Well, I'll keep it short. I went to a University which had developed, as one of its founding principles, an online learning bent. We had what was called a Course Management System which was used to distribute course text (notes were online, text readings were online), had an integrated syllabus, could be used to submit homework, did contain instructor presentations, had asynchronous forums for every course and also provided many other things I don't recall. This dream system has since been replaced by something much better behaved cross-platform and which is also less effective. You may want to visit www.surrey.sfu.ca for more information - my university was subsumed into this one and is now a smaller satellite campus - of sorts.
Also, you may be able to find some further resources at http://www.netvironments.org/nne/ as this is also a tool which can be used to facilitate cooperative learning. I'm afraid I never explored this one to its true potential, so I'm not entirely aware as to what it's capable of - however, it does not seem to have any forums. On the other hand, users can produce their own "home pages" with which they could theoretically blog, and it does have a nice interface.
I've also participated in a number of forum-based classes. Here are some pointers:
You want a discussion facilitator - preferably more than one, really. I hesitate to say moderator, since their functions encompass far more than that.
If you set deadlines, some learners will post some short periods of time right before the deadline. Unfortunately, by that point much of the content has been rehased to some degree. This is less advice than an observation.
I can't think of anything else at the moment. If you ask me for more specifics, I'll be happy to provide.:) Oh, and my university's name was the Technical University of British Columbia.
If you want to ask some students about their experiences and such, feel free to visit http://www.tekbc.com:)
This article does pique my interest - there's more information in this single page than there is in all of the press releases and interviews previously done with Lord British and Co.
It seems like what these folk are trying to do is combine the 'best' traits of single-player and multi-player games into something that would be akin to a new genre - something that combines the intimacy of the former with the social interaction of the latter. It also reminds me of Neverwinter Nights in a way, but I suspect that Tabula Rosa may be more static, world-wise, whilst enjoy true world evolution (ie. things will change over time). I'm unsure of what he means by 'hubs' though - perhaps he's referring to some sort of multiple-dimension world? Or perhaps these hubs are just geographic areas?
I still have a lot of faith in Lord British and I'm looking forward to this release. I just hope that when Nose said '3rd person', he was referring to the availability of a top-down/isometric-esque view (I'm not a fan of behind-the-shoulder cameras).
Re:Downfall of muds....
on
Saving MUDs?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
B) Player Base... The player base is aging we aren't getting as many young players any more. Most of the people who start NCMUD are old verterns of muds or foreign teenagers. Seems like Everquest is kicking the mud communities ass in this area for sure. Eye candy seems to make up for a lot.
I absolutely concur with this statement. While everyone knows what turn-over is, the problem comes from people expecting "more" than an environment that's 99% text. While I understand the advantages of such an environment (I spend a lot of time MOOing), most people are turned off even before they ever see a MUD. These people get sucked up by worlds like UO or EQ and never give MUDs a chance - or really, never even hear of them.
...so in the end, these text communities lose people, and generally don't pull in enough new people to cover the loss. A lot of posters here have mentioned that they belong to old, die-hard communities - but really, how many of these die-hard members came into being within the past couple of years or so?
By the way, I frequent the Weyrmount.;) Social MOO.
I suspect the game is less about playing at real life than it is about control and success. Look at Sim City. The real life counterpart to this sort of job isn't fun to most people. The concept of the game at its basic level doesn't sound all that fun either. Now - how many people here can admit to playing it? And enjoying it? Why?
I bump into a lot of people whose lives have been touched by the Ultima series of games - a lot of people do try to follow the virtues (be they Britannian, Ophidian or Gargish) in order to live a better and more enlightened life.
Now how many developers can really say that they've affected the personal lives of others? I think this is the lasting legacy of Lord British - not his games (they are fabulous), not his haunted houses, but the way he changed the industry and the way he affected people around the world. I wonder if this ever occurred to him while he was busy coding his early games. I have simpler aims, myself - I just want to tell stories.:)
Trying to trademark the name "Firebird" is like trying to trademark the word "Sky" or the word "Video". Some of these SQL guys seem to have way too much time on their hands and I think they should relax - as someone else as said, they/are/ getting free publicity... and it really isn't as if the browser folk were creating another database. Personally, I was quite enamoured with the name Phoenix.
Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time in the business world. >_< The new thing, though, was the e-mail campaign - seems a tad childish because it needlessly makes it more difficult for the developers to keep up with other mail. The least they could've done was simply meet with eachother cordially.
First, the court filings are public documents. Anyone can go to the clerk's office for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and request a complete copy of the case file, including all the filings on SearchKing's restricted page. They aren't SearchKing's property. And since the court hasn't entered any order restricting public access to the documents, neither SearchKing nor anyone else has any right to prohibit their reproduction or republication. The major legal publishers are careful to claim copyright only in their database assembly and annotations; they don't dispute that the opinions and briefs they publish are in the public domain. Second, SearchKing (or its lawyers) didn't even write the filings it wants you to pay to have to see. Google's lawyers did. -LawMeme
So, is it legal for them to be charging $20 for access to these documents? Is that why they call it a donation?
