Man, I hate when I get devastated in the face. When being devastated is the only option, I usually hope for a toe or an ear lobe.... NOT IN THE FACE!
Don't devastate me, bro!
I agree. I think that is why permadeath is not only tolerable, but enjoyed in a sense on AFS muds. It reminds me of a concept from the
Highlander TV show, and also expressed more recently by Achilles in the movie
Troy: the fact that when someone is mortal, and therefore fleeting, this can make their life seem more precious. The farther a MUD is to the right of the spectrum from the OP, the more the gameplay is about the experience, not the experience points. And since nobody can ever take away your experiences, dying permanently is not as big of a deal.
I agree. Obviously, any game related issue charted out on a single spectrum is going to be somewhat simplistic. But sometimes it helps to simplify things just to boil down the question and get at some of the core issues.
I think the key for making permadeath more tolerable, and have less of an "impact", is to create a goal for the players that exists outside of the character. For Hardcore Mode Diablo II, this external motivation was competing on the ladder/ranking. For AFS muds, it is experiencing interesting role play.
I don't think it has to do with unique repeat play, or having complex character development. Diablo II has virtually zero unique repeat play (randomized maps are a very minor change), but permadeath Hardcore mode is still very popular and fun.
A lot of RPE games have incredibly complex character development systems, as well as many HnS muds, and that actually makes the prospect of permadeath WORSE. Complex character development options is something that increases the impact (particulately the negative impact) of permadeath. AFS muds tend to allow for complex character development, and that is what makes permadeath still have SOME impact on an AFS mud. I think without this, death would have virtually no meaning on an AFS mud.