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KaVir · 09-02-2002, 05:02 AM

I definitely agree with Alexander Tau on this point. When the MMORPGs started turning up in 1995*, they quickly started to stumble into numerous problems - problems which had been encountered and solved years earlier by most text-based muds.

Adding features to a mud simply to make it appear "unique" is a rather silly gesture. The idea should be to create a game based around a specific vision, and create the features (unique or otherwise) which help realise that goal. In this respect, previous experience gives no real advantage.

However the issue which the MMORPGs stumbled on is to learn from mistakes - and not just your own, but those of others before you. Without knowledge of other muds you might well be able to create a unique and conceptually good mud, but you're also going to be starting back at the beginning of the learning curve; even the Diku team "learned" from the mistakes of AberMUD before they began developing their mud.

OnyxFlame's derogatory comment towards hack & slash muds only exemplifies the point. There is no "right" or "wrong" type of mud, no "better" or "worse" approach - only variations in vision and style. Ignoring or dismissing one type of mud only results in a narrower vision and less potential creativity on your own behalf. Even if an individual mud is a complete failure, it still serves as a valuable lesson for those with an open mind.

* Although the earliest graphical mud appeared in 1985, it was really around 1995 that the whole MMORPG thing started to kick off and become popular.

09-02-2002, 05:02 AM	#6
KaVir Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Name: Richard Home MUD: God Wars II Posts: 2,052	I definitely agree with Alexander Tau on this point. When the MMORPGs started turning up in 1995, they quickly started to stumble into numerous problems - problems which had been encountered and solved years earlier by most text-based muds. Adding features to a mud simply to make it appear "unique" is a rather silly gesture. The idea should be to create a game based around a specific vision, and create the features (unique or otherwise) which help realise that goal. In this respect, previous experience gives no real advantage. However the issue which the MMORPGs stumbled on is to learn from mistakes - and not just your own, but those of others before you. Without knowledge of other muds you might well be able to create a unique and conceptually good mud, but you're also going to be starting back at the beginning of the learning curve; even the Diku team "learned" from the mistakes of AberMUD before they began developing their mud. OnyxFlame's derogatory comment towards hack & slash muds only exemplifies the point. There is no "right" or "wrong" type of mud, no "better" or "worse" approach - only variations in vision and style. Ignoring or dismissing one type of mud only results in a narrower vision and less potential creativity on your own behalf. Even if an individual mud is a complete failure, it still serves as a valuable lesson for those with an open mind. Although the earliest graphical mud appeared in 1985, it was really around 1995 that the whole MMORPG thing started to kick off and become popular.