[MUD-Dev] variable difficulty levels

[Matt Mihaly]

On Sat, 13 Sep 2003, Michael Tresca wrote:
> From: Corey Crawford [mailto:ccrawford at seventh.net]

>> While I haven't seen this implemented in any current MMORPGs
>> (other than picking a difficulty level for autogenerated
>> missions), I have seen this implemented in MUDs.

>> Avatar (http://www.outland.org/) uses races to determine how hard
>> it is to level. Selecting a Gargoyle (for example) takes 2-3
>> times the normal amount of exp to level. The trade off comes in
>> with racial bonuses; these include higher than average stats as
>> well as racial spells and skills (stone skin and bonus barehand
>> attacks, if I remember right).

> RetroMUD has this.  We have racial exp percentages, 100% being
> ideal.  We have a complex system of plusses and minuses for each
> race -- it's why we have so many races, because it's very easy to
> calculate the race's exp rate.  That said, we've discovered
> there's certain things you simply don't do.  We had a deathknight
> race that required a ridiculous number of quests that probably
> took two year's worth of time to create.  Once someone finally
> completed it, they were far too powerful to allow in the game.
> They avoided all the race's weaknesses through guile and wit and
> capitalized on the advantages -- so much so that they were
> ultrapowerful beyond compare.

> In other words, no amount of exp rate could offset the race's
> power.

We recently got rid of all racial xp bonuses/penalties in
Achaea. The main reason behind it was that xp bonuses/penalties
apply mainly to monster bashing (as that's where the vast majority
of xp is gained), whereas nearly all other tangible racial
characteristics (stats, various advantages or disadvantages in a
variety of areas, etc) affected mainly PvP combat. Thus there was
really no conceivable balance, since PvP combat and PvE combat are
almost completely unrelated in Achaea. Being bad at one can be
completely irrelevant if you just don't care about it.

--matt
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