[MUD-Dev] Simpson's "In-Game Economics of UO"

[Charles Hughes]

Raph Koster <rkoster at austin.rr.com> wrote:
> Sellers, Michael wrote:
> > Raph wrote:
> > > Charles Hughes wrote:
> > > > a mule could crank out many breastplates in a year, but 
> > > > the more breastplates available, the lower the price that 
> > > > could be charged.
> > >
> > > Players hate this and report it as a bug.
> 
> > If the game were more of an economic one than a "kill monster 
> > get loot" one, their expectations could be set differently 
> > (see for example the old game MULE).
> 
> As a total MULE addict, I can say with a fairly high degree of 
> confidence that it was hard as the dickens to LOSE money in 
> regular play. It's a game
> about who makes more, and going bankrupt just doesn't happen.

True, but MULE was a self contained game with up to 4 players 
who could wreck the markets if they wished.  Without a decent
economic simulation, a mud may experience too much or too little
cash flow into the hands of the players.  Also in MULE, the game
would hurt the player doing the best, and help the player doing
the worst.  Muds won't normally have this kind of self-adjusting 
effect, and they have a lot more than 4 players.





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