[MUD-Dev] Importance of User Documentation

[Dave Kennerly]

Sanvean wrote:
>On Sat, 30 Sep 2000, Jon Morrow wrote:
>> 2) What are the effects of good documentation?  Decreased cost on
>> administrative support?  Or is it effective at all?  Why?

>It is effective, but it's only effective to the extent that players are
>willing to read them.  ...
>reduces the number of wishes requesting information, or at least provides
>something you can readily point the wisher at.

And documentation reduces the amount of requests of information because of
player dissemination.  Some expert players enjoy helping, and some enjoy the
authority of being experts, and some both.  Even though most players don't
read the help, those that do have an authoritative answer for those that
don't.



On Sat, 30 Sep 2000, Jon Morrow wrote:
>changed to accommodate the novice, I believe new documentation practices
are
>in order.

I agree, but more precisely I believe: both; not either/or. Staff docs +
Player memetic drift.  Whether a game administrator entitles them or not,
expert players will disseminate whatever knowledge maximizes point growth
rate.  E.g., how to use skills.  User-created documentation disseminated
spell-knowledge for Asheron's Call magic system, which Toby Ragaini planned
to be game-mechanically conducive to secrecy.

By the point gain rate definition and by most definitions of quality, users
create the best documents for massive online games.[1]  And why not?  Users,
or at least not direct creators, write the best documents for almost
everything else.



On Sat, 30 Sep 2000, Jon Morrow wrote:
>1) Has anyone encountered a MUD with a good documentation model?  What
makes
>it good?  How can it be improved?

I have a goal; I don't think it's a model. But I hope it helps answer your
question.

I write my online docs in such a way that our staff quality assurance
manager can fully test the features (e.g. a new monastery or a new
player-judged arena) by reading the player document alone, with the
exception of "secrets" (What I want players to believe are secrets; there
are no secrets).

Dave Kennerly

[1] Player created document examples: For Everquest, Alakazam's Magical
Realm is amazing. http://everquest.allakhazam.com/
Considering a much smaller English-speaking player base, Dark Ages has
comparably rich player documentation: www.darkages.com/library/lore




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