[MUD-Dev] Removing the almighty experience point...

[cruise]

Vincent Archer wrote:

> Ultimately, levels are used in a game to measure one thing:

>   - Your readiness to accede to a new segment of content

> Which is good. The problem is defining how you are "ready" for
> that new content. That's where opinions diverge. Players want the
> readiness to measure your capacity to confront the challenges of
> said content.  Alas, the game measures your readiness chiefly by
> the amount of time spent killing mobs/doing quest, not by any form
> of prowess.

This is what many of social MU*'s attempt to address with their
"role-play to be allowed to level" systems - actual player skill is
required to gain the next level. The current XP system measures time
spent, and not player skill, for the msot part.

> That led me to suggest a different model of levelling. It's called
> the "achievement model", because it caters essentially to
> achievers, of course, like most level-based systems.

> You can access level N+1 when, and only when, you have at least N
> achievements of level N or above.

> Achievements are used to measure your prowess, game knowledge,
> mastery of your class, interaction with other players, whatever.
> Each achievement is individual and unique. A repeat of the exact
> same circumstances means nothing.

Ooooh - I like this. It doesn't have to be 'N' acheivements of level
'N', though - if a level N achievement is noticably more difficult
than a level N-1 achievement, you could increase the number required
very slowly (if at all), and still achieve the same effect.

> For example, killing one mob of level N is a level N achievement
> (however, killing another is not, of course). Visiting a point of
> interest in game that is guarded by hostile level X mobs is an
> achievement of level X. Keeping under control 3 mobs while a 4th
> is fought by your group is a level Z achievement. Defeating the
> boss of Dungeon Y is another achievement. Using "correctly" a
> skill you can gain at level W is itself an achievement of level
> W. And so on.

Combine this with the "skill" systems, so each type of achievement
helps advancement for that class of ability. So killing a level N
mob helps your combat rating, discovering, creating and casting a
level N spell adds to magic level, etc. This allows alternative
advancement paths, and players with different interests can all
still gain advancement.

> The idea is that, if your character is level 20, then by
> definition, you (the player) have a good knowledge of the game
> world and/or a good equipment and/or a knowledge of your class
> abilities and/or experience (in the real world sense) of playing
> in a group in some challenging situations.

> How you progress is up to you. At level 4, you can grab 4
> moderately easy level 4 achievements, which raises you to level 5,
> where you start anew, or you can attempt to get a slightly harder
> level 7 achievement (visit an orc-held tower), which not only
> helps you finishing level 4, but 5, 6 and 7 as well.

Which ties in nicely with the other thread on creating a player
narrative, and creating the epic feeling. Completing a level 7 quest
at level 4 would make an impressive story, and one that wouldn't be
repeated as often.

> That kind of achievement-based system behaves very differently
> from an XP-based levelling system. It rewards real world knowledge
> and skill, notably. An experienced player can roll a new
> character, and very quickly "level", by simply running to various
> places he already knows, and reproducing feats he's already seen
> by other players he grouped with.

> Some players will also find themselves locked out of higher
> levels.  Unless they manage to master enough aspects of the game,
> it is physically impossible for them, no matter how long they can
> play per week, to access the higher end of the game (the elite
> syndrome: only "skilled" players can be of high level), which
> might discourage players.

No different from a huge range of single-player games, which some
players will never complete because they are too hard. I can see why
the sales-types might have a heartattack at the suggestion that
there might be some content that most players will never be able to
get too - but really, how is that different from now? It's just the
barrier is skill, not time.

> However, no player can ever accuse your game to encourage grind
> (repeating mindlessly the easiest task you can find for your
> level) or call it a treadmill, if the requirements for real skills
> keep changing as you level.

Indeed. As long, of course, as the acheivements are enjoyable and
challenging. Though I can see players working out the
"shortest-path" between achievements for each level... "talk to this
NPC, do this quest, while there, pick up this object, give it to
this NPC, return home, that's two N+1 quests done in one trip" etc.

>   (oh, and if you want to keep grind, make the game item-oriented,
>   and have the players hunt mobs to get equipment/crafting
>   materials)

I've always thought it a shame that with power-levelling, there
never seems to be the time (or a point) in getting together a really
good set of equipment - something that feels 'yours'. You can never
keep a custom "look" as your armour/clothing constantly changes to
whatever is best for that level. Ditto equipment. Removing the
necessity to constantly change your appearance in game (which, for
me, is one of the draws of CoH) would be a plus. But that's a
complete aside from the current topic :P

--
[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org ]
   "quantam sufficit"
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