<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing --> <!--X-From-R13: Fvzbgul A'@rvyy Rnat <gvzbgulNazvn.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 15:38:58 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.LNX.3.93.990916104013.14187D-100000#plato,nmia.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: E11RUkR-0007eG-00#under,su.varesearch.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:timothy#nmia,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="msg00343.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00342.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00363.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00383.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00344">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00344">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00344">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</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 Best Guy on the Mud Thing </LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Timothy O'Neill Dang <<A HREF="mailto:timothy#nmia,com">timothy#nmia,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 10:57:50 -0600 (MDT)</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, 15 Sep 1999, J C Lawrence wrote: > Players expect, even demand, that the game will always reward them > for their time investments, and doesn't remove those awards once > gained. > > This is directly parallel to UOL's fishermen who where incensed when > they found out that they could fish all day and not be able to sell > their caught fish for much more than peanuts. (Raph, don't you have > a law here?) I forget whether I've commented on this before or not, but there's a useful way to think about such phenomena (specifically economic actions, rather than issues of skill gain). A system which encourages economic activity in general without some sort of contracts for payment essentially requires everyone to be an entrepreneur. Most folks aren't used to being entrepreneurs, are not really sure how to do so, and may not want to do so. This is a benefit to the constant-rate, unlimited-quantity NPC shopkeeper. It's the simplest way to code a contract into a game world. With such a system, a player can choose unpredictability when they want it (selling to a different shopkeeper, or acquiring some item they don't know the price of). Alternatively,an NPC could award variable contracts at different times. Then short-term predictability would be retained (I would know I was fishing for a given profit), but dynamic economics would still be allowed. Obviously, one of the main things which could be useful to support an inter-player economy is some facility to support enforcable inter-player contracting. Contracts will mitigate the problem, but obviously not solve it. If a player invests great effort in learning bronzesmithing, which becomes almost totally useless with the onset of ironsmithing, they're going to be upset. In principle, a thorough system of contracting can handle quite a number of possibilities, and one could perhaps insure against skill loss. That probably goes much deeper than most players would have an interest, however. ------------------------------ Timothy O'Neill Dang/Cretog8 timothy#nmia,com One monkey don't stop no show _______________________________________________ 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="00383" HREF="msg00383.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> J C Lawrence <claw#varesearch,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00326" HREF="msg00326.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> J C Lawrence <claw#varesearch,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00343.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Attracting players</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00342.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Attracting players</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00363.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00383.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00344"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00344"><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 Best Guy on the Mud Thing</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00316" HREF="msg00316.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, Dundee <a href="mailto:SkeptAck#antisocial,com">SkeptAck#antisocial,com</a>, Wed 15 Sep 1999, 18:29 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00326" HREF="msg00326.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#varesearch,com">claw#varesearch,com</a>, Thu 16 Sep 1999, 06:10 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00335" HREF="msg00335.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Thu 16 Sep 1999, 22:38 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00363" HREF="msg00363.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#varesearch,com">claw#varesearch,com</a>, Fri 17 Sep 1999, 19:38 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00344" HREF="msg00344.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, Timothy O'Neill Dang <a href="mailto:timothy#nmia,com">timothy#nmia,com</a>, Thu 16 Sep 1999, 22:38 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00383" HREF="msg00383.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#varesearch,com">claw#varesearch,com</a>, Fri 17 Sep 1999, 22:23 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00341" HREF="msg00341.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, Dundee <a href="mailto:SkeptAck#antisocial,com">SkeptAck#antisocial,com</a>, Thu 16 Sep 1999, 22:39 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00351" HREF="msg00351.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#varesearch,com">claw#varesearch,com</a>, Fri 17 Sep 1999, 02:33 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00352" HREF="msg00352.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Best Guy on the Mud Thing</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 17 Sep 1999, 04:17 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </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>