Superfluous Amounts of Items

[Secret]

Major mud has soooooo many weapon and armor choices. So many that you typically only use maybe 30% (my experience) of all that was available in the game. For example, a barstool and a hoe are valid weapons from a rpg stance but no one is going to actually go fight with them. Is the plan to trim the amount of items so that 80% percent of all items are utilized? 

[The Crazy Animal]

what ya talking about... I've taken my wooden chair into combat many of times... MMUD has about 2047 items this is including all the ideas that you can use, can't use, can see, are used as props or are stuck into a room to be looked at as part of a discription. I can't really see a reason to trim the amount of items down but there are other things that can be done with them.

This is probably one of the best examples of the effects of players playing the code rather then the content. The items that players seek and want to use are the ones that give them the most advantage in the game. This is because players quickly learn that the stats of an item can make the difference in winning or loosing a fight. Players quickly learn what items are worth buying, keeping or selling.

Unfortunatly there isn't a whole lot that can be done about this other then improving the balance between items or giving items other fuctions in the game. Take for example the Crowbar it has an extended function of prying open one locked door in the game. If they used this a little more like prying open windows, locked manholes, maybe opening coffins players would then use this item a little more. There are lots of items that have this fate in the game the are used once and never used again.

I think I posted about 165 item descriptions so far:
http://greatermud.com/forums/index.php?topic=270.0

And have 2 lists of items that still need discriptions:
http://greatermud.com/forums/index.php?topic=282.0
http://greatermud.com/forums/index.php?topic=338.0

This isn't even including items like bibles, crosses, tarot cards, rune bags, and other prop items. Haven't really started to think about magic items either.

My vision would be to make lots of items probably more then mmud had but in doing so make those items useful too. I can't say if DC shares that vision too.

[El_Jefe]

Damn. reading this I got scared.  I am a trinket guy.  I love collecting shit.  In diablo2 I collect odd suits of armour and interesting stuff. I spent lots of time in the past looking for and trading for really perfect stats on oddball items....

I always try out items and combos in mud that are unconventional.  its how i see builds, based upon the items skewing a character in one odd direction is fun.
like massive dodge, rediculous useless level of of it.

or a gaunt with +crit items and under 32% encumberance... i had one as a gypsy.  critted more than any mystic or ninja in the realm on boss runs :)

[Secret]

No need to be scared. I guess items having small amounts of bonus would make infinite amount of trinkets bearable. From an rpg standpoint, I could understand why you would want them. However, I hardly find the time to venture outside of the armor that I would wear 98% of the time (Of the last 2%, i spend .5% trying new items and the last 1.5% nekkid). But maybe a charms that add +/- .1-2 of bonus / loss would keep things interesting.