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

[Jeff Freeman]

Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com wrote:

> If the purpose is to limit peoples xp, why do it by limiting the
> time they can do it in. Surely the logical conclusion is to limit
> xp accumulation with a cap on a daily or weekly basis. This neatly
> sidesteps the issue of people feeling compelled to power level
> like mad during power hour.

> I think I'd like to play on a server like that as a powergamer who
> has decided never again to put 200+ days into a character. That's
> an interesting thing about powergamer burn out, subjectively it
> seems a lot of us get burnt of the whole genre, not just one game.

Seems like in a game system where the player chooses which skills he
wants his character to have, you could just have those skills
increase over time whether he's using them or not.  I mean if you're
going to guarantee advancement, but also gate it, then why not chuck
out the whole mess?

Assumption being that player use their skills, otherwise they drop
them in favor of other skills.  So instead of tracking skill usage
and then trapping skill gain which is too rapid (due to greater than
average usage) or too slow (due to fumbled skillchecks or 'casual
play'), just keep track of which skills the player has selected,
assume the player is indeed using those skills, and so increase
those skills over time at the rate you'd decided is "appropriate".

Ditto for classes, as far as that goes.

'Course this assumes the game is fun to play and you're risking
something in order to gain something totally unrelated to character
advancement (or at least unrelated to skill/class advancement),
since you'd be removing character advanacement as a 'reward'.

'Was always rather fond of Traveller and Champions, myself: Game
systems in which you make the character you want to play, and then
go play it.



_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev