[MUD-Dev] The 'Socialiser' problem

[Greg Munt]

On Fri, 8 Aug 1997, Nathan Yospe wrote:

> On Fri, 8 Aug 1997, Greg Munt wrote:
> 
> :The ultimate aim of my server is to attempt, in some respects, to model 
> :reality.
> 
> :I ran a TinyMUD for several years. Its users could be partitioned into 
> :two sets:
> 
> :   1. Socialisers (This label is used, since members of this set are closely 
> :      related to Bartle's Socialisers; members of this set do not role-play 
> :      in any way.) 
> 
> :   2. Softcoders.
> 
> :   Users can be members of both sets.
> :   Users can be members of the Socialiser set only.
> :   Users cannot be members of the Softcoder set only.
> 
> What, no roleplayers whatsoever?

None. As far as the Socialisers are concerned, the game is strictly a 
talker - people talk about events in their real lives, about themselves, 
etc.

> :  5. To have their own, personal, private room (again, at no charge or 
> :     detriment) - this area may be used to 'entertain' close friends
> 
> Mmm. OK, this is a little different...
> 
> :  6. To instantaneously teleport to various locations within the game 
> :     (such as their personal room, or the personal room of a friend - also 
> :     to 'public' rooms)
> 
> This too.

Both of these are features borrowed from conventional talkers, such as 
EW-2 or NUTS.

> :  5. If you do have some sort of 'free' area, it wont have much privacy - 
> :     the most that could be justified is some kind of shelter for the 
> :     homeless
> 
> How about a clearing in a forest?

A forest clearing can't be locked. Absolute privacy cannot be guaranteed. 
(Someone hiding in a tree could overhear the conversation, for example.)

> Everything you mentioned is available from (and only from, OOC) the shell
> account and OOC chatrooms outside of the game itself, for me. It makes it
> possible to, for example, chat with the guy from the opposing side after a
> major clash between factions of the radical elements of the war (all PCs
> are technically on the same side, but that doesn't stop them from
> fighting, as I have learned.) in the "dressing room" or "backstage", or to
> just hang out in the "singles room", the "bar", or learn something
> (possibly useful for the game) in the "tutoring rooms"... Email and
> newsgroups, fingers and pages (that get through to people in the game if
> not blocked) are all possible from the shell.

Seperating the game into two is a possibility. However, this falls into 
the 'two muds in one' trap. In some aspects, it can appear rather 
contrived, and only existing as a means of attracting pure Socialisers.

The feature that you refer to, allowing OOC players to page IC players, 
would that not disrupt the 'immersion'? If you are going to allow this, 
you may as well integrate the two areas into one. I can see no effective 
difference - and my unwillingness to integrate abstraction with 
virtual pseudo-reality (and the resultant problems) was the motivation for 
the original post.
   
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            "Scratch muds can only ever be leaves of The Mud Tree."          
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