The RIAA can sue ISPs for failure to block "illegal content"; they can also launch suits at businesses that host these files under the idea that they shouldn't be allowing North American access to this files (same reason). They could even accuse Google and whatnot of being involved in the matter of pirating content as Google can be used as a tool to find illegitimate content, or because they provide information on how to find this sort of property. Even if these legal directions don't work, the Industry can also try strong-arm tactics similar to those that Microsoft have used, such as buying out smaller businesses, refusing to ship new products or viciously marking up what's already going there.
People will believe what they want to believe. Evidence is ignored or twisted into something that helps their cause; human beings, for as long as the history books remember, have been leaping ahead into possibilities so minute, so improbable in order to feed a familiar sense of understanding; people wish and hope for what they'd rather know rather than what is, at times, oft eventually convincing themselves of something that may be untrue.
I'm sure it'll do much the reverse - the increased hits will eat up more bandwidth but - and this is the big one - these hits will be from people who don't care about the product being advertised, and will likely never willingly come back.
In the end, it just has the effect of alienating users. I'm sure most of their success metrics (as touted by Orbitz) are of people who won't be back. Hello, turnover rate!
Perhaps the problem is less that people have lost several illusions or blankets of privacy and more that people are worried that a system of this nature could one day become abused or broken into.
I'm still fond of being reasonably anonymous and having the ability to conduct conversations in privacy though; imagine the uproar if people were told that they wouldn't be allowed to privately converse with friends over the phone or even in their own homes! At the very least, I feel that citizens should not be trackable except without due cause; sort of like getting a warrant, I suppose.
Hey George Bush! I accidentally ran over your pet cow yesterday. Personally, I hope the system gets filled with garbage. ^_~
I must agree. I'd also like to note that the Ultimas 6, 7 and 7.5 (SI) are still some of the most interactive worlds ever created to date. I haven't played any RPG since those three that has come as close to creating such a magnificent gaming experience in terms of NPC and world interaction. Most RPGs these days treat items as eyecandy and background rather than actual substance of use, and many treat people like quest dispensers or shopkeepers.
Slashdot Mirror
A lot of people did whine that Lord British was precisely why UIX tanked. I suppose we'll be finding out how accurate this theory is very soon.
Well, I'll keep it short. I went to a University which had developed, as one of its founding principles, an online learning bent. We had what was called a Course Management System which was used to distribute course text (notes were online, text readings were online), had an integrated syllabus, could be used to submit homework, did contain instructor presentations, had asynchronous forums for every course and also provided many other things I don't recall. This dream system has since been replaced by something much better behaved cross-platform and which is also less effective. You may want to visit www.surrey.sfu.ca for more information - my university was subsumed into this one and is now a smaller satellite campus - of sorts.
:) Oh, and my university's name was the Technical University of British Columbia.
:)
Also, you may be able to find some further resources at http://www.netvironments.org/nne/ as this is also a tool which can be used to facilitate cooperative learning. I'm afraid I never explored this one to its true potential, so I'm not entirely aware as to what it's capable of - however, it does not seem to have any forums. On the other hand, users can produce their own "home pages" with which they could theoretically blog, and it does have a nice interface.
I've also participated in a number of forum-based classes. Here are some pointers:
You want a discussion facilitator - preferably more than one, really. I hesitate to say moderator, since their functions encompass far more than that.
If you set deadlines, some learners will post some short periods of time right before the deadline. Unfortunately, by that point much of the content has been rehased to some degree. This is less advice than an observation.
I can't think of anything else at the moment. If you ask me for more specifics, I'll be happy to provide.
If you want to ask some students about their experiences and such, feel free to visit http://www.tekbc.com
This article does pique my interest - there's more information in this single page than there is in all of the press releases and interviews previously done with Lord British and Co.
It seems like what these folk are trying to do is combine the 'best' traits of single-player and multi-player games into something that would be akin to a new genre - something that combines the intimacy of the former with the social interaction of the latter. It also reminds me of Neverwinter Nights in a way, but I suspect that Tabula Rosa may be more static, world-wise, whilst enjoy true world evolution (ie. things will change over time). I'm unsure of what he means by 'hubs' though - perhaps he's referring to some sort of multiple-dimension world? Or perhaps these hubs are just geographic areas?
I still have a lot of faith in Lord British and I'm looking forward to this release. I just hope that when Nose said '3rd person', he was referring to the availability of a top-down/isometric-esque view (I'm not a fan of behind-the-shoulder cameras).
B) Player Base... The player base is aging we aren't getting as many young players any more. Most of the people who start NCMUD are old verterns of muds or foreign teenagers. Seems like Everquest is kicking the mud communities ass in this area for sure. Eye candy seems to make up for a lot.
I absolutely concur with this statement. While everyone knows what turn-over is, the problem comes from people expecting "more" than an environment that's 99% text. While I understand the advantages of such an environment (I spend a lot of time MOOing), most people are turned off even before they ever see a MUD. These people get sucked up by worlds like UO or EQ and never give MUDs a chance - or really, never even hear of them.
...so in the end, these text communities lose people, and generally don't pull in enough new people to cover the loss. A lot of posters here have mentioned that they belong to old, die-hard communities - but really, how many of these die-hard members came into being within the past couple of years or so?
