[MUD-Dev] Building a \\\'Deeper\\\' M MOG

[Brian Lindahl]

From: Yannick.Jean at csst.qc.ca

> Why does so many developper consider "Role playing" a
> better/deeper style of play than "Achievement"?

It's not a better style of play, it's a different style of play.

> style of play than "Achievement"? Hey, I really do love to
> roleplay but achieving something is very much what becoming a hero
> is all about.

Correct, becoming a hero is about achieving. However, roleplaying is
not about becoming a hero, it is about becoming someone
else. Roleplaying a hero should consist of designing the goals and
personalities for that hero, not achieving in-game 'things' through
your character.

In fact, most good roleplaying isn't done with the hero or villain
mindset. Roleplaying a hero is simple, take the ideal character in
the theme and you have your hero. Roleplaying a villain is just as
simple, take the most dispicable character in the theme, and you
have your villain.

Roleplaying an average Joe in a different theme takes quite a bit of
work since the goals aren't so straight-forward. Searching out the
personality and charactersitcs that fit into the theme, is a lot
harder. This is because they aren't as apparant in the lore of the
theme as the idealistic or villainous traits.

> about. Maybe achievement has been badly implemented in MMORPG so
> far (as in often mindless and repetitive), but this is no reasons
> to say that kind of play is any "shallower" than any others.

I think you're seeing deeper in terms of better again. Playing for
achievement isn't better, it's simply different. However, it doesn't
require as much thought and, thus, it isn't as deep of an
experience. You put more thought into the creation of your character
because the character's actions must follow within the personality
of the character. Playing for achievement means that your
character's actions follow in suit of obtaining 'things', be it
levels, items, gold, etc. This pursuit is much more direct and
doesn't require the deep involvement of the first, roleplaying.

Note that a bad roleplayer won't be playing with more thought than a
hardcore achiever, but the thoughtline will be different. The
hardcore achiever will be putting thought into how to use the coded
systems to gain things. The hardcore roleplayer will be putting
thought into how to use the theme to best describe their character.

Deeper is usually used to describe content, in the context that
we're using. Theme is the content, the exterior are the coded
systems. Thus, roleplaying is the deeper use of content, while
achievement is the use of the coded systems.

If you think differently, by all means, provide an argument, but all
I've seen so far is a question of 'Why' I believe what I do. I've
tried to explain it best I can, and in several posts, at
that. Without seeing your point of view (hearing your side of the
argument), I cannot relate my views any better.

-Brian Lindahl, coder of 'The Cathyle Project'

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