Hiding the Numbers (was Re: [MUD-Dev] Maintaining fiction.)

[John Buehler]

Derek Licciardi writes:

> Games are played to win.(ie keep score in some way to determine a
> winner(extremely loosly defined here), be they points, items,
> skills, or whatnot.)

I'll avoid getting into the semantics of what a game is, whether a MUD
is a game, and so forth.  Such statements always seem to lead to
'dictionary wars'.  I do, however, want to contend that MUDs are not
about 'winning'.  Not even in the general sense.  They are about
entertainment.  I certainly won't begin to argue the point that many
players derive much of their entertainment by comparison against game
metrics or against other player's accomplishments in the game.

> Online games have a social aspect to them and in the real world we
> constantly compare ourselves and our things to everyone and
> everything else.(If you say that you don't you're lying to yourself)

If you say I must, then you are missing out on another way of viewing
life.  It's a question of degree.  To some, the comparison is
important.  To others, it is not.  I suspect the Dalai Lama and the
Pope really aren't all that worried about how they compare with others
on any axis.  No, I don't believe that they're concerned with being
more humble, holy or wise than other people.  And I only mention those
extremes because examples like them are usually mentioned in order to
counter my point.

I will agree with you that current games cater to those who rely on
the comparisons in order to define a significant portion of their
identity.

[snip conclusions based on the above assumptions]

> The question that I have been struggling with for over two years
> now, is where is the balance?  The best conclusion that I could come
> up with is that it is up to the admins and the style of MUD they
> would prefer to host.  Both 'hide it all' and 'show it all'
> solutions have drawbacks that directly affect gameplay and fun.

A game that shows all information is geared for competition.  A game
that obfuscates all internals permits both competition and
cooperation, while catering to neither.  Quantification is the cannon
fodder of competition.

> I believe the answer lies in the middle somewhere.  I define that
> middle as a place where outside statistical simulations are not
> necessary to compare yourself with someone else because the game
> mechanics make that comparison reasonably accurate and readily
> available to you when you need it.

If somebody needs to know if they've developed a better character than
other player, the two players should put their characters head to
head.  Let 'em lock horns.  It works in the real world.  And it leaves
open the possibility for many interaction scenarios, including the
cases where one character slipped at a key moment, or there was a high
wind that day, which favored one character over another.  Typical
'unfair' issues.  Or one player believing that he can do better the
next time.

> I also define it as not giving the complete powergamer access to the
> entire engine workings.  For those that like to analyze down to the
> smallest pound, strength point, etc., etc., I believe that a little
> randomness or ambiguity goes a long way towards leaving just enough
> doubt in the comparison to require intuition.

I agree with this, all the way up to not showing the internal values
to the player.  Obviously, I'm in the obfuscation camp (and the
simulation camp).  Obfuscation won't keep players from figuring things
out, but the next step after that is to make figuring it out of no
real value.  "Hey, thrown objects follow a parabolic path!"

> ps I hope this isn't too physcho-philosophical.  It presents a
> framework for me to base decisions from and is not intended to be a
> Frazier Crane's view of player motivations.  Comments would be
> appreciated.

I think that trying to avoid the psychological and philosophical
elements of game design is futile.  These games are huge psychological
experiments from which I hope we can learn lots of valuable lessons
that can be considered when looking at the real world.  Every man has
to have a pipe dream.

JB

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