By the way, I frequent the Weyrmount. ;) Social MOO.
Since when did Apple step into this issue? Hubbard even said his request had nothing to do with Apple asking anyone anything.
I suspect the game is less about playing at real life than it is about control and success. Look at Sim City. The real life counterpart to this sort of job isn't fun to most people. The concept of the game at its basic level doesn't sound all that fun either. Now - how many people here can admit to playing it? And enjoying it? Why?
DNA? Genetic traits? So this next game is going to be X-rated?
Okay, probably not. But it's a thought.
Well, when Lord British was in charge of things, he said he had no problem with projects like these. ...He's not in charge anymore though.
I bump into a lot of people whose lives have been touched by the Ultima series of games - a lot of people do try to follow the virtues (be they Britannian, Ophidian or Gargish) in order to live a better and more enlightened life.
:)
Now how many developers can really say that they've affected the personal lives of others? I think this is the lasting legacy of Lord British - not his games (they are fabulous), not his haunted houses, but the way he changed the industry and the way he affected people around the world. I wonder if this ever occurred to him while he was busy coding his early games. I have simpler aims, myself - I just want to tell stories.
Maybe because it isn't the same browser? ^_~
Trying to trademark the name "Firebird" is like trying to trademark the word "Sky" or the word "Video". Some of these SQL guys seem to have way too much time on their hands and I think they should relax - as someone else as said, they /are/ getting free publicity... and it really isn't as if the browser folk were creating another database. Personally, I was quite enamoured with the name Phoenix.
Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time in the business world. >_< The new thing, though, was the e-mail campaign - seems a tad childish because it needlessly makes it more difficult for the developers to keep up with other mail. The least they could've done was simply meet with eachother cordially.
What happens if my mp3s are legit rips? Yay, more wood for the fire.
Reminds me of that "156 CD burners are really 421 burners since they're really fast!" argument they tried to pass off some time ago.
First, the court filings are public documents. Anyone can go to the clerk's office for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and request a complete copy of the case file, including all the filings on SearchKing's restricted page. They aren't SearchKing's property. And since the court hasn't entered any order restricting public access to the documents, neither SearchKing nor anyone else has any right to prohibit their reproduction or republication. The major legal publishers are careful to claim copyright only in their database assembly and annotations; they don't dispute that the opinions and briefs they publish are in the public domain. Second, SearchKing (or its lawyers) didn't even write the filings it wants you to pay to have to see. Google's lawyers did.
-LawMeme
So, is it legal for them to be charging $20 for access to these documents? Is that why they call it a donation?
The RIAA can sue ISPs for failure to block "illegal content"; they can also launch suits at businesses that host these files under the idea that they shouldn't be allowing North American access to this files (same reason). They could even accuse Google and whatnot of being involved in the matter of pirating content as Google can be used as a tool to find illegitimate content, or because they provide information on how to find this sort of property. Even if these legal directions don't work, the Industry can also try strong-arm tactics similar to those that Microsoft have used, such as buying out smaller businesses, refusing to ship new products or viciously marking up what's already going there.
Yay for money. All that glitters is not too old.
People will believe what they want to believe. Evidence is ignored or twisted into something that helps their cause; human beings, for as long as the history books remember, have been leaping ahead into possibilities so minute, so improbable in order to feed a familiar sense of understanding; people wish and hope for what they'd rather know rather than what is, at times, oft eventually convincing themselves of something that may be untrue.
I'm sure it'll do much the reverse - the increased hits will eat up more bandwidth but - and this is the big one - these hits will be from people who don't care about the product being advertised, and will likely never willingly come back.
In the end, it just has the effect of alienating users. I'm sure most of their success metrics (as touted by Orbitz) are of people who won't be back. Hello, turnover rate!
Perhaps the problem is less that people have lost several illusions or blankets of privacy and more that people are worried that a system of this nature could one day become abused or broken into.
I'm still fond of being reasonably anonymous and having the ability to conduct conversations in privacy though; imagine the uproar if people were told that they wouldn't be allowed to privately converse with friends over the phone or even in their own homes! At the very least, I feel that citizens should not be trackable except without due cause; sort of like getting a warrant, I suppose.
Hey George Bush! I accidentally ran over your pet cow yesterday. Personally, I hope the system gets filled with garbage. ^_~
No "Best Story" award?
*glitters*
Fabulous. There's an old saying referring to flowers, something about them being weeds until someone's found a use for them.
I'm not saying rats or weeds are useless, of course... but I can already hear the massive campaign platforms and court cases.
Hey now... and I thought he had nothing to hide. Well, himself, I guess.
That's actually much too fast for Ultima 7. ;) SI and Ultima8 are frame-limited though.
I must agree. I'd also like to note that the Ultimas 6, 7 and 7.5 (SI) are still some of the most interactive worlds ever created to date. I haven't played any RPG since those three that has come as close to creating such a magnificent gaming experience in terms of NPC and world interaction. Most RPGs these days treat items as eyecandy and background rather than actual substance of use, and many treat people like quest dispensers or shopkeepers.