Brand Loyalty (was Re: [MUD-Dev] Requirements for MM (wasComp lexities of MMOG Servers))

[Koster]

From: Szii

> As to treadmills..they're just plain wrong.  They're a timesink.
> Do I think that everyone should be able to attain "the highest
> levels?"  No way.

Why should a player play a game where they cannot attain the highest
levels?  Where they are forever doomed to be a second-class citizen?

There's really only a few answers: one, make it fun enough (which
really boils down to "remove motives for comparison of
achievement"), and two, make them have their own sphere in which to
have attainment (which really boils down to "have multiple
advancement ladders"). A third reason is, of course "because you
have friends there," but in a sense, even that is an advancement
ladder.

> As ye-olde-armchair-quarterback, I feel that the next "big thing"
> will be a NWN-type toolset which taps into the artistic talents
> and drive of the gaming populace.  Give them some direction, give
> them a forum and a "master gamemaster" and a QA group.  Let them
> (the gamers) build the world and let the gaming company sync it/QA
> it/support it/host it.  When someone builds the core, they will
> come.  The world will be built, stone by stone, by the blood,
> sweat and tears of the masses.  Only the masses can keep up with
> the masses - the trick is to harness it, direct it and then let it
> run with you in tow.

While I disagree with you on some aspects of implementation, on the
whole I agree that this is the direction that the genre is going to
go.

> On another note, I think it'd be interesting to see what would
> happen if you took 100 MUD players and the entire MUD-DEV list and
> put them in a conference room for a week.  What would they end up
> with as "the next game."

Nothing, cf Dev-MUD. :)

-Raph Koster
Creative Director

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