[MUD-Dev] DGN: Why give the players all the numbers?

[Chanur Silvarian]

In all sorts of conversation threads about every conceivable topic
in this list there is always the mention of how players will use
<topic> to maximize their experience, damage, or other numbers.  The
basic assumption is that the players have all of the numbers to do
such optimization.  It is assumed that the players know how much
experience they have, they know what level they are, how much damage
their weapon is capable of dealing to a given armor, how much a
given armor is resistant to a certain damage type, etc.

I would assert that the player doesn't need to know any of these
things and that they are only a hold-over from a medium in which
there was no way to hide them (pencil and paper).  The only reason
the numbers exist is because in the beginning these types of games
were played manually, with dice.  When a player (or GM) has to
manually roll the numbers then they must know what the numbers are,
but as soon as there was a mechanism for automatically making to hit
rolls and damage rolls then there is no more reason for the player
to know the numbers.

Most metrics are completely unnecessary for gameplay and end up
being the source of endless complaints by players, reviews by
developers, and generally an all around headache.  What I mean is
that player X sends in logs to prove why player Y is overpowered and
player Y does the same to prove player X is overpowered, everyone
gets unhappy... the players are unhappy, the support team is
unhappy, the devs are unhappy... It is a mess over something that
the players didn't need to know in the first place and would have
more fun if they didn't know (because they wouldn't be involved in
said unhappiness).

If the numbers were taken away, all four bartle types would still
find a way to play... achievers would still try to get more gold,
better items, and win in combat.  Explorers would explore the world,
test items and skills to see what they do, and generally try to
puzzle out all of the numbers that you no longer give them for
free. Socializers would socialize, and killers can always kill.
With no metrics given, there is no more drive for the other types to
try to keep up with the achievers so long as they have enough gold
or whatnot to be comfortable.

The major restricting factor to complete removal of numbers from
these games is simple resistance to change on the part of everyone
involved; devs, publishers, players, et al.  Nobody even considers
removing the numbers altogether because of a prevailing "everyone
else has them, we can't just remove them" mentality.

I know that I'm a radical in thinking it, but I believe that
complete removal of all numbers (except how much item X costs) would
go a long way to improving immersion in anything calling itself an
RPG and would stop a lot of the customer complaints about how they
can't optimize themself to be as good or better than someone else.

- Chanur Silvarian -
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