[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method

[quzah]

-----Original Message-----
From: S. Patrick Gallaty <choke at sirius.com>
To: mud-dev at kanga.nu <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Date: Tuesday, July 28, 1998 4:55 PM
Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method



>-----Original Message-----
>From: Leach, Brad BA <Leach.Brad.BA at bhp.com.au>
>Date: Tuesday, July 28, 1998 4:27 PM
>Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method

>|On Tuesday, July 14, 1998 12:21 PM
>|J C Lawrence <claw at under.engr.sgi.com> wrote:


>|but then again, we were
>|faced with the options of evolving into a society with culture, or at
>|the other end of the scale - extinsion. As there are no consequences of
>|any actions from a mud, I cant see any result apart from extinsion -
>
>You've hit upon a very interesting concept that I strongly suggest you
>investigate.  You want to create a society on a mud?  Make something
>that the mud has to work together to protect and create.
>For instance, a mud that started out without technology like steel...
>where players had to work to research it, mine it, to protect their 
>hovels from the monsters who would actively attack the base 
>town etc.
>
>Make extinction a real possibility... extinction meaning loss 
>of technology, loss of some cooperatively gained bonuses...
>loss of the infrastructure that makes things like metal armor and
>domesticated animals possible... that makes magic and written
>language possible.
>
>Survival is a very good way to make people stick together.
>
>You might have just answered my questions about where I should
>go with my next mud :)

An extreme idea here, I was thinking along the lines of doing
something like:

--
*poof, you're in the game now, after having created your identity*
You are alone in a field, not knowing how you got here, or who you
really are. (It's really lame, but how else do you explain their
history in this setting.)

The world is without form, and void -- er.. You start in a field,
and don't have anything. There are no towns. There are no cities,
no tools, nada. You are alone (until you find some players). Have
fun.
--

The idea here is, if you want a town, you have to build one. If you
want a tool, make it. :) The dawn of civilization. (gee that sounds
corny) Granted, it's an interesting idea to toy with, but who would
find it fun to play? Some would, but the public masses would hate
it.

"Where's the town, where's the mud school, why don't I have any gold,
where is everyone, what do I do?" -- I can hear it now.

-Q-