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Sasca · 06-25-2010, 11:40 PM

Before I start, I want to say that this is meant to be a helpful post to MUD Admin or Imms in general- it's *not* directed at any one MUD or game at all. I'm posting to be constructive, not nasty. I've been trying a lot of MUDs (no MUSHs yet) over the past few years- looking for a place to call home. Some of my comments, I hope, will be helpful.

Why I left your MUD- (In no particular order...)

1. You advertised a Roleplay environment that was enforced, and when I logged in and started a character, I typed 'Who' and saw things like 'Rogan, the Hair-Slayer' and 'Elise-She Just Wants A Shag'. I was looking for an IC game- so I left this one.

2. You advertised a lot more players than you actually had- you said you had 24-50 players, I created a character and found out that there were four people logged in, two of them marked on the Who list as 'AFK'. I logged off.

3. I logged in, took the time to create a character, and no-one greeted me, or told me how to ask for help. Your MUD has quite a few people on the WHO list, but I heard nothing from anyone at all. I logged off.

4. Your MUD was advertised as RP-Enforced. I created a character, and in your beginner's school/newbie school/starting arena I fought a MOB and scored a hit that left my opponent 'Wimpering like Rodney King/Crying like a bitch'. I logged off.

5. I started a character on your game that was RP-Enforced/RP-encouraged and got an item like 'A can of Coke' or a 'Lava lamp' or 'a piece of pizza'. Cookies I can handle but when I saw pizza and Coke I...logged off.

6. I logged in to your RP-encouraged game and immediately I was besieged by channel messages like 'Smirnoff Wipes the FLOOR with Aasinine' or 'BLOODLUST demands Parken's CORPSE'. I had no idea what was going on, nor how to quiet it. I logged off.

7. I created a character on your MUD and, through tells and public channels, came to understand that it was a relatively closed group of friends- I wasn't greeted, and the people that I met in the MUD were standoffish, or referred to 'inside jokes' that I had no understanding of. The players made no effort to welcome me, or even acknowledge my character's presence.

Again, please take this as constructive criticism. I'm not slighting your game. I'm just saying the most common reasons why I left. Obviously, I don't speak for every Newbie. I have tried a lot of games and these are (off the top of my head) the main reasons that I leave. I don't think I'm particularly hard-to-please. I'm looking for a fun game, RP enforced or encouraged, with players that are welcoming to new people. Too often, I find, a game has become known or considered as a few player's 'property', and they are unwilling or unable to share.

I'd also like to add that I haven't tried many games that weren't Fantasy/Medieval based. We all know that there are an awful lot of games out there- I'm just talking about my experiences with some of them.

Sas

06-25-2010, 11:40 PM	#1
Sasca New Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 18	Why I Left Your MUD- A Newbie's Persepctive Before I start, I want to say that this is meant to be a helpful post to MUD Admin or Imms in general- it's not directed at any one MUD or game at all. I'm posting to be constructive, not nasty. I've been trying a lot of MUDs (no MUSHs yet) over the past few years- looking for a place to call home. Some of my comments, I hope, will be helpful. Why I left your MUD- (In no particular order...) 1. You advertised a Roleplay environment that was enforced, and when I logged in and started a character, I typed 'Who' and saw things like 'Rogan, the Hair-Slayer' and 'Elise-She Just Wants A Shag'. I was looking for an IC game- so I left this one. 2. You advertised a lot more players than you actually had- you said you had 24-50 players, I created a character and found out that there were four people logged in, two of them marked on the Who list as 'AFK'. I logged off. 3. I logged in, took the time to create a character, and no-one greeted me, or told me how to ask for help. Your MUD has quite a few people on the WHO list, but I heard nothing from anyone at all. I logged off. 4. Your MUD was advertised as RP-Enforced. I created a character, and in your beginner's school/newbie school/starting arena I fought a MOB and scored a hit that left my opponent 'Wimpering like Rodney King/Crying like a bitch'. I logged off. 5. I started a character on your game that was RP-Enforced/RP-encouraged and got an item like 'A can of Coke' or a 'Lava lamp' or 'a piece of pizza'. Cookies I can handle but when I saw pizza and Coke I...logged off. 6. I logged in to your RP-encouraged game and immediately I was besieged by channel messages like 'Smirnoff Wipes the FLOOR with Aasinine' or 'BLOODLUST demands Parken's CORPSE'. I had no idea what was going on, nor how to quiet it. I logged off. 7. I created a character on your MUD and, through tells and public channels, came to understand that it was a relatively closed group of friends- I wasn't greeted, and the people that I met in the MUD were standoffish, or referred to 'inside jokes' that I had no understanding of. The players made no effort to welcome me, or even acknowledge my character's presence. Again, please take this as constructive criticism. I'm not slighting your game. I'm just saying the most common reasons why I left. Obviously, I don't speak for every Newbie. I have tried a lot of games and these are (off the top of my head) the main reasons that I leave. I don't think I'm particularly hard-to-please. I'm looking for a fun game, RP enforced or encouraged, with players that are welcoming to new people. Too often, I find, a game has become known or considered as a few player's 'property', and they are unwilling or unable to share. I'd also like to add that I haven't tried many games that weren't Fantasy/Medieval based. We all know that there are an awful lot of games out there- I'm just talking about my experiences with some of them. Sas