[MUD-Dev] business models

[Jason Salem]

Matt Mihaly wrote:

> This is an extremely naive question from a tech POV I'm sure, but
> why did anyone ever implement lockers? I have never understood the
> necessity.

In both Dragonrealms and Gemstone, the encumbrance systems penalize
players that carry too much stuff.  There are combat penalties, and at
least in Dragonrealms, it becomes more difficult to even stand up if
you have a lot of stuff.  So the locker becomes the place to put extra
stuff.

For most long-term players, it becomes a place to put unique items,
changes of clothes such as a non armor and weapon outfit for
roleplaying scenarios (and a place to put all of the armor when it's
time to take out the wedding outfit), and a place to put all sorts of
other extra posessions.

One of the driving forces in both games is stuff -- in a text
environment the ability to quickly make a unique item is used as an
advantage by these games.  There is a subculture in the games centered
around the accumulation of unique stuff.  The lockers make this easier
to do.  Granted, mules are still used, but they don't seem to be as
prevalent as in, for example, Asheron's Call.  The vaults can also be
transferred for free with a premium character from city to city,
rather than charging an ingame currency fee as happens for a regular
character.  This makes changing home base locations easier.

Also of minor note is that the houses/homes (the private room listed
in the benefits list) aren't/can't be used for storage like a locker.
They don't supercede the "stuff stuffing" role of the lockers/vaults.


> Can you buy upgrades to your private room?

Upgrades to the home are bought with ingame cash, and include external
appearance upgrades (log cabin, white mansion, etc.. the actual
descriptions are a bit wordier and more interesting than my examples
here <g> ), furniture, nick knacks, etc.  There are a certain number
of items inside the home that can be upgraded.. table, bed, fireplace,
rug, maybe others (it's been a while).  There are stores in various
locations around the game world that will sell exteriors or furniture
of a given social class/location type.  The upgrade is bought at these
locations, and then delivered to the home, no matter where it is.  I
think that you can have more people in the home/room, but only one can
be designated as the guest, which allows them to operate the door.


> I'd love to hear more about these $200 weddings and the 25 "wedding"
> verbs, and how it all works. I'm sure others would too.

I don't remember much at all about weddings.. not my ball of wax.  I
remember that the verbs were gooshy though, and lots of folks liked
it.

-j-

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