Your actually missing, what in my own opinion is one of the MUDs strongest attributes: The size of the worlds, and amount of items and varietry of gameplay.
Anyway, if you team up, maybe make some sort of "MU* lobby" where you can access MU* under far more accurate definitions, with opinions by PLAYERs of what each MU* suites which gameplay style. There no need to alienate players when making a new way to access and begin MUDding. If you look at me and plazmi's posts, we aren''t saying "get rid of the textbase gameplay", what we're trying to convey is "make a pretty face to MU* with graphics, then when they try, let the actual gameplay draw them into the MU* s actual atractions".
plazmi, you are goddamn on the mark.
One small real-world detail: above all, kids want to fit in and socialize with other kids their age. This applies to even the most creative and intelligent ones among them. They may eventually love a text-based game, but they're not even going to try it if they fear they'd be labeled as geeks by their peers.
This applies to games with s*** graphics. I LOVE retro games, anything from "joust" to Aardwolf to "Colin McRae Rally". All have limited graphics, and why i dont bring them up as a subject with my peers. This is even though im already labelled a geek
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When you say you dont see any problem needing fixing, there isnt a problem part suppourting your games existence. First you have to expect and acknowledge:You can take the following actions:Obiviously each of these actions hcould end with your game dieing, losing players or you going bankrupt, or could gain you revenue and increase your playerbase.
Obiviously bringing the MU* into the mainstream wont be happening until a few years into the future, even if one game breaks in today. But a good way to start increasing the profile of the games would be:If you want to gain more specific advise, i suggest several key MU* designers set up a collobaration, and fund some Market Research. But i maintain, a combination of what thresholds doing (using other mainstream games to draw people to threshold) and plazmi's doing (a more accessible and attractive way into MU* s for the non MUDder) are the way to go.
I can see the same symtoms here with you guys as i see on another games community: your so used to the way things are run, and mildly disattached to the other existing markets that your missing key movements that are/could be in your best interests. You just need an independent source to help point these out.
If you want to know, there are also several graphical games that cater to low bandwidth, such as Tibia. So saying you have uncontested market with low bandwidth gamers is just really untrue.
Also, its possible to break back into the mainstream. Point and click broke back in for the casual gamers, as has the 2D platformers. But this is only because they made a puch to appeal to a new generation or new market. They kept the main aspects, but created a new front, and PUSHed with advertising, whether it be major or minor. If you dont do anything, nothing will change.
Untapped markets i suggest you consider:Also i said above, you have such a simple server out put, you could make a completely customisable client, with various templates and stages of GUI. Since you lot have covered pretty much everything that can be done with a MU*, why not put the same amount of creativity into the clients.
A joint face can also cheapen Advertising costs. Just make a Portal/lobby/ anything, give the visiters to the afore mentioned portal/lobby the tools to customise there experience and advertise, and they'll take care of the rest.
And, no, im not a marketer. But I've looked into/been part of most gaming connected niches, and i KNOW the flaws they all suffer.
And if your asking how to bring MU*s into the 21st century, then bloody well expect radical new approaches. The genre started in the beginning of a 30-40 year old industry, and its come a long way from the BBC Micros and ZX Spectrums. The target audience has also changed with the new technology, and you have to go with the market or come out as a dead genre. This genre is even less represented than the Sh'mups and Run & Guns, and they both only have a company each pushing them (Cave and SNK respectively).
Just make a collobaration, or I'll set up an amatuer atempt at a directory in my spare time (when i get some), and thats likely to come out worse than anything you lot can do in afew hours.