[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] NPC-oriented gameplay and XP model:GURPS/EveOnline vs. D&D/Diku

[Damion Schubert]

On 10/9/07, Mike Rozak <Mike at mxac.com.au> wrote:
>
> John Buehler wrote:
> > What is the purpose of having experience points in the game?
>
> See my reply to Lachek Butalek.
>
> >  Doesn't a
> > successful interaction with an NPC produce the same effect as experience
> > points?


It depends on whether or not players can recognize that interaction as
successful.
I haven't played your engine yet, but in many NPC dialogue engines, it's
hard
for the player to tell if he's made the 'right' choice.

>
> > Explorers are sated by the
> > constantly-changing topology of NPC interactions (by getting friendly
> > with *this* NPC, I've damaged my connection to *that* NPC, perhaps
> > making it harder to rent a boat to get to the island to meet a third
> > NPC).
>
> Totally agree. What do achievers need? Do I care?


They need a sense of progress.  You need to care because most players start
off
as achievers - they want to feel successful immediately.  Once they do so (
i.e. the
game has taught them how to play), explorers will feel comfortable exploring
the
topography.

As an example, the most successful 'explorer' game in the world is GTA.  GTA
lets you do anything, but it starts you off with a series of missions
designed to
get you some quick and dirty rewards.  This gives players a sense of
progress and
success, while also subtly teaching players about the reach of the
possibility space.

Does this solution need to be XP?  No.  But the game definitely needs to
have enough of an 'achiever' game to teach players how to play.

> I'm also not sure what it means to have "slow" players in
> > non-achievement entertainment.  I could imagine a player getting stuck
> > and being unable to figure out how to get the dockmaster to rent a boat.
> > In that case, features in the game to let a player cheat their way
> > through an interaction would seem to be desirable.
>
> Yup, which is how I was planning on using XP given at a fixed rate, for
> example.


Not knowing the specifics of your system -- will your reward structure
teach players what a successful interaction is?

--d