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Old 07-30-2008, 09:22 AM   #55
scandum
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 315
scandum will become famous soon enough
Re: Triggers, scripts, and bots

It may not be smart to call players that, but realizing that people are "pathologically competitive" is what made several MUDs profitable enterprises.

But the ban of botting is really an egalitarian notion. Since unintelligent people are unlikely to be able to compete in a scripting environment it's easier to simply ban botting so there is an equal playing field for the players to "compete" in. It should go without saying that it doesn't require much intelligence in order to complain.

The next thing that generally goes down the drain is player killing, once again you'll see the intelligent thrive, and PK is either banned or heavily restricted to level the playing field.

Another thing that suffers heavily is complexity, MUDs are often dumbed down in an effort that is called "newbie friendlyness". Accomodating to blind people, the most honorable thing one can do, is another excellent example of egalitarianism in action.

The solution is simple, incorporate an IQ test in the character creation process, and instead of ending up with a whiny player base that detests change, you'll not only find a playerbase bubbling with enthusiasm for change and new challenges, but you'll also find you no longer have the "newbie that gets endlessly slaughtered by other players" problem. The "help I don't know what to do' problem will vanish like snow in the sun as well". If you make a really nice improvement that changes old game behavior you'll see that the "wtf why r u ruinin MY game!?!" complaints are non existent.

If you do decide to incorporate an IQ test, something along the lines of "Thanks to Scandum for his valuable insights" in the credits would be appreciated.

If you are a business owner, be aware that US supreme court has banished written IQ test from job applications. Fear not however, you can still incorporate an oral IQ tests during a job interview! And you can use someone's college degree as a proxy for intelligence as well, though it's not as accurate.
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