[MUD-Dev] Star Wars Galaxies: 1 character per server

[Marc Fielding]

A smattering of comments by Michael Tresca:

> If the universe is to be maintained, some playstyles need to be
> prohibited early in its community development, or it will quickly
> degrade into chaos like so many other MMORPGs have.  And then,
> when the NEXT game comes along, it's yet another bus stop to the
> latest MMORPG. Star Wars needs to concentrate on establishing a
> community in the long term (which I believe to be ultimately more
> profitable) than just grabbing as many credit cards as it can in
> the first year it opens.

With budgets for commercial MMORPGs climbing into the tens of
millions, developers don't have the luxury of limiting their target
market. The industry is currently engaged in a "land rush" for
customers. Many new ideas are tried, and many will fail. Most
customers have no real incentive to stay put, as there is always
something new arriving on the scene in "two weeks."

>> "Development" and "enjoyment" are subjective. Your enjoyment of
>> the game is (obviously) vastly different from that of a
>> powergamer. Neither of you have the right to claim the moral high
>> ground.

> Sure I do.  It's Star Wars.  I came to the Star Wars MMORPG to
> play Star Wars.  What are you playing it for?

You're there to play Star Wars? Great. So is the powergamer who
wants all those "l33t Jedi skillz." So is the socializer who wants
nothing more than to hang out in a cantina. So is the explorer who
just wants to complete the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

The Star Wars setting is simply a stage upon which players live out
their fantasies.

MMORPGs development is a balance between developer Vision
(*genuflects*) and player desires. Lean too far towards your brand
of Vision and you risk alienating the large number of people who
don't subscribe to "Roleplaying Über Alles."

To paraphrase Princess Leia:

  "The more you tighten your grip, Grand Moff Tresca, the more
  customers will slip through your fingers."

If your response is "Good riddance!", that's fine. Just be prepared
for your game to be relegated to "niche market" status.

Today's "vanilla" product (as you put it) serves a purpose. It
provides a taste of MMO gaming to the public. From this seemingly
homogeneous mass of humanity will come new generations of
roleplayers, socializers, explorers, and, yes, powergamers.

Those newly minted roleplayers will seek refined experiences,
similar to what you provide with LegendMUD. In time their numbers
will grow until they become sufficient to (perhaps) sustain a
successful MMORPG.

The rising tide will, in fact, float all boats. =)

> Sure.  Me too.  And although I'm having difficulty communicating
> this, limiting muling is GOOD for the casual gamer.  Mules do
> everything, making it impossible for the occasional merchant/tank
> to play with others because the mules fill that role.

I think you're exaggerating here. Muling still requires WORK on
behalf of the player to train a mule in the desired skill set. I
believe that most people focus the bulk of their efforts on a single
character. They simply don't have time to mule. Hence, muling is
relatively rare, with minimal effect on the rest of the game.

> If enough people mule, I as a socializer cannot find other people
> to group with.

Who are you kidding? From your statements I'd say you're more
roleplayer than socializer. ;)

> RetroMUD loses people all the time to MMORPGs.  But you know what? 
> We have players who do this regularly on and off for 10 years.
> And they KEEP.  COMING.  BACK.

That's because you provide a tailored, intimate experience that a
certain kind of mature player appreciates. That doesn't mean you can
scale that up to the mainstream MMORPG level at this point in time.

BTW, I briefly checked out your RetroMUD website. The "Notes"
section on the left of the start page indicates that "Multiple
characters [are] allowed." How do you prevent the "abuse" that
disturbs you so? ;)

-Marc






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