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Milawe · 12-29-2007, 07:47 AM

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think it's more than just a good client that matters.

I LOVE text games, but I haven't bothered to play more than an hour or two on the last 6 MUDs I've tried, one of them being an IRE game. For me, having to learn the layout of another new city, an often confusing one, gets really tedious, and sometimes, all the syntax I would have to learn to get involved in a new mud is just too time consuming. I believe it would be even more difficult for someone who isn't already involved in text muds to invest the time necessary to learn as much as is required before you really can get into many of the muds out there. I know that I recently tried a mud where I had almost 30 skills within the first 2 hours of play. That seems like a lot of content, but it's HORRIBLY overwhelming, and I just felt like I couldn't utilize my character very well.

Almost all MMOs start you off with 1 or 2 spells and set you against a bunch of peonic creatures. You get some simple drops, and that's about it. In reality, their games are very simple to learn and pretty simple to master. I think that's why they get a lot of people. Most MU* require MUCH more thought, energy, and commitment to even get started let alone master. Most muds are NOT "newbie friendly" in the way of mechanics no matter how nice and helpful the staff or the players are.

Graphical games also have a huge advantage because you actually have to purchase something up front. So, you drop down your $50, and then you make yourself invest some time and energy into the game you've already decided to buy. Before you've bought the game, you've already sat there and debated whether or not you're going to invest time in learning it. I don't think this is true of people who try muds, and I honestly have no idea how to replicate such a phenomenon. I tend to churn through muds when I sit down to look for one, and I think so do most of the people who try out our games.

Anyway, a nice client helps, but I think you'll find that it won't increase the numbers that much.

12-29-2007, 07:47 AM	#78
Milawe Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Home MUD: Threshold RPG Home MUD: Stash Home MUD: Archons of Avenshar Posts: 653	Re: Reaching out beyond text MUDs I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think it's more than just a good client that matters. I LOVE text games, but I haven't bothered to play more than an hour or two on the last 6 MUDs I've tried, one of them being an IRE game. For me, having to learn the layout of another new city, an often confusing one, gets really tedious, and sometimes, all the syntax I would have to learn to get involved in a new mud is just too time consuming. I believe it would be even more difficult for someone who isn't already involved in text muds to invest the time necessary to learn as much as is required before you really can get into many of the muds out there. I know that I recently tried a mud where I had almost 30 skills within the first 2 hours of play. That seems like a lot of content, but it's HORRIBLY overwhelming, and I just felt like I couldn't utilize my character very well. Almost all MMOs start you off with 1 or 2 spells and set you against a bunch of peonic creatures. You get some simple drops, and that's about it. In reality, their games are very simple to learn and pretty simple to master. I think that's why they get a lot of people. Most MU* require MUCH more thought, energy, and commitment to even get started let alone master. Most muds are NOT "newbie friendly" in the way of mechanics no matter how nice and helpful the staff or the players are. Graphical games also have a huge advantage because you actually have to purchase something up front. So, you drop down your $50, and then you make yourself invest some time and energy into the game you've already decided to buy. Before you've bought the game, you've already sat there and debated whether or not you're going to invest time in learning it. I don't think this is true of people who try muds, and I honestly have no idea how to replicate such a phenomenon. I tend to churn through muds when I sit down to look for one, and I think so do most of the people who try out our games. Anyway, a nice client helps, but I think you'll find that it won't increase the numbers that much.