[Jazuela]

What attracted me to my first text game, was that I wasn't watching TV. In other words, I started with text, specifically for the purpose of avoiding graphics. Since modern socialization revolves around graphics, I don't know how valid my opinions are. However, here's a thought, just the same:

Don't automate. Make the players actually do each thing necessary. Don't "put them in a special room" where some mobile tells them what to type in order to pick up the broadsword, wield it, and kill a kobold. Instead, focus on the help file system. Make it as intuitive as possible, with enough cross-referencing to cross your eyes.

If someone comes from a graphics game where they click a clickie and it shows what they have in their inventory has grown by 1 item...

Then include references to get, pick, take, hold, drop, give, accept, and use in the inventory helpfile. In the use helpfile, include all ways someone can use something, in addition to the actual use command: wield, wave, drop, give, hold, equip, break, throw, etc. etc.

Help files should be succint, but they should -also- provide a list of other help files people can refer to if they're looking for something different, but related.

The help files should -also- be on the website, categorized and sorted alphabetically, PLUS numerically, PLUS by category, and within each category, alphabetically. So the entirety of the help file list should be accessible in any number of ways, because players will look for a single file in any number of ways. Excel can do this with ease, most spreadsheet programs can as well. Plus they can be transferred to html nicely so there really is no reason why every mud's help files aren't set up in a multitude of cross-referenced lists.