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Suicide Boy · 04-19-2011, 12:21 AM

I assure you I don't need a lecture explaining that completely free MUDs can be of high quality. I am well aware of that fact. However, it is equally true that people are generally willing and able to expend a lot more time and energy on a project if they're being paid to do so. This statement absolutely stands on its own merits, is reinforced by mountains of empirical evidence, and I don't think I need to explain it any further; everyone's gotta eat. In the case of MUDs, revenue also gives the owner(s) incentive to continue attracting new players, to keep things as fair as possible, and to make continual improvements. That doesn't mean the people who run free MUDs don't do these things, I hasten to add -- but revenue is an additional and significant incentive to do them.

Related to that last, the reason people play commercial MUDs so much more nowadays is most likely because the companies that own them devote more time and effort to advertising them and increasing their visibility, and also (minor side note) to making them newbie-friendly. Like it or not, that's an important aspect of attracting new blood to electronic games. I don't think it's because of my terrible-evil mindset that "free MUDs suck" (that's not what I think, although I see that it basically came out that way), or at least not primarily because of said mindset.

I realize that you're standing up for free MUDs against an apparent insult on my part, and in retrospect, my choice of words was probably poor. However, I feel it's also insulting to criticize pay-for-perks MUDs with the implication that they're just money-grubbing enterprises, or to insult the people who play them by implying that they only do so because they think "the free ones suck." What I'm saying here is that respect and understanding have to go both ways.

I'm a player, myself, and never have been (nor want to be) a wizard, coder, owner, admin, or developer. It would certainly be easier on my wallet if every MUD I decided to play were completely free. Unfortunately, that's not the case, but I try to be understanding when it comes to pay-for-perks business models.

One aspect of MU*ing that matters to me personally is player population. It doesn't have to be huge (30-50 average online will do), but ~15 players online at any given time is pretty much what I'd consider a ghost town. The vast majority of completely free MUDs tend to have such tiny populations, or certainly well under 30-50, which is why I tend to disregard them. I know that's unfair and isn't helping matters any, but I only play RP-required games, and I desire a diverse group of people online at any given time so that the world feels more alive.

That's something most obscure MU*s can't help these days, and it frustrates me. There are intriguing free MUDs I'd like to play, but just can't get into because they're ghost towns now, or perhaps always were. And anything that's not RP-required (or at least strongly encouraged) is right out for me. I'm just explaining my personal preferences to perhaps give you an idea of my mindset regarding these matters.

04-19-2011, 12:21 AM	#5
Suicide Boy New Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 19	Re: LFM I assure you I don't need a lecture explaining that completely free MUDs can be of high quality. I am well aware of that fact. However, it is equally true that people are generally willing and able to expend a lot more time and energy on a project if they're being paid to do so. This statement absolutely stands on its own merits, is reinforced by mountains of empirical evidence, and I don't think I need to explain it any further; everyone's gotta eat. In the case of MUDs, revenue also gives the owner(s) incentive to continue attracting new players, to keep things as fair as possible, and to make continual improvements. That doesn't mean the people who run free MUDs don't do these things, I hasten to add -- but revenue is an additional and significant incentive to do them. Related to that last, the reason people play commercial MUDs so much more nowadays is most likely because the companies that own them devote more time and effort to advertising them and increasing their visibility, and also (minor side note) to making them newbie-friendly. Like it or not, that's an important aspect of attracting new blood to electronic games. I don't think it's because of my terrible-evil mindset that "free MUDs suck" (that's not what I think, although I see that it basically came out that way), or at least not primarily because of said mindset. I realize that you're standing up for free MUDs against an apparent insult on my part, and in retrospect, my choice of words was probably poor. However, I feel it's also insulting to criticize pay-for-perks MUDs with the implication that they're just money-grubbing enterprises, or to insult the people who play them by implying that they only do so because they think "the free ones suck." What I'm saying here is that respect and understanding have to go both ways. I'm a player, myself, and never have been (nor want to be) a wizard, coder, owner, admin, or developer. It would certainly be easier on my wallet if every MUD I decided to play were completely free. Unfortunately, that's not the case, but I try to be understanding when it comes to pay-for-perks business models. One aspect of MUing that matters to me personally* is player population. It doesn't have to be huge (30-50 average online will do), but ~15 players online at any given time is pretty much what I'd consider a ghost town. The vast majority of completely free MUDs tend to have such tiny populations, or certainly well under 30-50, which is why I tend to disregard them. I know that's unfair and isn't helping matters any, but I only play RP-required games, and I desire a diverse group of people online at any given time so that the world feels more alive. That's something most obscure MU*s can't help these days, and it frustrates me. There are intriguing free MUDs I'd like to play, but just can't get into because they're ghost towns now, or perhaps always were. And anything that's not RP-required (or at least strongly encouraged) is right out for me. I'm just explaining my personal preferences to perhaps give you an idea of my mindset regarding these matters.