[MUD-Dev] Character persistance, was Family, was characters per account

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

JC said:
> It seems there is a third way to handle character persistence. Keep the
> characters persistant, even if the players aren't. Firan MUX uses a roster
> system of pre-made characters that already have detailed connections and
> backgrounds to the players and the theme. The most important and involved
> characters, Level 1 Features, often require an application, while the Level 2
> Companions and Level 3 Citizens are immediately accessible. A newbie has a
> fully fleshed out and connected character within moments of logging on. No
> Chargen required. The idea is that the players are more like actors in a grand
> play, instead of mere extensions of themselves. Not too useful for a pay site,
> but the characters end up going back on the roster after 10 days or so idle.
> 

This brought to my mind a post to gamasutra from Bryan Turner.  

------->begin article:

Where to begin... this is an idea that has been brewing for some time and I 
believe it answers most of the questions & problems in the current crop of 
MMORPGs. These  problems include: PKing, stupid enemy AI, LevelQuesting, 
twinking (upgrading low level characters using the resources of high level 
characters), 'winning' the game, and a good chunk of the moral issues. Here's 
the gist: 

I envision a typical medieval setting, swords & sorcery style. However it begins 
to depart from the norm, as a new user you login to an account and are offered a 
choice of  characters. Each character is pre-made and has equipment, etc. All 
characters hail from a  set of races (on the order of 16-20) from Human to Ogre, 
Goblin to Dragon. All variety  of intelligent beasts to be played. No matter 
which choice of character is made, your race is always the 'good guy', while  
the enemy races are always the 'bad guy'. Alliances exists - tentatively - 
between some races (perhaps the Elves and Humans). All the intelligent monsters 
you meet in the world are played by humans. The unintelligent ones can be AI 
controlled. Here's where the RPing comes in. As a character you do not advance 
in the world. You can acquire power and money, build castles and wage wars, but 
unless you are very determined and capable, you won't affect the campaign 
storyline. Ahh, a storyline! Yes, there is a small set of Game Masters who paint 
a grand story which affects the majority of the racial interactions in the 
world. As you spend time online  you will eventually interact with characters 
played by higher ranking accounts. That is where the advancement model comes in. 
Your first character (and in fact, any number of other characters you like) are 
just Joe Bobs. They are not part of the story. As you gain RP experience [insert 
unfinished method of deciding RP experience] your account is upgraded - not your 
character. 

One day you log in and find a new character with a special note attached. This 
is a  'scripted' character. One with a part to play in the grand story. Perhaps 
it is only a small part at this time, but you're new to this RP thing. Your job 
is to find a small group of adventurers to protect you and take a special item 
(already in hand when you get the character) to the other side of the moor for 
delivery. Along the way, you are told that you will encounter some resistance 
(but don't tell the adventurers!). When the trolls pop out of the moor, you are 
to scream and panic, running into battle and become badly wounded, essentially 
causing problems for the adventurers. 

After your first scripted character you gain more RP experience, upgrading your 
account further. If however you don't play the part well, you account won't be 
upgraded. Over time, the best role players - NOT the kids with all day to spend 
online, will become integral parts of the story. Controlling major characters 
and making decisions which affect the campaign and it's finale. The best part of 
this is that when you first log in, you might encounter the old man who needs 
help getting across the moor. So you go along and behold! The trolls jump you 
and this bumbling fool gets himself hurt! Alas, you conquer the enemies (since 
they are player characters too, they most likely run away and are now holding a 
grudge), and safely deliver the man to his destination. Now you are known for 
good deeds and your roleplay ability is proven - thus the account upgrades and 
the chance to participate in the story. 

Here's a quick rundown of how this fixes the problems I've seen: 
PKing - Great, you're playing your race well. If not (PKing your own race) you 
will be  rated poorly and won't get a chance to play in the story. Also I'm 
imagining death will be permanent for a character, so saving one's skin becomes 
paramount in an encounter. 
Stupid Enemies - Well, I guess they could still be stupid, but they have to know 
how to turn on the computer and login, which is more than I can say for Emperor 
Crush last time I hacked him apart... (no hard feelings, Crush, but you're a 
dote) He just wouldn't give me his vest without a fight. 
LevelQuesting - There are no levels, or if they exist the level structure would 
be very 'flat'. High level characters would not be much different from low level 
ones. 
Twinking - Why would you want to? It does no good to give your other character 
1000 plat. They still don't affect the story, and you could do everything you 
wanted with the first character anyway. 
Winning - Since the story is a continuous, multi-level entity, there are always 
parts to play. Each time you log in, you have the choice of old characters or 
new ones. If you just want  a quick romp and slaughter, sign up for a bandit or 
raiding party. If you feel heroic or compassionate, pick the defender, etc.. If 
you don't pick it, it's offered to the next account with the necessary level. 
Moral Issues - Since you can have a large number of characters, and each is 
played for it's role in a story, you might get ranked well for playing an evil 
character (that's what they do after all). 

There's a LOT more to this and I've had to cut it down to save room (sorry for 
the long post). I'm looking for some initial feedback on this 'actor' style of 
game. Can it fly? 

              Thanks! 
              --Bryan Turner 

<----------------end article:

When reading it for the first time, I thought that it sounded very MUSH-like.  
Anyway, I thought that it was an interesting concept, where acting and role-play 
took precedent over the normal avataristic endeavors.

--Phinehas

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