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The two biggest changes I have been seeing as I have been looking around has been more commercial influences and a broadening of what Mu* means.
The success of the big MMORPGs has obviously impressed people with the idea that money can be made these days and some people are taking advantage of it. A pay to play Mud was considered obscene not too many years ago. I have even been bitten by the bug, if the game I am working on should ever reach the point at which it seems it could generate 100,000 per year in subscriptions I will probably go commercial myself. Unlikely, but at least it is something I am considering which I never had the chance to do in the past.
I think eventually, and this may still be years away, but the very best text-based traditional Muds will be commercial ventures.
I agree with whoever said that eventually many private-run games will be graphic. Things like NWN have spawned large communities of their own and we can expect more and more of them as time passes.
The broadening of the concept of what a Mud is will meet a lot of resistance, perhaps even a new name will be needed for people to rally behind. This sort of thing always makes life interesting. Does a place like TMS stay focused on what we currently call Muds, or does it accept the new generation?
A.T
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