[MUD-Dev] Playing catch-up with levels

[Threshold RPG]

On 21 Apr 2004, at 8:53, Ben Hawes wrote:

> In general, I really think the old level-up, rigid-class RPG has
> had it's day. It was fine for pen-and-paper RPG's, which naturally
> have to limit their game mechanics somewhat to make them playable
> by people without a degree in mathematics. Now we have computers
> doing the sums, there are better ways, IMHO.

What makes you so certain there are better ways?

Level based systems certainly have plenty of real life
analogues. Ranks in the military are very much like "levels." The
same goes for hierarchies in the workplace, school, sports teams,
etc.

I am not saying that the manner of implementation currenly being
used by games could not be improved upon, but the concept of levels
is similar enough to real life that one can easily understand why it
persists.

I'm not trying to create the age-old "skill based vs. level based"
flame war. I think for the topic being discussed here those two
system are effectively the same. They are both systems where you
have "ranks" that advance through practice or spending xp that you
earn either through combat or performing a related task.

My point is that at some point in any analysis you have to consider
the possibility that the reason nobody is building a better
mousetrap is that there might not BE a better mousetrap.

Perhaps refining this mousetrap is really the most logical course.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Hartman, J.D. (http://www.threshold-rpg.com)
President & CEO, Threshold Virtual Environments, Inc.
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