[MUD-Dev] Simpson's "In-Game Economics of UO"

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

stoddart said: 
> > I like the idea of people being around all the time much more than the
> > concept of instant safety coming from logging out of the game.  However I
> > haven't seen an implementation of 'permanent people' which really adds to
> a
> > game.  In a sense you're adding realism by having the character in the
> world
> > all the time, but then you're detracting again because you have to fake up
> > enough protections to make the game remain playable.  This assumes a
> combat
> > orientated environment, of course.  I imagine that in a peaceful
> roleplaying
> > environment the whole concept might work much better.
> 

Eli replied:
> What I am thinking of doing is having a "generic" representation of the
> player present in the world.  Nothing that happened to the GPC (GPC?) would
> actually be transferred to the player's character.  The GPC would have
> normal, generic versions of the player's equipment (nothing exotic to
> steal/loot), and would carry out whatever offline commands/queue the player
> instructed.  Guilds would provide a template for various common guild
> positions, so players with city guard positions would turn into guard mobs
> when they logged out, sergeants would remain sergeants, etc.
> 
> The player would log back into the GPC's position with their true character.
> If the GPC had been killed, well...  I don't know.  ;)  But, it would allow
> for capturing the King, even if the King is offline.  I don't know if
> players would like the idea of logging back into an enemy dungeon...
> Probably not, but would they like the idea of stealing the enemy's Queen
> better?

This is similar to what I envision (I like the GPC designation, so I hope you 
don't mind if I use it), but I would give the player the choice between GPC and 
SPC (the player's actual character acting on the player's script).  But the 
player's character would gain skills, gold, items, etc., only if the player 
chose for his character to remain in the game as an SPC, in which case, his 
character _would_ be vulnerable.  (When you say that nothing that happened to 
the GPC would actually be transferred to the player's character, I'm assuming 
you mean nothing negative, but that skills and items would be.  In this, we 
differ.)  I see the GPC as a simple placeholder so that, say a squad, would 
maintain the appropriate number of characters without regard to who was logged 
and who wasn't.  But items or gold accumulated by the GPC would go into a drain 
(with maybe some going to a superior).  Perhaps I should explain this in more 
detail.

Let's see...Bubba Bugsquasher is a PC.  Bubba  is a private.  Buffy is his 
sergeant.  Buffy's squad (including Bubba) is hunting an orc raiding party which 
stole a shipment of gold and did minor damage to a small mining settlement on 
the outskirts of Bubba's realm.  Bubba's mom calls him to dinner.  What does 
Bubba do?

1) Engage a standard script that has him walk to the nearest log point (as SPC) 
such as an inn, or his own home.  If he walks to an inn, he will need to pay for 
his lodging.  If her runs out of money before logging back in, he will be ousted 
from the inn and will automatically walk home.  When he enter's his room at the 
inn, a scheduler will kick in which he can engage in various mental, physical or 
spiritual exercises appropriate to his setting.  For example, if he has in his 
possession a book on military tactics, he can read it to augment the appropriate 
skill(s).  If he has the proper items on hand, he can fletch arrows.  He can 
meditate to increase wisdom.  He can do strength exercises.  And so on.  

If he is in his own home and if he has paid for upgrades to his home, he may 
have a library, lab, forge, weapon's practice area with practice dummies, or 
other types of ammenities which will give him additional options for activities 
during his time offline (or online if he desires, but I'm assuming that he will 
want to spend online time doing things he finds more interesting).  If he wishes 
more advanced training, he can be scheduled to visit trainers in the city.  Or 
he could be scheduled to go to a particular vendor at a particular time to buy 
resources and take them back to his home where he can use them to craft items, 
which when finished could be taken to another vendor and sold (providing the 
prices are within the thresholds he sets).

If Bubba did not trust that he would make it safely to an inn or to his home, 
and if he has in his possession a GP Small (general purpose, small army tent), 
he could make camp where he was.  It would require...say...30 seconds of real 
time to erect his camp.  This time would need to be uninterrupted by attack to 
prevent someone from simply making a camp at the first sign of danger.  A GP 
Small would provide less oppurtunity to increase skills than a GP Medium which 
would provide less than an inn, which would provide less than your home, etc.  

Whether in an inn, in a tent, or at his home, his state can be stored for 
extended periods of time (until the next event on his schedule) so that he is 
not a constant drain on server resources.

2)  If his trust of Buffy is _very_ high, Bubba could choose to stay in the game 
as an SPC under Buffy's control (think RTS).  Buffy would be expected to do 
everything she could to ensure Bubba's survival, while perhaps getting his 
character some valuable experience fighting orcs.  When Buffy logs off, she 
could then activate another log option (1, 3, or 4) for Bubba as well as for her 
own character.

3)  Bubba can choose to completely remove his character from the game.  This 
would require the obligatory 30 seconds and a very inexpensive and light pup 
tent (maybe only 15 seconds for the pup tent?).  The camp is set, Bubba 
Bugsquasher goes into the tent and Bubba (Smith? :-) ) the GPC comes out.  With 
this option, the player's character is completely safe from harm, but Buffy 
doesn't lose a member of her squad.  The GPC is completely under the control of 
his superior, Buffy (again, think RTS) who can use him as she see's fit to 
accomplish her mission.  (What to do with items gained by Bubba the GPC?  Send 
to drain?  Give to Buffy? Combination?)

When Bubba Bugsquasher the PC log's back in, if Bubba the GPC is able to pitch 
his pup tent (he's alive and not under attack), he will, and 15 seconds later, 
Bubba Bugsquasher will exit the pup tent and break camp.  If Bubba the GPC is 
dead, then Bubba the PC will have to start in his home.  (But Buffy's squad 
should still somehow lose a man, or be charged gold or something to make up for 
his loss.  How to accomplish this?).  If Bubba the GPC is under attack, then 
Bubba the PC has the option to waith until the GPC can make camp, or start at 
his own home.

4)  To really make this feel safe to the player, a possible fourth option would 
be to allow the player to choose a combination of option (1) and option (3).  In 
this senario, Bubba the SPC...say...pitches a GP small and begins reading, 
exercising, etc., but if his camp is attacked, he logs automatically and Bubba 
the GPC responds to the attack by breaking camp and facing the attackers.  Bubba 
Bugsquasher the PC is completely safe, but is not guaranteed to be able to skill 
until he logs back in.

A couple of caveats.  First of all, if Bubba has an epic quest item in his 
possession (think Frodo and the ring), then options (3) and (4) are not 
available to him unless he hands the item over to another PC or SPC.  In other 
words, it is not acceptable to have the item disappear from the game or to have 
the possibility that the item will be in the possession of a GPC (Hmmm.  But why 
not?  Maybe I'll rethink this).  Secondly, I have no idea about how 
technologically feasible these options are.  I simply offer them as ideas born 
strictly from a desire to see a better game design (IMHO) without regard to 
feasibility.

Thoughts?

--Phinehas




-----------------------------------------------------------------
		"All things are permissable,
			but not all things are expedient."
-----------------------------------------------------------------                 




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