[MUD-Dev] Blog about GDC implies changes to MMORPG population

[Sean Howard]

"Damien Neil" <damien.neil at gmail.com> wrote:

> Clicking a button doesn't remove or simplify abstract steps
> involved in shooting an arrow from a bow?  I've used a bow in real
> life and in WoW.  Pshaw, right back at you.

After you do an action enough times, the specifics of the action are
sort of memorized and ignored. When you use a hammer, you aren't
thinking of each muscle in the finger and wrist as you grip it, and
the velocity and direction that you smash it. You just sort of think
'la de da, I'm hammering nails". Even as I type this, I'm thinking
words and my fingers automatically type them in without any
conscious effort on my part. Our egos have an amazing ability to
absorb tools into our self image. It's why we can play World of
Warcraft and think of the Orc that you play using the mouse and ASWD
keys as yourself, despite it being so amazingly different.

> You honestly think that the appeal of being a mighty hero plays no
> part in the reason people play (some) MUDs?

I don't think it factors in at all.

> You've never heard someone say they weren't interested in a game
> because they didn't care for the theme?

No at often as I've heard people say they weren't interested because
the gameplay sucked. For me, a game pretty much has to play rap
music for me to get turned off. I have no interest in World War II,
but I'll play something like Call of Duty. Likewise, I love Star
Wars and super deformed characters, but even I can't manage to enjoy
Super Bombad Racing.

> If escapist fantasies had no part in games, Puzzle Pirates would
> have no pirates.

If escapist fantasies were a major part of the game, Puzzle Pirates
wouldn't use falling block puzzles to describe sword fighting.

> If being a hero wasn't important, nobody would complain about
> fighting rats.

They don't complain about fighting rats. They complain about
fighting nothing but rats - they want variety.

> And yet not all crafting in the real world contains "player"
> design.

All crafting in the real world contains design, whether it is being
done by the person who makes the things. For instance, some car
designers creates a new truck that's even bigger and more imposing
than the ones that are already out there. The trucks are mass
produced in a factory by a combination of union workers and
machines. Then it is distributed out to car dealerships which sell
the car. You are assuming that crafting only takes place after
something is designed and before it is sold.

> There is design [in making beer], yes, but of a quantitatively
> different sort than is involved in creating a painting or song.

Quantitave, but not qualitative.

I've been working on a theory of creativity recently, and it's not
quite ready to be shared. Essentially, not all design is equal. Some
design is aesthetic (how things look or taste or feel) - and beer
design and paintings and songs fall under this category. Also under
this category is the min-maxing balance deal - I want more damage
and less dodge on this weapon. A second category is
"functional". What things do. I want to create a doll which says
funny phrases. I want to create a box which keeps my beer warm
during football games. This typically comes before the aesthetic
aspects, where you decide what the doll says or what color the box
is. The third and potentially most rare is structural design - the
connections between things. This is generally referred to as
"architecture".

> You are conflating business with crafting.  The two are quite
> different things, in both the real world and virtual ones.

I am assuming that the purpose of crafting is external to the
player's personal use. Given how painful most crafting systems are,
it is nearly always not worth it for a player to take up crafting
just to create the goods for himself, so typically, these goods are
created and distributed to others. Sometimes, it's by freely giving
them to guildmates. Sometimes, you sell them to NPC
vendors. Sometimes, you auction them off. Sometimes, you set up a
vendor of your own and sell them from your own shop.  Sometimes, you
custom build stuff by request and deal with customers directly. I
don't neccessarily consider this aspect business, but more like the
general purpose behind crafting - especially without a design
aspect. You can create songs for yourself, but you aren't going to
mass produce short swords + 2 for yourself.

> MUDs generally have quite robust systems for players to do
> business-- I've certainly seen people engaging in advertising,
> cornering a share of the market, and leveraging a monopoly in
> them.

I have too, which is why I think discussion of such things should be
an integral part in the discussion of crafting systems. There's
nothing like trying to buy a specific sword only to discover that
there is a crafter conspiracy to elevate the price to double what it
should be.

> What makes you think I like MMORPG crafting?

My bad. I just assumed that if you were defending the status quo,
you must be fairly content with it. It seems silly to me to defend
something you don't like.

--
Sean Howard
www.squidi.net
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