<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when. --> <!--X-From-R13: Oqnz Ivttvaf <nqnzNnatry.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 10:59:17 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.SGI.3.96.990105104656.8711C-100000#zazu,angel.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 11A17AA2B9EAD111BCEA00A0C9B41793EDC886#forest,origin.ea.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:adam#angel,com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00045.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00047.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00045.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00066.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00046">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00046">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00046">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: "'<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>'" <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Adam Wiggins <<A HREF="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 10:59:07 -0800 (PST)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On Tue, 5 Jan 1999, Koster, Raph wrote: > Rather than argue the semantics of what a "level" is, it seems like it > would be more fruitful to discuss methods of giving visible levels > without curbing the myriad ways of advancement possible. Thoughts? Now *this* I can agree with. I typically hate levels because they are so restricting. But as I've often argued, there's something very comforting to a new player starting the game, typing "score" and seeing "You need 10 exp to reach your next level." Instantly they have a goal, something to *do* in the game world, a reason for being there. Someone recently compared levels to childhood school grades. One can also find other such comparssion in real life, including ranks in the military or those animal-patches in the cub scounts. In all cases there is a clear path to advancement; the amount of time inbetween each "level" is long enough to make the gain signifigant, but short enough to not seem frustrating, and each level gain is accompanied by obvious feedback and reward (the most basic of these being a new insignia that the person gets to wear on their uniform or whatever). I think I've suggested abstracting classes into "guilds" before. That is, by joinging the Harper's guild, for example, you become a Journeyman Harper (aka level 1 harper). This gives you certain privilages and responsibilities within your guild. Reaching Apprentice Harper (level 2) requires a certain set of tasks be completed, and gives you a new set of privilages and responsibilities. It *doesn't* tell you what skills you can learn, what your character's physical abilities should be like, or what you can wear, which is of course where the level-based restrictions usually come in. Gaining guild levels wouldn't give you hitpoints or practices or anything else. It *would* give you the chance to learn more advanced harper skills from the guild's teachers; give you access to more of the guild's resources; and potentially also straddle you with more duties (such as passing on your harper knowledge to the newer members of the guild). I'm sure there's many other ways you could achieve a level effect without restricting the character. I think the above would be a pretty easy modification to a standard Diku or LP mud, however. (Actually, some of the better LPs I've played do have a system similar to this: Lost Souls comes to mind. But it still very much dictates what sorts of things your character can and can't do, which I think is a Bad Thing.) Adam W. </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00066" HREF="msg00066.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Marian Griffith <gryphon#iaehv,nl></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00045" HREF="msg00045.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Koster, Raph" <rkoster#origin,ea.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00045.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00047.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Design doc - Combat</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00045.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00066.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00046"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00046"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Design doc - Combat</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00325" HREF="msg00325.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Design doc - Combat</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 31 Jan 1999, 00:47 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00312" HREF="msg00312.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Design doc - Combat</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Wed 27 Jan 1999, 22:23 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00041" HREF="msg00041.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Mon 04 Jan 1999, 21:24 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="00045" HREF="msg00045.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 05 Jan 1999, 18:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00046" HREF="msg00046.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Tue 05 Jan 1999, 18:59 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00066" HREF="msg00066.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Wed 06 Jan 1999, 20:54 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00053" HREF="msg00053.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Andy Cink <a href="mailto:ranthor#earthlink,net">ranthor#earthlink,net</a>, Tue 05 Jan 1999, 23:34 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00055" HREF="msg00055.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Tue 05 Jan 1999, 23:53 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00093" HREF="msg00093.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Mik Clarke <a href="mailto:mikclrk#ibm,net">mikclrk#ibm,net</a>, Fri 08 Jan 1999, 20:17 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>