[MUD-Dev] Re: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?

[J C Lawrence]

On Thu, 20 Jan 2000 15:46:55 -0600 
Powell, Warren <warren.powell at nz.unisys.com> wrote:

<<Note: I crossed your this original of the post I'm replying to,
and this reply to MUD-Dev as this is a not infrequent topic there.>>

> Hero. Everybody wants to get there eventually, but who knows what
> they have they done while getting there?

Ahem.  This is the goal of some players, but it is unique to a very
small subsection of Bartle's card suits, and in turn is unique to a
particular form of goal-oriented game.  Its not an RP vs <other>
thing, its a question of goals and purposes.

As a case in point, while I do play goal oriented combat based MUDs,
my goal has never been to becomes famous or particularly well known.
I don't care what my stats or level are, just what I can do within
the game.  If stats are necessary to "knowing" a particular object,
trick, or area, then accumulate stats I will.  If they're not
necessary, then I don't give a damn.  The typical result is that
I'll usually know how to make "top level" in an absolute minimum of
time, but will then never bother to as there are more interesting
targets to pursue.

It may be worth your while to broaden the scope of your target
audience.

> We also wanted to make sure that players who had achieved
> greatness were remembered.

You can also extend this as a community building exercise,
intituting events, ceremonies, and other ritual trivia about
"famous" acts.  As Amy Jo Kim (?) once observed, there are no
societies without regular celebrations, special days, or other
"social events".  

> The main way in which we do this is via the folowing tables:

> 1. Fame table The traditional fame table where individual players
> recieve fame points for killing mobs (or chars) that are of a
> higher level than themselves. So if a player kills a mob that is
> +10 levels he will receive 10 fame (these numbers are not
> accurate). If he has gained enough fame to make him one of the top
> 20 fame holders in the mud, his name will be added to the fame
> table and the other entries will shuffle around to accomodate him,
> dropping the lowest from the table. The person who was then
> removed will have to do some more work to gain his position back.

I'd be tempted to give people with places on the fame table
something special; something to signify their status.  It could be
as simple as as a desc mod, a fame-table-unique object which does
something interesting but has no general in-game use, a couple extra
spiffy commands that do something other's can't do, etc.  You would
then of course remove said <whatever> when the player left the
table.

--
J C Lawrence                                 Home: claw at kanga.nu
----------(*)                              Other: coder at kanga.nu
--=| A man is as sane as he is dangerous to his environment |=--


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