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Old 02-28-2003, 04:22 PM   #10
Atyreus
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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I would pretty much agree with the above. I do, however, think that sometimes a semblance of realism can be a part of the immersive quality of a game.

I think the problem most muds run into with realism is because most designers still think in terms of realism vs. gameplay instead of realism as gameplay. For example, The Sims seems to be a very successful game, despite a number of what would be, in game terms, realistic elements: your characters have to eat, they have to bathe and take leaks, they have to socialize with people they might not really like, they have to work like fools at low wage jobs just to be able to afford decent TV sets. Still, as a game, it works. The reason it works, though, is because these realistic elements are integral to the goals (as broadly defined as they might be in a game like The Sims). Keeping your character well-fed and dressed in trousers that aren't constantly soaked in urine becomes a part of the challenge of the game.

Likewise, any "realistic" features a designer might be considering for a game should contribute towards whatever goals most of the game's players are likely to have. I'm not thinking so much in terms of specific goals ("I want to become the best swordsman in the game and slay the vile dragon Tootlefruit."), but rather in terms of more broadly defined goals, which in most muds seem to include some combination of character building (in the purely mechanical sense of stat improvement) and socialization (both OOC and IC).

Successful elements of realism are going to those which don't merely inhibit the player's ability to character build and socialize (as too many such features are). Most players would probably not appreciate, for example, having to take time off from stat improvement and socialization to go through some rote mechanistic process of cleaning their gear if such were required to keep the gear from simply falling apart and setting them back both in terms of time and money. Fighting ogres makes them more capable with their weapons. RPing attendance at a dress ball perhaps gains them some IC political clout. Typing "oil sword" and waiting however long for a game generated response is just down time.

More popular, I would argue, would be a system in which attending to one's gear might improve the effectiveness of said gear, but in which no loss would be experienced for those players too impatient to get out and bust skulls. In this case, the task would be a means of improving one's performance, rather than a requirement to avoid a significant hindrance to one's performance.

Even more popular, though, might be a system in which the character could actually improve her martial proficiency by, among other means, occasionally attending to the maintenance of her weapons (the in-game justification might be that this is a reflection of her discipline and adherence to some sort of warrior code), and in which the character might have some locale to go to during this activity where she could meet and interact with other characters who might include potential trainers, companions, and persons of political/social usefulness.

All of these are arguably realistic systems as far as in-game concepts of realism go. And while this is but a single example (and one I just pulled out of the air without really giving much thought to how I might implement it in my own game), it hopefully demonstrates what I think is a fairly safe assumption to make about "realistic" game elements: namely, that like any other game system, they should serve as vehicles to allow the players to progress towards their goals in a way that keeps the progression interesting and varied enough that the players will continue to see it as worthwhile and, thus, the game as worth playing.

If a feature merely presents an obstacle (buy food from mindless NPC and eat it before you starve), it will grow old pretty fast. Players, after all, tend to prefer games which continue to present them with newer, more challenging obstacles. If you are going to present players with such an obstacle, then it should be part of a larger, more interesting challenge (improve your hunting/combat skills and make friends as you hunt/fight for food you will need to survive, develop the necessary social connections with those who can supply you with decent, reasonably priced food with as few strings attached as possible, etc.). The players should encounter such obstacles as part of the challenge of their progression towards their goals rather than as distractions from this progression.
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