[MUD-Dev2] Specialization

[Sean Howard]

"Raph Koster" <raph at areae.net> wrote:

> In general, this is a silly debate. A gamelike world clearly benefits
> from strong, exclusive specialization, because games benefit from
> strong, exclusive specialization. A more social environment doesn't as
> much, because in a more social environment it's the diversity of what an
> individual can do that makes them interesting.

I don't think that division need be made. For my money, the games I've
always enjoyed most have been sandbox games where I could customize the
experience to my own personal preferences. My personal genre of choice is
tactics games like Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics, where you could
change units between classes, taking stats and skills with you. At some
point in those games, the difference in classes is largely cosmetic and is
more about where you want to focus your exp gains. Most online games try
to be like Fire Emblem - very specific units with very narrow purposes
that can not exist on their own. I like Fire Emblem, but it's a puzzle
game as much as it is a tactics game. When I'm playing in a large, diverse
world with a lot to see and do, I want to play a diverse character who can
meet and overcome a variety of challenges.

It has nothing to do with socialization (for me). It is simply a matter of
specialization locking me out of content arbitrarily. Because I solo, I
don't get to see instance dungeons. I usually play warriors because I like
the look of plate mail, and they are the only classes that can wear it
(even though my play style as a soloer means that tanking is worthless to
me). I can't see the later zones in the game because they are locked by
level and I've got to grind through boring, empty zones first to get
there. There's no reason at all why I've got to be the character the game
says I have to be or see the content only when the game says I should be
allowed to.

I believe, and it is my constant motto, that every player should have the
opportunity to do everything and be everything and see everything in a
game. Period. I just think that the more players there are, the more
specialization constrains the possibilities in a game.

-- 
Sean Howard