[MUD-Dev] Convenient Community Tools (Was: Blog about GDC implies changes to MMORPG population)

[Paul Schwanz]

Shelkey, Doneld wrote:

> That type of life forced you to interact to survive...

and later...

> Each of these [convenient tools] is an advancement to be sure, but
> each also serves to replace what was once an opportunity for
> interaction between players.

I think the trouble is that many players see things closer to how
you originally stated it.  They don't perceive the lack of
convenient tools for grouping and communicating as an opportunity or
a gentle encouragement to interact with others, but as a mandate to
interact in a particular manner.

I don't think the solution is to take a step backward with the tools
(not that you implied otherwise), but to provide more incentives to
collaborate outside of small cliques.  In other words, as long as
the gameplay is about pursuing individualistic goals (the same sort
of goals that have been offered up by single-player RPGs for
decades), all the "community" tools you can imagine and implement
will end up being used by players to maximize their pursuit of those
individualistic goals.  Holding back tools so that the players have
to work harder to pursue individualistic goals (and hopefully brush
up against other players more often as a result of the increased
friction) seems like a much less desireable solution than making the
core gameplay oriented more toward community goals in the first
place.

Someone might prefer a solo-style of play where they don't have to
worry as much about the hassle of grouping and someone else might
prefer team-play where they group with a few friends, but both
styles can collaborate together under a higher level of cooperation
where they strive to contribute to and be recognized by a larger
community of which both are members.  Instituting goals
(eg. community levels) and quests or items that will benefit the
community as a whole will give everyone an opportunity to contribute
to a community without forcing a certain low-level play style on
them.  IMHO, this would help players develop friends and community
in a more subtle (and comfortable) way over time instead of just
giving convenient communication options to those who enter the game
with a group of friends already in place.

--Paul "Phinehas" Schwanz
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