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Bartle to MMOG Players - Newbs!
Gamasutra (registration required) has begun running an excellent column called "Soapbox". The first article up on the site is penned by Richard Bartle, one of the gents who created MUD1. Why Virtual Worlds are Designed by Newbies [non-reg alternate] is a great look at the lessons of past games and the foibles of designing a new one. From the article: "Virtual worlds are being designed by know-nothing newbies, and there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it. I don't mean newbie designers, I mean newbie players - first timers. They're dictating design through a twisted "survival of the not-quite-fittest" form of natural selection that will lead to a long-term decay in quality, guaranteed."
It's gotten so bad in the virtual worlds that I've given them up and have been forced to take up exercise and reading. God, I'm getting smarter and healthier, someone help me!
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
Are you telling me they can be designed with PHP?
I, for one, welcome our new newbie overlords...
Nuclear War Mud
/. not like me much anymore... *sigh*
http://mud.astrakan.hig.se/index2.html
Cyberpunk type mud... old and established and has an automated tour guide if a live one is not available.
If you want a head start on the mud experience, start spending 14+hrs a day at the computer, ignore friends and family, and leave your phone off the hook (flashback to dial-up days) so nobody can reach you.
If you are a student, drop all your classes as well. They get in the way of real mudding excellence.
Posted anonymous, cause somebody at
So, would some MUD veterans like to give some suggestions on how to reach MUD enlightenment?
Yeah. Don't.
Me> Hi, I'm new here, I don't know anything about MUDding
Old Timer> Okay, well it's pretty simple. Just follow me.
> (Old Timer) Exits.
Me> Where did he go? How do I follow him? This sucks.
"Additionally, newbies are always lost in the first instance they arrive in the city"
.
Yeah, no kidding. I just tried iCLOD.
Okay. Links on the side of the screen. Let's see what they do.
"Clicking this link costs $5 and uses 5 minutes of time."
Fuck. Wasn't even useful. Let's try this one.
"Clicking this link costs $10 and uses 10 minutes of time."
Fuck! Okay, okay, $10 isn't much and neither is 10 minutes. Let's see what I can do.
Hey, I could get a job here! This one looks neat.
Except it's midnight and it won't let me. Bah. Well, I can get a cup of coffee.
Except, surprise, it's midnight and it won't let me. Grrr. Maybe I should go find a place to sleep. I don't see one here. I'll go explore.
Nope. None here.
Or here.
Or here.
"Superior room". I can't afford that. Let's keep looking.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (note: there should be about 20 no's here.)
Ah, a hostel! That'll do. Except, wait, I have to be female apparently. Fuck. Keep looking.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no . .
Ah, a Standard Room. Okay. Better than nothing. Eight hours, gone. Plus three hours spent looking for a place to sleep.
Now I can get a job. I wonder if there were any good jobs that I missed. Well, there's this nice database of places I've visited, that . . . has no job info. What am I supposed to do, write down job stats on a piece of paper? Fuck it, I'll just take the first job I can.
Eight more hours gone.
Woo. I've almost paid for my room. I haven't paid for it entirely. I haven't paid for the $15 of misclicks. I haven't paid for the $60 of upkeep I apparently get every day. And I've still got five hours for the day. I can't sleep, I can't work, and all the interesting places to "play" seem to be closed. Even if I could afford them, and, at this rate, I can't.
This "game" sucks.
Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.