trosky wrote:I dont want to sound negative or anything but i really dont understand :
Why would someone play a rpg if they dont want to fight ? I played pen & paper D&D and i cant see how it could be fun without fighting. Ive played MUDs too and i cant see...
Why wouldnt they play life sims like Second Life or The Sims Online instead ?
sorry but i really dont understand.
That is a good question, and certainly a reasonable suggestion. Indeed, I do enjoy playing The Sims 2 almost as much as I enjoy playing a game like Doom 3. Usually the two are not mixed, especially in single-player games, because the development of both in a single game usually results in two very different play-styles that are both weaker than they could have been if all of the effort of the development staff was geared towards a single play-style. This is why the state of the industry at this time (and throughout history) has been a place where someone who is in the mood for combat plays a combat game, and somebody who enjoys more peaceful pursuits plays puzzle or simulation games. The only obvious genre that transcends this boundary and appeals to both audiences with a fair amount of success would be the strategy genre which brilliantly dabbles in both areas.
It is in fact the strategy genre that I will use as an example for why a player may want the two opposing forces of game-play in the same setting -- for, as you can clearly imagine, an online RPG is strikingly similar to traditional strategy games, with the viewpoint of a soldier (or officer, depending on how others view you) on the ground instead of an all-powerful lord in the air. For the same reasons why you would want a baker, a blacksmith, a carpenter, or farmers in a strategy game, you would also want them in an online RPG. Yet, unlike overhead strategy games, role-playing games bring you to a much more intimate level with your surroundings and the virtual lives of those around you, which cries for much more intimate interactions with the objects in the virtual world.
Many online games choose to fill the non-combat roles with NPCs, which is fine if they only want to appeal to combat-oriented types. Unlike the single-player games, though, MMORPGs have a never-ending development cycle and constant income with more than enough manpower to create both a combat and non-combat game at the same time and make both as good as either could be even if all development was concentrated. This has the unparalleled advantage of attracting two large player-bases, but also creates a place where they can be mixed seamlessly to create a vibrant world where the two sides can coexist in a constant balance of mutual support.
If you have ever played UO, you will know what I mean. A good example I saw on another site was how a simple thing like a tree can become so much more useful and alive in a world with both sides of the playing field. This is not the same example, but you will see what I mean (in UO):
Take an ordinary tree -- you pass them all the time.
I can walk up to the tree and use my knife to carve away some bark to create kindling. With that kindling, I can light a camp fire, and with that fire I can roast a bird that I had killed. After eating the bird, I could use a bedroll and lay next to the fire to safely log out under the protection of the warm flicker.
When I awaken, I might choose to go back to that same tree, or perhaps another. I might choose to get out my axe and practice a bit of lumberjacking (which not only produces logs, but also increases my strength and combat ability when using an axe) on it. From those logs, I can do many things.
I could use my knife once more to create arrow shafts. Using the feathers from the bird I had eaten earlier, I can create arrows, or bolts, depending on my preference. Perhaps I might also use some of the wood to create a bow or even crossbow to use with the arrows with.
Then again, I might not like archery. Perhaps Ill get some nails and a hammer and create a nice oak table with some chairs to put in my dining room. Hrm, a bed perhaps? Or even just a staff to walk with. If I was a warrior, I might make a wooden shield. Perhaps even a fishing pole?
Oh, I know, I could make a loom and spinning wheel with all the wood I have! Now, after finding some sheep or gathering some cotton, I have a whole new world of possibilities.
You can see where this is going
With a few basic systems, you create an endless array of things to do that can be either combat-supportive or having nothing to do with combat, but still have fun. I know a great number of people enjoy simply making their own furniture for their houses or fishing on a ship in the middle of the ocean hoping to find a treasure map in a bottle or just a lot of good-tasting fish. Even more enjoy taming animals, farming, cooking, and other non-combat pursuits.
Whats nice, though, is that those of you who just want to kill things will never be forced to walk up to a tree and say hello to the world of possibilities it offers.
I accidentally figured out the first trap by casting a burning hands spell to start a fire...(I think that was the DM's gimme helping hand nature that LET us win that one)