[MUD-Dev] Usability and interface and who the hell is supposed to be playing

[Shawn Halpenny]

On Thu, 25 Sep 1997, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:

> On Thu, 25 Sep 1997 08:47:14 PST8PDT, cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA
> (Chris Gray) wrote:
> 
> >[Caliban D:]
> >
> >:Remove the map window, and you have Nick Gammon's MUSHclient. Or keep the
> >:map window, and you have a reasonable approximate of zMUD with its
> >:automapper ;)
> >
> >OK. Remember that I don't actually *play* MUDs, so I'm pretty out of
> >touch with such things (especially if they are PC based rather than
> >UNIX based). 
> 
> Personal philosophy, I don't really think that someone who doesn't play
> MUDs is the best sort of person to be designing one... although as a
> programmer, I'm often called upon to write special purpose software for
> a group of people I'm not a member of, so I'm certainly not saying that
> you can't do it. 

The opposing side of the argument is equally applicable, particularly
if one is designing a mud from scratch.  There's no baggage and it is
very easy to then do exactly what you want, without worrying if the
typical MUD players are going to like it (not that that is a required
consideration in the minds of any designer who _has_ had previous MUD
experience, but for some, it is).

--
Shawn Halpenny

"You can't buy the necessities of life with cookies"
                                    - "Edward Scissorhands"