[MUD-Dev] realistic combat vs enjoyable combat

[olag at ifi.uio.no]

darkwolf at neo.rr.com:

> Hardly anyone is acutally part of the "average"... most are above
> or below but we as a asociety design things to cater to the middle
> ground.

I don't know. Lots of people run marathons. I think one has to take
a pretty big view on these things. Frequency, pacing, challenge,
feedback, the grand finale (catharsis), and more...

In my view the problems with game design is that the experience is
often too tightly controlled and limited by the designer. That's a
receipe for predictable boredom. If something is truly immersive (in
the sense worshipped by flow-enthusiasts) time shouldn't be an issue
as you don't keep track of time very well when you are in the flow
state...

People who love to perform music can do it for hours, until fatigue
sets in.

Of course, the sense of achievement might be much greater in the
cases of running or playing music. Which begs the question: to what
extent do players of RPGs feel a sense of achievement?

It seems to be a mixed bag, players feel some sense of achievment,
but also a sense of having wasted their time? I wonder if the
ebayers feel a greater sense of achievement as they get something
that has external value (value outside the game)? Would a game which
was based on knowledge external to the game provide more joy and a
greater sense of achievement?  I.e. games in which you would have to
know Newton's laws in order to fire a rocket for instance.

Ola.
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