[MUD-Dev] Retention without Addiction?

[Ted L. Chen]

Marc Fielding wrote:

> How about this straightforward hybrid: most locations aren't
> replicated by default, but crowded conditions in certain areas
> (say, dungeons) would result in the server spawning "dungeon
> copies" and load-balancing players amongst them. Yes, it breaks
> the fiction, but the only alternative is to fully distribute your
> encounters to prevent player-clustering.

> My motto is: the sensation of being "THERE" must be artificially
> imposed it doesn't occur naturally. ;)

IIRC, AO does this to some extent with some of its static dungeons.
Most of the time, you'd hardly notice it's there as you and your
friends drop into a dungeon.  You'll meet a few other groups while
in there, but not so much as to feel like you're in the middle of
New York.

The only downside, and I think this is an implementation issue, is
that on the rare occasions the server splits a team into two
dungeons.  You can split by teams, but people who tackle dungeons in
meta-teams (say 12ppl), might get split as well.

But in any case, the "THERE" doesn't really get broken.  The UI in
most MMOGs breaks that more so than anything else system-wise ever
could.

TLC


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