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Delerak · 04-28-2008, 12:36 PM

I don't fail to realize anything Threshold. What you seem to fail to be realizing is this:

All of your points you make are in reference to books. While this is indeed a reputable comparison in terms of RPI muds which do play and feel like you're in a novel sometimes, it doesn't grasp the full experience of having to deal with a permanent death on a character. I agree that it is a feature choice, but it's not JUST a feature choice. It's a totally different experience, it's a totally different ballgame and to say that it doesn't improve somebodys ability to stay in-character while on the mud is just ignorant of the RPI system.

What permanent death does, for most people, if not all of the players is it makes you think differently about your character. It makes the experience more real.

If I login to a mud, any mud where death simply has no meaning, it detracts completely from being able to make decisions with a character. Decisions, while it doesn't seem like a big topic, matters a lot on an RPI mud where death is constantly in the back of your mind. It's just a totally different experience, and it further reinforces your roleplay. Even if a MUD has a setting where there is "reincarnation" you're getting into the world of either High Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or another genre that doesn't fit well with RPI muds for the most part. Can it be done? Probably, but all of the RPI's I know are low fantasy muds.

At the same time you have to realize that even if an RPI mud did this and permadeath wasn't as permanent, because of one of your examples you listed, the experience would still be different because of the 18 other features that go into an RPI. Everything connects to help make the mud feel more real and intense, whereas on most other muds this is not true.

The biggest example I can think of is dialogue. A lot of muds focus on dialogue as the main function of roleplaying, this is simply elementary in my opinion. While dialogue is very important to a certain extent, it shouldn't be the one thing that forces your plots, your storylines, or your characters forward. I've played mute characters and they've had just as much depth and personality as my characters that could engage in dialogue.

04-28-2008, 12:36 PM	#89
Delerak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Name: Dan Location: New York Posts: 716	Re: How many muds have permadeath? I don't fail to realize anything Threshold. What you seem to fail to be realizing is this: All of your points you make are in reference to books. While this is indeed a reputable comparison in terms of RPI muds which do play and feel like you're in a novel sometimes, it doesn't grasp the full experience of having to deal with a permanent death on a character. I agree that it is a feature choice, but it's not JUST a feature choice. It's a totally different experience, it's a totally different ballgame and to say that it doesn't improve somebodys ability to stay in-character while on the mud is just ignorant of the RPI system. What permanent death does, for most people, if not all of the players is it makes you think differently about your character. It makes the experience more real. If I login to a mud, any mud where death simply has no meaning, it detracts completely from being able to make decisions with a character. Decisions, while it doesn't seem like a big topic, matters a lot on an RPI mud where death is constantly in the back of your mind. It's just a totally different experience, and it further reinforces your roleplay. Even if a MUD has a setting where there is "reincarnation" you're getting into the world of either High Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or another genre that doesn't fit well with RPI muds for the most part. Can it be done? Probably, but all of the RPI's I know are low fantasy muds. At the same time you have to realize that even if an RPI mud did this and permadeath wasn't as permanent, because of one of your examples you listed, the experience would still be different because of the 18 other features that go into an RPI. Everything connects to help make the mud feel more real and intense, whereas on most other muds this is not true. The biggest example I can think of is dialogue. A lot of muds focus on dialogue as the main function of roleplaying, this is simply elementary in my opinion. While dialogue is very important to a certain extent, it shouldn't be the one thing that forces your plots, your storylines, or your characters forward. I've played mute characters and they've had just as much depth and personality as my characters that could engage in dialogue.