<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI? --> <!--X-From-R13: [nggurj [vunyl <qvnoybNorfg.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 18:21:49 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.BSF.4.10.9909081559450.3971-100000#shell9,ba.best.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 000b01befa4b$a5ce3b40$d46845c2@tony --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:diablo#best,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="msg00228.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00230.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00227.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00243.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00229">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00229">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00229">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</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>: Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Matthew Mihaly <<A HREF="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 17:39:27 -0700 (PDT)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#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, 8 Sep 1999, Tony Wilkinson wrote: > Mike Sellers wrote: > >Beyond this though, I think that often MUDs teach players that it's just > >more fun and/or more rewarding to attack other players than it is to attack > >monsters or solve puzzles/quests. In this light, it's not that PKers have > a > >*need* to hurt other people, but that in the scheme of the MUD, they don't > >need the other people -- they are thus expendable -- and the other people > >represent a concentration of resources (gold, objects, attention, etc.) > that > >the PKers need. Other PCs are thus low-hanging fruit just waiting to be > >plucked. > > > > I think that's an excellent point. From my experience of MUD's with pker > problems, it is generally MUCH more worth while (as far as "loot" is > concerned) to kill other people than monsters. At the very least they have > a full set of armour and provisions. Does the "only loot 1 item" (ala EQ) > work? Well yes it does make it less worth while but "realism" is sacrifised > I guess. We have a very developed pk system, and players actually do not get to loot any items from other dead players. Realistic? No. Big deal though. None of the players have ever complained or even suggested it that I can remember, and realism obviously isn't really the goal of any fantasy or sci-fi mud. The goal of most muds is to make a fun game, not a realistic world. > > I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of pkers do it because they > are social misfits (although I am sure some are). I can't help thinking that > most are either bored or think they "need the loot". The first of these I > believe could be dealt with by making genuine interesting and challenging > quests and by making monster FUN to fight. Perhaps even making quests which > give players things killing other people cannot do. Titles or other status > simbols might work here. I am a bit perplexed by all this discussion as to why people p-kill. I'm also annoyed by the characterization of p-killers as immature kids, etc. This may be the case in games with crap systems, but imho, a proper p-kill system is an integral part of the game. Why focus your game on killing monsters? Heck, you don't need a mud to do that. You could just play Quake one player, or Diablo with some friends. Muds, unlike the table-top games which erroneously are used as the model for muds, allow you to pit player against player, and as someone pointed out, players are and are going to continue to be (for a long time at least), a lot more interesting as opponents than monsters. The fact is, the AI on muds sucks. It's horrible (Achaea included). It doesn't deserve to be called intelligence. Thus, you can either spend your time trying to code artificial intelligence in that is good enough to play at at level at least equal to an average person, or you could just use real intelligence as the challenge by designing the game to be player vs. player in as many ways as possible. Individual combat is one of those ways. It's certainly not the only one, but it's one of them, so why not use it? I know some people object to the idea of allowing players to be killed by other players unless they want to, and that's fine. We all run our muds with different philosophies. Mine tends to be, however, that giving players a life without significant tragedy (being kiled by a player is much more traumatic than being killed by a monster, as you know that you were bested by another person, rather than some computer) also means giving them a life without significant victories. Player vs. player goes beyond the game. It's real life. It's you, a real person, vs. another real person. The characters are just the method for interacting. You vs. a monster is just a trivial game, like Space Invaders. It's the sort of game where you will never experience great rushes of ectasy from victory, or crushing despair from defeat, because you aren't provided with a reason to care beyond the state of your character or some other fairly meaningless stat. Whatever you did to get those stats (whether it be xp, equipment, or whatever you lose when a mob kills you) can be redone, either with the same character or with a new one. Yes, it's a loss of time and energy (and in a pay game, possibly money), but you talk to any pro athlete, and they will tell you that losing the World Cup, or the Stanley Cup, or the America's Cup, or the Superbowl, or whatever is a lot less, in the moment, about money than it is about having _lost_. You just got your ass kicked by other people...people who are, apparently, _better_ than you at something that you try hard to be good at. Likewise, triumphing in something you care about over someone who is trying hard is a good feeling. It's validating. I don't, incidentally, discount the interaction gotten from teaming to go take out a monster, though I think that this is still a relatively backwards and primitive gaming model and a leftover from table top games (I'm not dissing table top games. They have their strengths, and muds have their strengths. Most muds ignore the potential of muds by trying to imitate table-top games though.) Anyway, I have babbled long enough. My main points are that player killing is healthy competition. I allow people to be p-killed in Achaea pretty much everywhere but 1 location in the game, unless they walk in grace. While they are graced (only way to get it is to die and pray to Me for salvation of your soul), they can't do anything aggressive, including killing mobiles or giving any orders to their city-state's military (if they are in a position to give such orders), etc. Do players get pissed off sometimes about being killed? Definitely. Do they occassionally even quit the game because of it? Yep. But you know what? I would estimate that 75% of players who "quit" in a huff over something like that come back within 1 week. The reason? If they care enough that getting beaten by another person in Achaea bothers them that much, then it means they care, and if they care, they'll be back. --matt _______________________________________________ MUD-Dev maillist - MUD-Dev#kanga,nu <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A> </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="00243" HREF="msg00243.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> JT Herring <sypes#vrgames,net></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00227" HREF="msg00227.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Tony Wilkinson" <tony.wilkinson#dial,pipex.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00228.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00230.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00227.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00243.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00229"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00229"><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>Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00228" HREF="msg00228.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, David Holz <a href="mailto:david#mf-net,com">david#mf-net,com</a>, Wed 08 Sep 1999, 23:03 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00223" HREF="msg00223.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Sellers, Michael <a href="mailto:MSellers#maxis,com">MSellers#maxis,com</a>, Wed 08 Sep 1999, 21:13 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00225" HREF="msg00225.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Wed 08 Sep 1999, 21:33 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00227" HREF="msg00227.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Tony Wilkinson <a href="mailto:tony.wilkinson#dial,pipex.com">tony.wilkinson#dial,pipex.com</a>, Wed 08 Sep 1999, 22:47 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00229" HREF="msg00229.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Thu 09 Sep 1999, 01:21 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00243" HREF="msg00243.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, JT Herring <a href="mailto:sypes#vrgames,net">sypes#vrgames,net</a>, Fri 10 Sep 1999, 02:57 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00254" HREF="msg00254.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Fri 10 Sep 1999, 21:47 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00282" HREF="msg00282.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Greg Miller <a href="mailto:gmiller#classic-games,com">gmiller#classic-games,com</a>, Mon 13 Sep 1999, 17:53 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00230" HREF="msg00230.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, Ilya, SCC, Game Commando <a href="mailto:Ilya#gamecommandos,com">Ilya#gamecommandos,com</a>, Thu 09 Sep 1999, 02:24 GMT </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>