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

[Rayzam]

From: "Marc Fielding" <fielding at computer.org>
> [Rayzam]

>> That's the crux of what I've been saying. Developers set up
>> limits on the single character, either via a class, or the total
>> number of skill points or skills allowed to be trained by one
>> character. In an MCS, you've argued that you should be able to
>> have your wizard teleport your monk around. If you can also then
>> have your healer heal your monk, and your crafter make him
>> equipment, and your alchemist make him potions, then what you're
>> doing is bypassing the developer/designer character balance. As
>> you're suggesting up there, making a hybrid means you'd not be
>> the best of the best in everything. With MCS, you can be the best
>> in everything, because your monk wouldn't need to waste any
>> character resources on teleportation, because your wizard would
>> take care of that. Hopefully this example is a bit more clear
>> than the abstracted way I stated it before.

> It seems to me you're basing your anti-MCS stance on the behavior
> of extremists. Do you truly believe that a large percentage of the
> population has the time, interest, finances, etc. to build and
> manage multiple characters? I find that the temporal cost alone
> will serve to restrict such "parallel-leveling" to only the most
> dedicated.  

Temporal Cost -

  My buddy Joe and I join a new MMORPG. We each take 1 character,
  and work together to level up faster than we would each playing
  solo. Especially since we took complimentary character types. Now
  I get my buddy Joe, with his high level character to drag me
  around and powerlevel my new mule. I'd not be able to level
  anywhere near that quickly on my own. Or by working with people my
  own level, like we did with our original characters. Now I've got
  a someone to repair our equipment. Then Joe makes a new mule to
  create potions, and I powerlevel him with my first
  character. Rinse. Repeat.

  Temporal cost for parallel-levelling in an single player game
  world is high. Take 2 players and there's no such restriction. And
  thus, guild mules are born.

Large Percentage -

  Actually, I disagree with the common assertion being made that SCS
  ruins the casual player. I have seen the casual player leave games
  because the average player requires muling or joining a guild, to
  survive.  As you state, the casual player, the large mythical
  golden market, won't want to handle mules. If that's 95% of the
  player base, then just make the place SCS.

  Mules are like a virus :) Some players start up with them. As
  other players advance, and run into not finding X character type
  when they need one, then they'll start muling. It snowballs. I
  agree with your statement that the large percentage won't, to
  START. But that the population as a whole will shift over time.

I'm sure this is a testable hypothesis, if someone has access to the
data. Take a MMORPG and track the average # of characters/account
over time.  Also track the time to reach the median # of
characters/account as the game matures.  It would be an interesting
study, not from a marketing standpoint, and not mainly from a social
standpoint, but from a developer standpoint.  Quantify one aspect of
a game's evolution, anyone?

rayzam
www.travellingbard.com



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