[MUD-Dev] Retention without Addiction?

[Marc Fielding]

[Ted L. Chen]

> 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.

Actually, for me at least, once I've mastered the complexities and
quirks of a UI, my awareness of it quickly fades into the
background.  Even arresting events like zone crossings in EQ became
"par for the course" and even an element of tactics (/shout Train to
zone!!) after a while. ;)

What completely demolishes the sense of "THERE" for me is sudden
disconnections, dislocations, etc. that accompany events like server
overload or extreme network lag. Such events are "out of band"
disruptions of the game that must now be accomodated. As a result,
I'm no longer *playing* a game but *trying* to play a
game...frustration builds.

Accordingly, I'd probably be more disturbed by the automatic load
balancing of players amongst dungeon instances than I would if a
dialog box popped up to request my preferred destination (thus
giving me a bit of time to confer with my fellow adventurers). Both
approaches break the fiction, but the former carries with it a
greater likelihood of player frustration (e.g. meta-teams getting
separated and having to regroup). A considerately designed UI that
empowers the player can alleviate much of the pain.

-Marc





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