Population divisions (wasRe: [MUD-Dev] To good to be TRUE, in an MMPORPG?)

[Matt Mihaly]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2001, Sean K wrote:

> I would think this extends to socialization as well.  In a small
> MUD, evey player could be considered a member of the same social
> group, with the same norms and mores.

Only in a VERY small MUD. Achaea is quite small (maxxing out around
200 simultaneous) and we've got a ton of different communities, many
of whom interact with each other only in very hostile manners, and
who more or less detest each other.


> I think the only solution is to accept the inevitability of such
> behavior and either create a game which ignores it by insulating
> groups from one another or encourages it by pitting them against
> one another.  In either case, the player base is divided into
> subgroups which ideally all have similar interests.
> Hrm... interesting that my proposed solution to social problems in
> a massively multiplayer game is to divide the player base into
> smaller groups.  Seems a tad contrary to the intent of the game.

If you're talking about the big graphical MUDs, then the intent of
the game is to make money. I could go on for ages about why group
vs. group interaction helps to keep your players addicted, but I
doubt I'd be saying anything that isn't already well-understood.

--matt

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