[MUD-Dev] Geometric content generation

[Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com]

From: Kwon Ekstrom [mailto:justice at softhome.net]
> 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.

Well I'm from the Hook school of game design when it comes to these
systems (at least what I think is his school ;). I believe that some
players will game a system whatever you do, and that if you don't
fully understand the system, it will likely be to the detriment of
those who have a less analytical approach. Following on from that I
don't see why people who were lucky when they picked their character
class or whatever, at the beginning, should reap the benefits of
having a better character for the rest of the game.

>> 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.

I'm not sure I understand how the system I mention 'artificially
create(s) skill diversity' anymore than your opposing sphere
concept. Whilst perhaps logical in some limited instances,I see no
reason why learning first aid should negatively affect another skill
I may have already aquired. Of course it is a game, so I don't think
realism is an overriding priority - as opposed to internal
consistency which most certainly is.

A seperate pool for trade skills is again something conceived to
prevent people from gaming in such a way that it will be detremental
to both their own and others enjoyment. If its from a single pool,
people end up creating trade mules which is not only boring for
them, but encourages players to be self sufficient compounded by the
fact that the mules (and thus the best tradesmen) will only be on
briefly to fashion things rather than properly played.

> 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.

I don't think absolute balance matters as much if you give people
the same opporunities. Especially if you allow the correction of
mistakes. I could live with shaping a character that was great in
PvE but useless at PvP if I did so consentingly. If however I
selected wizard at the start, and then after 50 days played discover
that it doesn't match any of my expectations, you've just encouraged
me to migrate.

Having said that, encouraging people to work together is key and
careful thought needs to be put into a system such as mine to make
sure there was interdependency between players.

The real problem with my system, is that people will often want to
make a generalist and then be miffed that they can't be the best at
anything. Thats where the reallocation aspect is again a helpful
factor. In the end, the main objective is to create a system which
acknowledges the difficulty of designing balance, yet doesn't
penalise the player for our inevitable design mistakes.

Dan
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