Bartle to MMOG Players - Newbs!

Gamasutra (registration required) has begun running an excellent column called "Soapbox". The first article up on the site is penned by Richard Bartle, one of the gents who created MUD1. Why Virtual Worlds are Designed by Newbies [non-reg alternate] is a great look at the lessons of past games and the foibles of designing a new one. From the article: "Virtual worlds are being designed by know-nothing newbies, and there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it. I don't mean newbie designers, I mean newbie players - first timers. They're dictating design through a twisted "survival of the not-quite-fittest" form of natural selection that will lead to a long-term decay in quality, guaranteed."

Comments

Re:Death

[Ignignot]

Diablo 2, while not an MMORPG, had hardcore which allowed players to play characters with permadeath. That was some of the most fun I ever had. I didn't bother playing the regular game to build up for building up's sake. Instead I focused entirely on getting ready for player vs. player combat. Since the rules for pvp are such a pain in the ass (declare war in town, then you have to go find them ouside of town, plus they can just log) it was very hard to catch people, but OH WHAT FUN IT WAS. Since people usually played in groups, I'd try to take on groups 4 levels or so below me, which really isn't all that much when there are 3-5 people against just me. Most of the time they run, and sometimes someone is a little too slow - they get the axe. There's nothing like that rush. Oh yes. And no I don't kill people regularly in real life.