[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] Player skill vs. Character Skill [was: Player-generated content]

[cruise]

Thus spake John Buehler...
> I'm wondering if achievement entertainment shouldn't always be
> predicated on player skill.  Achievements based on character 'skills'
> certainly make a product marketable, but I wonder how far the genre can
> go with that approach.

To which my immediate thought is - what, like almost all /other/ 
multiplayer game types (FPS, RTS, Sport)? :P

It's certainly a different type of game - basing the game on the 
character's stats allows a player to be good at things they aren't 
normally (so why is 'charisma' still always the dump stat? *ducks and 
runs*) - whereas player-skill lets the player advance based on their 
natural abilities.

Though, for some, that's not entirely true, since character-skill based 
gameplay becomes simply a numbers game, and uses player-skill on initial 
and level-up choices.

Character-skill games offer a guarantee of progression - it merely takes 
time, whereas player-skill is not potentially limitless - sure, practice 
helps, but it's never as fast or reliable as XP.

Is it possible to appeal to both? I've always liked systems that offer 
the choice - automatic or manual gears in a driving sim being perhaps 
the simplest and most recognisable example.

With a lot of practice and player-skill, manual gears can be faster - 
but those without that, the automatic choice is "good enough".

Aircraft vs. Newtonian physics when flying a spacecraft also 
demonstrates the point - Aircraft controls are more "intuitive", but 
with a good understanding of physics complex strafing runs and 
acrobactics can be performed.

Casting spells could either be done by clicking on a button at say, 60% 
effectiveness, or by gesture recognition, with the potential for much 
more powerful spells for those who can quickly and accurately perform 
the gestures.

I think it's easily clear there's a market for player-skill driven games 
- counter-strike demonstrates that nicely - but whether such things can 
co-exist with MMOG demographics remains to be seen.