[MUD-Dev] Removing access to entertainment

[Chanur Silvarian]

I think that the crux of this thread is hinges on the name
MUD... Multi-User Dungeon.  Multi-User means well... multi-user.
Not every user enjoys the same experience and the designer of a MUD
must take that into account.

While trying to create "entertainment" for certain user types the
designer is often creating "hoops" for other user types.  Crafting,
for example, is entertaining to some and others find it completely
boring.  If crafting is included in a game then in order for it to
truely be entertaining to those who enjoy such, they will want their
crafters to be able to make the best stuff in the game.  Well, now
we have a "hoop" for the achiever/killer who is trying to level up
as quickly as possible.  Either the achiever must become a crafter
to get the best gear, find a crafter to craft said gear, or go
without the gear.

Your example of a long horse ride or boat ride... well, actually I
can't see how it is enjoyable by anyone even though I sat here and
tried my best to justify it.  But, I will say this, way back in my
UO days I was the only person that I knew that did not have a lick
of magery (played four years without it, but I'm kinda strange that
way) so I could not use the instant travel that was provided.  My
entertainment was in roleplaying someone without magery, so to me
the access to instant travel was actually a hinderance to
entertainment... I often could not make it to an event in time to
participate because I chose to play someone without magery.  That,
however, was not my biggest irritation with the instant travel
system.

My biggest irritation was that as I walked/wandered throughout that
game world I rarely saw another player even though I knew there were
thousands online.  I never saw them because they used instant travel
to jump directly to their destination... never anyone wandering that
I could interact with in my chosen entertainment venue.  Of course,
being disadvantaged with no magery, I did not travel to the dungeons
where I would no doubt encounter many PKs.  Had I gone there I would
likely have seen many people, but repetitive death in a no-win
scenario did not fit my definition of "entertainment" either.

My point... MUDs have many player types who want different things
and will therefore probably never be able to please everyone with
100% entertainment 100% of the time.  In fact I'd say if you provide
each player with "entertainment" 30% of the time you are probably
doing well given the vast array definitions of "entertainment".

- Chanur Silvarian -
86% Explorer
60% Socializer
33% Killer
20% Achiever
56.6075% Extreme Geek
(www.andreasen.org/bartle)
(www.innergeek.us)
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