[MUD-Dev] Exponential experience points and levels

[Vincent Archer]

According to David Kennerly:
> Adam M wrote:

>> I fancy playing a game where you get exponentially more exp per
>> situation the more you are (statistically) outgunned. Is anyone
>> running one? :).

...

> Final Fantasy.  As Adam said, is anyone else using an exponential
> XP reward?

The answer is, more or less, Dark Age of Camelot.

DAoC ranks monsters in "tiers", relative to your level: purple, red,
orange, yellow, blue, green, gray.

Each tier is 10% of your level (rounded up), and represent a degree
of difficulty. Each tier gives you twice the XP of the previous. If
you're fighting an orange instead of a yellow, it gives 2 times the
XP (and it's highly risky if solo). A red is 4 times. A purple is 8
times. Fight multiples mobs at the same time? You get additional
bonus to each mob XP.

The problem, of course, is that it's much much better to fight hard
monster. However, not every group is created equal. Some
combinations of classes allow you to fight purples, other
combinations will lead to defeat.

A good example was Hibernia. In your upper levels 40, fighting the
"Finns" was the best XP ever. However, the only groups that could
fight multiple Finns at the same time were composed of one or two
healing classes, and several AOE damage dealers. That's it. Any
other class would dilute the usefulness of the group, and reduce the
XP gains.

It wasn't uncommon to have some greedy players drop their group and
run to the Cursed Forest because there was a spot free for them in a
"Finns group". All other players got no invites there.

Exponential XP gains and the achiever mindset do wonder for showing
the fundamental greed of most of the players.

--
	Vincent Archer			Email:	archer at frmug.org

All men are mortal.  Socrates was mortal.  Therefore, all men are Socrates.
							(Woody Allen)
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