[MUD-Dev] Removing the almighty experience point...

[brian at thyer.net]

"Matt Mihaly" <matt at ironrealms.com> wrote ..
> HRose wrote:
>> Matt Mihaly wrote:

>>> I'm not arguing there are good implications to quests. I'm just
>>> asking why killing a mob to do a quest to get your desired
>>> result (xp) is a good reason but killing a mob to get xp is
>>> not. If I want xp, then I have a good reason (my desire) to use
>>> whatever the most efficient method of obtaining xp is.

>> Because the desired result is what makes mmorpgs boring as hell
>> and pointless. Camping and grinding aren't mechanics that do good
>> to a player or a designer.

> Why don't they do good to a player? Everquest is all about the
> grind, in a very single-minded kind of way, and it's quite
> popular. Is everybody playing Everquest an idiot that's out of
> touch with what he/she finds entertaining? I don't think so.

I think what people tend to forget, espically when looking at MMO's
from a designer point of view and a "how can I make the MMO-verse
better" view is that there are a *lot* of players out there who
*like* the grind.  Yes..they do.  They love grinding away
mindlessly, they love sitting and fletching arrows for hours on end,
killing the same 6 mob spawns all night long.  It's an escape, a
release, a mindless way to unwind after their long day of work.

Why don't we hear about them?  Why don't *they* post on forums about
how great the grind is, or speak up in the community?  Because
they're too busy enjoying the grind.  Point in fact, they *do* speak
up..as Matt said, just look at Everquest.  "Everquest is all about
the grind...and it's quite popular."

So while it's good and, in my opinion necessiary, to talk and debate
and work towards the grind substitute, I think it'd be unthoughful
to a large mass of players to design *away* from the grind.  I think
instead the focus needs to be on how to design *paralel* to the
grind.  How can you bring both together *or* how can you design so
the player has a choice?

- Brian

P.S. I take no credit for spelling errors in the above e-mail...the
misspelling gnomes did it.
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