<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method --> <!--X-From-R13: Qnyvona Fverfvnf Rnexybpx <pnyvonaNqnexybpx.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 12:58:03 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199807301958.NAA19747#darklock,com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 813EBA1AF80CD111B44F00805F15B465014CE612@itntl-msg02.itntl .bhp.com.au --> <!--X-Reference: 3.0.5.32.19980730101249.0079a690#popd,ix.netcom.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:caliban#darklock,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="msg00434.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00436.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00433.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00436.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00435">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00435">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00435">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Caliban Tiresias Darklock <<A HREF="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 12:53:14 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On 10:12 AM 7/30/98 -0700, I personally witnessed Orion Henry jumping up to say: > >In a multiplayer, build-and-conquer environment things are fun >as long as there is competition... the fun stops as soon as there is a >mega powerful player or group of players that control everything... >If it were set up such that a small, weak group of players could >easily hide in the vast game-space and that sabotage and gorilla >tactics were something that a superpower could never totally guard >against, then the competition could continue once a team had >become obsurdly powerful ( ala Empire vs. Rebellion in Starwars ) The way I'm setting this up is through parallel worlds. Basically, there exist several not *necessarily* identical worlds (it's relatively trivial to drastically alter the nature of reality in some or all of them), and the players can move between them more or less at will -- although it is relatively expensive. Such an environment makes it difficult... if not impossible... for any small group to control more than a few of these worlds. At any given point in time, you only have to deal with one of the worlds, so if and when a half dozen players monopolise one of the worlds... you can just go to another one. Certainly the "choice" worlds will be taken over rapidly, but that will leave several others free for exploration (and the buildup of a force sufficient to charge into that choice world and take it back). Given a large enough number of parallel worlds, I'm planning on a dozen or so, it becomes much easier for the game to remain fun even when a group of dorks decides to play butthead and kick the other players around. I consider it sort of like the "PKtown" approach in many MUDs. There are very safe areas, very hostile areas, and other areas somewhere in between; given the right parameters for a world, PKers will naturally gravitate to it, and given different parameters PKers will tend to shun other worlds. If the range of world parameters is broad enough from area to area, players can find their own personal "niche" more easily... and over time, the worlds no one frequents can be reconfigured on the fly in order to bring them into parameters preferred by more players. This should end up with an even spread of players across worlds, although statistically speaking normal distributions don't exist. </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00433" HREF="msg00433.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Orion Henry <orionz#ix,netcom.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00434.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00436.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00433.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00436.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00435"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00435"><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>[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00443" HREF="msg00443.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sat 01 Aug 1998, 18:43 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00416" HREF="msg00416.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Leach, Brad BA <a href="mailto:Leach.Brad.BA#bhp,com.au">Leach.Brad.BA#bhp,com.au</a>, Wed 29 Jul 1998, 07:01 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00427" HREF="msg00427.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Robert Woods <a href="mailto:rwoods#nebula,honors.unr.edu">rwoods#nebula,honors.unr.edu</a>, Thu 30 Jul 1998, 02:03 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00433" HREF="msg00433.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Orion Henry <a href="mailto:orionz#ix,netcom.com">orionz#ix,netcom.com</a>, Thu 30 Jul 1998, 17:08 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00435" HREF="msg00435.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 30 Jul 1998, 19:58 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00436" HREF="msg00436.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#bignetwork,com">mike#bignetwork,com</a>, Fri 31 Jul 1998, 01:17 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00434" HREF="msg00434.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, S. Patrick Gallaty <a href="mailto:choke#sirius,com">choke#sirius,com</a>, Thu 30 Jul 1998, 18:04 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00437" HREF="msg00437.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#bignetwork,com">mike#bignetwork,com</a>, Fri 31 Jul 1998, 01:17 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00438" HREF="msg00438.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method</A></strong>, Joel Kelso <a href="mailto:joel#ee,uwa.edu.au">joel#ee,uwa.edu.au</a>, Fri 31 Jul 1998, 01:26 GMT </LI> </UL> </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>