[MUD-Dev] SOC DGN - Spawn locations

[Michael Sellers]

Brian Miller wrote:
> Brian Hook wrote:

>> On top of this, it forces players to spread out a little too
>> much, possibly ruining the socialization factor.  You basically
>> set up an invisible force field around players, and with enough
>> players, mobs may not be able to get in edgewise.

> CoH works this way now.  Enemies will not spwan within line of
> sight to a player.  In CoH there are no 'key mobs' or locations
> that a player could be denied access to.  Even in crowded areas
> there never seems to be a lack of enemies to fight as it is very
> easy for things to be out of line of sight.  Just around the
> corner or on the other side of a wall are places where mobs can
> and do spawn.  Briefly during the opening there was an issue in
> the very small tutorial area that all players were funneled
> through after character creation but this was overcome through
> adjustment to the range that was considered for spawning and the
> instancing of the area to reduce the number of players in an
> individual instance at a time.

>   Lesson: You never know what will or will not work until someone
>   tries it.

On a general level, that's probably the #1 (or #0 if you prefer :) )
lesson of MMOG design and development.  We know so little -- and
often assume so much -- about what will or won't make for a better
play experience.  There's just no replacement for trying something
out.  And it's always amazing to me how difficult it is for even
talented creative people to "un-think" well-worn assumptions.

Mike Sellers
Online Alchemy
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