[MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?

[Tony Wilkinson]

Mike Sellers wrote:
>Beyond this though, I think that often MUDs teach players that it's just
>more fun and/or more rewarding to attack other players than it is to attack
>monsters or solve puzzles/quests.  In this light, it's not that PKers have
a
>*need* to hurt other people, but that in the scheme of the MUD, they don't
>need the other people -- they are thus expendable -- and the other people
>represent a concentration of resources (gold, objects, attention, etc.)
that
>the PKers need.  Other PCs are thus low-hanging fruit just waiting to be
>plucked.
>

I think that's an excellent point. From my experience of MUD's with pker
problems, it is generally MUCH more worth while (as far as "loot" is
concerned) to kill other people than monsters.  At the very least they have
a full set of armour and provisions. Does the "only loot 1 item" (ala EQ)
work? Well yes it does make it less worth while but "realism" is sacrifised
I guess.

I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of pkers do it because they
are social misfits (although I am sure some are). I can't help thinking that
most are either bored or think they "need the loot". The first of these I
believe could be dealt with by making genuine interesting and challenging
quests and by making monster FUN to fight. Perhaps even making quests which
give players things killing other people cannot do. Titles or other status
simbols might work here.

Tony
http://www.xploding.com The Virtual World





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