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

[Jeff Freeman]

At 10:47 PM 12/27/00 -0500, Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services wrote:

> I believe that some form of character persistence (and I consider
> the time based system you describe as a mild form just that) is the
> most straightforward way to handle macroing.  In a sense, you simply
> give everyone the ability to macro.  World Fusion is taking this
> approach, but they are using full-blown character persistence, where
> you character actually remains in the world in a scripted state
> while you are offline.

On Ackadia I've just implemented "apprentices", which remain online
(and working) 24/7, earning money for their mentors (the players).
With a pay-for-training skillgain system, it equates to "macroing for
everyone" (although we don't have a level-based system and most people
tend to "max out" their characters within a couple of weeks).

It's fantastico.  First, I'm a casual player there myself (in that I
don't really actually PLAY nearly as often as anyone else), so it
allows me to at least keep-up, somewhat, with the hardcore players.
They still get lots more trinkets and baubles than I'll ever get, but
at least my character isn't a permanewbie.

Second, their old macroing selves sucked-up bandwidth for people that
weren't actually online and playing.  Their apprentices don't use any
bandwidth (they don't even use any CPU cycles if there aren't any
other players around to see them doing stuff).

Third, it *really* adds to the atmosphere of the world.  Their
apprentices walk around, enter and exit buildings, chop trees, mine
for ore, hammer at the smithy and say witty things to other npcs.
Their old macroing selves used to stand in one spot saying the same
thing (if anything) over and over.

I plan on expanding it a bit more - give them the ability to assign
keywords and responses to their apprentices, default greetings and so
on.  Plus I want them to "network" their apprentices (for more
productivity) - the cook's apprentice will feed the miner's apprentice
who will bring ingots to the smith's apprentice who will repair the
armor and weapons on the town guards (which are also "player
owned"-npcs), and so on.

It's pretty neat.

--
  http://home.swbell.net/skeptack/

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