[MUD-Dev] ghost mode

[Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com]

From: Rayzam [mailto:rayzam at travellingbard.com]

> Actually, it's give them a chance and most will leave to other
> games around that are easier/faster to power/whatnot. Some will
> stay and learn, and appreciate the experience.

> And I'm talking empirically. Retromud is by no means
> easy. However, we do make things easier for newbies and complexity
> gets added in stages.  Still, we see many new players, a lot of
> whom quit vocally on channels because its too complicated, its not
> easy enough, why can't I just start killing something and have the
> game just keep casting the same spell until its dead like in other
> games.  Players tell these new players to try to stick it
> out. They call it 'the graduate school of mudding'. The new
> players can learn if they put the time in. Then the new players
> reply, why bother, I'll just go somewhere else.

> Yep, about 8 out of 10 ignore the chance.  Granted, this is in the
> text mud world, where there are many muds to choose from. As there
> are more graphical games, I predict the same will occur as there
> are more choices there too. Frankly, we may have hit that point
> already.

Well that's missing the point a tad. My argument would be that there
should be the means to cast the same boring fireball again and again
if they want.  At the same time, there ought to be the option to do
more advanced tactics and earn greater success. You can't throw it
all at them at once, so if that really was feedback from players
surely you now go and work out how to give them that, but at less
than optimal effectiveness.

I think with a text mud your interface will inhibit you
though. Learning commands is just harder than a well thought out gui
and theres not a lot you can do about that.

Anyway if retromud was a graphical game, I'd be there like a
shot. Sounds just my cup of tea. Sadly I've never really liked text
games (which is odd given how much I read).

Dan
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