[MUD-Dev] Re: The Future of MMOGs... what's next? (fwd)

[Michael Tresca]

Vincent Archer posted on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 4:13 AM

> If that is so, then the central paradigm of NWN is dead. NWN's
> main attraction was that Vault characters (i.e. those located on
> the central vault) would be the mainsteam way of wandering between
> the various "shared universe" servers that were popping here and
> there.

I disagree.  That is most decidedly NOT the main attraction of NWN.
The main attraction is being able to determine what you do within
your own game -- i.e., run your OWN game.  Some folks will probably
let anything go -- in fact, I know of several projects to create
their own persistent worlds through NWN (which is sort of like using
two acres of land to make yourself a tiny ant farm, but...).  In
other words, it's about choice.

Who cares if there's a vault?  Each gamer's criteria will vary, but
it will be based on whatever THEY want, not what some external third
party wants.  Even better, you do not just log into someone else's
game.  You have to find it and pass whatever criteria the server
host has set for it.

In other words, it's not like a MMORPG, where a million people log
into one place and it doesn't matter whether you're a moron, a
12-year old, or a serious role-player.  You all get treated the
same.

Is this better?  You're damn right it is.  As I've said before, the
human experience can't even comprehend encountering a multitude of
new people every day.  We simply don't know how to relate to it.
When we can't relate, we dehumanize -- when we dehumanize, we grief
by turning the masses into anonymous drones that aren't people and
thus can be cursed at, PKed, etc.

If there's one thing that's key, it's that NWN is PERSONAL.
Assuming it's a great big MMORPG spread out across servers is a
mistake.

> Without the Vault, most of these will close themselves; you will
> need a character on each, as no "serious" server will ever accept
> an outside character.

I'm very sure there will be folks who will take on new characters.
Serious, established servers will likely be invitation only.  And I
see nothing wrong with that.  That's all about screening -- and we
could use more, not less, screening of players.  It's how you reduce
griefers and ensure everybody has a FUN time rather than a mediocre
time to satisfy the masses and maximize profits.

Mike "Talien" Tresca
RetroMUD Administrator
http://www.retromud.org/talien


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