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Interesting article about problematic situations in MMORPG's
Posted: 28 Nov 2011, 15:44
by Derpella
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-most- ... g-history/ (offensive language, kiddies!)
I am sure that in tmw we could find people who would totally do things like that

Oh, I found another one..
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-bigge ... ne-gaming/
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 28 Nov 2011, 22:44
by salmondine
Thanks for that link...a fun read.
Full of great ideas =]
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 02:53
by o11c
Sigh, I was hoping to be productive today. That site is as bad as TVTropes.
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 03:15
by yourmistakes
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 09:29
by Crush
So what can we learn from that?
When there is a way to abuse something, people will abuse it. The assumption that nobody would ever be that mean-spirited, creative, self-destructive or bored is always wrong. When you create a virtual world, players are always searching for the boundaries of it. When something is theoretically possible, players will do it. That's why we play video games - because it allows us to do what we feel like doing without being afraid of the consequences.
That's the reason why the sandbox-approach of the simulationist school of though doesn't work. When you design an online game, you have to be a gamist. Don't think about what's plausible, think about what makes sense from a gameplay point of view.
PvP everywhere is plausible. I can murder someone on the street in real-life, so why shouldn't I be able in a game. Permanent death is also plausible. When people die in real-life, they stay dead and don't respawn, so they shouldn't in a game either. But the purpose of playing games is not to simulate real-life. It is supposed to be a fun experience for everyone. So when you have to decide between realism and fun gameplay, always choose the latter.
The only reason to have realism in a game is because it makes the game more intuitive and accessible. When you hit something with a sword, it dies. It is what you assume to happen when you hit something with a sword. It is intuitive because it's realistic. And killing stuff is fun. That's why every RPG - from Rogue in 1980 to Skyrim in 2011 - has this game mechanic. Communicating with NPCs using a text parser is also realistic. But is it intuitive? No, selecting predetermined answers is more intuitive, because it's immediately clear to you what you can do with an NPC. Using a text parser to figure out how to "use" an NPC is tedious and boring. Dialog trees are simply more fun. That's why no game nowadays does text parsing anymore.
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 15:50
by Derpella
So, good dev should be able to think like a most devious, dedicated and determined deviant
Another things came in to my mind- do you think people would trade items for IRL muneh? Or pay someone to level up their character? (Yeah, I know it is impossible since the password is impossible to change).
I would totally pay for assassin boots
Communicating with NPCs using a text parser is also realistic. But is it intuitive? No, selecting predetermined answers is more intuitive, because it's immediately clear to you what you can do with an NPC. Using a text parser to figure out how to "use" an NPC is tedious and boring. Dialog trees are simply more fun. That's why no game nowadays does text parsing anymore.
I play text adventure games sometimes. Good ones try to guess what player has on his/her mind. Bad ones wants you to spend hours of thinking if you should open the bottle, uncork it, remove the cork, or unscrew the cork or I DON'T FREAKING KNOW ANY MORE.
I also just
love games when you must write to NPCs using highlighted words. I always make derpy sentences using those words.
Re: Interesting article about problematic situations in MMOR
Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 15:53
by Crush
Derpella wrote:So, good dev should be able to think like a most devious, dedicated and determined deviant
Another things came in to my mind- do you think people would trade items for IRL muneh? Or pay someone to level up their character? (Yeah, I know it is impossible since the password is impossible to change).
I would totally pay for assassin boots 
There were some threads in the marketplace forum with offers for real money trades. But I don't know if any actual transactions took place.