[MUD-Dev] Community? (Level Grind)

[Victor Wachter]

Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com wrote:
> From: Damion Schubert [mailto:ubiq at zenofdesign.com]

>> I see a lot of people saying that we need to emulate more
>> complicated games in our MMPs: the Baldur's Gates, the Mysts, the
>> Prince of Persias.  These games are all great games, but they
>> aren't very repeatable.  The more intriguing lessons are the
>> games that are much more repeatable: Tetris.  Civilization.  Even
>> solitaire.

> You make an interesting point, but are these even the same
> audiences? Do people who like hairy great RPGs or beautifully
> finessed control systems (Prince of Persia), really like to play
> Tetris, Solitaire & Civ ad-infinitum. To me your examples ring of
> 'non-gamers games'. Good luck getting them locked into your MMO!

Nobody likes the above games (with the exception of Civ) ad
infinitum - but you may never stop playing them once or twice a week
as long as you have them. The point is that these games rely on a
simple to understand and predictable mechanic that offers a
different experience each time you play.  PlanetSide, which you cite
below (and is close to my heart), is actually a good example of this
concept blending the compelling elements of each of the above three
games: go as far as you can (Tetris), take the right steps to win
(Solitaire), and stage by stage advancement to a variable goal
(Civ).

The expectation is different when you throw in the element of
persistence.  We all enjoy a three minute game of Minesweeper
because it didn't suck while we were playing it and we are able to
move on when we are done. However, with persistence, we'll be doing
these things many times over focusing on the outcome at least as
much as the gameplay. The challenge for persistent worlds to become
truly sticky is providing infinitely repeatable gratification along
with the gameplay, which is where most of them fall short.
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