<!-- 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: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 17:01:39 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.SGI.3.96.990113165245.25466A-100000#zazu,angel.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 11A17AA2B9EAD111BCEA00A0C9B41793EDC94F#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="msg00152.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00154.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00150.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00168.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00153">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00153">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00153">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>: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 17:01:22 -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 Wed, 13 Jan 1999, Koster, Raph wrote: > BTW, one factor that is overlooked here is the "mule" phenomenon--it's > rampant on UO, perhaps because of this very design concept. I had never > heard the term before Meridian 59, but I am sure it must have existed > before. This is where players simply make alternate characters to make > use of the lesser-used skills. Your "main" character fits a > stereotypical ubercharacter ideal, but you make alternates for those > occasions when you want the secondary skills. In UO, that is generally > for the crafting skills. Yes, this is a common problem. In an attempt to make skills that are less cookie-cutter (eg, a new skill to do damage in combat, or a new spell which gives protection from <X>), many designers come up with stuff like craftsmanship, or a skill to repair items, or something else that isn't necessarily used on the front lines, so to speak. If these skills are useful enough, people will always make excess characters whose only purpose is to show up, deliver their skill (eg, fix Bubba's sword or create a new helm) and then promptly get logged off. Someone trying to play one of these character types as a full-time thing is then not so valuable; they certainly can't sell their skills for any descent price, as the designer(s) probably intended. With that in mind, I think it's folly to design any skill which can be "muled" this way. Designers should definitely take this into account. For example, if one was making an alchemist class, who brewed potions and powders which were useful in combat, players are always going to want to have an alchemist mule who makes the stuff and then hands it off to the 'real' characters for later use. The designer should probably set it up so that the potions are of limited, or perhaps almost no usefulness, without the creator there to use them. Perhaps they have to be invoked somehow in order to work properly? Another example would be a mage who can surround any target with a D&D-style fireshield. Typically a warrior would want to "bum" a fireshield from the mage and then take off to do combat. If, however, the mage has to maintain the spell in order for it to work (that is to say, it doesn't just have a fixed duration), and perhaps the spell can only be maintained from close range (maybe only in the same room), that's a pretty good reason to bring said mage along - and to protect them! Anyone else have any good examples/ideas of how to make skills which work this way without making muling rampant? I've yet to think of a good way to make a object-repair skill work this way, for example. 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="00171" HREF="msg00171.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> <li><strong><A NAME="00168" HREF="msg00168.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Mik Clarke <mikclrk#ibm,net></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00150" HREF="msg00150.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="msg00152.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Thoughts</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00154.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Thoughts</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00150.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00168.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Levels versus Skills, who uses them and when.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00153"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00153"><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> <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 <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00180" HREF="msg00180.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, 04:22 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00192" HREF="msg00192.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Mules (was something different)</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Fri 15 Jan 1999, 21:34 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </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>