[MUD-Dev] 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players

[Boyle]

For those few of you who haven't read Richard Bartle's paper on Mud
players, here's a link

  http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

I propose that there's a third axis that, when added, adds a better
description for player behavior we see today.

I call this axis 'faces and numbers'

Face players accept the game world.  They want to present and in
game face, a persona.  Many would categorize this as the 'RP' type
player, but it can also represent the player who carries certain
ideals, whether they fit the game world's role playing motif or not,
with their characters.

Number players (the faceless) , conversely, don't care about having
an in game face.  These are the players who 'game' the game, treat
it as a collection of 1's and 0's on the computer, rather than as a
story or environment.  They are not necessarily power players. That
would fall under the diamond number-style players, and by extension
the club number-style players who use diamond methods to become
better killers.

I'll itemize how this applies to Bartle's four player types.

  The extreme Face Heart players are the hard core role players, the
  ones who will come up with an in depth in game rational for why
  their character stops interacting when they have to visit the
  bathroom in RL.

  The extreme Number Heart player is the AOL chat user.  They will
  discuss the latest base ball scores, type out 'lol' in a chat
  window even if there are laugh /act's available, and engage in
  other non-game banter in game channels.

  The extreme Face Diamond players are the fame players.  They seek
  to advance not only their character, but their character's
  reputation, as part of the end to maximize their perceived value.

  The extreme number Diamond players are, as mentioned, the power
  players.  Those that will exploit any bug or strange permutation
  of behavior.  Those that will create or seek out spreadsheets,
  timing information, or rate/time graphs to best find that path.

  The extreme Heart Club players are the PvP folks, who engage in
  in-game tournaments and competitions, and create a motif to their
  kills.

  The extreme number Club player, on the other hand, are the
  'harassment' style players, who will come in with 1st level
  characters to verbally harass others, and create new ones once
  ignored.  Or they will exploit bugs just to impose themselves on
  others.

  Finally, the extreme Face Spade player is the do-it-yourself
  explorer.  They attack a puzzle on their own, as their character.
  They will talk to other players in game about the puzzle if
  absolutely desperate, but generally won't seek outside help.

  The extreme number Spade player is the type who wants to know
  everything about the game, and is willing to consult maps, player
  guides, and hints to find out, without their character actually
  doing that work.  The satisfaction they get isn't so much about
  solving every puzzle (after all, it's just a game) but about
  having all the answers, or finding out what puzzles no-one has
  solved yet and solving those.

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