[MUD-Dev] Playing catch-up with levels

[cruise]

Vincent Archer wrote:

> Then why not work with that? Take the best of both worlds: a full
> freeform skill based system *with* classes and level?

> So, in front of the system, place a templating system: Pick the 5
> highest skills of the character, and find a match among a library
> of templates. Divide the skill total by 10, at the same time. So,
> your highest skills are offense, defense, sword, twohanded, and
> maneuvers?  Those 5 skills make a "Swordsman" template, so people
> see you're a swordsman. And the sum of your skills is 334, so
> you're 33rd level Swordsman (with some secondary variations, so
> not every 33rd level swordsman is like every other). If no
> template applies, then you're an adventurer (and people wonder
> what kind of exotic skillset you might have).

I seem to have generated much comment from my admittedly blanket
statement. My bad. "All generalisations are false."

The above system is much like the one my MUD is designed around. All
available skills are split into five groups, broadly similar to
fighter, thief, mage, crafter and controller/leader.

Players are free to learn any skill from any of the five groups,
with the group they are most skilled in providing your
title/description. Some popular combinations would get their own
list of titles too (warrior/leader combo borrowing military officer
rankings, for example, as another posted referenced).

What I probably should have said originally is "strict-class systems
are outdated" - if I want to be a mage that wears heavy armour and
carries a battle axe, why shouldn't I? Again, paraphrasing someone
else in another thread, the moment the game explicitly says, "you
can't do that" it reminds you you're back in the game.

Certainly, a lot of players will create "straight" thieves, warriors
or wizards. But I suspect the far greater number will want to have a
warrior who's taken the time to learn some healing magic, or a thief
who can cast invisibilty, or a blacksmith who's not entirely
defenseless, or...

Saying, this is what players are used, this is what a lot of them
are going to do doesn't mean you have to force everyone to play like
that. A fundamental of games is choice. Otherwise they become a film
(please note exaggeration for emphasis... :)

--
[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org ]
   "quantam sufficit"
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