[MUD-Dev] trade skill idea

[John Buehler]

Phillip Lenhardt writes:

> On Thu, Oct 05, 2000 at 09:42:30AM -0700, John Buehler wrote:

> I strongly disagree with your statement that, "any trade should be
> structured for enthusiasts".  Instead, I would say that every trade
> should be structured for _many_ levels of enthusiasm.  For an
> enthusiast blacksmith, combat should be pushbutton and blacksmithing
> should be a detailed process; for an enthusiast swordsman,
> blacksmithing should be pushbutton and combat a detailed process.
> When a blacksmith gets into a fight with a swordsman, the backsmith
> should be able to type "kill swordsman" and then sit back and watch
> the text while at the same time the swordsman is busy attempting
> feints, choosing hit locations, etc.  The reverse should be true if
> the swordsman challenges the blacksmith to a sword-making
> competition.  And the level of detail in executing a trade/skill
> _should not_ depend on the user's skill-level.  The blacksmith could
> be a much better fighter than the swordsman and still just push a
> button.  The future level of detail demanded by a skill for a
> particular user should be a function of how often that user has used
> the optional elements of the current level of detail.

Okay.  We disagree.  I consider push button achievements to be
anathema to game worlds.  It's not entertaining, so that means that
the player is only doing it in order to get the result (which is what
*they* find entertaining).  The purpose of *my* game world is to
entertain the players, not to have the players beat the game.  When
the players want to beat the game, they aren't interested in staying
my game world, only in plowing through it and getting it 'done'.  It
doesn't contribute to the atmosphere of the game that I'm trying to
compose.

I want those who enjoy being a blacksmith to be my blacksmiths, and
those who enjoy being a warrior to be my warriors.  I don't want
players who want to get the gains of being a blacksmith without
fulfilling the role of blacksmith.  That's a 'game' attitude and has
no place in the world I'm after.

My desire for blacksmithing (for example) to appeal to afficianados
does not mean that I want those talented in blacksmithing in the real
world to be good at blacksmithing in the game world.  It means that
those who are enthusiastic about the idea of blacksmithing in all of
its depth and possibilities will be the ones who will undertake
blacksmithing.  That's because blacksmithing is as complicated as
combat - but the entertainment value is targetted at people who would
have enjoyed being a blacksmith back when.

I hope that you'll find the entertainment that you're after in another
world.

JB

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