[MUD-Dev] Re: Geometric Content Generation

[John Robert Arras]

On Fri, Sept 28, 2001, Brian Hook<bwh at wksoftware.com> wrote:
> At 11:07 AM 9/28/01 +0200, Hans Henrik St=E6rfeldt wrote:
 
>> However, i see no problem in someone writing a 'keep close'
>> network sniffer that controls N-1 utterly defenseless ships with
>> expert trader-mules. Then let it be controlled by the real
>> crack-shot ace in his fighter. When the goods are sold, by the
>> expert mule traders, the funds/resources is transferred to the
>> fighterpilot.
 
> The problem is that those expert mule traders will have to be
> friends (due to the one ship/character per server limit), and even
> if they weren't, trading involves traveling to places where you're
> going to be attacked (if you want it to be profitable at least).
> Being defenseless is a bad idea in such cases. =3D)

But, how far are you willing to go to enforce this? If it takes time
and resources to switch back and forth between ships, someone may be
willing to pay to have more than one ship per server. I look at it
as if an account costs 10 bucks a month and if my time is worth 30
bucks an hour, then I am willing to have more than one account if it
will take me at least 20 minutes a month to do this switching.


Will you enforce this by saying "one character per copy of the
client per server", and if so what happens if someone buys two (or
more) copies of the game and pays their 2x50 bucks up front, and is
willing to pay 2x10 bucks a month instead of the 10 bucks a month to
have two characters? Are you willing to refuse cash to enforce this
rule?

Will you check the owners of credit cards so that if they pay with
two different cards, you will refuse payment to preserve the one
character rule?

Will you check IP's so that if two people log in from the same (or
similar) IP's they get deleted?


I am all for this kind of a rule, and in fact I try to enforce this
in my hobby game. But, I don't see a company refusing money and
cancelling accounts because someone chose to have more than one
account and chose to pay more money to get more out of the game. It
isn't that companies can't do that...it's just that companies are in
business to make money, and allowing multiple characters by forcing
people to have multiple accounts would make a lot more money for the
company.

Also since virtual items are worth rl cash, I smart businessman
would trade money for time to increase his take playing your game.

Anyway, I am just curious how far you are willing to go to preserve
this. I would LOVE to see a game where the integrity of the game is
enforced over monetary considerations, but a business must put
money, if not first, then very close to first in its priorities.

John Arras

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