[MUD-Dev] DESIGN: Player pyramid

[Mike Rozak]

Jim Pubrick wrote:

> The trick is to make the actions of those at the top of the
> pyramid an enjoyable backdrop to those playing at the bottom. They
> don't need the players above them, but if observing their
> machinations are fun to watch or change the world in interesting
> ways then they may be willing to play the pawns in the game.

> Even if you're effectively playing a single player CRPG it's still
> more fun to think that the plot was crafted by the actions of
> others rather than being predefined, all other things being equal.

I agree that a design should stive for this, but there is always a
fundamental conflict that pops up: The design team produces content,
backstory, and whatnot (the "predefined" stuff you mentioned) with
the players' fun and entertainment in mind. The movitivations of
most players is to have fun themselves, and whether or not other
players have fun as a consequence of their actions is
irrelevant. That means most players at the top of the pyramid won't
care if they trod on the experience of players at the base. While
good design can minimize this effect, and may even produce
circumstances where players at the base are entertained by those at
the top, the net impact will still be negative (I think).

Mike Rozak
http://www.mxac.com.au
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