[Malifax]

I haven't played a Simutronics game in a REALLY long time, so I can't comment there. I wasn't talking about them or anyone else specifically anyway. You and I obviously look at the "goodness" of a game very differently. I love good RP, but as a designer/programmer/developer, I see beauty in great gameplay and clean mechanics as well. LoFP and Inferno both had role-play in spades, but mechanically, both were rather bland. I don't think Gemstone has never been mistaken for a hot bed of RP, but at least in it's pre-AOL days, its mechanics were clean and the gameplay was pretty darn exceptional (in large part because it was based on RM).

(I think if Jon had paid more attention to Legends, it could have been as big or bigger than GS. Oh well.)

My point isn't that paying for a game makes it better, though from a resource, knowledge and sheer manpower standpoint, I do think a software shop is more capable of producing great mechanics than a part-time hobbyist, and professionals are more likely to get interested if there's money involved. I don't think anyone will debate that professional designers and coders will produce better software than kids in their dorm rooms. My point was and is, I don't understand peoples' reluctance to support a text game monetarily, even if they love it. That's all.

@plamzi:

Nobody is going to pay for text anymore. This I know. Its time has unfortunately come and gone. I just think that if all the people who have loved MUDs over the decades had been willing to show it with their wallets, we may not be having this discussion.

Without a doubt. I think the biggest issue is retention. The problem there is that we've become a society based on instant gratification; if we have to do much more than point and click, we're moving on. I bet there is a sizable segment of the gamer population that can't even tell you what "RPG" stands for, and a heck of a lot more of them who have no idea what it really means. From my experience, it's easy to get these folks to come take a look. It's nigh impossible to get them to stay. I think it comes down to involving them instantly in stories, showing them what role-play is and demonstrating the difference between what can be done with a typed four-word command and the barrage of mouse clicks they're so used to. Unfortunately, that's a lot easier said than done.

IMHO, the real downfall of MUDs began with instant messaging. Our games used to be places where people could congregate in their free time and socialize with friends around the world. These days, socialization happens among people anywhere and everywhere in about 100 different ways, instantly, 24/7.