Re: Olympia combat

From: nicholso@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Melvin H. Nicholson YBH)

Date: Thu, 14 May 1992 21:05:24 +0000

This thread, in discussing combat, has brought up the most fundemental
issue to all of Olympia: the lack of victory conditions.  The warmongers
have had their say in the matter, as well as many others ranging from a
despite of war to some bizzare limits which allow it in prescribe
ways/places/whatever.

I side with the idea that combat must be allowed, but probably for
different reasons than most.  I like the idea that a player in olympia
can play a wide variety of roles, within limits set by his characters
resources and not prescribe rules.  I sympathise with those who want to
be warlords, but not with those who complain that warlording is too
hard.  Olympia is forming into a game with some impressive logistic
concerns, and those who want to conduct warfare will need to be able to
support it in the game's terms.  Given the wide variety of choices that
lie within reach of the Olympian for a career, the desire to do other
than war is also very real (and should become moreso when/if markets
become flexible enough to allow tradesmanship and construction to become
valueable).  All this expression and freedom will be for naught if there
is no effective way for people tomake a coordinated defense against of
the things they have worked so hard for.

The rampaging killer may always be a feature, but were a merchant class
to form in the larger cities, the would doubtlessly become able to hire
their own guards.  Several merchants in a locality could contribute to
a fund payed to a contract guardsman who would be responsible for the
market's safety.  The most important thing to note here is that these
are all things that PLAYERS can do.  If someone want to be a marauder,
but finds there are too many guardsmen for him to do it in an area, it
is because the OTHER PLAYERS are stopping him.  This way, the players
themselves dictate their wants.  It all boils down to having to get
along with the other players (which is what I'd really like to see).

The fun comes from conflict, not just combat.  If two people want two
competing things, then they have to fight (not always physically, trade
wars can be just as violent) for it.  This is the environment that I
will try to help Olympia develope into.  The key factor in making it
happen involve increasing the effective value of tradesmanship (by which
I mean holding a trade, not just trading) and giving the player more
power to interact and duplicate all the things which are currently
hard-coded aberration (like markets and such)

Mel

References

Re: Olympia combat
M22367@mwvm.mitre.org
Wed, 13 May 1992 15:57:24 +0000
Re: Olympia combat
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Wed, 13 May 1992 20:27:36 +0000

Referenced By

Re: Olympia combat
M22367@mwvm.mitre.org
Wed, 13 May 1992 15:57:24 +0000
Re: Olympia combat
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Wed, 13 May 1992 20:27:36 +0000