[MUD-Dev] ghost mode (was Re: SW:G)

[Xyrrus]

On Tuesday, September 9, 2003, at 04:16  PM, Tess Lowe wrote:

> If you have a beautiful virtual world, why not give people the
> freedom to move around it at will, if it doesnt physically
> interfere with the achievers? Make it a premium feature if you
> like. I'll pay extra if you let me fly around invisibly, sit on a
> cloud and chat, while watching the uberguilds try to take out
> whatever content you've added to their totem pole. After all, do
> these achievers play for content, or do they play to win the game,
> get the loot and their friends' respect and prove their skill?
> Will the achievers really care if a bunch of socialisers can hang
> around invisibly and watch them 0wn?

While the achievers might not care, as an explorer I most certanly
would.  Coming from a background of a MUD where I was a world
builder and then later as a player in EQ, I can say without a doubt
that, for me, unrestricted access to content took most of the fun
out of it.  While clearly I would not have to use a ghost mode
(exploration is the reward for me; I don't want unrestricted access
to be handed to me), to give that reward to others freely would be,
in my view, just as damaging as giving out the best gear in game to
people who don't "deserve" it.  If I knew that there were people
who'd seen it all from level one I think the fun, adventure and
discovery of exploring a world would be greatly cheapened.

Yes, its a pretty selfish argument: You just want to hang out in
interesting places and I'm trying to stop you for the benefit of my
own play style.  I'd suspect, however, that there are a fair number
of players who feel the same way.  Who's right?  Who knows; I'm
clearly biased on this one (and for worlds without the 'totem pole'
the question probably doesn't apply at all).

As a last note, I'll also add that danger is often a key element in
creating the atmosphere of an area.  For instance, if I turn on god
mode and turn off clipping, the dark passages in Return to Castle
Wolfenstein cease to have any sort of depth to them.  If I was
building an area, I'm not sure I'd want people to view my work in
this way.

-David "Xyrrus"
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