Damaging items was RE: [MUD-Dev] New Bartle article

[Travis Casey]

Tuesday, February 27, 2001, 6:03:44 AM, Brian Hook <bwh at wksoftware.com> wrote:
> At 11:48 PM 2/25/01 -0800, msew wrote:

>> I agree in theory with that :-) but from the muds I have played on
>> they tried and tried to get it "balanced", with either holy symbols
>> that cost $$ and had structure and components for the magic using
>> classes.  Even with those drains in, the tanks would also have more
>> of a burden on them.

> Well, I didn't say balancing would be easy, just that it's possible
> =)

>> What tools, mechanisms, strategies, do people use for balancing
>> their games?  Which benchmarks?  How to implement changes in the
>> game: Bottom up?  Top down?  Massive spreadsheets?

> Well, I've never actually done an MMRPG from start to finish, but
> that doesn't prevent me from having strong opinions on the matter.

> If you're doing anything -- and I mean ANYTHING -- at all that
> requires the equivalent of dice rolls, then I think the following
> things are absolutely necessary:

>   - a FORMAL and RIGID process for each mechanic that stipulates: *
>   the design and intent of the mechanic

           * thorough testing of the design, preferably before
           * implementation really begins

>          * the intended implementation direction * the
>          implementation * thorough testing that asks "Does the
>          implementation meet the design" * thorough testing that
>          asks "Does the design and intent still work?"

>   - designers and programmers that have a passing knowledge of the
>   relevant fields: statistics (to analyze data); combinatorics;
>   probability; and at least a basic understanding of calculus.

As a paper RPG designer, I don't have an "implementation" in the
computer sense -- the only implementation problem I can have is
describing the rules well enough that people using the system will use
it correctly.  I inserted the bullet I did because, even without
having a need for implementation, I still have to do testing to
determine that the systems I design do what I want them to, and aren't
open to abuse.

To put it in more of a step-by-step format:

 1.  Decide what you want to happen.  Write this out, so you'll
 remember it all and be able to test it later.  While you're at it,
 decide what you *don't* want to happen, and write that out too.

 2.  Design the mechanic, using the requirements you've generated in
 step 1.

 3.  Test the mechanic against the requirements.  If it works, go on.
 If not, return to step 2.

 4.  Have other people test the mechanic.  Particularly, find
 min-maxers to look it over and test it.  If there are problems at
 this point, there's probably a requirement that should have been in
 there, but you overlooked.  Go back to step 1.

Now, repeat all four steps, only with the *implementation* of the
mechanic, instead of the mechanic itself.
     
> If you lack the above, invariably you get a completely empirical
> model of mechanics creation and deployment, and this will break.
> There is no getting around it.  Empirical methods -- you know the
> ones, where designers/programmers randomly tweak variables and
> equations they don't really understand until it "feels" right -- get
> utterly destroyed and abused by power gamers that DO understand
> those numbers even if they have to reverse engineer them.

I'd call that an "intuitive" method, myself.  I associate empiricism
with scientific empiricism, in which you may come up with a method by
feel -- but then you test it, and if it doesn't work, try to figure
out what went wrong and improve it.

> I firmly believe that you must have a power gamer design your
> mechanics simply because power gamers, as a group, understand the
> issues involved with abusing a mechanic much better than anyone
> else.

I don't believe that the designer necessarily has to be a power gamer,
but there should definitely be power gamers testing the mechanics and
in a position to make suggestions for improvements to the designer.
Further, when testing the implementation, you should find cheaters to
test it as well.

--
       |\      _,,,---,,_    Travis S. Casey  <efindel at earthlink.net>
 ZZzz  /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_   No one agrees with me.  Not even me.
      |,4-  ) )-,_..;\ (  `'-'
     '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)   


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