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KaVir · 06-11-2003, 08:32 AM

I'm not sure that I'd bother distinguishing between the first three (or even the fourth, to be honest), as they really don't make any difference within the context of the mud itself. We already have a broad categorisation indicating whether a mud is "commercial" or "free", and while that could be expanded, another possibility would be to add a new entry for "advancement". It appears that Atyreus doesn't like muds where advancement is purely through time, so I'm sure that even s/he would find this of benefit.

To keep it simple, how about something like:

1) Advancement: None.

For talkers and some pure PK muds, where everyone is on equal footing.

2) Advancement: Purely time-based.

Most muds would fall into this category. The mud may or may not accept donations, and may or may not sell merchandise, but actual character development would be achieved purely through time.

3) Advancement: Time, optionally assisted by money.

For muds like Cardea and Achaea, where players can use money to increase the speed of their character development. May also apply to muds which sell donation equipment, as long as the equipment is no better than stuff available to regular players.

4) Advancement: Time, money required for full advancement.

For muds where you can play for free, but will never be able to play the game to the same extent as those who pay. Examples would Threshold, where paying unlocks certain features and grants special privilages, or muds which have "special" donation equipment without which you cannot compete with paying players.

5) Advancement: Purely money-based.

For muds where you cannot advance through playing, only through paying. I don't know of any games like this, so it's only really added for the sake of completeness.

If it were to be added, I would suggest initially setting all current entries to "2", as relatively few muds fall into the other categories. The other option would be to set everyone to a different entry "Advancement: Unknown" (which cannot be selected when you submit a listing) and then leave it up to each mud owner to set it.

06-11-2003, 08:32 AM	#6
KaVir Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Name: Richard Home MUD: God Wars II Posts: 2,052	I'm not sure that I'd bother distinguishing between the first three (or even the fourth, to be honest), as they really don't make any difference within the context of the mud itself. We already have a broad categorisation indicating whether a mud is "commercial" or "free", and while that could be expanded, another possibility would be to add a new entry for "advancement". It appears that Atyreus doesn't like muds where advancement is purely through time, so I'm sure that even s/he would find this of benefit. To keep it simple, how about something like: 1) Advancement: None. For talkers and some pure PK muds, where everyone is on equal footing. 2) Advancement: Purely time-based. Most muds would fall into this category. The mud may or may not accept donations, and may or may not sell merchandise, but actual character development would be achieved purely through time. 3) Advancement: Time, optionally assisted by money. For muds like Cardea and Achaea, where players can use money to increase the speed of their character development. May also apply to muds which sell donation equipment, as long as the equipment is no better than stuff available to regular players. 4) Advancement: Time, money required for full advancement. For muds where you can play for free, but will never be able to play the game to the same extent as those who pay. Examples would Threshold, where paying unlocks certain features and grants special privilages, or muds which have "special" donation equipment without which you cannot compete with paying players. 5) Advancement: Purely money-based. For muds where you cannot advance through playing, only through paying. I don't know of any games like this, so it's only really added for the sake of completeness. If it were to be added, I would suggest initially setting all current entries to "2", as relatively few muds fall into the other categories. The other option would be to set everyone to a different entry "Advancement: Unknown" (which cannot be selected when you submit a listing) and then leave it up to each mud owner to set it.