Patrick Dughi wrote: > Why are so many muds out there textbook cases for Monty-Haul > campaigns? (http://villa.lakes.com/JamesStarlight/CampaignTypes.html) > > I ask this because more and more I see the same sort of thing > which I regard as schlock. I see muds who are stock muds, only if you > divide the levels by 10, hit points by 100, damage by 100,000, and hits > per round by some factor which is geometrically increasing as we speak. > I'm frequently confused by the discussions going on at muds where i've > stopped in to lend a helping hand (code/admin wise), as players no longer > have any use for gold, have equipment lists averaging between 200 and 400 > items, all items in the game are known - the best items are known by rote > memorization, and ..well..back to stats, people count their abilities, > skills, and bonuses in increments of 10 or 100. If it were just > multiplaction, that's no big deal, but it actually skews balance so that > things like PvP is rated on a different scale than PvNPC combat (sometimes > even the code involved is different!?!). > At PhoenixMUD we have taken a number of steps to combat this very tendancy. 1) A build port - Don't let the builders into the running mud, that is just asking for trouble. 2) Have some building standards and enforce them. http://www.phoenixmud.org/building/standards.html 3) Create a guide for the builders describing what is reasonable for an item to have as stats. http://www.phoenixmud.org/building/ObjectStatTable.html 4) More resources: (some of it is very out of date) http://www.phoenixmud.org/building/index.html 5) Have an experienced that has become embroiled in RL be responsible to slashing the stats on an item that is over powerful. This guy has got to be willing to be the mud's A-hole and willing to smack the stuffing out of a player that complains too loudly and ofter. 6) Add lots of little things that cost money. 5% commission on auctions, practicing/leveling costs cash, material components for the cool spells, objects that get damaged and need to be repaired, etc... The most important things are policy, guidance, and a bastard to enforce them. Add in builder mentoring/training and you can create a great mud. --Angus Mezick -- +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | FAQ: http://qsilver.queensu.ca/~fletchra/Circle/list-faq.html | | Archives: http://post.queensu.ca/listserv/wwwarch/circle.html | +---------------------------------------------------------------+
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