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Old 04-27-2013, 07:28 PM   #105
plamzi
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Home MUD: bedlam.mudportal.com:9000
Home MUD: www.mudportal.com
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Re: Do MUDs need to be "brought into the 21st century"

I share your reservations. The game I started out with several years ago was pretty fundamentally co-op PvE, and most of its veterans generally liked it that way. But I think there's a way to preserve the "we're in this together" feeling for those who actually feel it, while making PvP a viable alternative, so I'm going to try a side-by-side approach over the next couple of months.

One thing I saw in some mobile games was PvP in which stats and penalties are somewhat separated from the PvE stats. Those are generally very basic games with 3-4 main stats, so this is pretty easy for them to do. The idea is that PvP doesn't have to inhibit PvE. Instead, one can do PvP while waiting to recharge batteries for PvE. And one can do PvE while waiting for a PvP event.

Also, 'compulsory PvP' sounds harsh but there are ways to implement it that really take the edge out. PvP defeats don't have to involve huge penalties or downtimes: they can just be a point for the winner, short downtime for the loser. If someone attacks and defeats another PC, or several other PC's in a row, they should be OK with making themselves a target, even if they log off in their attempts to avoid repercussions. One can still be given the option to turn off a PvP flag after they mow down a bunch of other PC's, but that flag can come into effect only after someone has been given a chance to attack them and take revenge.

I'm actually pretty excited about the PvP changes, especially the challenges of implementing some form of combat between online and offline PC's.
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