<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes --> <!--X-From-R13: pynjerapNphc.uc.pbz --> <!--X-Date: from ren.globecomm.net [207.51.48.3] by mx5.ibm.net id 863719628.30612-1 Thu May 15 18:07:08 1997 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199705151812.LAA20029#xsvr3,cup.hp.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199705130438.XAA17667@dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.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="msg00484.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00486.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00421.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00439.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00485">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00485">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00485">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</A></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 14 May 97 11:03:03 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Reply-to</em>: <A HREF="mailto:claw#null,net">claw#null,net</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> In <<A HREF="msg00421.html">199705130438.XAA17667#dfw-ix4,ix.netcom.com</A>>, on 05/12/97 at 09:41 PM, "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com> said: >I agree whole heartedly with the concept of levels as a measurement >tool even in a fully role-playing environment. I use levels in the >same way you seem to indicate. I also use experience points as the >measuring tool between levels. Levels may indicate little or >nothing about combat effectiveness. A 1st level character has the >ability to kill a 100th level character in one blow. Levels are >simply the point in at which further character development takes >place. It is also certainly possible that a character skills and >statistics can decrease when a level is reached due to old age or >other deterioration of abilities. A lot of players want levels as some form of mental bubblegum. They provide game-world short term goals which can be assumed to keep players interested in playing the game, always striving to make that next pip on the score card. The classic operating phrase is "only XXX points to level!" A lot of games reinforce this view by having new character abilities suddenly materialise as of certain levels. It all seems sort of silly to me. Some have (partially) replaced this model with skill trees. However they still tend to balkanise the skill tree (cf Legend) so that many skills are just flat out impossible until you get all the pre-requisites in order. "No, you can't do XXX because you don't know how to do YYY." For me, all abilities, no matter how arcane or specialised are available to all characters from the moment they are created onward. What varies is their probability of success in using that ability. Baby UggUgg is not going to be too good at casting a mana sink spell, but he's sure free to try as much as he wants, and he might just hit it lucky. If he can endure the price of the attempts he may get it right the very first time, or it may take him 10,000 failed attempts before getting it to work once. Similarly for Bert the Woodsman: he may know nothing about swords, and two-handed swords in particular, but when he has one in hand and is confronted with a golin intent on killing him, Bert's spastic flail at the goblin _may_ just turn out to be a perfect decapitating blow which will in turn raise his awareness and possible skill indexes in the area. -- J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net (Contractor) Internet: coder#ibm,net ---------------(*) Internet: clawrenc#cup,hp.com ...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00421" HREF="msg00421.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Jon A. Lambert" <jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00484.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Introduction</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00486.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Disk v. Mem</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00421.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00439.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00485"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00485"><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] Re: Administrative notes</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00610" HREF="msg00610.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Todd Lair <a href="mailto:tlair#mailzone,com">tlair#mailzone,com</a>, Tue 20 May 1997, 07:29 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00420" HREF="msg00420.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Tue 13 May 1997, 11:10 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00427" HREF="msg00427.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Miroslav Silovic <a href="mailto:silovic#srce,hr">silovic#srce,hr</a>, Tue 13 May 1997, 15:41 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00421" HREF="msg00421.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Tue 13 May 1997, 11:39 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00485" HREF="msg00485.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Fri 16 May 1997, 01:07 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00439" HREF="msg00439.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Wed 14 May 1997, 02:39 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00449" HREF="msg00449.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Wed 14 May 1997, 09:49 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00463" HREF="msg00463.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Miroslav Silovic <a href="mailto:silovic#srce,hr">silovic#srce,hr</a>, Wed 14 May 1997, 22:43 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00513" HREF="msg00513.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Administrative notes</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sat 17 May 1997, 06:29 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>