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Old 10-02-2007, 11:45 AM   #570
MudMann
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Europe
Home MUD: Primordiax
Home MUD: Threshold
Posts: 178
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Re: What does "Free" Mean?

As someone who is looking for a MUD to call home, and has tried everything in the top 20 this post, as large as it is took my interest.

Sounds fair. I just tried a MUD that had become 'Free to play' with 'Pay for Perks' and after investing some 6-10 hours in the game (it has a lengthy tutorial period) I got into a proper class.. and then I realised that the gane was FAR from free. Certain classes were only available to those who had paid in excess of $100 which was the first shock. Also the basic skills of the class has many that were locked down, and only available to people who had registered (i.e paid) at least $50 as well as the perks.

Now do not get me wrong, I have NO problems paying for a mud I like, and have invested $1000's in the last ten (12?) years of playing.. but to me FREE TO PLAY means that all skills, abilities and areas that comprise the game world are available to without paying a dime. To me, listing a skill, and then when you get to that level to use it, and then being told you have to pay to use it.. thats not a PERK its a con and a blatent misuse of the word Free. Drag the player in, get them to invest some serious time, and then POW start showing them just how much is buried under RL costs (of course, there is some smooth talking, about how making people pay for the skill stops its abuse, and only players with a vested interest in the game will refrain from abuse.. rubbish)

I like to think in terms of software, we have Freeware, Shareware, Crippleware and demo's. As far as I am concerned this MUD (no names, this is not a personal attack on any one mud, I know there are others) was a demo. NOT free. You want the full product, pay.

The ABC method mentioned is quite good, though I prefer

1) FREE MUD - everything is available without a dime being paid) donations having no REAL game affect, or maybe give you something you can get in game with enough work.. such as IN Game money, experience, access to rare items without the grind, quicker learning
2) FREE with Perks - everything is available to the player, but there are some perks such as houses, political power, positions of power, extra channels to chat on and so on. In other words things that can affect the GAMING world, but not the player character in terms of individual in-game power (extra skills, spells and so on).
3) NOT FREE I.e Classes, Races, Class or Race Skills, Items that are only available with REAL money. These are not perks, but parts of the game that are locked down.. in otherwords.. Shareware or Demo's.

To me, the current MUD that I am trying, is a FREE MUD, you can donate, and these donations help you learn skills slightly faster for a short period of time. There are no other bonuses to be gained with RL cash.

I think the help file in Evarayan Sums up the definition of FREE (help donations) quite nicely

OK, done now, sorry for the rant as my first post
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