<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when. --> <!--X-From-R13: "Qnyvona Fverfvnf Rnexybpx" <pnyvonaNqnexybpx.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 16:07:11 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 010a01be3f51$49166d60$55e5edd0@dev-18.chilisoft.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--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:caliban#darklock,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="msg00148.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00150.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00173.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00150.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00149">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00149">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00149">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>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when. </LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "Caliban Tiresias Darklock" <<A HREF="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 16:02:45 -0800</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> -----Original Message----- From: Koster, Raph <rkoster#origin,ea.com> To: 'mud-dev#kanga,nu' <mud-dev#kanga,nu> Date: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 8:41 AM Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when. >are multiple paths to advancement, ease of switching between paths of >advancement, clear milestones in said advancement, and ideally, no sense >of running out of significant milestones It may actually be easier to provide none of the above, which will look quite a bit like all of the above. You can advance however you like, switch paths at a moment's notice, and see exactly where you're headed at all times as well as never reaching the end of the path. Why? Because the player himself has set his advancement conditions and milestones. When he hits a milestone at the end of a given path, well, he'll just switch to another one. He may not even realise he's switched. Which leads me to the obvious conclusion: Infinity and zero are more easily confused than they ought to be. If there is no way to advance provided, you have really provided the player with the unanswered question (read "puzzle") of how to advance. In general, the harder it is for him to find one, the more challenging and satisfying he finds the game. This only works on the ignorant, however. As soon as you up-front admit that your game has no way to advance, most players will quit looking for ways to advance and find the game (appropriately enough) pointless. Those who have found one will feel cheated, assume you are laughing at them, and think they have been deliberately made fools of. In a very real sense, ignorance *was* bliss, and the magic *is* gone. In a more cynical fashion, I might restate this as "People will always be impressed by your proven ability to make them do your job, as long as they don't *know* they're doing your job." | Caliban Tiresias Darklock caliban#darklock,com | Darklock Communications <A HREF="http://www.darklock.com/">http://www.darklock.com/</A> | U L T I M A T E U N I V E R S E I S N O T D E A D | 774577496C6C6E457645727355626D4974H -=CABAL::3146=- </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00148.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00150.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00173.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00150.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00149"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00149"><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: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00176" HREF="msg00176.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 21:35 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00181" HREF="msg00181.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Fri 15 Jan 1999, 04:23 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00167" HREF="msg00167.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 20:34 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00173" HREF="msg00173.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong>, Petri Virkkula <a href="mailto:pvirkkul#iki,fi">pvirkkul#iki,fi</a>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 21:18 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00149" HREF="msg00149.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 00:07 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00150" HREF="msg00150.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 00:19 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00153" HREF="msg00153.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 01:01 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00168" HREF="msg00168.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 20:45 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00175" HREF="msg00175.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>, Thu 14 Jan 1999, 21:31 GMT </LI> </UL> </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>