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02-14-2007, 07:14 PM

I used to be pretty outspoken against admin corruption. Nowadays I think a little differently.

1. For one thing, I've realized that on big established (free) MUDs, corruption just isn't as common as the whiners allege. Some of the imms on those MUDs have devoted years and years to the game, why would they cheat? With the effort they've expended on the MUD, they could have taken up a second job and gained tens of thousands of dollars, so why would they compromise it all for mere text stuff-- when, to them above everyone else, it's plainly evident that that text stuff really is just text stuff!

2. When corruption DOES exist, it usually can only be felt in the uttermost elite echelons of the playerbase, and is invisible to most actual players (unless it's at really ridiculous levels). Anyone who finds themselves that elite needs to re-evaluate their priorities and ask themselves whether they still have fun while playing the game.

3. Even where corruption does exist, it's often unintentional. Very few imms on an established, thriving MUD will actually scheme, "when noone's watching I'll tweak my player". More often, it's little stuff which they don't even realize some see as corruption. I've learned that before hurling corruption charges, it's wise to give it a long wait and think closely about it, try to see things through the imm's perspective, and so on.

On Realms of Despair, there was an overpowered mob, Hastur. A giant group managed to defeat him with great difficulty. Then the imms changed things so that his most valuable treasure, a key, was dropped by a much easier mob. I was part of the group who made the kill, and so I (and some friends) cried bloody corruption. But we were blinded by our deeply vested interest in the affair. Years later, I realize that the imms did the best thing in an extremely difficult situation. It opened an important part of the area to the playerbase in general, rather than effectively restricting it to the elitest of the elite.

02-14-2007, 07:14 PM	#5
erdos Posts: n/a	I used to be pretty outspoken against admin corruption. Nowadays I think a little differently. 1. For one thing, I've realized that on big established (free) MUDs, corruption just isn't as common as the whiners allege. Some of the imms on those MUDs have devoted years and years to the game, why would they cheat? With the effort they've expended on the MUD, they could have taken up a second job and gained tens of thousands of dollars, so why would they compromise it all for mere text stuff-- when, to them above everyone else, it's plainly evident that that text stuff really is just text stuff! 2. When corruption DOES exist, it usually can only be felt in the uttermost elite echelons of the playerbase, and is invisible to most actual players (unless it's at really ridiculous levels). Anyone who finds themselves that elite needs to re-evaluate their priorities and ask themselves whether they still have fun while playing the game. 3. Even where corruption does exist, it's often unintentional. Very few imms on an established, thriving MUD will actually scheme, "when noone's watching I'll tweak my player". More often, it's little stuff which they don't even realize some see as corruption. I've learned that before hurling corruption charges, it's wise to give it a long wait and think closely about it, try to see things through the imm's perspective, and so on. On Realms of Despair, there was an overpowered mob, Hastur. A giant group managed to defeat him with great difficulty. Then the imms changed things so that his most valuable treasure, a key, was dropped by a much easier mob. I was part of the group who made the kill, and so I (and some friends) cried bloody corruption. But we were blinded by our deeply vested interest in the affair. Years later, I realize that the imms did the best thing in an extremely difficult situation. It opened an important part of the area to the playerbase in general, rather than effectively restricting it to the elitest of the elite.