So, it's more a problem with ill thought out methods of handling a large and potentially unruly populous in a dynamic world than the entire notion of such a world that gets scoffed at?

That makes more sense. But we also have templates for rule systems that to work with large groups of people and balance individual freedoms between "societal" constraints. If you had a dynamic world, you'd probably want to have some laws nonetheless. Just not laws in the form of a simulation that isn't robust enough to allow experimentation: reasons for the player to not "go outside the lines."

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Original post by Nytehauq So, it's more a problem with ill thought out methods of handling a large and potentially unruly populous in a dynamic world than the entire notion of such a world that gets scoffed at? That makes more sense. But we also have templates for rule systems that to work with large groups of people and balance individual freedoms between "societal" constraints. If you had a dynamic world, you'd probably want to have some laws nonetheless. Just not laws in the form of a simulation that isn't robust enough to allow experimentation: reasons for the player to not "go outside the lines."

In short terms, yes, the problem isn't designing the world, but making sure it doesn't get out of control.

Because no game (to my knowledge) has sucessfully done what we are discussing, it appears as "uncharted territory" to development companies. What we don't know scares us.

This is why most games that feature entirely original gameplay are puzzle games. People play puzzle games because they want something that challenges their minds, therefore a new type of puzzle to solve is always appealing.

Look at it from the designer's point of view. You have the choice to make a traditional MMO, which you know will run smoothly even if it gets dull, or you can make this dynamic world, which will be exiting at first, but if it doesn't work out, you would have wasted time, money, and reputation designing it. For this reason, the only way this concept could be pioneered is through freeware games. After a few freeware games featuring our idea are sucessful, then bigger companies might look to their success and make an epic, multi-platinum selling MMO that featured a dynamic, ever changing world.

You have to have artificial restrictions (in game mechanics) which then are assisted by having enough recourses for people to react with (peer pressure and other player enacted counterbalances to bad behavior).

Repercussions for misdeeds must be possible, sufficient and continuous (and cannot depend on intercession of Game Masters, as they will always be too few).

Unfortunately complicated world mechanics means numerous loopholes which must be eliminated so the possibilities for abuse (without repercussions) dont overwhelm the player enacted countermeasures (bounty hunting, tribunals using server collected evidence...). The counterbalances themselves must be prevented from simply becoming another set of loopholes to be abused.