[MUD-Dev] Acting casual about casual gamers

[rayzam]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Travis Casey" <efindel at earthlink.net>
To: "rayzam" <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Acting casual about casual gamers


<SNIP>

>
> >     I've always felt that an idea for an area should be self-standing.
That
> > is, it should work for any level of power. If a village is beleagured by
a
> > beast, it could be done at a very easy level for new characters, harder
for
> > midlevel characters, and hardest for high level characters. Of course,
this
> > doesn't mean make 1 version for each. It's just that the thematic
idea/plot
> > behind the area shouldn't be mentally trapping in terms of area. That's
what
> > those other examples of demeaning newbies have been, i.e., newbies kill
> > chickens or butterflies. And the Dragon Lord must be for high levels.
None
> > of that needs be true.
>
> Of course none of that needs to be true; these are created realities
> -- nothing *needs* to be true.
>
> However, if any area can be taken on by any level of character, with
> any character having basically the same chance of succeeding, why have
> levels at all?  The only purposes it can serve in such a case are to
> show how much one has adventured in the mud and/or to provide
> differences in power for character-vs.-character struggles.  (And, if
> it does the latter, it makes no sense that it should not affect
> PC-vs.-NPC or monster struggles.)

    Actually, you misinterpreted me. It's not the same area can be taken on
by any level of character. It's that when you create a new area, that area
idea/theme should be able to be coded for a specific level/difficulty for
characters, but that that level it will be coded for should be anywhere from
super easy to super difficult.

    Example: Paladin takes over a village to launch a crusade on the
countryside.  The paladin could be a low level 1 paladin, the villagers
become level 0 mortals.  Or it could be the High Paladin of Crusades, level
100.  Or it could be a Paladin level 30, etc.  My point is that a theme for
an area should be independent of the level of the area when it is finally
coded.

    Hence, we have wizards submit area proposals, and then work out what
level the area should be afterwards. Or wizards code a specific level, and
work out an area theme for it.  But we don't hold to the area requires it to
be such and such level. That means no condescending butterfly and mouse
kills for newbies, nor that all dragons need to be level 100.

    Hope that cleared it up.

    Rayzam
    www.retromud.org




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