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Alexander Tau · 09-01-2002, 12:59 AM

The previous post was very well written and covers a lot of the topic very well so kudos to the author.

There are just a few additional points I would like to add.

I think the 'tried and true' things should form the core of any game. No game exists in isolation no matter what illusions people like to live under. Unless you have written entirely from scratch you have some competition.

The reality is that it is easy to make a game that fails, most do, so if you do not learn from the accumulated wisdom of past game makers you are just cutting your own throat. Laws are as they are for solid reasons, backed up by real world experience.

But to really succeed you have to take steps outside the box, and actual unique features are a way to do this. Most people would say that it is necessary for a game to mark out some special things if it wants to draw players. and I tend to agree.

What is usually done though is create things that have in fact been done before because the game makers do not have a broad understanding of MU*. While there are people who play dozens of games, most tend to see a much smaller number. It is not at all unusual to see Immortals who have played only a single game before starting to create. These days there are places where you can go to get perspective, like here, so actual time in games can be supported with discussions with other creators.

If there was one thing I could impress on all Admin it would be to remember that Players think differently. How many times have I talked to someone who has spent 6 months on this wonderful update to combat that the players will never even notice? Sure it might give more 'accurate' combat results but the players are looking for FUN. They would be much happier with a simply little command to sneak in a rabbit punch in addition to normal combat.

I know my point of view is a little different, I expect each game to be unique. I loath 'stock MU*' and have never done more than visit them to see what people liked there. So from that perspective the idea of learning new commands has never bothered me and in fact that is something I look for.

What each game should do is outline what sort of play they want to have happening. Then you take the feedback from the playerbase into consideration as discussed above. First keep the game going by dealing with problems and bugs, then look to expand the possibilities.

A.T
(-)

09-01-2002, 12:59 AM	#3
Alexander Tau Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 101	The previous post was very well written and covers a lot of the topic very well so kudos to the author. There are just a few additional points I would like to add. I think the 'tried and true' things should form the core of any game. No game exists in isolation no matter what illusions people like to live under. Unless you have written entirely from scratch you have some competition. The reality is that it is easy to make a game that fails, most do, so if you do not learn from the accumulated wisdom of past game makers you are just cutting your own throat. Laws are as they are for solid reasons, backed up by real world experience. But to really succeed you have to take steps outside the box, and actual unique features are a way to do this. Most people would say that it is necessary for a game to mark out some special things if it wants to draw players. and I tend to agree. What is usually done though is create things that have in fact been done before because the game makers do not have a broad understanding of MU. While there are people who play dozens of games, most tend to see a much smaller number. It is not at all unusual to see Immortals who have played only a single game before starting to create. These days there are places where you can go to get perspective, like here, so actual time in games can be supported with discussions with other creators. If there was one thing I could impress on all Admin it would be to remember that Players think differently. How many times have I talked to someone who has spent 6 months on this wonderful update to combat that the players will never even notice? Sure it might give more 'accurate' combat results but the players are looking for FUN. They would be much happier with a simply little command to sneak in a rabbit punch in addition to normal combat. I know my point of view is a little different, I expect each game to be unique. I loath 'stock MU' and have never done more than visit them to see what people liked there. So from that perspective the idea of learning new commands has never bothered me and in fact that is something I look for. What each game should do is outline what sort of play they want to have happening. Then you take the feedback from the playerbase into consideration as discussed above. First keep the game going by dealing with problems and bugs, then look to expand the possibilities. A.T (-)