[MUD-Dev2] [REPOST] DGN: Text MUDs; in need of an (r)evolution?

[Mike Rozak]

From: John Mauney
> This topic is for the discussion of the current state of text MUDs,
> and I am posing the question, do text MUDs need some kind of
> (r)evolution?

Some random thoughts:

1) I'd suggest thinking about text MUDs as being primarily VERBAL beasts, 
not just limited to text. Text-to-speech and recorded dialogue should not be 
eliminated.

2) Graphical MMORPGs are primarily visual, but they include verbal 
components. Likewise, text MUDs are primarily verbal, but include graphical 
components. (I totally agree about Telnet being a ball-and-chain, as well as 
the goal of being playable on 1980's vintage computers.)

3) Write a list of everything (intentionally vague term) that text MUDs can 
do well, and a second list of everything that graphical MMORPGs can do well. 
Find the intersection. When designing the text MUD's features, emphasis the 
bits that text can do well that MMORPGs can't, de-emphasize features in the 
intersection, and avoid doing features that MMORPGs handle better.

For example: MMORPGs are excellent at handling 50+ players in a room, 
enabling raids. Text MUDs suck at this. Therefore, don't try to do raids in 
a text MUDs.

For example: Excuse my poor prose, but... "Sarah elegantly sits down, lifts 
her teacup and saucer from the Georgian coffee table, and daintily sips her 
tea, her pinky raised in proper fashion."... While graphical MMORPGs could 
theoretically motion capture this narrative, they won't because it costs way 
too much to motion capture every scene.

4) I've been working on this issue for awhile. Here's my attempted solution 
to the problem: http://www.mxac.com.au/mif/

Mike Rozak
http://www.mxac.com.au