[MUD-Dev] DESIGN: Why do MUD players prefer MUDs over MMORPGs

[Mike Oxford]

Mike Rozak wrote:

> Does anyone have anything to add? (Or perhaps someone will point
> to a discussion that happened back in 1999-2001...)

I would add that MUDs are "faster" to develop content for.  It's
much easier to write a rich "zone" than it is to lay it out, develop
the new models/graphics, terrain, etc.  MUDs -can- grow more quickly
and with much more variety than an MMO who simply reuses the models
and terrain features (or has the great expense monetarily/timewise
of developing that new content.)  To the end user it's a 100% "new"
experience (not regarding underlying base classes, etc.) compared to
some MMO expansions which are often just "more of the same."

MMOs have to develop new models/textures - MUDs can just say "a maze
of twisty passages, all alike."

MMOs, however, have the (ad/disad)vantage of being distance-based
instead of room-based which leads to better ranged combat but far
more issues with client-server sync.

> Do you think MMORPGs will ever be able to compete on some/all of
> these points?

Yes.  But it's going to require the offloading/automation of large
portions of the work (or throwing more bodies on it.)

-Mike/Szii
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