[MUD-Dev] Re: PvP systems

[gmiller at classic-games.com]

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Original message: http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2001Q1/msg00423.php

On Tue,  6 Feb 2001 20:25:17 -0800 (PST)
"John Buehler" <johnbue at msn.com> wrote:

> The curse approach only makes you plan your PKs (or whatever) for
> maximum effect.  A player who isn't powerful cannot accumulate items
> of value.  As soon as they accumulate (and carry) sufficiently
> valuable items, someone who is willing to accept one player curse
> will PK him.

That depends entirely on the reward for PK vs. the penalty of a curse.

> You also made comments about the difficulty of abuse of the curse
> system.  I see no reason why a guild couldn't start cursing into the
> ground the odd player that they disliked.  The victim's recourse is
> to complain or to curse all the guild members back - which is
> annoying and time consuming.  It serves as another means of PvP
> attack - cursing.  And I can easily imagine certain guilds in
> EverQuest doing such a thing to a player who is not aligned with a
> guild.

I don't consider that abuse... The whole point is to prevent people
from being able to offend others with impunity. If they offend a whole
guild that badly and have no friends of their own, there's likely a
reason for that.  Furthermore, I strongly suggest placing limits on
the number of curses a player can have active in order to create an
opportunity cost. People who use curses at random would naturally tend
to receive more curses than their victims. I also consider the curse
approach (or any similar "both sides suffer" thing) a good feature to
pair with an introduction system to further limit the potential for
abuse.

> Okay.  We have a bunch of teenagers running around in adult bodies
> with swords (and curses).  How much retribution do you want to
> permit?

As much as they feel it's worthwhile to suffer. The people who benefit
the most from such a system would be those who are good at avoiding
conflict.

> I'd rather just have the holodeck safeties put in place, to be
> lifted as each participant likes.

I wouldn't... but we already established our difference of opinion
there.

> Eh?  If a player wants to look foolish by engaging in verbal taunts
> with some imbecile, that's their business.  I'm not going to try and
> claim that I can come up with a system that detects insults and
> culls them from the game.  I'm suggesting that the only thing that a
> game should permit in reprisal for verbal harrassment is to return
> it in kind.  And that a player choosing to do such a thing is
> ill-advised.

The curse system presents one way of dealing with such verbal
misbehavior without responding in kind. People running around yelling
racial slurs would tend to receive more curses than they would have
available to give out.

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