[MUD-Dev] Anarchy Online (was Community Feeling)

[Hanz]

Matt Mihaly [mailto:the_logos at achaea.com] wrote:

> PvP doesn't just mean combat though. There are a ton of possible
> PvP elder games. I, for instance, while recognizing your
> motivations in wanting to fight faraway monsters and explore
> legendary places, would not be motivated by that for very
> long. I'd be entertained by it for a bit, but I don't really get a
> lot of fun out of beating up NPCs. Not into Diablo or Diku. I
> enjoy PvP activities quite a bit though, whether it's fighting
> someone in a game with a sufficiently complicated PvP system, or
> trying to discredit my opponent in an election by spreading false
> rumours about him, or seducing the girlfriend of my enemy, or
> participating in the defence of my country, state, city, or family
> against the hordes of unwashed filthmongers who hate us and who
> are jealous of us, and who want to steal our pies and
> taters. Bastards.

This brings up an interesting point, and one of my pet peeves with
the "Bartle Types" in general (short version: I don't think you can
truly understand the Bartle types without having played MUDII).

Is it possible that instead of 'killer', the appropriate label for
that category should be 'competitor'?  This would give us a nice
grid with the axes being 'cooperation - competition' and 'people -
game'.  It would also perhaps open up our thoughts as to how to
occupy competitors without having to invoke PvP - which is arguably
the most destructive form of competition (since it forces unwilling
players into that playstyle in most cases).

I would make the argument that trying to be the first player to do x
or y in a game, or outdo your rival guild or whatever is just as
much competition, and caters to the same drives, as direct PvP,
except for the griefing aspects.

Rob
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