[MUD-Dev] Mass customization in MM***s

[Marc LaFleur]

From: Damion Schubert

>  1) Incorporate lessons from those single-player experiences into
>  your MUD/MMP as best you can.

>  2) Conclude that MMPs are evil.  This choice does seem to be in
>  vogue nowadays.

>  3) Recognize the strengths of MMPs (communities, group dynamics,
>  etc), and work with them as best you can.

> While #1 has a lot of appeal (and is probably the direction UO2
> was most going in), the problem is that it is often done in a way
> that creates unsatisfactory solutions that emphasize the
> differences instead of helping.  Does a bad random quest generator
> help slake a player's thirst, or does it make him long for Icewind
> Dale, where the quests will all be specific, well-written,
> meaningful, and have great rewards?  For those reasons, I've been
> focusing more on #3 - identifying and creating features that would
> suck if you were playing alone.

It seems like this is the path taken by most of MMOGS, force people
to "group" by making content either available to groups only or by
making the game less fun without a group.

The problem with this is that it automatically removes casual
players from your game. And isn't it these mainstream players that
the industry so covets?

Grouping takes a lot of time. The first requirement is finding
people to group with that share your interests. This can take a
while, even with tools to assist them. It took me two years to find
a group of players in UO that I had common interests with.

The real problem comes in *after* you have found some other players
to game with. There is no point in grouping with anyone other than
those of similar levels. A player at level 40 would not find much
value in playing with someone at level 10. This means that unless
you put in the time to keep your level in line, your new found
friends will end up leaving you behind.

Most casual gamers don't want to devote this much time to a
game. Even a large number of hardcore gamers dislike the grouping
push. I sure don't want it. Where is the value of grouping my
blacksmith with someone's tailor? :)

I guess I could also point out that even with DAoC, AC, and EQ all
pushing grouping and a similar play style; Ultima Online has still
retained a substantial player base.

- Marc

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