[MUD-Dev] mudschools

[Robert Woods]

On Sun, 24 May 1998, Mike Sellers wrote:

> Here's an idea: why not use the age-old apprenticeship program?  Just as
> many (esp older) muds have quest requirements for getting to high levels,
> why not introduce a requirement that says that you must help <n> newbies
> get to a certain percentage in your primary skill area before you can
> advance?  This would give higher-level people an incentive to find newbies
> and help them out, including equipping them, helping them learn the ropes,
> etc.  The human touch is _much_ better than a cookie-cutter mudschool, IMO
> (and it gives a reason for the more powerful characters to be interested in
> equipment and parts of the game that would otherwise be irrelevant to
> them).

The main problem that I see with that is you're forcing people to be
newbie helpers through requiring them to help some newbies before they can
advance.  Not all players make good newbie helpers, and those who don't
want to be newbie helpers shouldn't be forced to.

On the MUD I used to code and admin for (I left to start my own MUD), we
gave bonuses to those who were big newbie helpers, especially people in
guilds like Clerics (of the good goddess), Defenders, and Knights.  This
encouraged those people to keep doing what they were doing and gave
newbies a good impression of the MUD.

However, even those newbie helpers got tired of continually answering the
same questions.  These few basic questions can easily be answered in a
"cookie-cutter" library-type mudschool, rather than wasting the newbie
helper's time and making them bitter.

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I'm not insane, I'm just irrational.

-Bob