[MUD-Dev] Blog about GDC implies changes to MMORPG population

[ceo]

Sean Howard wrote:
> "Damien Neil" <damien.neil at gmail.com> wrote:

>> You honestly think that the appeal of being a mighty hero plays no
>> part in the reason people play (some) MUDs?

> I don't think it factors in at all.

Try playing one of the open-source versions of a classic game you
enjoy - e.g. FreeCraft (WarCraft) - with all the graphics
removed. Early versions of these games used awful graphics that in
no way removed any aspect of the game save for visual quality;
indeed, they tended to increase the ability to strategise because of
the simplified graphics.

But they really are boring to play. I initially found this to be
quite a surprise, having long been aware that when playing most
real-time games I quickly stopped noticing the graphics, and
thinking that therefore they didn't really matter.

>> If being a hero wasn't important, nobody would complain about
>> fighting rats.

> They don't complain about fighting rats. They complain about
> fighting nothing but rats - they want variety.

Sweeping generalizations :P - here's another: Most people complain
really that "the process of fighting rats is dull in all ways:
visually (nothing impressive like a big dragon with special lighting
effects), mentally (no special-moves and cunning AI you have to
out-wit), and rewardingly (you never get any magic armour with
special powers like "grants weare ability to fly" from killing a
rat)".

IMHO, it's worth stepping out of the gross simplifications and
considering the different elements behind the player's simple
statment "s'boring": they may not voice complex complaints, but
those issues are nevertheless present in their minds (maybe they're
just so unenthused they can't be bothered to analyse why they are
bored ;)).

Adam M
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