[MUD-Dev] Moving away from the level based system

[Jon Morrow]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu [mailto:mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu]On Behalf Of
>Corey Crawford
>Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2000 1:26 AM
>To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
>Subject: RE: [MUD-Dev] Moving away from the level based system

> The above may work well with the current incarnation of the system
> I'm working on.. you would gain in skill knowledge (increase the
> skill pool size) by using allotted exp to increase that
> knowledge. Currently, I have each skill/spell categorized into
> different areas.. so exp gained casting healing spells cannot be
> used to gain skill in teleportation spells; the same could work for
> combat I suppose, but I'm still working that all out ;)

Allotment of experience?  Isn't the purpose of going to a
class-less/level-less system realism?  If I am allotting experience
points, it becomes difficult to forget that I am using a telnet
program to talk with a computer.  For that matter, anything involving
numbers or the unrealistic transfer of attributes is unrealistic from
my perspective.

I can, however, see the possibilities in such a system.  Just playing
a bit of devil's advocate.  :)

> Now that I think about it, the best way I can think of to curtail
> macroing and such would be to change the exp system (from the above)
> slightly so that you only gain exp from skill usage if the tasks
> were difficult enough.. this way any fighting skills you have will
> not yield exp unless you are fighting something worth fighting, know
> what I mean?

Absolutely!  When I played DragonRealms as a warrior, it was quite
easy to slay just about any creature for a long, long time.
Intelligent, power-hunting, macro-using players have little difficulty
advancing very quickly because the game dynamics allow them.  In my
opinion, players should not get any experience from NPCs that they can
slay in a single swing.  And, to discourage the macros, invest a
little time in AI to give your creatures half a brain.  :)

> But this is still a problem when it comes to trade skills.. how do
> you prevent ANY type of trade skills (arrow fletching, cooking,
> whatever) from being macroed and/or spammed? The above system
> doesn't help that situation at all and may even promote it (since
> you have to be doing hard stuff to gain exp, then why not have your
> guy trying to do the hardest thing he knows how to do for 2-3
> hours?). One of my thoughts was to make sure the process was a bit
> more complex than a simple command (a few at least) but these could
> still be macroed, and probably WOULD promote macroing because people
> are lazy ;)

I actively watched a thread on this issue a few months ago.  Try
searching for trade skills in the archives.  If my memory serves, one
solution allowed players to use their trade-skills when logged off,
but at a slower rate of advancement.  Hunting should also be a faster
way to advance (unless a trader), so players will hunt your now
intelligent creatures while logged in.  They can set which trade skill
to develop before they logout.

-Jon

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