[MUD-Dev] Re:)

[Jeff Kesselman]

At 08:15 AM 9/1/97 PST8PDT, Ola wrote:
>>Heh. Granted my focus is RP (although ironivcly we are doign a very
>>extensively buitl and abalkcned combat system ebcaus eI believe a good
>>comab tsystem that cant be abused foir easy victory and mindless slaughter
>>ENCOURAGES roleplay.)  
>>
>>Still, I geuss I havent seen this phenomoenon to nay greater extent then
>>Ive sene my game overrun by bad roleplayers, period.  I sigh, do what ic an
>>to build educatio nitn om ynext game, and acccept that Strugeon's Law
>>applies to my client population as  muchas anything else.
>
>If one is talking about a commercial system, mainly populated by
>mainstream off-the-street people, then I don't think one can segregate
>the population into rollplayers, roleplayers, chatters, netsexers or
>whatever.  The same people do different things whenever they feel like,

Precisely my point! It is a ap[rt of roleplay and not seperable.  threfor I
dont' have a problem with them doing it in my roleplay space.  What I have
NOT seen is your "crowds of textual perverts pilign otn oteh system".  Just
doesnt happen.

In fact the few we get generally get booted OFF the system for breakign the
roleplay space by doign things like esping lewd sugegstiosn to every female
name currently on line.
>However, I don't think making a commercial MUD dependant on the roleplaying
>skills (acting and imagination) is a very profitable option. Actually I

Tell that to TSR, Wizards of the Coast, and the entire Roleplay industry.
You seem to forget that here in teh US the TSR novles have consistently
been on the tops of the best sellers lists.

Anyway, its our money andw ehave made our decisions on how to risk it.  Put
simply, we disagree with you 100%.

>usually feel lucky when I meet one in any system.  Rollplayers (stats-
>focusing) players are something different, right?  But what keeps most
>people online for a sustained period of time seems to be communication,
>that is: their net friends expect them to show up. Social pressure
>if you like.


You don't know much about roleplay claearly.  Roleplay is a social
phenomenon.  Teh most loyal NEWNers ahve always been the heavy roleplayers. 

>in the game component.  Wouldn't it be nice if one said MURPG when one
>focus on game component?  That would make my life a lot easier... :)

But it would limit your thinkign soemthing drastic.

These are not isolated phenomona. Roleplay is supported and in fact
encoruaged b ya good comabt system.  Social interractio nis fed b yevents
(from combat and other "game components") and personalities (from roleplay).

MUDs are directly descended 9though distantly at thei point) form the
original single user adventure games whichw ere, belive it or not, an
attenmpt to capture the feelingof D&D games on a computer.

If you really jsu twant to build a chat space then I suggest yo ucall it an
'environmental chat space" or some such thing and leave the term MUD open
for the rest of teh community BUT I think you are staring at a tree and
missing the forest.

JK

>
>Ola.
>
>
Jeff Kesselman
Snr. Game Integration Engineer
TEN -- The Total Entertainment Network -- www.ten.net

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
     Version: 3.1
     GCS/CC/E/IT/MC d+(++)@ s: a C++++$ ULSC+++(++++)$ P++(+++)$ L++ 
     E--- W++$ N++$ o+ K--? w++(+++)$@>--- O+(++)>$ M+>$ !V PS++ PE+ 
     Y+ PGP- t+ 5+ X- R+(++)$>+++* tv+ b+>++ DI+++ !D G e++ h r+++ y+++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ 

Speak Geek!
http://krypton.mankato.msus.edu/~hayden/geek.html