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

[Amanda Walker]

On Thursday, September 18, 2003, at 07:28  PM, Rayzam wrote:

> No, that's true. Though right now, the 2 main purposes the current
> virutal worlds provide is combat and social interaction. Maybe I'm
> cynical in not believing that viewing content alone is currently
> an available product. Maybe in Uru.

Not any more so that combat or social interaction alone is available
as a product (not counting IRC and other chat rooms, though I think
a lot of roleplaying goes on there too ;-)).  I think that if RPG
combat and social interaction were the main purpose, text MUDs would
dominate the marketplace.  They don't, though--visual richness is a
selling point.  People exclaim over visually interesting weather,
settings, architecture, and props.  News sites and magazines pounce
on pre-release screenshots.  Shadowed Isles, Shadows of Luclin,
etc. were all presented with the graphics and scenery upgrades as
key points, with "new vistas to explore" as a key new carrot.

> True, fencing it off with combat is a cost, as you point out. I
> suppose I'm narrowmindedly considering the combat as the
> content. Wide open spaces in most MMOs are boring to traverse.

> What MMO would you play for sightseeing?

AO, AC2, E&B, SWG so far.  EQ I dropped after getting bored with all
of the newbie areas, while everyone else was running around at
lvl50.

> But in AC1, you could see areas that you then had to puzzle out
> how to reach? Sort of like in the Tomb Raider series?

Yes.  Many quests, especially the ones created when it was in its
prime, involved jumps, levers, acid pits, etc.  Generally it was
fairly clear where you wanted to go, but not clear how to get there.
This also added a bit of player skill to quests, not just character
skill.

> Well, if a ghost doesn't interact with the environment, I was
> assuming the ghost wouldn't be talking to others, wouldn't need
> others, would just consume content without giving anything back.

Most explorers love to share "hey, look what I found".  Look at all
the fun people have getting into parts of the playfield that weren't
really intended as player areas, for example (Halo, Dark Forces II,
etc.).

> But the players have to know a high level player. They have to
> talk to the high level player. The high level player has to talk
> to them.

Indeed--because the example that was given was a ghost acting as a
scout for a party.  Same dynamic, only the scout can't clear out
mobs or open doors for them.

Amanda Walker
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