[MUD-Dev] RE: Realistic Ecological Models, Differentiating Areas by Difficulty, and Socialization

[David B. Held]

From: "Damion Schubert" <damion at ninjaneering.com>

> The problem I have with dynamic ecologies is that they are a lot
> of work for an outcome that typically is difficult to see the
> results of.  For example, how long does it take to kill all the
> sheep?  How long until the dragon hunting the sheep flies into the
> village because he's hungry?  Are players going to put the causal
> relationship together, or are they going to see a
> once-in-a-lifetime dragon attack that could just as easily be
> attributed to a GM summons as an ecological model?

> I've tried to get these concepts to work multiple times, and where
> I usually end up is that, in order to make a dynamic ecology work
> and be fun, I have to remove a lot of the realism from it.  And
> that realism is, for many ecology proponents, the whole point.

I'm quite interested in your experiences with ecological models.  I
suspect there is a non-linear interaction between the level of
simulation applied and the resulting stability of the model.  But
obviously, you have experience, and I do not.  I would like more
information in what aspects of ecology you simulated, and how you
attempted to balance them.  I plan on creating a pervasively
ecological MUD, and balancing all gameplay aspects on the naturally
occurring and player-introduced relationships among game entities.
But I certainly welcome any insights gained from actual attempts to
introduce ecology.

Dave

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