Quote:
Originally Posted by Gustoo
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...a race to build their asset base for future prosperity. All that stuff needs to go away...
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In any battle you must hit the enemy where they aren't. I learned that from
Battleship, my go-to movie on everything from love to how to squint.
Everything has a weakness. And strengths. The overwhelming strength we face is, left to itself the market will select for RMT and other poor gameplay choices.
(takes off glasses, takes drink of a fine port, continues talking to his dog)
But your observation, and how concisely you have put it, paints a target on how to dismantle the ratfuck.
What game changes have to be made so that min/max does not favor game-harming levels of asset accumulation?
Asset accumulation, if it was some fad among casual players, is not the issue. We are talking about the economy and economy sources being dominated by the most aggressive player type that game design predicts (the min/max player) coupled with the allure/power of asset domination as well.
(EQ2 actually used this system by getting every server a run for the roses of kills, rankings, stats, and outright item ownage. My eq2 guild regularly snared contesteds, and since the loot was no trade and unneeded, we would depending on our mood toward our "competition" listening in, and either destroy it (which had a message) or sell LR and make that week's gear repair bills.
Here is the thing. I played EQ2 2004-2010. It was easy to server transfer, there were lots of servers, I had a fine reputation, never made enemies (in game ahem!!!), and I only was in bat phone guilds with high mandatory attendance %. In other words, we got pretty much every kill just to keep our stats rockin.
SO WHY did all those other people and guilds play??? )
Mystery.
But if we are talking this emulator project, the parameters are known, but it would be nice if we had a target. How about figuring what changes to make so that min/max does not favor asset over-accumulation? You can't get rid of min/max (efficiency mania) but is it even possible to design around it?
Or is it The Beast That Shall Be Fed?