[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) AD: [custom graphical] whitestar Crossfire MUD

[Jay Sax]

On Mon, 4 May 1998 09:21:39 -0500, Koster, Raph wrote:

>I'd be curious to hear what the motivations of those on the list are. 
>Or as a broader topic: what do people see as motives for people 
>crafting muds? One of the primary motivations I have seen in the past 
>is, "to make a game like the one I used to play until they changed it 
>on me." How much of the stagnation of mud development do you think is 
>attributable to this motive?
>
>-Raph

My motivations are not too complex, I'd say:

- I love creating, and this gives me a very nice creative outlet.  
- I've played games, starting with Jutland from Avalon Hill 32+
  years ago, and enjoyed them in virtually every form
- I did find that I honestly spent more time reading the rules
  than playing, at least until the on-line days began
- I've played plenty of muds I really liked, among them are
  Legends of Future Past, Ptah's Legends, DartMUD, Threshold,
  and even Owen Emlen's Aturion Dynasty.  And among them I've
  seen plenty of things needing improving, and plenty of things
  that inspired me to entirely new concepts

Or, in brief, I do it because I'd like to play a game just like
I think would be really fun, only nobody's doing it just right yet.

So for the past few years I've spent my time daydreaming about
online gaming, and writing endless notes to myself about design.
One of my favorite goodies I had hoped to drop on the mudding
world as my gift was a pretty fully developed social system with
loyalties and trust, voluntary organizations, influence, respect,
and social/political power.  Imagine my chagrin when a nice chunk
of it seems already to have popped out of both your head, Raph,
in the form of some of the nice social stuff in UO, and from Dr.
Cat's head, in the form recently described on this list!  oh well.
Perhaps I'll write it up anyway.  I think it's workable and FUN
and can be a nice way to add more things to do besides killing.

Ah well, enough wandering for now.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
   Jay Sax                             cimri at technologist.com
+- Partner, Alternate Reality Net -----------------------------------+



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MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.