[MUD-Dev] Player malleable worlds (was Expected value and sta ndard deviation)

[Sean Kelly]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com wrote:
> From: Crosbie Fitch [mailto:crosbie at cyberspaceengineers.org]

>> Sometimes it may be enough to dig a hole in the ground fill it
>> with sand, and let the kids create the cities with their buckets
>> and spades. A dog poo and sweet wrapper elimination service will
>> cost extra - naturally. You don't always have to spend years
>> creating content, if the players are easily able to do that
>> themselves.

> Oh come off it, the average player is utterly incapable of
> creating content anyone but their mum would be interested in. Even
> professionals frequently get it wrong.

> Enough hand waving, someone show me some compelling auto generated
> content, or compelling player generated content in a commercially
> viable game.

The average player perhaps, but to make such sweeping
generalizations is to give players far too little credit.  If what
you said were true, the mod community wouldn't exist.  There are
players out there who have more professional experience under their
belts at modelling, programming, etc.  than the teams that made the
game these people are playing.  Obviously not a large percentage,
but it should not be discounted so quickly.  Look at the Counter
Strike mod for Half Life or some of the content that's been created
for Neverwinter Nights.

But when I think player-generated content for MMORPGs I think more
of experiential content: quests and the like that arise from things
a player has done rather than things the design team has done.  As
far as simple content is concerned, the ability for players to write
books and the like are an example of player content that is easy for
anyone to create.

Personally, I won't play an ORPG that doesn't allow me to create
some sort of player-content.  I'd rather play a single-player game
where what I do has some impact on the outcome of things, artificial
or no, than a multiplayer game where my only choices are to kill
things or chat with other players.  After all, what are such games
but shooters with stats and levels?

Sean
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