[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] "The Next Big Thing" (Was: Who to design for?)

[Abalieno]

Mike Sellers wrote:

From: "Mike Sellers" <mike at onlinealchemy.com>
> Okay, then tell me what the NBT is: predict it for me.  And if you're 
> pretty
> certain about this, if it *is* possible to discern what it's going to be,
> how much of your hard-earned money are you willing to invest in it?
>
> The monetary question is one that often stops people.  It's easy to talk 
> and
> talk about what's certainly the next big thing, but when it's time to pony
> up, suddenly people become shy and a lot more tentative.  There's nothing
> quite like putting your money (or moreso your money and career) on the 
> line
> to clarify your vision of what's next.

One thing is predicting the NBT, one thing is anticipating what can be a NBT 
if realized.

There are hundreds of possible NBTs, projects in incubation that have the 
concrete potential become huge successes. Trying to guess which one 
specifically will become the NBT is utterly stupid because this isn't a 
mailing list about the divination of the future.

Just because there's a project with concrete potential to become huge 
doesn't mean that the project will be realized and executed well. I cannot 
say what the NBT will be because I cannot see in the future. I can analyze 
game design, though. That's what is pertinent to this mailing list. 
Discussing at least the possible shape of this NBT, or the possible shapes 
of the NBTs that could become possible.

I can say that the NBT will have at least two general traits: it will be 
accessible, and it will be immersive.

I can also say that nothing that is currently in the works and announced is 
"risking" to become a NBT. Most of those won't even probably reach 400k 
active subs.