[MUD-Dev] I Want to Forge Swords. [Another letter to game designers]

[Batir]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Auli" <auli at bellsouth.net>
To: <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2001 13:05
Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] I Want to Forge Swords. [Another letter to game
designers]

> Martin Burke wrote:

>> It sounds like this is a problem with EQ, not with the desire for
>> distinct communities.  If there were several places that offered
>> the same satisfaction as the East Commons zone, and each were as
>> difficult to travel between as the trip you mention, several
>> distinct communities would develop.

>> No idea is bad because it was implemented poorly in EQ.

> I agree and you certainly can't consider me a disgruntled Everquest
> basher, I still play, and enjoy the game nearly every day and was a
> volunteer admin for nearly a year and a half.  I actually love the
> game.  The point was to compare one world where travel is limited,
> and not even limited as much as Mr. Ming would seem to want, to
> another where travel to your starting home point was relatively
> quick and easy.  Because the point of these games for most is to go
> out and explore if travel is time consuming and difficult people
> will not 'settle down'.  They become permanent nomads ala Everquest.
> That would seem to be exactly the opposite of Mr. Ming's argument.

I've never played EQ.  I have played UO for three years now, and
location means nothing there.  I can get anywhere in the game within 5
minutes or so.  Deepest dungeon, farthest corner of the world, might
as well be next door.  I've also played GemStone III.  At the time I
played, they had 2 towns.  Travel between the two wasn't something you
did in a couple seconds.  Took at least 20 minutes if memory serves me
right, and was a dangerous trip as well.  Some items could only be
bought in one of the towns.  Often when I traveled from one to the
other, I stayed at the local inn, and hunted, shopped, lived, and yes,
socialized in that town for a while.  Sometimes friends came with me,
sometimes I was travelling to meet a friend, and sometimes I went by
myself and meet new friends.

The point is that large worlds can be done right, without instant
travel.  To me, and as I said, never played EQ, it sounds like EQ
towns are messed up, if their not the social gathering spots they
should be.

Batir

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