[MUD-Dev] Commercial value of RP

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad <olag@ifi.uio.no>]

JC Lawrence <claw at under.Eng.Sun.COM> wrote:

>Wouldn't a 3D graphical yada yada version of a standard hack'n'slash
>(DIKU?) seem to have a more instant commercial appeal, or is it
>because those 3D graphical DIKU's are really games like Diablo which
>we've all tacitly agreed are not MUDs?

Because they (users) will demand Quake or better. Maybe?

I know some are working on communication + userprovided content as the
main attraction, but who knows when they will surface?  I am not all
that surprised, the first ones will try to "reuse" a formula that has
been successfull, or is related to formulas that has been successfull.
I would, if I was to spend 1 million USD.

Besides wasn't/isn't M59 a 3D hack'n'slash a'la DIKU?  Kill monsters
or social interaction?  Most people I met were not really roleplaying,
they didn't claim to be either.

>The lutefisk is starting to smell funny in Denmark.  Why?

Norway. (Attributions? Lutefisk doesn't smell much.)

>Quite the problem is publicity.  Given a large enough population sheer
>numbers might make it viable.  The problem is ensuring that your heavy
>RP game i know of by your potential heavy RP players.  As we all know,
>the 'net and Web are ideally organised and cross-indexed media for
>ensuring that all 'net users have instant and ready access to whatever
>services match their whimsical criteria...

Word of mouth (WOM) is rather good, if the product is excellent in
it's class, and the timing is right. (Myst and others) Quite a lot of
hardcore RPers do go to conventions?

Actually I think WOM is the best way to market a product of this type
if you are able to get the ball rolling.

Ola.
(Does webspiders index java code?)