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MikeRozak · 02-11-2009, 04:17 PM

Richard Bartle's MUD1 and MUD2 are "muds" because they use MUDL for scripting. Everything else isn't an authentic MUD; they're "diku's" or "lp's". :-)

Be careful about how narrow you make your definition.

Think about the ramifications:

If you have a very narrow definition of muds, then those games (and players of those games) who are not officially muds will go elsewhere, and come up with a new title for themselves. Getting back to my evolutionary analogy: You could lose half your population, half your genetic diversity, and an escape route in case the rainforest completely disappears.

If you allow a broader definition of muds, then the opposite will happen... but, the community will no longer be "specialized" to rainforest life (aka: being backwards compatible to teletypes), which has costs of its own.

When you say, "A MUD must run on a generic terminal", you aren't making a technical statement. You're making a political statement!

By the way, a good definition of "MUD" would be designed so that (as a general rule) people who enjoyed playing their first "MUD" would enjoy playing any game labelled a "MUD". Is a browser-based game that looks and acts exactly like a terminal-based game any less enjoyable to the same types of players? (Yes, w/regards to Z-mud macros, etc.) Is this difference signficant?

02-11-2009, 04:17 PM	#16
MikeRozak Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 48	Re: What defines a "MUD" ? Richard Bartle's MUD1 and MUD2 are "muds" because they use MUDL for scripting. Everything else isn't an authentic MUD; they're "diku's" or "lp's". :-) Be careful about how narrow you make your definition. Think about the ramifications: If you have a very narrow definition of muds, then those games (and players of those games) who are not officially muds will go elsewhere, and come up with a new title for themselves. Getting back to my evolutionary analogy: You could lose half your population, half your genetic diversity, and an escape route in case the rainforest completely disappears. If you allow a broader definition of muds, then the opposite will happen... but, the community will no longer be "specialized" to rainforest life (aka: being backwards compatible to teletypes), which has costs of its own. When you say, "A MUD must run on a generic terminal", you aren't making a technical statement. You're making a political statement! By the way, a good definition of "MUD" would be designed so that (as a general rule) people who enjoyed playing their first "MUD" would enjoy playing any game labelled a "MUD". Is a browser-based game that looks and acts exactly like a terminal-based game any less enjoyable to the same types of players? (Yes, w/regards to Z-mud macros, etc.) Is this difference signficant?