The Prize Machine|U6

Posted by LadyAce on 07/02

From: LadyAce Tuesday, June 24 2003, 11:57AM Here's the data I gathered -- by "OOC", I mean post WWI items and items that refer to Legend. "Named" items might be in either category. 2001: 41 different items Color items: 19 Non-Color items: 22 Items of an IC nature: 37 Items of an OOC nature: 4 (Items with names or initials: 0) 2002: 51 different items Color items: 23 Non-color: 28 IC: 35 OOC: 16 (names or initials: 6) 2003: 20 different items so far, update going in Friday Color: 9 Non-color: 11 IC: 16 OOC: 4 (names or initials: 0) Thanks for your interest! -LA |U6

From: LadyAce Tuesday, June 24 2003, 12:01PM One last intro post -- the philosophy & aims of the machine. I am absolutely ready and willing to make changes to the machine, but I only think it's fair to talk about the limitations of change. Since a token is intended as a "lower-level" prize compared to a coupon, I can't boost the value of the machine so much it is the same as a coupon. Likewise, I want to maintain the notion of 'chance' -- that's part of the thrill of taking a gamble : the possibility of something great mixed with the possibility of something which is definitely NOT great. I hope that this makes sense to folks as a limitation -- I'll listen to arguments about the philosophy too, but I want you to know that that's my standpoint, and shifting the philosophy seems like a different undertaking than revitalizing and spiffing up the system as it stands currently. Also, for reference, please check 'help prize machine'. It has the current line on the prize machine in more detail. The explanations contained in it all talk about either how it is or why it is the way it is. Those topics are more up for discussion than the "philosophy" -- from my standpoint, anyway. -LA |U6

From: Dolor Tuesday, June 24 2003, 08:09PM Well, anymore, I just sell tokens I get, because I will invariably not like whatever I get from the machine, and I can invariably sell the unused token for significantly more profit--this isn't a flaw in the machine's design or anything else as much as a consequence of my being a control freak regarding my strings, since I'd much prefer to make my own, my way, than resign myself to somebody else's creation. This is even more true when I don't even have a clue what's inside the machine. So I have two suggestions: one that might be considered, and one that probably won't. 1) There should be some way we can actually see what's inside the prize machine at any given time. As I'm assuming this is similar to some sort of crane game like you find in Wal-Marts, this really makes sense--after all, I can look through the glass at what's in those. That way, we at least have some kind of idea what we're shooting for when we drop the li'l pink token. 2) Much less likely, a couple of prizes that allow for a bit more custom work on the part of the player, probably very rare and almost certainly not as flexible as outright coupons (the thought I have in mind is sort of "limited coupons" that could only be used for a narrowly-defined type, such as coupons strictly for containers, weapons, or jewelry, all of which must be IC by LadyAce's description: no lightsabres from a weapon coupon.) Just my two thoughts. Feel free to hit the flames, I brought my asbestos undies today. - Dolie. |U6

From: LadyAce Tuesday, June 24 2003, 10:46PM The primary reason that I've been reluctant to publish a list of prizes is that I figure it would lead to people choosing to hold on to their tokens more of the time, and not put them into the machine. I mean, me the player ... look in the machine, nothing I want, I'll try again later ... that'd absolutely be my attitude if the list was published (if you're curious, I just play my tokens if I ever win them...I'm trying to channel how I'd feel if I were a player not a imm-who-also-has-a-player. On an individual scale, looking in the machine and deciding not to give it a go is a very rational decision. But on a mass scale, we end up with the same sort of problem that coupons have, i.e. hoarding. One of the ideas with the token machine, to my mind, is that there's not too much incentive to hoard a token. But, I think having "some" sense of what's available might really improve people's satisfaction -- being able to choose from one of 3 machines, for example, where one was "IC" and one was "OOC" and another was "special machine of the month" where "special machine of the month" might be the greatest hits or era-specific stuff for odyssey or chartype specific or what have you ... well... you see the compromise :) At any rate, I definitely sympathize with people being very particular about their strings -- if one is trying to play the sort of character who would never wear the same thing as anybody else, one simply has to knuckle under to the char's style. Victims of our own RP, aren't we, sometimes? :) :) -LA |U6

From: Archaon Wednesday, June 25 2003, 07:19AM Just curious, but what ACTUALLY is the diff between an IC and OOC string? Like what are some examples?

