[MUD-Dev] DESIGN: Why do people like weather in MMORPGs?

[Wayne Witzke]

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 09:59:59 +0930, Mike Rozak <Mike at mxac.com.au> wrote:

> I can think of many ways of using time and weather. At what point
> do players start whinging that it's too realistic? If all the
> shopkeepers are away at night, do players whinge? What if a
> shopkeeper goes out to lunch? Etc. Does anyone have any experience
> with this and/or suggestions?

Well, one of the biggest problems with day/night cycles that I've
heard is that, unless you have a very fast cycle, you will end up
with players very likely having very different gaming experiences
based on when they are able to log in, unless the actual effects of
the day/night cycle are minimal.

It seems to me that there is a relatively simple solution to
this... Have the day/night cycle actually mimic the real world.  In
the real world, half the world is light while the other half is dark
(well, sort of).  Why not do this for the virtual world?  Then,
allow the player to choose their initial starting location based on
when they expect to be able to play (and their preference for
day/night gameplay).

If you want to get really fancy, you can also shorten the day/night
cycle to a mediocre speed (say 4 or 6 hours).  This will allow
players to experience the full spectrum of day/night, well if they
*really* want to.

Another option that doesn't require all that stuff up above is to
make the day/night cycle something like 5 or 7 hours.  That will
pretty much guarantee that the player will have a different (and
arguably richer) experience each time they log in.  Sure, they might
not be able to sell their wares *this* time, but next time they
should have at least a few good hours of daylight.  Heck, you can
even forecast for them day/night information, so that they know when
to show up next time to get some "daylight" gameplay.

Wayne

--
Wayne Witzke
wayne.witzke at gmail.com
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev