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HAL · 12-05-2011, 01:12 PM

One point here that I seem to be noticing is that this is a symptom of characters who live for multiple years. You have to create game content that will be fun and enjoyable for a much longer time than other games, simply because of the nature of MMOs and MUDs. I think that there are some things from RPI muds such as Atonement, SOI, and Armageddon that might be useful in this regard for more traditional muds, as far as extending the ladder toward the top.

1. Permanent Death - Obviously you can't implement systems like this on a traditional MUD, but it is the ultimate end-game preventer for RPIs. You can die, you will die. You create a world that is harsh and varied, and a single character will experience a fraction of it before that character is done, and they are forced to either re-create that character or create a new one. As Kavir has said, you create a new zone, your upper level players will burn through it. You create different experiences of the game, however, that you simply can't explore with a single character, that perhaps keeps things fresher?

2. Spheres, Spheres that Evolve - Having different zones for different types of characters is an interesting concept that is perhaps more tuned to the traditional MUD. At a simple level, this is having the "good city" vs the "bad city," and having characters be limited to areas around one or the other. This of course presents problems, in that you basically have to run 2 games in one, but I've seen it done well in certain RPIs. A player will spend a year in one sphere, do everything there is to do, and then move on to the next sphere. By the time they go back to the old sphere, if you are doing constant expansions, they will have a much more varied game. Having constant plot to change old areas up as well works wonders, and I think we see this in modern MMOs, such as EVE Online's "invasion" plotline, and WOW's Cataclysm expansion.

3. "Invisible" or "Vague" levels - Make the top of the ladder vague. You are a level 99 Knight? Well, then you know you are at the top and there is nothing left to do. Perhaps don't let them know they are level 99. Give them skills that raise to certain levels, without telling them the specific one. Don't tell them the exact amount of experience they got from killing MOB X. That way, you make the ladder a little more vague and dynamic, where the content in between is more important than getting all the way to the top, because the top is concealed.

I know many of these things aren't possible in the traditional MUD, but hopefully our experience with these concepts is at least helpful for you as you look to make things more dynamic.

As for Tools: The most "content creating" tools I could imagine are things like inflation managers, dynamic area builders, etc.

12-05-2011, 01:12 PM	#16
HAL New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Indiana Home MUD: Atonement Posts: 8	Re: "End game" content? One point here that I seem to be noticing is that this is a symptom of characters who live for multiple years. You have to create game content that will be fun and enjoyable for a much longer time than other games, simply because of the nature of MMOs and MUDs. I think that there are some things from RPI muds such as Atonement, SOI, and Armageddon that might be useful in this regard for more traditional muds, as far as extending the ladder toward the top. 1. Permanent Death - Obviously you can't implement systems like this on a traditional MUD, but it is the ultimate end-game preventer for RPIs. You can die, you will die. You create a world that is harsh and varied, and a single character will experience a fraction of it before that character is done, and they are forced to either re-create that character or create a new one. As Kavir has said, you create a new zone, your upper level players will burn through it. You create different experiences of the game, however, that you simply can't explore with a single character, that perhaps keeps things fresher? 2. Spheres, Spheres that Evolve - Having different zones for different types of characters is an interesting concept that is perhaps more tuned to the traditional MUD. At a simple level, this is having the "good city" vs the "bad city," and having characters be limited to areas around one or the other. This of course presents problems, in that you basically have to run 2 games in one, but I've seen it done well in certain RPIs. A player will spend a year in one sphere, do everything there is to do, and then move on to the next sphere. By the time they go back to the old sphere, if you are doing constant expansions, they will have a much more varied game. Having constant plot to change old areas up as well works wonders, and I think we see this in modern MMOs, such as EVE Online's "invasion" plotline, and WOW's Cataclysm expansion. 3. "Invisible" or "Vague" levels - Make the top of the ladder vague. You are a level 99 Knight? Well, then you know you are at the top and there is nothing left to do. Perhaps don't let them know they are level 99. Give them skills that raise to certain levels, without telling them the specific one. Don't tell them the exact amount of experience they got from killing MOB X. That way, you make the ladder a little more vague and dynamic, where the content in between is more important than getting all the way to the top, because the top is concealed. I know many of these things aren't possible in the traditional MUD, but hopefully our experience with these concepts is at least helpful for you as you look to make things more dynamic. As for Tools: The most "content creating" tools I could imagine are things like inflation managers, dynamic area builders, etc.