[MUD-Dev] Re: Influential muds

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

"Koster, Raph" wrote:

> Do any MUSHes actually have storytelling capabilities? What exactly IS
> storytelling capability in a mud? Can you define a feature set?

The lack of support for powerplayers?  Perhaps the admins are less
technically oriented, and thus do more to encourage non-powergaming?=20
There must be a reason for why the more technically oriented mudbases
(LP) to a large degree are oriented towards powergaming (or programming
even). Of course, it could also be attributed to historical progress.

With very little experience with MUSHes I would then postulate the
following feature set:

- branding: MUSH has been established as a storytelling "trademark",
            and they invest a lot of energy into distinguishing it
            from the MUD label in their marketing and propaganda
            efforts. ("it is not a MUD it is a MUSH")
- powergaming unfriendly: powergamers disrupt roleplayers ability to
            immerse. The branding has also established MUSHEs as a
            boring type of MUD to powergamers which further keeps
            the powergaming factor low.
- low tech factor: part of the branding which might appeal to
            storytelling focused admins.
- established paradigm: a priori (upfront) expectations might be
            more like=F8y satisfied when a "musher" tries a new MUSH
            than when he tries a random non-MUSH. Thus they might
            be able to circulate the users within their own brand.

If there is anything to be learned from withtin the hobbyist realm, it
might be this: even though advancementscales might promote storytelling
within a domain of storytellers it is also likely to attract noise
(powergamers), and the result might be more negative than a system with
less focus on advancement, realism and a dangerous environment?

This is of course highly speculative... and perhaps plain wrong?

--
Ola Fosheim Groestad,Norway



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