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

[Damion Schubert]

Wayne Witzke wrote:

> 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).

I just wanted to say that I think this is a really cool idea.

> 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.

Most designs I've been part of have gravitated towards a 2 hour
cycle.  This was primarily so you could have cool night-only
effects, without the player ever feeling he was totally hamstrung.

WoW has a 24 hour cycle.  The net result is that I'm always playing
at night in their world, which to be honest, is starting to get old.

--d
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