[MUD-Dev] Maintaining fiction.

[rayzam]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Rickey" <daver at mythicentertainment.com>
To: <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Maintaining fiction.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Travis Casey <efindel at earthlink.net>

>> Huh?  Min/maxing was given that name before D&D even
>> existed... the term comes from game theory, where min/maxing is
>> attempting to create a strategy that minimizes your possible
>> losses, while maximizing your possible gains.

> Actually, aggressive "powergamers" almost perfectly fit the game
> theory definition of a "rational player", which is defined as a
> participant with perfect knowledge of the rules, who *always*
> pursues the strategy that maximizes his personal payoff.

Though this is just related to a payoff in measurable assets. A
person who wants to enjoy roleplaying an off-the-wall character
combination, such as, hmm, a half-ork who was raised from near birth
by hobbits, and has the mindset/self-view of a hobbit, or a person
who plays a mage who is deathly afraid of magic [for some background
rp reason] and thus avoids the use of it, could be maximizing his
personal payoff in enjoyment and rp opportunities. Powergamers don't
tend to fit into that category. Even something as simple as deciding
your character has a fear of water, and won't go into
rivers/lakes/sea. That can maximize a personal payoff while not
powergaming [avoiding those areas, not being able to take ships to
other continents].

This is mostly a slight semantic argument, with the little remainder
pointing to an issue that game theory maximizes
assets/resources/score, but not the less quantifiable enjoyment,
relaxation, emotional values.

> Just as a demonstration of the Prisoner's Dilemna can reduce an
> Econ 101 class to a screaming match, conflicts between min-maxers
> and players pursuing less numbers-oriented goals get pretty
> intense.

Then you get the person playing for enjoyment instead of
points. What happens there? The classic 'grief player', playing to
minimize other(s) ability to score well. He's working towards his
goal, and maximizing his payoff [especially if the others are
screaming].

And thus, the discussion circles back to min/maxing not being
consistent with other aspects, or at least min/maxing is orthogonal
to it.

The problem comes in when the powergamers have min/maxed enough that
trying to do anything else is unplayable socially. Crafters also
want to be able to party and kill things at times. But if you have
to be a powergamer or you're just a drain on the others, then it's
not enjoyable for any involved.

Thus I seem to agree with everyone else :)

    Rayzam

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