[MUD-Dev] Crafts Systems (was:Simpson's "In-Game Economics of UO")

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

> Raph Koster <rkoster at austin.rr.com> wrote:
> > My observation was that players valued making actual things more than
> > anything. And making actual things that were identifiably theirs (eg, a
> > maker's mark) was best of all. Making something that wasn't intrisically
> > valued in itself was not nearly as cool.
> >
> > So miners were cool if they could get you valorite. But blacksmiths who
> made
> > only ingots weren't very cool--ones who made cool stuff were cool. And
> > carpenters, who couldn't make ANYTHING cool, were not cool at all, and
> > thence were unpopular.
> 

Charles Hughes replied:
> Perhaps players shouldn't be allowed to do some jobs?  I can understand
> carpenters being uncool, but perhaps Architect would have been a better
> job.  In other words require NPC middlemen but leave the "glamorous" jobs
> to the players.  Footsoldier sucks, but Sargeant isn't bad.  Farmer is
> okay, but ranch-hand bites. And so on.
> 
> A few of the professions which collect raw materials (lumberjack/woodsman,
> miner, herbalist) can be interesting because of the possibility of locating
> unusual/valuable items.  Locating/mating/cloning sheep just doesn't have
> the same kind of attention-holding power. :)
> 

Since you never know what people will enjoy doing in a game, I don't think that 
I'd automatically _prevent_ players from participation in any job.  I think it 
might be better to give them the choice to hire an NPC to do more mundane tasks. 
 If you are starting out as a boot maker, tanning leather the first twenty times 
might actually be interesting to you.  As you become more successful, however, 
the novelty will probably wear off.  If you are doing well enough, you could be 
given the option to hire out an NPC to work as your tanner, similar to how you 
might hire an NPC vendor to sell your finished product.

In this manner, farming pipeweed is available to those who are interested, but 
not required for those who are not.

--Phinehas


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