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plamzi · 03-19-2014, 01:42 PM

Agreed, to an extent. I probably should have said something like "catering exclusively to MUD RPI vets, or to a similar niche audience." Because depending on how you define your niche, you may find that it appeals to a thin slice of non-mudders as well (adult themes come to mind). And, of course, even if you choose to fill a niche, you can (and should) pay enough attention to the client to make sure your game is as easily accessible as possible (which is never a bad thing).

I agree that mostly text is still viable, but only in the context of a niche game. Like Molly, I think the day when multitudes wake up to re-discover text-based games is a pipe dream. The Net is very different now from what it was in the early 1990's. I tend to believe that if people had other online gaming options in those years, the vast majority of them would have never played MUDs even then. In other words, text-based gaming has always been an acquired taste, very much like reading in general is. There was a Golden Age for it, the kind that every novelty item gets, but that's now over and it ain't coming back.

03-19-2014, 01:42 PM	#12
plamzi Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Home MUD: bedlam.mudportal.com:9000 Home MUD: www.mudportal.com Posts: 292	Re: How do you bring back a fading MUD? Agreed, to an extent. I probably should have said something like "catering exclusively to MUD RPI vets, or to a similar niche audience." Because depending on how you define your niche, you may find that it appeals to a thin slice of non-mudders as well (adult themes come to mind). And, of course, even if you choose to fill a niche, you can (and should) pay enough attention to the client to make sure your game is as easily accessible as possible (which is never a bad thing). I agree that mostly text is still viable, but only in the context of a niche game. Like Molly, I think the day when multitudes wake up to re-discover text-based games is a pipe dream. The Net is very different now from what it was in the early 1990's. I tend to believe that if people had other online gaming options in those years, the vast majority of them would have never played MUDs even then. In other words, text-based gaming has always been an acquired taste, very much like reading in general is. There was a Golden Age for it, the kind that every novelty item gets, but that's now over and it ain't coming back.