[MUD-Dev] Communication [was Introductions and..]

[Marian Griffith]

On Sat 22 Nov, Matt Chatterley wrote:
> On Wed, 19 Nov 1997, Richard Woolcock wrote:

> [Enormous snippage]

> > However I think OOC channels are important to have, as a lot of players
> > are friends and do like to chat about OOC stuff.  It is particularly 
> > important when death will result in you getting a new body (and thus 
> > name+description), forcing you to remeet everyone.  At least OOC (using
> > your soul/login name to talk with) is a constant factor.

> I'll take this paragraph to spin off on a tangent, if you don't mind. :)

> One of the big beauties of online-gaming in this fashion (as opposed to
> quake, and so forth) is the level of communication which you have with
> other people, potentially all over the world, from all sorts of
> backgrounds (this is one of the big pulls of muds for me).

It is what makes a mud different from other games. And yes, it is this
unique quality that will keep muds alive. They may change and even be-
come more graphical  but this ability to talk with other people around
the world is what really makes the mud interesting.

> There are a lot of things which can restrict this communication (which is
> 9/10 times going to be OOC in nature, the way I am referring to it), and
> it often seems desirable to do so, but is this perhaps an error, at least
> in 'marketing' - does it make the game less attractive to players?

Definitely. During RP you need that ooc conversation quite a lot to
coordinate your actions with other players. For idle acting perhaps
not but in a highly involved plot often critical reactions are dis-
cussed using ooc communication.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey