[MUD-Dev] A Question on PvP and PK

[Ron Gabbard]

From: "Matt Mihaly" <the_logos at achaea.com>
> On Fri, 2 Aug 2002, Sean Kelly wrote:

>> Why call it an empty victory because the weaker player was given
>> more resources or a more defensible position than the stronger
>> player?  The idea is to provide an even match, not coddle the
>> newbies.

> Because that's what it feels like to me. From a competitor's
> perspective, equality of outcome is not my goal. Equality of
> external starting resources is what I want.

Equality of starting resources is the toughest to achieve as the
designer often has the least control over the most valuable resource
-- game time.

A player that invests four hours on Saturday and a couple hours
during random weeknights will have difficulty competing against
players that play six hours per weekday and ten hours a day on the
weekends both in player learning and avatar development.  The sad
thing is that both players may be paying the exact same price in
that both may be investing all of their discretionary leisure time
into the game.  If you look at what eBay syndrome actually is, it's
just the player with less time using rewards earned in RL activities
to compete with those players who have more time to invest in game
activities.  Actually, I'm surprised that more companies haven't
offered a service (particularly in games with level-based PvP) where
players could bid real money amount for 'levels' or gear. (Yes, I'd
use an auction system with limited supply at any given time to get
an accurate market price.)  eBay has shown that there is player
demand for it and it would help even the playing field between those
players who work 60+ hours a week plus have spouses and children and
the virtual world's "permanent resident" players and bring the
difference down to player skill.

Sorry for going off-topic a bit.


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