Posted by The Angel Gabriel on August 10, 1999 at 02:10:04:
In Reply to: Something i'd like to say on this subject posted by Shirenne on August 06, 1999 at 14:52:10:
Let me begin by saying that I think some have misunderstood my comments. I was responding to the repeated statement that the Imms have changed the game in such ways as to promote gang banging. I tried to refute that, and, in doing so, impliedly connote that what you and others responding have said, namely that the players have changed in their attitudes, not the game. Again, with the notable exception of Empire, which, of course, deserves its own thread. A thread I am thinking of starting, I will say. Specifically with respect to what you said, I agree insofar that it is a pendulum, and if enough players chose to shun gangbangs, and that became pc (politically correct) for the mud, then gangbangs would die down. I also agree that there are classes more suited to individual killing than others, but, with the obvious exception of healers (who can still do it, but it's much harder) I think every class has the ability to be a powerful solo killer. The question, in my mind, isn't so much the powers of the class. Each has been given a fun, interestingly named way of doing essentially the same sets of things -- damaging, stunning, preventing from casting, keeping in battle, etc. -- no, the question is how a player makes use of their class vis-a-vis timing, knowledge ofthe other classes' ways of circumventing your own, knowledge of where to get that extra damage protection, and so forth, which all comes mostly from just spending time on the mud. And that, at least, makes sense. You should get a benefit if you have played for a year, and you should be able to beat the guy who has only been playing for two months. And, of course, the guy who has been here for four years should trounce ninety percent of the mud. So, to sum up, I agree that it is almost all player mentality that has created the gangbang state of affairs. I agree that were enough people of stature and mud-related-authority to return to the more evenly comprised battles the rest would follow. And I mostly agree that thieves, rangers and assassins can kill singlehandedly, with the caveat that all other classes can too, with varying degrees of difficulty. I hope this is what you were looking for, Amy, and thank you for the compliment.
People are more apt to gangbang, just because they can, just because of who they are, not really because of any change in the game.