[MUD-Dev] Star Wars Galaxies: 1 character per server

[Damion Schubert]

From: Caliban Tiresias Darklock

> I don't think you can make any valid arguments for or against MCS
> on a per-character level. I think MCS can be an effective crutch
> when your character concept is too limited, turning a game that
> sucks into a game that's tolerable, but the problem is still in
> the limited character concept.  Multiplying the number of boring
> characters you can have doesn't actually make them less boring, it
> just takes up more of your time while you learn that they're ALL
> boring.

An overall agreeable point, the only part I'd disagree with is that
even the gameplay for Civilization and Tetris gets boring when you
play it enough.  This isn't to say we're doing a good job with the
fun factor right now.  It does suggest, though, that we have a long
fight with human nature ahead of us, even once we do start making it
fun.

> What are the options at this point? Ideally, I'd like to get the
> points back so I can use them on something else, but chances are I
> can't have all the points back. If I can get some of them back,
> fine, I'll take them, but chances are I can't do that either

[ deletia ]

> But what you actually get in today's games is -- nothing! I either
> live with what I've got, or I throw out everything. That just
> plain sucks, because I worked hard to earn what I've got.

To be fair, Asheron's Call 2 and Ultima Online both have atrophy
systems, and in both cases, the atrophy is by player choice only.
The player's dilemma comes, though, from the fact that once you've
actually gone through the gruelling task of Grandmastering Tailoring
in Ultima Online, atrophying it is not an option.  You've just sunk
too much time into it at that point.  Hell, there are probably
thousands of players who pay $10 a month solely to not let those
characters be deleted.

--d

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