At BrokenToys, the blog of Scott "Lum" Jennings (also most definitely another "blog to watch"), veteran multiplayer game designer currently of NCSoft, he provides a valuable perspective on some of the features most frequently-demanded by players of multiplayer online worlds and how feasible they really are-- or aren't.

Notably, Lum comments on the idea of an in-world economy driven 100% by players. In-world economies can sometimes work on a very steep curve (see Entropia Universe); thus Lum theorizes (accurately, I think) that games need some NPC-backed economy, at least initially, to "establish a floor of inherent value for in-game items."

Lum also discusses the precarious balance between high-tech environmental rendering and real-world physics and the all-important smoothness of the client-server relationship. "Smoothly supporting that trumps working ice floes," he adds.

Other concepts explored in Lum's article are the ways in which ultra-realistic features-- like weather that affects the avatar-- could be perhaps too bleak or frustrating, and an environment that allows the player too much control could cause organizational problems for world-builders. "That being said, in moderation, player impact on the game world is a good thing - arguably a necessary thing. Players want to feel as though they matter. Placing their stamp on the world is a path to this. The key is in limiting it so it doesn’t overwhelm the entire world," Jennings says.

Some interesting ideas, too, about in-game items and how the balance between the rare and readily available-- and the ways in which they're obtained-- can affect the player's experience, a particularly relevant idea as virtual goods gain in value in the space in general, and microtransactions and trading are the norm.

[Via BrokenToys]