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[Servant Corps]

I remember reading an article about perfection, which I agree, but I can't find it, so I'll summarize what I can.

In many MUDs, people want to roleplay, and therefore, they want to create so-called "special" characters. They usually resort to hackneyed sterotypes, such as Mary Suedom. The question the article raises is this: If there is an incentive to create Mary Sues, would being Mary Sue actually be special?

Say, everyone creates a character who makes one million dollars per year. That's great. But since everyone in the game has a million dollars, relatively, everyone is equal. If somebody creates a character who has a billion dollars instead of a million dollars, only that character becomes "special" while everyone else wallows in poverty. And if somebody creates a character that "only" makes $60,000 a year, I become "special" too, but more in inspiring pity rather than actually inspiring awe.

Same thing if everyone is pretty. If everyone is pretty, then it's just average, you are expected to be pretty, there's nothing really "special" or notable about it. If someone creates a character that is UGLY, that gets you some notice and attention, making you more "special" than other people, altough it will cause people to dislike you.

The article was mentioning this as an argument against perfection, but I actually wonder more and more how would a game work if everyone plays as perfect beings...

[Tahin]

Reminds me of Armageddon, where it seems like the game goes through phases where certain things are considered "average."

Honestly, I think a game where everyone was encouraged to play a perfect character would get boring quickly as there really wouldn't be any conflict.

This MUD I'm working on is going to be interesting, in this respect, as everyone is going to be playing short, fat, bearded guys with alcohol problems.

Which reminds me... Got to get back to work on that.

[Enzo]

Seems like the argument here is character and roleplay freedom vs. gameplay balance? Personally, I wouldn't consider a MUD that allows perfect characters to be a perfect MUD. I prefer to play a character with flaws that have to be worked around, from a roleplay perspective, you can't have character development when someone's already perfect. And from a gameplay perspective it adds variety between characters and challenge. That won't stop people, obviously, from trying to make Mary Sues. Its a force of nature but it happens a lot less as nobody who plays MUDs is 14 anymore.  But I digress.
The trick is equal-but-different, allowing a "million dollar" character who's invested in provisions and gear and a "million dollar" character who bought one really big gun...Characters still fall into archtypes and balance is hard but a lot better than allowing characters with to begin with MORE creation points/starting money/whatever exactly we're talking about.
And, although I can get a little obsessive about character creation, the world itself is as important as the characters. I've gotten into MUDs with terrible character creation/development just because the world and community were both engaging. I can make up an excuse to like a character if I love the game.
Just my two cents. Makes me want to play muds again.

[Ryo]

An article about perfection?

[Tahin]

An article about perfection?

It me far too long to realize that that was not, in fact, Wikipedia.