From: doesn't like to think too much

From: - Arch |U6

From: Cheap Wednesday, June 25 2003, 07:41AM Personally, I would like to see two machines, one similar to what we have now and another one that would offer exchanges for tokens into coupons. One token in the first machine can win you anything from a louzy prize to a spiffy coupon.. The second machine will give you say an add a color coupon for 3 tokens, a non color coupon for 5 tokens, a color coupon for 8 tokens. I would not put multi colors into a token exchange machine myself as they should remain the ultimate prizes for various reasons. This way you still have a better chance of getting a lot more for your tokens from the first prize machine, but if you want to be more character specific, you can save up your tokens and use them on that coupon you have been wanting. Just my two thoughts Cheap |U6

From: Straussy Wednesday, June 25 2003, 08:24AM Archaon, an OOC string would be something like "a LegendMUD t-shirt" while an IC string would be anything from "a silver breastplate" to "a gold wristwatch" etc etc. Hope that clarifies the difference for you. Straussy M. |U6

From: Straussy Wednesday, June 25 2003, 08:27AM Also, OOC strings tend not to reflect on the game contents but rather things or events or anything from real life (RL). IC strings are game related in one way or another. I could go on and tie IC strings with RP and OOC strings with NON-RP...but I'm not touching that with a 10ft. pole.

From: halo

From: Straussy M. |U6

From: LadyAce Wednesday, June 25 2003, 11:46AM For "OOC" items, I counted the hello kitty pencil case, the multicolored toe socks, the sled, and the Monet painting from this year. For IC items, the oak tree, the black doctor bag, mysterious eyes, the badge of courage, the kneeboots, the toothpick, the shard of glass, the kohl, the lines of age & worry, the bunny, the gryphon shield, the beard, the beach towel, the suitcase, the nightgown, and the throwing star. -LA |U6

From: LadyAce Wednesday, June 25 2003, 04:15PM I've been reluctant to put in an 'exchange' mechanism in the past, but I'm willing to see what people think of it, and if folks are enthusiastic I'll definitely consider it. I think of a couple of drawbacks:

From: hoarding gains an advantage

From: people who are the game-winning type have less incentive to distribute unwanted items out to people who aren't the game-winning type, since they can save their tokens for an item they want/expect to use/etc. Being able to pick your prize makes it less likely you'll share it out. This isn't the most major of considerations, but it's worth thinking about. There are some folks who just don't do well at games, and this might well impact them.

From: it creates a kind of price-fixing (this is the same reasoning that makes me reluctant to put in a coupon-exchange type system). Some people value certain coupons much more than others. To someone with one half-string, another half-string might be worth a fair bit. To someone without one... well, it's probably not worth nearly as much :). To someone who doesn't go in for color too much, maybe they don't have a color client or they don't like color that much, an add-a-color is worthless. To someone who has a very particular RP, a mundane might be worth quite a bit, almost the same as a coupon, or it might be worth far less, depending on how their RP relates to what we have in the game already. I'm not trying to dampen debate, here, but I do think that these are all factors that need to be considered. The machine is an area where the diverse expectations, attitudes, and styles of the playerbase come into very direct contact with one another, where all kinds of different people's needs are in play and the options try to keep that in balance. I want to find ways to keep the conflicts from causing as much unhappiness as they seem to have caused, without creating new areas for people to find their interests in conflict. Maybe this wouldn't be one of those, but maybe my reluctance makes sense. Or maybe not. Append, tell me what you think! -LA |U6