[MUD-Dev] Questions for User Surveys

[lynx at lynx.purrsia.com]

On Fri, 31 Jan 2003, shren wrote:

> If you store the character as a series of differences, ie, what he
> was at first level and what he gained for each level, then it
> takes less space.  I wouldn't want to try to add it to an existing
> game, but if you planned for it implementation wouldn't be too
> bad.

Much more space efficient, to be sure.

>> But if your friend knows you're only feigning being 15th level,
>> or temporarily being 15th level, is it the same experience?
 
> It's not the same experience.  But adventuring with someone who
> has a 50th level character is always going to be a different
> experience, even if they're not using it.  They have more game
> experience and it will show, even if you're both *actually* 15th
> level.

That's the big question though.  Does this solve the problem?  Why
do people object to being at a lesser level of experience, skill,
character power, etc. than others, especially with respect to their
friends?

Is it:

  - Inadequacy because they're not up to exploring where their
  friends would like to explore?

  - Failure of shared sense of wonder, because their friends have
  seen the content they would have explored together already?

  - Failure of sense of accomplishment, because their friends are
  doing most of the work by slaughtering the now easy-to-him
  monsters, or perhaps giving them equipment that they now feel they
  haven't 'earned'?

  - Some other explanation?

Allowing someone to actually reset his character level or pretend to
be of a lower character level only solves the 'sense of
accomplishment' problem.  It does very little for the first or
second.

>> Sadly, 'rollback player knowledge of game' doesn't seem like all
>> that feasible a game function.
 
> When I was a kid, I thought this an interesting quandary: "If you
> could wipe your memory of a game to make it as fun now as it was
> the first time you played, would you?"  Over time, I've decided
> that the answer is no, but I've never sat down and worked out
> exactly why.

I can see some good reasons to answer no, largely on the 'what
you've done is who you are' line, and only one answer to say yes:
because it's cheaper than buying another game and you know after
you've done it that it's a worthwhile experience.

-- Conrad


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