Time for another divert, this time its Raph Kosters blog. Raph Koster is always looking to... dive into the intricacies of the why, how and when within MMO worlds. He does this in a way that some find completely non-sensical, and others find extremely stimulating.
I'm of the latter school, and as such I present the following article he wrote yesterday:
http://www.raphkoster.com/2007/03/27/exploiting-the-space/
This presents some really interesting possibilities, and certainly has inspired several additions to BMUD already.
Enjoy!
When I first decided to make Cerulea I really wanted explore all the potential ways for players to influence the environment, and the environment to influence the environment, and so on. I still want to put as much of that in as I can (one idea I have slated is making spell usage over time affect weather patterns), but I'm realizing that there's only so much I can do if I want to get the game playable before 2050. Now my focus isn't so much "What can I do to make the game cool and immersive?" as "What can I do to make the game cool and immersive that will be quick to code?"
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My problem with MMO world development may be that I usually focus too much on a changing environment. I end up fearing that players will criticize the game for being hollow because there isn't enough static lore. =(
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* Systems affected by distance or proximity between players, player emplacements, NPC centers, or even characteristics of the space (monsters attacking visitors to it's forest)
* Systems affected by spatial relationships between entities (forest fire or flood driving animals/monsters into a nearby village)
* Systems affected by sine wave or other periodic cycles moving in the background of the simulation, perhaps at very slow rates (moon's orbit affecting the 'evilness' of a region)
* Systems affected by historical events at given locations (war-ravaged communities being apathetic or even hostile towards adventurers of certain classes (Paladins, Warriors, Soldiers-of-Fortune)
* Systems affected by the length of existence of a given characteristic at a given location (above-mentioned flood changes industry of a town from mining to fishing; or a re-discovered mine is known to have gold in it, so players/NPCs will try and exploit it or control it)
for a persistent system, such areas need to be explored. a good design of such systems will continue to create adventure and entertainment for that game's players.