Persistence Offline

Something else I wanted to bring up, especially in the context of a Persistent World, is why the only method of
interacting with the world is through the NWN client itself. Surely if the world is to be truly persistent then the lives of the characters are still active when people are not connected to the server? Isn't this the time when the D&D manuals say you should used for the more mundane parts of life like polishing your sword, oiling your armour, or carrying out that "profession" skill that you have to earn money?

Yet for most persistent worlds, when you log out of your session your character effectively disappears from the world without a trace, and leaves absolutely nothing behind. Can it truly be considered a persistent world with this being the case? How does a player feel as if their character's have actual lives when persistence only counts while they are there?

Concept of True Persistence

To tackle this problem you first need to understand that all characters have a place in the world. They came from somewhere, they live somewhere and when they are not adventuring they need to be somewhere. As I said earlier, the purpose of the template and the target audience is not the same as your usual Persistent World. Here I am not targeting a world that has thousands of players in it, or a place where people can drop in and out of a server for a few hours every few weeks and pick up where they left off. The purpose of this template was is for a high quality role-playing experience where there are fewer players who interacted with the world on a greater level. The intention therefore being that each server is set up to handle a specific part of the game world, allowing for a richer experience on each server.

To meet this goal, every character in the game has a physical place in the world, somewhere they either live or a room at the local inn. They may own property, or businesses, or even a house or estate. When a player ends their session and they are in a civilized location it is assumed that this reflects the characters "down time". The time that they spend offline is considered an abstraction of mundane tasks that they would not do while they are online. This could include researching libraries, honing skills, working professions, and recovering from injuries.

Player vs Player Interaction

This of course raises the question of how characters interact with other characters when their player is not online. I am hoping that the ability to clone a character will be at a mature enough state (as it was in the Hordes of the Underdark expansion for NWN 1) to present players with an AI controlled version of their character which others can interact with. The intention is for the clones to have mundane lives which show them using their down time in the manner they have specifically indicated. This could mean finding them studying at the library or working at their store, or on the furnace crafting weapons.

Player vs Player Problem

Of course having their items exposed in the game world, and clones of them walking around without the player being there opens up the whole issue of players trying to harass or exploit other players. On large persistent worlds with hundreds of players (especially those who care very little for role-playing) this is indeed a large problem, however the focus of the template is done specifically to discourage this kind of play and it is hoped that the audience is mature enough to both understand and deal with the possibilities that arise from true persistence.

1. Those using the server will be focused on role-playing, not just the facade of role-playing to cover their tracks
2. The entire way in which everything from equipment to monsters are handled reduces the focus on the need for items and makes it more about the characters themselves
3. The "Character vs Character Sub-system" will implement both in-game and meta-gaming rules to reduce problems
4. It is understood that worlds that use the template have been designed to be more open and accessible and that this kind of interaction should be welcomed instead of seen as being a detractor

So what does this effectively mean? It means that players are encouraged to both take appropriate measures to protect what is theirs, as well as initiate appropriate role-playing which may involve taking things from other players. It shouldn't be taken lightly however, as most civilized areas will not hesitate to quickly crack down on theft or unruly behaviour inside their walls and it wont be long before those who engage in it too often are considered outlaws and are no longer able to move freely about town without being harassed by the local militia.

At the end of the day, gross mis-matches of skill or levels, where one player could easily overcome anything a lower level had in place is stopped before it starts via meta-gaming rules. Those who choose to break those rules are punished for doing so, and anyone who chooses to make their characters entire career about seeking out and targeting other characters will soon find themselves severely penalized. While some may find this unfair, this is not, nor has ever intended to be an "open for all" type of persistent world. The way in which several systems are structured, those who seek to power level, power game, or who want to avoid role-playing will quickly become bored with the way the world works and lose interest, while those who truly wish to experience the world and explore the role-playing potential of it will find it refreshing and engaging and not even notice the restrictions that are in place as a result.

Web-Based Interface

One thing I want to stand out with any Persistent World that is created with the template, is the fact that you can interact with the world at any time and at any place. Just because you are not sitting in front of your graphically powerful computer playing the NWN client shouldn't mean that you cannot in some way interact with the game world. The fact that the persistence part of the world is all managed by an external database means that a web interface can be created to allow you access to those things which make sense to be controlled when your offline.

One important feature that I do want to put into the web interface is that the interface reflects your character as closely as possible. This means that some options or screens may be available to you because of your race or class, they could be available because you have taken certain feats, they may be attached to a skill you have or a spell you have researched. The interface may even be specifically adjusted to your characters intelligence and wisdom, providing more complex mechanisms or abilities the better their faculties are.

Thus a very intelligent store owner is able to finely control his store as well as get a detailed analysis of the stock and the sales (reflecting his keen mind and ability to understand all of this), while the dumb orc barely has enough options to go to the local tavern or watch the ducks. A wise person may have options to try and glean information out of books they read, a charismatic person may have options to gather as much information as possible, etc. All too often characters are created with unrealistic attributes that utilize the intelligence of the player to overcome the limitations. This will hopefully be eliminated with this kind of interface.

Professions / Crafting

This is where things like professions come in handy, as they constitute what you do when your not out adventuring. The same is also said for crafters, both of whom have to keep their businesses running when they are not out adventuring. If you own a business, then part of the web interface will provide you a means to control that business when you are offline. This allows you to manage and tweak aspects of it as well as receive and send messages to other players who have made requests.

Thus a crafter could queue up several items they wish to make (or have been requested to make by other players), set up what items they need in stock and how much they are willing to pay for them. As crafting will not be a "quick fix" where players are able to craft several items instantly, this then becomes an important feature for those wishing to become crafters and frees up the sever itself from having to control the entire crafting process.

By handling professions and crafting in this manner, it is now possible to implement the TRUE D&D rules which cover these facets of a character, as well as allowing your character to have a life outside of adventuring.

Store Owners

Those who own stores will be able to view the current stock, adjust markups, change what they require from suppliers, hire staff, give other characters discounts, update marketing strategies or give instructions to their workers via their own interface.

Common Adventurers

For those who don't own businesses, their "down time" becomes more about how they allocate their time when not adventuring. Certain classes like Clerics or Wizards may want to devote a lot of their time to praying or reading musty tomes, while others may want to put some practice into using weapons, honing their skills, meditation or one of their disciplines. Others still may choose to repair their equipment or simply get some well earned rest and recover from injuries they have sustained recently. This is also a good time to do those things you don't get a chance to do, like help the needy, or build your reputation as a performer or statesman.

Local News

Time marches on and you can have a look at the calendar and find out roughly what is happening in the world such as the local gossip or recent events to keep up to date with things your character would know if they were indeed having a bit of "down time" and had overheard these things by being there.