[MUD-Dev] Graphic MUDS.

[Michael Hohensee]

Adam Wiggins wrote:
> 
> I've always thought this way.  It was more a mistake than anything I guess;
> when I logged onto my first mud, saw the way I could interact with the
> environment and actually have things *stay* the way I put them; heard
> the immorts talk about building their zones; heard all the stories of
> the incredible happenings (most of which were no doubt greatly exagerated)

I felt the exact same way when I was accidentally initiated into mudding
at 
DragonMUD.  While it was up, and running Merc2.2, the feeling stayed as
strong
as ever.  Sadly, they converted to ROM, and the magic seemed to die. 
For 
whatever reason, I've become unable to become attached to playing any
mud like 
that ever since.  Possibly because I then discovered that other muds
were exactly
the same. 

I wonder, is this experience universal with all mud players?  And if so,
is 
there anything we can do about it?

> I got this picture of this horendously complex, completely consistant
> and self-maintaining world.  Of course, that was hardly the case - as I
> recall that mud crashed not less than every five to six hours, and was
> about the furthest thing from consistant there is. 

Well, in a way, any mud that runs for more than 10 minutes *is*
horrendously
complex, and *has* to be completely consistent (until it isn't, at which
point,
it crashes ;).  I mean, the data structures and the ways they are
handled are
fairly simple, but the sheer number being handled makes it feel big.  We
coders have a different way of thinking about muds.  We view it in terms
of the way the program manipulates things, only considering a handful of
objects
at a time.  A raw beginner, who doesn't understand the mechanism behind
the mud,
sees it as one vast conglomerate of objects and creatures with varying
and
mysterious qualities.  It's quite understandable to feel awed by a mud.
:)

> Still, that's the
> feeling I got when I first played it, and that vision has stuck with
> me ever since.  So to me it's actually kind of amazing that others
> play the game and consider it just a big game of Zork with lots of people
> around to talk to.

Those are the people who never got into mudding, or who, like me, have
passed
beyond the initial login experience, but have forgotten what it felt
like.

Ah well, we can pity those poor souls. :)

--
Michael Hohensee		michael at mainstream.net
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/9025