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Old 10-08-2007, 12:56 AM   #20
Throttle
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: How many muds have permadeath?

To me, it's not as much about whether or not players take greater risks or try harder to survive. On roleplaying muds, permadeath serves as a means to enhance roleplay. There are many things you can't really do, or won't get much out of doing, if death is just a setback. How are you going to roleplay an assassination if the target, upon being killed, just returns with some coded penalties? Or how do you explain what happened when he is revived by the use of an OOC reward? How many player-established plots will have very awkward endings or fade out on the drawing board when faced with the obstacle of non-permanent death?

It ultimately boils down to the game's theme. Muds that aim for complete realism and focus entirely on roleplay just won't work without full, no-exception permadeath. If there's a way around dying, well then you usually don't get all-out roleplay where the players are completely in-character at all times. I don't mind games that consider themselves "roleplaying enforced" while having such things as free-for-all OOC channels, non-permadeath, or experience/levels. It's the game developer's choice, and it's entirely a matter of personal opinion whether or not it's the best type of game. I've just never seen a mud with anything but my interpretation of true permadeath, or with any of the above qualities (levels, gossip channels etc.), that could give me the true roleplaying experience.

When I evaluate a roleplaying mud for its quality of roleplay, one of the main deciding factors is its death system. Nothing scores higher than simple one-strike-out permadeath, just as a level/class-less system is the most realistic. The more out-of-character aspects that you factor in, the less focus there will be on roleplaying, whether it's the developers' decision or a result of a playerbase who has trouble immersing completely with their characters and the game world.
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