encouraging a worldview through design.  Gravity doesn't 
"legislate" our actions even though it is often referred to as the "law" of 
gravity.  However, gravity strongly encourages us not to jump off of tall 
buildings.  :-)  (See my tag line at the bottom of my recent posts.  This is the 
exact point that I see it making.  It is the approach that I think would work 
best in MMORPGs.)  I know...you were speaking to perception and not action, but 
perhaps something of the analogy will translate.  I like it whether it is 
applicable or not.  :-) 

Bottom line:  I think that he who desires that his MMORPG be immersive to the 
point of suspending disbelief desires a good thing.  And he who designs his 
MMORPG with the focus that it _should_ be immersive designs a good thing.

He who expects to actually pull it off might be a bit naive...or just an 
idealist.

--Phinehas

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		"All things are permissable,
			but not all things are expedient."
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