<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP --> <!--X-From-R13: [negva Yrrtna <znegvaNpnz.fev.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: from babe.globecomm.net [207.51.48.8] by in11.ibm.net id 867415126.39892-1 Fri Jun 27 12:38:46 1997 CUT --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.GSO.3.96.970627132604.7096A-100000@tay --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199706260143.PAA18631#mail,pixi.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:martin#cam,sri.com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg01551.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01553.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01508.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01570.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01552">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01552">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01552">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Martin Keegan <<A HREF="mailto:martin#cam,sri.com">martin#cam,sri.com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 13:38:09 +0100 (BST)</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Wed, 25 Jun 1997, Huibai wrote: > There are a lot of people not wanting to implement levels, or > experience points, or character classes. I see that as that > you actually want to 'move on' as opposed to omit them. You > don't want to quantify player A as 3 better than player B, or > to limit player A to a predefined subset of abilities, or to say > that doing X for so long gives you Y points to spend on anything. > XP, levels, and classes in their current forms are rather black- > and-white. Levels and XP, no matter how much one criticises them, have two great strength: simplicity (conceptually, and coding-wise), and enjoyability. I'm not one to give in to player demands on anything, but I think that having clearly defined levels, and not too many of them, is great for encouraging inter-player competition. Levels make very powerful milestones and goals, so long as you don't have too many. The worst thing about levels is the existence of muds with over 20 of them. At this point, it just gets ridiculous - I've seen muds with more than 800 levels. This blurs the distinction between levels and XP - Advent didn't even have 800 available POINTS! > So don't jump my boody when I mention levels and xp, for I > too am 'moving on' - just not by dropping everything. Well, I > am dropping classes now - gonna try my hand at integrating > 'skills' to replace classes altogether, instead of just being a > support group of variables. My goodness, the effects you > people are having on me. My problem with classes and races is not a problem of principle, but of implementation. I'm the first to flame someone who hates quests just because every one he's seen is poorly written. The way I've seen classes and races implemented (primarily on Dikus, less often on LPs, and seldom on Tinys (and let's face it, that covers 90% of muds)) is of a choice made (usually irrevocably) at character creation time. Moreoever, the muds with N classes/races (where N is large) tend to have very bland systems, where class/race is just a stat modifier instead of permeating one's existence within the mud. IMO, if you're going to have distinct, strongly differentiated groupings of players, the choices between them should not be presented at creation time, but be presented as career moves during gameplay. Mk </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="01570" HREF="msg01570.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Simon Miller <trub#mudhole,spodnet.uk.com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="01508" HREF="msg01508.html">Levels and XP</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Huibai" <ashen#pixi,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01551.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Integrating PK</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01553.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Integrating PK</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01508.html">Levels and XP</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01570.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01552"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01552"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01511" HREF="msg01511.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Rumours</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 10:11 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01522" HREF="msg01522.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Rumours</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 14:02 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01537" HREF="msg01537.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Rumours</A></strong>, Shawn Halpenny <a href="mailto:malachai#iname,com">malachai#iname,com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 22:00 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01508" HREF="msg01508.html">Levels and XP</A></strong>, Huibai <a href="mailto:ashen#pixi,com">ashen#pixi,com</a>, Thu 26 Jun 1997, 08:43 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01552" HREF="msg01552.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</A></strong>, Martin Keegan <a href="mailto:martin#cam,sri.com">martin#cam,sri.com</a>, Fri 27 Jun 1997, 19:38 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01570" HREF="msg01570.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Levels and XP</A></strong>, Simon Miller <a href="mailto:trub#mudhole,spodnet.uk.com">trub#mudhole,spodnet.uk.com</a>, Sat 28 Jun 1997, 15:00 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01449" HREF="msg01449.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Supporting RP+PG</A></strong>, Huibai <a href="mailto:ashen#pixi,com">ashen#pixi,com</a>, Mon 23 Jun 1997, 12:15 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01455" HREF="msg01455.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Supporting RP+PG</A></strong>, Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Mon 23 Jun 1997, 22:23 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01617" HREF="msg01617.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Supporting RP+PG</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Tue 01 Jul 1997, 05:59 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>