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Hades_Kane · 05-30-2014, 02:13 PM

What, specifically, interests you in making a MUD other than feeling like your writing abilities would help you make a cool one?

Do you have anything specific in mind that would make your MUD stand out from others?

Do you have a niche or system in mind that your potential MUD would fill that isn't already?

I'm not one to ever discourage someone from chasing something they want to do, but it is difficult to attract enough players these days for a newer MUD, and often times it takes something pretty incredible OR a ton of work staying on top of advertising in order to draw people in (or really more specifically, take time away from whatever other MUDs that are currently playing).

There's plenty of great MUDs out there already hurting for help and players... my suggestion would be if you don't really have anything specific, stand-outish, or new to contribute in the form of an entirely new MUD, both your time and the community as a whole may would be better served by you joining an existing project to satisfy whatever it is that has you drawn toward the idea of making a MUD.

There's also the train of thought that it's always easier to know what you are getting into, in making a new MUD, by first serving as staff on an existing one for a bit.

But as far as it being "worth it", speaking from personal experience, it's growing ever more difficult to gauge whether or not being involved in MUD creation is worth it by the number of players you bring in or hold on to. Sure, we all want at least a couple dozen players on our games at any given time, but that's growing increasingly difficult and rare, save for the long established or well funded games. About a year and a half ago, we were peaking at around 20-30 players nightly during the week for about a month or two, but it has significantly dropped since then, and that seems to be about as good as most new or less established games can hope for these days, and those numbers were only achieved by pretty much constant posting on the forums and keeping my profile signature visible, and weekly advertising posts.

My "worth it" now has become far, far less about the number of people enjoying the game, and more about my own enjoyment in the creation process, and seeing ideas turn into a living, tangible world. I would caution anyone getting started to consider whether or not that is worth it to them, because it's more likely than not that this will be what you'll end up having to rely on to keep you motivated.

05-30-2014, 02:13 PM	#2
Hades_Kane Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Home MUD: End of Time Posts: 57	Re: Should I make a MUD? What, specifically, interests you in making a MUD other than feeling like your writing abilities would help you make a cool one? Do you have anything specific in mind that would make your MUD stand out from others? Do you have a niche or system in mind that your potential MUD would fill that isn't already? I'm not one to ever discourage someone from chasing something they want to do, but it is difficult to attract enough players these days for a newer MUD, and often times it takes something pretty incredible OR a ton of work staying on top of advertising in order to draw people in (or really more specifically, take time away from whatever other MUDs that are currently playing). There's plenty of great MUDs out there already hurting for help and players... my suggestion would be if you don't really have anything specific, stand-outish, or new to contribute in the form of an entirely new MUD, both your time and the community as a whole may would be better served by you joining an existing project to satisfy whatever it is that has you drawn toward the idea of making a MUD. There's also the train of thought that it's always easier to know what you are getting into, in making a new MUD, by first serving as staff on an existing one for a bit. But as far as it being "worth it", speaking from personal experience, it's growing ever more difficult to gauge whether or not being involved in MUD creation is worth it by the number of players you bring in or hold on to. Sure, we all want at least a couple dozen players on our games at any given time, but that's growing increasingly difficult and rare, save for the long established or well funded games. About a year and a half ago, we were peaking at around 20-30 players nightly during the week for about a month or two, but it has significantly dropped since then, and that seems to be about as good as most new or less established games can hope for these days, and those numbers were only achieved by pretty much constant posting on the forums and keeping my profile signature visible, and weekly advertising posts. My "worth it" now has become far, far less about the number of people enjoying the game, and more about my own enjoyment in the creation process, and seeing ideas turn into a living, tangible world. I would caution anyone getting started to consider whether or not that is worth it to them, because it's more likely than not that this will be what you'll end up having to rely on to keep you motivated.