[MUD-Dev] Buying benefits

[Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kevin Littlejohn [mailto:darius at bofh.net.au]
> Sent: 07 June 2001 05:33
> To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Buying benefits 
 
>> Now, Achaea actually allows you to buy items (weapons, armor) and
>> I think Matt has the idea right when he limits these items to
>> *buy-only* (that's right, isn't it?). To me, this would be more
>> of a status thing as long as you could get a similar blade
>> (although by another name) from playing and not just with cash.

> It struck me after my last email that a potential difference
> between muds selling stuff and CCG's selling cards is that in a
> CCG you're not buying "the next biggest armour", you're buying
> cards that'll open up alternate modes of play.  Traditionally in
> muds buying equipment means buying the uber-gear, whereas perhaps
> we should be looking at it in terms of buying access to alternate
> ways to play that don't necessarily make you _better_, so much as
> allow you to experiment more and customise more.

Isn't part of the 'trick' with cards the fact that you don't even
know exactly what you are buying. Hence you buy a lot of 'junk'
cards, hoping to strike lucky with something of genuine use. I think
this might work rather well, especially if you make the items
non-transferable (so it won't trounce the player economy one would
hope). Also if you are selling these 'lucky lotto backpacks' someone
who buys just a small number, will still have a chance at getting
lucky. It also stops people directly equating investment with power.

Whether or not running a 'lottery' like this is moral, I don't
know. It might well make you a load of money though :)

Dan
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev