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

[Matt Mihaly]

Adam Martin wrote:
> Matt Mihaly wrote:

>> are trying to please will be turned off. For example, roleplaying
>> is a grindless activity that is far more interesting, in my
>> opinion, than bashing monsters. It's got literally endless
>> variety to it,

> ...BUT (and this is a biggy) RP requires tremendous amounts of
> emotional and mental energy, and many of us just can't be bothered
> to do that long-term - or can't be bothered to *commit* to doing
> it (I love non-subs games for activities like this which I don't
> have the energy for most of the time, but where I can dip in and
> out as my energy allows).

Oh, sure, I absolutely agree. Most people aren't willing to commit
to that, and that's fine. There was a time in my life when I was. I
wouldn't be now, simply because I don't have the time to put into
it.

>> it's got drama, it arouses strong, substantive emotions, etc. And
>> yet, the vast majority of players, who say they want all the
>> things roleplaying gives, will not roleplay beyond some lame
>> "these" and "thous". Same with PvP. Most players don't want
>> challenge. They want to just win 99% of the time. Thus, the
>> grind.

> Ouch. That is very contentious. I humbly (yet with total
> conviction) submit that this is not true at all. Most players *are
> afraid* of challenge (unaccustomed challenge == investment of
> effort to break-even == possibly wasted effort if the end-result
> turns out less than expected, or if breakeven is never achieved)
> in a very minor way (so much so that most don't recognise their
> negative reaction as fear); most players enjoy challenge *iff*
> they are captivated just long enough to hit the break-even - or at
> least to become personally convinced that the break-even is coming
> and that it'll be worth it.

But that argument is self-defeating in an MMORPG. If, as you
contend, challenge = entertainment for most players, how do you
continually raise the level of challenge such that they -never- hit
the break-even point.  After all, if they've hit the break-even
point and can do so consistently, where's the challenge? I think
what you're talking about works ok in games (particularly games
without human competitors) that are meant to entertain for
relatively short amounts of time but in a MMORPG, it seems that
you'd have to constantly keep the players away from the break-even
point, for hundreds or thousands of hours. I'll contend (with
not-quite total conviction) that you'll lose most of your players if
you do that. It's one reason, I think, that pure unrestricted PK
muds don't tend to do very well by comparison: You've mandated that
most players will usually lose and only a small percentage will ever
hit that break-even point.

--matt
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