[MUD-Dev] Multiple Character Races

[ghovs]

On Tuesday 27 February 2001 01:37, John Bueler wrote, among other things:

>   2. Players do not like to be required to restart the game
>   experience with a new character.  Having the opportunity to create
>   a new character and find entertainment should be possible, but
>   being required is not desireable.  As an example, classes.  It is
>   an irrevocable decision on the part of the player that may not
>   match their actual entertainment goals.  As another example,
>   Asheron's Call's skill points system.  Irrevocable decisions at
>   character creation time.  This assumption weighs particularly
>   heavily when we talk about multiple character races.

Consider that a lot of MUDs thrive while they work with permadeath.
Apparently, some players don't mind having to start over again.

Also, I will often just start out a character, realize all the mistakes I 
made, and then start a character I'll care about.

>   3. The character in the game world are completely flexible.  The
>   characters adapt to whatever entertainment the player pursues with
>   the character.  This is the opposite of having classes.  I want to
>   permit as many hybrids as possible.  The immediate reaction I get
>   to this idea is that all characters will become completely
>   homogeneous, with one 'best' combination of skills.  The counter
>   to that is point 1 above: multiple experiences.  If there is a
>   spectrum of experiences to be enjoyed, then players will pursue
>   their specific mix of entertainment and their character will adapt
>   to that mix.

Finding out what race/class combination satisfies me best is part of
the exploration of a game.

>Visit the magic dingus and WHAMO, you're an elf.

This statement brightened my day considerably.  I'm also tempted to
call my next elf Whamo.

> It may also be the simple answer of: players.  When I have multiple
> races, I have more players because that's what players immediately
> expect from these games.

it's the choice between a simple plain blue bouncy ball or a
transparant one with shiny thingies in it.  Both are fully functional
bouncy balls, but only one of them looks good.

> Note that if different races do *not* have an impact on gameplay and
> they are truly only visual effects, why bother?  Why not go with all
> humans and put the graphics team on the problem of human body types
> and facial structures, permitting greater depth of the human
> experience instead of the breadth of the multi-race experience?

It's certainly true that replacing races with different kinds of
humans works just as well, RP-wise. It's really very much a matter of
preference, and not functionality.

rgds,
ghovs
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