Skills could be made purchaseable rather than handed out for each level gained. That way a player's ability would be expressed in the expertise in skills and levels could be done away with. And it would also make money (or whatever else is needed to purchase training) the primary motivating factor.

Hohns04 By: Michael Hohensee (michael@mainstream.net)

What I'd do is make it nessassary to learn certain prerquisite skills in order to learn more advanced ones. Make money as common as it is normally, but make skilled trainers harder to find, or higher in price
List04B By: Anthony (acc4636@tam2000.tamu.edu)
You shouldn't just use money to pay for training in skills, but also in something that is much rarer. On my mud players will age for each training, until they will die of old age. There are rare potions of youth but they are extremely expensive. Training outside your own guild can be bought but ages you and the trainer much faster, so that is bound to be very expensive indeed.

List04C By: Matt Payton (Pmpayton@sky.net)

There is nothing wrong with making skills antiable by wealth. It takes money to hire the teacher, to buy the equipment to practice the skill, the books needed to do the research, etc... you just need to make sure that 'money' is rare, and extreme wealth even rarer.

List04D By: Michael Hohensee (michael@mainstream.net)

Well, Get rid of the levels entirely. Levels are only there as a crutch for the game to determine your power. If you used skills/spells for everything, your power is dependent upon them and level is irrelavent. What I'm going to do for combat in AeMud, is get rid of the standard 'You hit x monster for y damage' every combat round. What I'll do is have players be able to customize what actions they'll take every combat round. This way you get a more engageing Combat experience. Mobs can perhaps change their tactics under this system. Keep them players on their toes. ;)