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Sergeytov · 04-27-2009, 06:39 AM

It's one of those things MU administrators don't talk much about in the open. We all hear stories about entrepreneurs who have failed in the past before finally succeeding, so I'll talk about the failure of my last MU effort, somewhat generalized. I'm not asking for advice on 'how to do better', but I do hope this helps someone out there. For those who have failed as well, go ahead and share your story, it'll be like group therapy. :>

Late last year, I opened a science fiction mush, designed to be RP oriented. I'll talk more about it as I ponder my failure.

1) I opened in mid-December. - Let's face it, a bad time of the year, with Christmas right around the corner, schools being out of session, and people being brain dead from finals.

2) 'Personal' - Within a week after I let players in, I lost sight in an eye for a couple days, then was hit by an SUV two days later. This put a damper on my ability to handle things. - The good news on this front is I planned for this with having someone else who I trusted to handle things while I recovered (and was on pain medication). This severely degraded my physical condition to run a game.

3) I chose an 'obscure' theme. - I chose an original theme (strike one, since these have no inherent fan base like a Star Wars MUSH for instance). I chose 'science fiction' as a theme (more like 'soft science fiction, it aimed to be somewhat realistic, no FTL, death rays in a can-sized container and such, but was meant to focus on social/political stories). Finally, I went for a 'modern' feel. No faster than light travel, no 'magic' and so on. Perhaps I chose something too close to life for people to feel comfortable with playing. - I saw this 'theme' was rare, so I decided to try it out for myself.

4) I relied on players too much. - I was working on creating a setup for players to run most stories. This was a big mistake. I'm not saying players can't or shouldn't run their own storylines in any context (I thought it was a good idea in mine), but ultimately, I should have been more active in getting storylines up and running and giving players things to latch onto, which leads to:

5) Story Hooks - I tried to add story hooks, but I didn't give players enough of an opportunity to latch onto them, or scream 'story hook, use me!'

6) Code - Bugs weren't the issue, generally. I lack evidence, but I have a fear I had code for the sake of having code, rather than serving a needed purpose.

7) Marketing - 'Critical mass' in playerbase size never happened. In part this is a combination of many other factors, but marketing is one I'll say here. I didn't do enough.

8) Mind Blank - In the embryonic stages, I should have had storylines ready to go and latch onto. Point 4, again. Without planning for this, tires spun.

Those are my 'initial eight' that I've thought of. Would I try again? Not right now, but I wouldn't rule it out either, I am certainly armed with more knowledge this time around. I'd also say the experience was worth it.

04-27-2009, 06:39 AM	#1
Sergeytov Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 50	Failure It's one of those things MU administrators don't talk much about in the open. We all hear stories about entrepreneurs who have failed in the past before finally succeeding, so I'll talk about the failure of my last MU effort, somewhat generalized. I'm not asking for advice on 'how to do better', but I do hope this helps someone out there. For those who have failed as well, go ahead and share your story, it'll be like group therapy. :> Late last year, I opened a science fiction mush, designed to be RP oriented. I'll talk more about it as I ponder my failure. 1) I opened in mid-December. - Let's face it, a bad time of the year, with Christmas right around the corner, schools being out of session, and people being brain dead from finals. 2) 'Personal' - Within a week after I let players in, I lost sight in an eye for a couple days, then was hit by an SUV two days later. This put a damper on my ability to handle things. - The good news on this front is I planned for this with having someone else who I trusted to handle things while I recovered (and was on pain medication). This severely degraded my physical condition to run a game. 3) I chose an 'obscure' theme. - I chose an original theme (strike one, since these have no inherent fan base like a Star Wars MUSH for instance). I chose 'science fiction' as a theme (more like 'soft science fiction, it aimed to be somewhat realistic, no FTL, death rays in a can-sized container and such, but was meant to focus on social/political stories). Finally, I went for a 'modern' feel. No faster than light travel, no 'magic' and so on. Perhaps I chose something too close to life for people to feel comfortable with playing. - I saw this 'theme' was rare, so I decided to try it out for myself. 4) I relied on players too much. - I was working on creating a setup for players to run most stories. This was a big mistake. I'm not saying players can't or shouldn't run their own storylines in any context (I thought it was a good idea in mine), but ultimately, I should have been more active in getting storylines up and running and giving players things to latch onto, which leads to: 5) Story Hooks - I tried to add story hooks, but I didn't give players enough of an opportunity to latch onto them, or scream 'story hook, use me!' 6) Code - Bugs weren't the issue, generally. I lack evidence, but I have a fear I had code for the sake of having code, rather than serving a needed purpose. 7) Marketing - 'Critical mass' in playerbase size never happened. In part this is a combination of many other factors, but marketing is one I'll say here. I didn't do enough. 8) Mind Blank - In the embryonic stages, I should have had storylines ready to go and latch onto. Point 4, again. Without planning for this, tires spun. Those are my 'initial eight' that I've thought of. Would I try again? Not right now, but I wouldn't rule it out either, I am certainly armed with more knowledge this time around. I'd also say the experience was worth it.