[MUD-Dev2] Meaningful Conseqences

[cruise]

Michael Chui wrote:
> I've imagined roleplaying to be a vector into handling this problem. While
> yeah, obvious massive problem being that MMO roleplayers are a diminishing
> minority, roleplaying is _the_ classic benefit to the player himself.
> 
> On the other hand, no one has figured out how to scale roleplaying. Indeed,
> I'm not sure it can be done.

The problem, as with a lot of things in life, is that what you get out
is proportional to what you put in. But people as a general rule,
dislike that upfront cost, especially for intangible benefits. Thus,
true role-playing is something the huge majority of the players will
never try, simply because it's all so much effort, and it won't help
them level any faster, will it?

Which is why there needs to be divisions, but "soft" divisions. Not
based on servers (role-play, non-rolepay) or anything else unchangeable,
since that's only adding to the upfront cost in a player's mind. What if
they don't like it? Then they're stuck on a role-play server with all
the hours they've put into the character wasted.

Being able to drop across those divisions with relative ease (say, being
invited by someone already there), keeps the players happily seperate
without making that decision final.