[MUD-Dev] Social Networks

[Sasha Hart]

[Dave Rickey]

> They've succeeded because the classic Tank/Healer/Nuker group
> dependancy triad is an extremely powerful engine for building
> social links.

This sounds interesting - would you mind spelling out how you think
that engine works, e.g. what about the triad is important? At points
you make general reference to the XP/loot incentive for cooperation
- is the T/H/N triad mainly just a manifestation of the loot
incentive for grouping, or something else?

> you might have difficulty preventing some equivalent of the
> "Tankmage" problem where your social engine is stalled out by
> people who find the combination of gameplay elements that make
> them independant from your social ties.

Of course, as you may be suggesting, problems with class balance are
only crucial to social connection insofar as everything is being
pinned on the contingencies governing loot. So... provide reasons
other than self-conscious "reward" (loot) to form social
ties. Right?

> The downside of weakness is immediate and visceral, the upside of
> social ties is delayed and cerebral, and people in these games
> overwhelmingly pursue the short-term payoff.  The result is a
> crowd of individuals with no social ties, who eventually reach the
> limit of your gameplay and leave.

Do people form social ties in real life just because there is
nothing more immediate and visceral? Why is the game different?

I think you will find that many of the differences could be (or have
been!)  imported into games without too much
difficulty. Neighborhoods, cities, special interest groups, clubs,
conspiracies, ongoing reciprocal relationships, buddies from newbie
school, jobs, bars, hierarchies...  Certainly I think you are right
to finger the cost of forming connections, but I think the natural
approach is to reduce the absolute cost rather than to increase the
cost of anything that remotely competes. I think the goal is to
facilitate friendships, not to suppress independence per se (the two
are not mutually exclusive.)

Sasha

_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev