[MUD-Dev] No Exp? (was: Exploration Exp)

[Michael Tresca]

"John Buehler" <johnbue at msn.com> posted:

> Yes, dump experience as a model for measuring everything.

> Reward explorers with the rewards of exploration: character
> knowledge of the world, including geography, wildlife, etc.

On RetroMUD, we have an "Explore Percentage" of the total universe.
At every 10 levels, an Explore Quest requires you have that much of
the Retroverse explored (10% at 10th level, 20% at 20th level, etc.).
Guilds that pride themselves on their knowledge of the world (Bards)
require a minimum amount of E% to advance.

> Reward socializers with the rewards of socialization: character
> faction, improved language skills, improved skills for whatever the
> socializers are doing while socializing - which may include trades
> and such.

We just recently implemented Role-Playing Points (RPP).  RPP is
figured in for leadership of guilds that are less combat-oriented
(merchants, alchemists).

> Reward killers with the rewards of killing: having achieved the
> kill, looting the body, etc.

This is covered by both experience points, and guild dues.  Guild dues
are awarded as appropriate to the guild -- combative guilds (mages,
fighters) get dues based on corpses.  Abjurers are awarded dues from
the amount of protection spells they cast on their comrades, and
Biomancers (healers) are awarded dues from the amount of healing
spells they cast.

> Reward achievers with the rewards of achieving: having reached a
> goal, winning the award or prize, etc.

We have over 50 quests (we're aiming for 100), and the person with the
most quests gets the Questor title and special abilities for it.  We
also have a "Most Experienced" position.

> Eliminate increasing personal power and increasing hit points.  If
> this isn't done, then don't bother with the above reward systems.

Untrue I say!  The problem is that you essentially have several
different types of gamer types.  If you expect them to all play the
same MUD, they will need to have some common measurement that advances
them.  Or one group will immediately dominate the other.  Until we
introduced RPP, socializers were sneered upon.  It is an unfortunate
necessity that we had to quantify role-playing to get them to be
legitimately recognized by the other gaming types.  But ultimately,
all of these points collapse into one system -- the level-based
experience point system.  Why?  Because they're all playing the same
game.  To create a challenge of any sort requires some sort of
measurement system, and by collapsing it all under experience points,
it's a convenient and easy means of quantifying "success."

This is not to say that the players are truly successful because they
game in one particular fashion over another -- it's a coding staff's
only means of making ALL of the above styles of play legitimate.  Too
many MUDs focus only on the killing part alone, and THAT's an outdated
approach.

Then again, that's the same flaw leveled at older RPGs, and it seems
to be doing quite well.  We now have a combination of older and newer
MUDders and different styles will appeal to each group.  I'm convinced
that there's room for all styles of play on one MUD.

Mike "Talien" Tresca
RetroMUD Administrator
http://www.retromud.org

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