[MUD-Dev] New Skill System

[gmiller at classic-games.com]

--<cut>--
Note: This message was written via the list web archives.  There is
no guarantee that the claimed author is actually the author.
--<cut>--
Original message: http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2000Q4/msg00588.php

On Tue, 26 Dec 2000 00:30:01 -0800 (PST)
Phil O'Donnell <podonne at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I have been reading this discssion of ability measurment with interest
> for some time, and I have a system of my own to propose. Basically, it
> uses the classless, raceless system of giving points to abilities as
> you complete certain actions, and using these points to determine how
> skilled a character is in a certain ability. However, my twist on it,

That used to be my favored approach, but after repeated discussions on this
list, I became convinced that I was wrong and that buying points in one form
or another was the way to go. XP, cash, training time, whatever works for your
environment.

> is that, withut practice, you abilities actually decrease over
> time. How much they decrease would be a function of how skilled you
> are. The learning curve stipulates that learning a skill is easy when
> you start, but as you get more advanced, it take more and more
> practice to gain anything. Inversely, it is easy to forget advanced
> knowledge, but difficult to forget the basics (like how to ride the
> bike). To be very advanced in a skill, it is necessary to practice it
> daily, lest you forget it

This is much like having a factory job, where you're expected to perform
certain actions "x" number of times per hour in exchange for pay (points).

> Ok, lets get some numbers. Say a skill is from 0-1000pts. Lets look at
> 2 characters (Alfred, skill of 5, and Bill, skill of 900). Under my
> rules, Alfred might gain 1pt next time the skill is used, while Bill
> would only gain 0.1pt (numbers are approximate). This is a familiar
> concept to most people.

Maximum skill values are something else I'm not very fond of. Finite storage
and processing power requires some limit, but it's better if no player has a
reasonable chance of reaching it.

> Another possibility is a "skill point pool" from which all points come
> and go. When you gain a skill point, one point comes out of the
> pool. When you lose a point, one gets added back in. The skill pool
> only has so many points in it, so at a certain point in your
> development, the only way to gain more skill points is to become less
> skilled at another skill. Additions to the pool could also be another
> reward.

OK, but what's the positive aspect of saying "sorry, you can't improve your
character anymore"? That just speeds up the player's inevitable arrival at a
point at which he has to either find "elder games" to play or quit the game
entirely. The player may see diminishing returns, but "sorry, the numbers won't
get any bigger" isn't needed.

_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev