[MUD-Dev] Text Muds vs Graphical Muds

[Michael Tresca]

Anderson, David posted on Thursday, June 20, 2002 4:16 PM

> Any other ideas why text muds seem to stop growing at some point?
> The servers aren't slowing down, it's not like the box can't
> handle another few hundred people.

Lack. Of.  Vision.

Most MUDs are a hodge-podge mess of inherited code, conflicting
aims, changing coding staff, and coder whim.  If there isn't strong
leadership and a vision of the game, it eventually collapses on
itself.

Very VERY few MUDs build big.  Even fewer build DEEP.  Instead, it's
"let's see what I feel like coding today."  There is certainly room
for this kind of coding on every MUD, but if it's exclusively how
the game grows, it's going to grow only as far as the creativity and
interest of its coders.

Where should the game be?  How many players do you WANT on the game?
What kind of players do you want?  What kind of game do you want?
If you could sum up your game in a sentence, what would it be?

Few coding staff can answer these questions.

Another example: What should is your coding staff's rules and
regulations?

You either code on RetroMUD or you're out.  Active coders are
rewarded, non-active coders are given warnings and then removed.
Coders come exclusively from our playerbase.  We do this because
experience has taught us we want a person who embraces the vision of
the game -- we do not want random shmoe coder to come in and just do
whatever he feels like because "he's a builder on other games."

Not everybody likes this.  But we thought about it ahead of time.
It's amazing how much a MUD can grow if you consider the issues and
write down policies that help shape the game rather than make
arbitrary decisions that you'll likely forget a year down the road.

It is very easy to make a popular MUD.  You can make it easy to
advance, give out freebies, and otherwise make the game a GOPers wet
dream.

It is not easy to make a sustainable MUD.  Vision isn't the only
thing, but it's a big part.

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

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