Quote:
Originally Posted by Loke
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I was recently having a conversation about all the drama between the raiding guilds on this server and a friend said something to the effect of “I think a lot of people who raided on this server would have a lot more fun if they didn’t care so much and played more like Abacab.” This got me thinking and if you look at what Abacab did while he played on this server, all he really did was find creative ways to use server/game mechanics to grief other players. Many of the things Abacab did were considered exploits or a violation of the play nice policy, and I agree that a lot of those things should not have been allowed. However, Abacab was also kind of a great example of the type of player who helps discover new ways of playing a game, or emergent game play as it has been called.
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In many cases, these explotis can be an interesting addition to the game. However, sometimes they don't compliment it. For example, lets say there's a complex dungeon with all sorts of tactics that can be used to conquer it. However, one day a player (haxor) figures out a bug in the packet scheme and hacks it. With this, he's able to avoid all aggro and cannot b e hit or harmed by other monsters. Using this he's able to kill them and get loots without having to form strategies or, for that matter, to play the game.
When an exploit adds less than what was there already, it's not good.
For me, nothing ruins a game faster than a brainless superman cheat code. Games are about the strategy and challenge. Without that, there's no impulse for me to play them. Now, a haxor might derive strategy and challenge from figuring out ways to hack the game, but this same sense of reward cannot be felt by others who're given teh cheat who did not earn it. Instead of giving them strategy and challenge, they'll get a ruined game. And even if they figure out new ways of using the cheat to be even more powerful, and thus derive some enjoyment, it still could very easily ruin the game for others by either destroying the in-game economy or making it difficult for other players to enjoy the game in its natural state without also hacking it.
If I startup an arcade pinball game and get a higher score than ever then that means something because I am getting better. But if I can just click a cheat button and get 4,294,967,295 then where is the fun? There's no fun in that unless you had to figure out things to get the cheat button in the first place. Or you might use the cheat button to change the game and yet still play the game, but on your terms; game designer eh? But that means your score cannot be compared to scores made by other players who did not cheat.
The top 10 list in arcade games would be meaningless if players could cheat. Similarly, if I see a level 60 max level character and I don't know whether they cheated or not, it's a meaningless number to me. If they cheated and the cheat itself adds MORE to the game then I can see being ok with it. But here's the thing, many times cheats aren't used because they improve the game. They're used to grief others or to feed the ego.
Think what you want, but a max level character that cheats is usually less in my eyes. It's just human nature. Most players aren't game designers. And we're driven mostly by greed, not virtue.
So I'm all for emergent gameplay, just not for making a game dumber or its players unaccountable.
What would sports be like if different basketball teams could follow different rules? Like what if one team says NO GUNS and the other says GUNS ALLOWED. So they come onto the court and the game begins. One team is dribbling the basketball and the other is pulling out semi-automatic assault rifles and shooting them down. So they won the game. Congratulations!!!! But how reliable is their win as a measure of skill in basketball? Well, obviously they have some skill with assault rifles. Maybe a good aim. But can they dribble? Can they play as a team? What kind of offense do they use? None of that matters anymore, does it? A shame.
(i didn't say that - according to their rules - they scored 1234 points during official game time!!! wowzers!! 1234!!!! most conventional basketball teams score on average 100 points per game!!!)