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

[Quinn]

From: Rayzam [mailto:rayzam at travellingbard.com] 
> From: "Quinn, Keith" <kquinn at origin.ea.com>

>> The replacement for Powerhour is called the "Guaranteed Gain
>> System" (GGS). Nowadays in UO, whenever you succeed in a skill
>> you have the potential for skill gain. After a period of time, if
>> every skill gain possibility is failed, GGS forces a minimal
>> skill gain.  The higher your current skill, the longer the period
>> of time between forced skill point gains.

> What happens if you spend that time idling? You try one skill,
> then idle away and play something else or go watch a movie? Is
> there an advantage to being logged in when you know you won't be
> able to interact with the game for a period of time, because
> you'll still be guaranteed to gain something?

If you want to log out or do something other than the skill you're
focusing on while the GGS timer is ticking, that's fine.

Here's a possible scenario:

  You log into the game, then attempt, succeed, and gain at a
  certain skill. You attempt it again, succeed, but fail to gain in
  that skill.  The GGS timer now knows when your last skill-gain
  was.

  Having done some light research regarding GGS and your current
  skill level, you estimate that if all attempts in that particular
  skill within the next hour are successes but the gain checks fail,
  then GGS should kick in and grant you a minimal gain.

  You have two options here. You can either go do something else
  (either in or out of the game--but you'll need to keep in mind
  that if you do nothing at all in-game for more than 5 minutes
  you'll be automatically logged out), or you can continue trying to
  improve your skill.

  If you do nothing else for an hour that one failed skill-gain
  check is still under your belt, and so technically "all" your
  skill gain checks for the required period were failures. The very
  next time you succeed in that skill after the GGS period--later
  that day, the next week, or whenever--it's mandated that your
  skill will go up by a minimal value.  Skill gain will be slow, but
  will exist.

  If you decide to continue working the skill during that hour, it's
  likely that you'll probably go up faster in your skill than if you
  relied on GGS gains. One caveat you'll need to keep in mind is
  that the tasks you're performing must be challenging for any skill
  gain possibilities--if the task is far too easy or two hard when
  compared to your current skill level then even GGS will ignore
  you.

Keith


=========
Sannio
Online Content Coordinator
Ultima Online (www.uo.com)
Origin Systems

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