[MUD-Dev] The quandry of mob combat in MUDs

[Peter Tyson]

While bashing some critters over and over the other night I started
thinking. Dangerous I know, usually gets me killed.

Anyway, I survived long enough to think about the bashing of
critters and the enjoyment one gets from it. I then stumbled across
a quandry.

The most dangerous fights are the most enjoyable, but they are the
least likely to help you advance, due to the penalty for
dying. Therefore, through design, the majority of MUDs encourage you
to tackle the easiest monsters (that still provide a reward) and
thus have you doing boring, repetitive tasks over and over.

So while I very much enjoy tackling the risky creatures, (where
perhaps a variety of combat techniques have to be employed) I really
can't afford to do this unless I want to be dying far more
frequently than is acceptble.  Instead I bash the same weaker
creatures over and over for smaller reward and quite a lot less fun.

I see this as being a fundamental problem of the whole idea of mobs
in games to date. It only gets better if you are doing things in
groups but even then the same principles do apply.

Some might argue that the fun comes from the risk of death, but I'd
disagree. The fun comes from applying new and various techniques to
the combat, stretching those tactical muscles which lesser creatures
never challenge.

Anyone else have any thoughts.

Peter Tyson
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