[MUD-Dev] Playing catch-up with levels

[Matt Chatterley]

From: Kwon J. Ekstrom
> Matt Chatterley wrote:

>> For me, as a designer, my current prototype doesn't have levels,
>> or classes or even skills - it borrows more from the RTS/Sim
>> school of thought than Muds in some ways, and the 'character'
>> exists only as a figurehead name. The real object which the
>> player manipulates is their trading station, and their 'power' is
>> measured by money, cargo and other assets (e.g. fighter craft,
>> freighters) - and meta-power (so to speak) is measures in their
>> political and commercial alliances.

> This reminds me roughly of an old BBS game, TradeWars
> 2000... where you started off by trading goods between "stations"
> and rather than levels, you had a ship that you upgraded or
> replaced.

> Depending on how you interacted, you would get an alignment.
> While there wasn't any "real" benefit from it, there were levels,
> and you could advance through combat and trading.  Trading was
> easier, combat was faster...

> However, the true powerhouses in the game was planets... by
> dropping colonists off on planets they would begin to produce
> resources that could be sold for wealth, or used in other ways.  I
> would often find a dead-end tunnel 3 or 4 sectors deep, cap it off
> with mines and fighters, then proceed to build up plants.  The
> outermost sector first, then innermost.  I'd prefer to have
> volcanics in my outter region because they can support defensive
> systems better.

Its an idea which has been kicking around in my head for quite some
time. I began work on a client/server architecture intended to turn
into this concept a couple of years ago, but abandoned the project
due to lack of time - now, I've restarted the idea, using the web as
a delivery method (something like this need not be real-time, and is
infact better suited to turn-based gameplay in my mind) - one key
advantage is that there are no client installs, and the only system
requirements are that certain browser features be enabled. Asking
someone to have JavaScript + Cookies turned on isn't excessive to me
- many websites ask for far more.

The players main base of operations will be in a fixed location (a
'space station' of sorts), but their craft will be able to roam far
and wide, either making deliveries or collections along set flight
plans, or exploring new areas, making offensive strikes, defensive
patrols, and so on.

In part the idea was inspired by the many web-based strategy games
out there (there was one in particular called Earth 2010 - or
something similar, which I played years ago, although to me, it had
horrible balance problems).

Ah well. Good to know the concept interests someone other than me -
hopefully it'll come to fruition!

Cheers,

Matt
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