[MUD-Dev] FAQ: Personality Clash

[Koster]

Resending...

----------
From: 	Koster, Raph
Sent: 	Monday, January 05, 1998 6:15 PM
To: 	'mud-dev at null.net'
Subject: 	RE: [MUD-Dev]  FAQ: Personality Clash

Hmm, I guess my profile was gleaned from various things here and 
there, but I dunno how much of it is as I'd leave it. :)

----------
From: 	Ling[SMTP:K.L.Lo-94 at student.lboro.ac.uk]
Sent: 	Monday, December 22, 1997 2:17 AM
To: 	Mud Dev Mailing List
Subject: 	[MUD-Dev]  FAQ: Personality Clash

Raph Koster

> Occupation: Mud programmer?

Currently, lead designer for Ultima Online, for Origin Systems.

> Addresses: rkoster at origin.ea.com

Also koster at eden.com though my wife (also a list member) uses this 
address as well.

> Personal details:
>     - Creative director of mud.

Heh, guess that sums up a lot. :) Yeah, basically, though I am not 
actually the director for UO. Uh, married to fellow mud designer 
Kristen Koster, also listmember. One kid, another on the way. Based in 
Austin TX. Have a BA in English (Creative Writing) and in Spanish 
(Literature), and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Age 26.

> Server: LegendMUD, known on there as Ptah
>      <http://mud.aus.sig.net>
>      <telnet://mud.aus.sig.net:9999>

The address has recently changed to mud.sig.net and the .aus version 
is deprecated... should be obsolete soon. Should UO count as a server? 
If so, http://www.owo.com is the site for that.

>     - Runs a lecture series often of interest to the mudding 
community.

How about "used to." :)

>    - Origin raided the mud for talent followed by M59 two weeks 
later.

*shrug* I think Mike (who was the heart of M59 at the time) hired one 
guy who wasn't actually directly affiliated, who's still with 3DO. 
 And his brother. Plus he approached me. Dunno how much relevance this 
has to the bio though? :)

> Server concepts/features:
>     - Has evolved into a weird hybrid of LP and Diku.
> Game concepts/features:
>    - First classless mud.

I tend not to make that claim because I don't know for sure. I know it 
was one of the first before the big boom in it. We couldn't find 
another one as model when we started, at any rate. Maybe some dinos on 
the list might know?

>    - Probably the first historical theme gaming mud.

If I had to sum up key Legend concepts and features, beyond the 
above:

- attempt to provide truly fictional immersion, from detailed 
hand-designed questing, to carefully crafted and well-written areas, 
to output designed to read like prose (see the speech system for an 
example of what I mean--adverb support, etc etc).
- word-based spell system (it doesn't work, wasn't pushed far enough 
into the realm of spell language).

> Server: Ultima Online
>     [Should be able to read this up in various reviews and such?? - 
Ling]

My known name around UO is "Designer Dragon".

Design concepts:

- world simulation
- Maslow-based AI system for ecological sim and for basic human 
activity (NPC moods, etc)
- pool-based conversation system
- economic sim layer
- social control mechanisms (notoriety, etc).
- dynamic modular quest system

Notable facts:

- appears to be the first big mass market persistent world that really 
breaks through and establishes the genre as a commercially viable 
one.
- pretty controversial, plagued with all sorts of problems from day 
one, reviews range from stellar to in the toilet. ;)

And as far as my design interests:

- Particularly interested in social evolution in virtual environments, 
and related issues such as administration of said environments, 
methods of social control, user awareness of social context, etc.
- game and server features that contribute to the above.
- Most everything Mike Sellers listed off ;) such as ecological sim 
layers, Maslow, etc. :)

Signature:
-Raph

The eden account has a big ol' mess of a sig that I keep meaning to 
get rid of. :P I don't have it handy though.

--------

On a separate note, I'd really like to see the FAQ include notable 
servers/designs that are referred to as touchstones for discussion. My 
list would include Legend (of course! ;), DartMUD, Armageddon, 
Medievia (yeah, I know, but there are lots of topics there worthy of 
discussion), MUME, Avalon, Gemstone, Realm, M59, UO, plus most 
everything folks are working on on this list.

-Raph