[MUD-Dev] Geometric content generation

[Kwon Ekstrom]

Replying to the reply so I don't have to send more mail... :)

From: "rayzam" <rayzam at home.com>
> From: <Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com>

>> Perhaps the easiest way to approach balancing is to throw out
>> classes, make everything skill based, and allow reallocation of
>> skill points. That way players can explore the system, discover
>> the lesser skills, drop them and stay happy. It also allows you
>> to modify skills without players getting too upset since they can
>> always add and remove it. Hmm, isn't that what SWG is doing
>> anyway?

I don't like the idea of skill points... it would seem to encourage
the min/maxing behavior by giving players specific control over what
they can and cannot do.

> Wouldn't this just lead to even more min-maxing? I'm fuzzy on it
> at the moment, but I thought even in the new big skill based
> systems, there were classes of skills, so you could get the lesser
> skills without it costing from the overall. Not sure if that was
> for SWG or for one [or more] of the upcoming commercial releases.

I've seen similar systems, and it seems to artificially create skill
diversity on a character.  I'd prefer to give the character a reason
to have those skills and require them to draw from a single pool.
resource management should be an aspect of any skill based system.

The system I've been working on for my mud is based on spheres of
knowledge.  You gain knowledge through the use of skills and each
sphere of knowledge opposes other spheres.  You gain skills by
reaching an appropriate level on knowledge in one or more spheres,
and by having any necessary prequisite skills.  Gaining in a sphere
decreases your ability in any opposing spheres (an equal amount that
you gained, but spread across multiple spheres so you "can"
diversify but it's more difficult), when you get below the required
knowledge for a skill, it's removed from your skill list.  There are
more anti-abuse systems drawn out, that's just the major workings of
it... I like the gain through usage, and opposing spheres will allow
you to shift the direction of your character.

I doubt such a system could ever be completely balanced, since there
isn't a way to predict what a player will use, but I think it'd
create interesting interactions between players.  Each player in the
game would have different capabilities depending on how they played.
I was planning on a variety of sub-systems that would encourage
players with different skills to work together.

-- Kwon Ekstrom

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