[MUD-Dev] Trouble Makers or Regular Citizens

[J C Lawrence]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2000 13:48:20 -0800 
Ananda Dawnsinger <ananda at greyrealms.com> wrote:

> Based partly on first-hand experience, I'd say that it's less
> important that the admins ban or not ban, than that the players
> know when the admins will step in and when they won't.  

Aye, predictability is key, both for whether an Admin will
intervene, and what the scale of his response is likely to be.
looking back on Lorry's rant, and my own memories pf (the fairly
anarchic) SX MUD from thos days, yes, the administration was
capricious, disproportionate, and uber-violent.  It was also
generally predictable at a gross level of capriciousness:

  High level players, and in particular wizards were not to be
trifled with.  You were tasty with or without catsup, and were the
default target and prey item in-game and out-of-game.

That said, *most* wizards came off fairly decently (a few were well
known as players to avoid at all costs).  The trick was that none of
them could be relied on to be so pleasant at any particular time,
and that determining when was a "good time" was a black art
(remember, those were the very early days of text-only
communications, long before emoticons and other standarised/iconic
emotional communication forms).  Thus one tended to an overly ornate
formality, a rather tentatively petitioning and apologetic approach,
and the very very best manners you could come up with without
seeming fawning or overly familiar.  

If, IRL, you happened to walk into a room with Tiamat in human form,
wouldn't you be on your best behaviour, prone to formality, and
awfully careful about how much you imposed (even if only by being
there and breathing)?

--
J C Lawrence                              Internet: claw at kanga.nu
----------(*)                            Internet: coder at kanga.nu
...Honorary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...


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