Anyone know why Tempus does not show numbers when it comes to damage?

And if Tempus did show numbers, how would it change the game?

I think it'd be interesting to have a display that you could toggle on and off to show damage.

You BLAHBLAHBLAH a Blahblahblah with a two-handed blahblahblah!! (blah #s)

At one time, I really wanted to eliminate as many numbers as possible from the game. Just completely hide them from view, even if identified. It's got some pros and cons from a gamedev standpoint.

Pros:

• People think more about the content of the game rather than the underlying mechanics. For most people, this is actually more entertaining.
• Number tweaks can be done behind the scenes without people noticing a 2% downtick in their whatevers.
• Being unable to accurately quantify differences between items means relaxing about getting "perfect" sets of equipment.

Cons:

• A lot of people, particularly those that are into MUDs, really like thinking about the mechanics of the game. To these people, the content is a lot less interesting, and they will get frustrated at hidden information.
• With a computer game, it's always numbers underneath, and often attempting to translate these to text isn't clear. Is diabolic more or less evil than malefic? Players will learn the levels, but then you're back into numeric territory, only with labels you have to learn.

I don't know about others, but a big part of Tempus for me is the character building. And, with the large amount of small upgrades in the game (levels, gens, attributes), I often fail to see myself getting stronger even if I am. I usually find myself unmotivated to get that next level or whatever due to that.

Besides, perhaps the numbers and game contents can coexist peacefully. What kind of game contents are we talking about anyway?

I like having the numbers in the game. It makes a huge difference having the identify spell, as opposed to using the compare command to see which object is better.

This was a challenge starting out, because I was tempted to buy items in the weapons and armor shops that sounded good. However, I had no idea if they would really be better than what I was using.

I feel that having access to the numbers allow me to improve my character, so I could better explore and enjoy the world of Tempus. Without the numbers, I'd be lost in how to improve my character, and will surely misjudge my ability and get killed.

I also think seeing numbers is better. Not to sound like a jerk but all the 'pros' azimuth gave involve the player getting less information, and I don't see how thats helpful and I highly doubt its more entertaining for most people. I guess it could be when you are new, but after a certain point you know all the zones, and all the stories that go with them, the only thing you can change are the numbers, by using different eq or different skills/spells. Number tweaks being unseen is only helpful to the person doing the teaks, so that people don't flip out when they notice a 2% downtick in their whatevers. I want to know what is changing and why, which is something I feel we have a lack of. Being unable to accurately quantify differences between items would make me panic personally, not relax. The mechanics of the game, each calculation the game makes, and the outcome of those things is whats interesting to me. I know I'm not the boss here, and I'm not running the show, but that is how I feel as a player.

I think what you're saying here, and I've read this elsewhere, is that immersion in the game world isn't particularly valuable to you. It's a game of strategy and tactics, not an exploration of what it feels like to live in another universe.

That's cool. It's definitely the way things went in gaming overall. (see http://www.raphkoster.com/2012/01/13/is-immersion-a-core-game-virtue/) I consider myself satisfied if I can retain a tiny bit of that otherworldly feeling while still appealing to the MUD-as-game people.