November 2005
- Computer Security for MMOs and Online Games Greg B
- Discussion of MUD system design, development, and implementation Chris Duesing
- Commentary on Recent PlayOn Blog Social Cohesion Christopher Allen
- quest engine design documents? Johnicholas Hines
- Effort to produce a quest Mike Rozak
- Effort to produce a quest Ghilardi Filippo
- Effort to produce a quest Mike Rozak
- Effort to produce a quest Kiztent
- Effort to produce a quest Vincent Archer
- Effort to produce a quest Damion Schubert
- Effort to produce a quest Mike Rozak
- Effort to produce a quest Damion Schubert
- Effort to produce a quest Mike Rozak
- Effort to produce a quest Randolf Richardson
- Effort to produce a quest Lachek Butalek
- DGN: Starting with Nothing (Requests for Resources) Sarah Bonner
- DGN: Starting with Nothing (Requests for Resources) lwl@black-knight.org (Lydia Leong)
- DGN: Starting with Nothing (Requests for Resources) Otis Viles
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? John Mauney
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? Sean Howard
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? Sam Pointon
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? John Mauney
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? justice@softhome.net
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? Lachek Butalek
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? lwl@black-knight.org (Lydia Leong)
- Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution? Mike Rozak
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs Mike Rozak
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs Mike Rozak
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs cruise
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs lwl@black-knight.org (Lydia Leong)
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs Mike Rozak
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Roger Hicks
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains cruise
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Lydia Leong
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Dave Mitchell
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Lost
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Lachek Butalek
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Lost
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains lwl@black-knight.org (Lydia Leong)
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains jack fredricks
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Mike Rozak
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Arnau Josep Rosselló Castelló
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains Damien Neil
- Dynamic Quests & Event Chains ceo
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs cruise
- DESIGN: Personal NPCs Jaycen Rigger
- (no subject) Koster, Raph
- Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) cruise
- Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Lachek Butalek
- MMO a temporary phenomenon? John Buehler
- Sexism in design lwl@black-knight.org (Lydia Leong)
- Sexism in design Marc Bowden
- Sexism in design Louis d'Ambra
- Sexism in design Sean Kelly
- Sexism in design Amanda Walker
- Value Brian "Ayavaron" Ross
- Value Jaycen Rigger
"Brian \"Ayavaron\" Ross" <ayavaron@gmail.com> wrote:
> ...why should some games require work before you can start
> enjoying them. That just isn't cool.
I would say this is a concept that has evolved from the days when
Role-Playing Games were table-top ventures. The idea of an RPG was
to bring people together to enjoy each others company in a fantasy
setting. My friends and I refer to it as our weekly group therapy.
When dorks like us started putting our games on the Internet so
people separated by geographical expanse could join together to
increase the size and scope of our play, we brought the basic
concepts of RPGs with us. One major component of a table-top RPG is
character development. It's a funny term, because not only are you
developing your Player Character, but in a way you're learning
things about yourself and people in general, thus developing your
personal "character" (what old people call moral fiber).
Table-top RPGs center on gaining experience so your character can
progress in his abilities and powers. By actually going through
adventures with your character, you create memories of shared
experiences with friends in settings you can't normally
achieve..."Dude, remember the night we took out that ancient red
dragon? Jeff died, but he got off his Protection from Evil just in
time to save our butts!"
In those games, you had one single referee who could choose to award
role-playing regardless of what objectives in the game were achieved
during the play. For example, the Game Master could choose to award
arbitrary amounts of experience just because he thought that one
player brought special fun to the game that night. Humans can
easily make those kinds of judgments, whereas a computer can't.
For us old school guys, what you call "requiring work", we call
"part of the experience". Contextually, it makes sense that your
character should endure certain "trials of life" before gaining all
the goodies. It's kind of an old timey nutty concept - work for
things and get rewarded.
Due to the size and popularity of on-line RPGs and the growth of the
Internet, you now have floods of youngsters who don't have any of
that old table top experience. It's really a shame, because nothing
beats playing with real human beings, but many of us will settle for
playing by proxy.
It's an evolution, really. The very "rEvolution" currently being
discussed here. Some people define evolution as a marked
metamorphosis, but we're already seeing it. It's happening all the
time. It's part of what causes so many bad decisions to be made by
developers and companies. They just don't know how to handle this
influx of people who want to play a game that isn't what the game is
trying to be.
Funny.
It's not really the player's fault that they don't have that life
experience, and yet they complain about having to gain it in order
to enjoy something that's all about gaining experience. Nutty.
-Jaycen - Value John Buehler
- Value Sean Kelly
- Value Jaycen Rigger
- Griefing Brian "Ayavaron" Ross
- RE : Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Jean, Yannick
- RE : Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Marc Bowden
- RE : Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Lost
- RE : Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Damion Schubert
- RE : Removing the Massively from MMOG (long) Lachek Butalek
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Sean Howard
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look)
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Sean Howard
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Caliban Darklock
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Sean Howard
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Ryan S. Dancey
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Jeffrey Kesselman
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Ken Sewell
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Sean Howard
- Changing Midstream (SWG's New Look) Joe Ludwig
- Discussion of MUD system design, development, and implementation Chris Duesing