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My 2 cents.
1- Commercial mud vs. free mud. As a builder, I'll admit I think twice about considering building for a commercial mud. I don't mind it on strictly ideological grounds (as long as they aren't using DiKU), but I don't want to add my contribution to a mud that I am not absolutely sure will be honest their future marketing strategies. I don't mind pay to play or even pay for perks as concepts, but I will not help advance muds using "pusher-marketing" (get your first fix free, rest will cost you). Just to be sure no one misunderstands: this is not an attack on any particular mud out there, but pure hypothetical concern stemming from the marketing methods I have seen used in the MMORPG industry.
2- The "new mud risk". I have been burnt pretty badly in the past, losing incredible amounts of work, and I admit that has left me more than a little sceptical in regards to new muds. In the mid-90s I worked for a mud for the better part of two years, which literally disappeared from one day to the next. The owner went offline due to personal issues, and took my areas with him (I was 16 at the time, and not smart enough to be sure to make copies of my work). A few years later I found out he had given my areas to another mud without my permission, and when I asked for them back, I was rejected, on the basis that it could not be proven that those areas were in fact mine.
It's water under the bridge, as they say, but today I really do need to be convinced that the project is more than the initial starting euphoria.
3- Building conditions. Building is a hobby of mine, it is not my work. The day I start considering it work is the day I stop building. Sure, it can be tedious at times, but that is worth it, if the creative satisfaction in the end is big enough.
Some Imps seem to think that builders, regardless of their unpaid and often uncredited status, should work under deadlines befitting an actual paying job. I absolutely detest this approach: not because I don't understand why a manager would want to ensure efficiency (I certainly do), but because the moment my building becomes a job, my desire to do it disappears, and I have to run purely on discipline to get it done. You can get things done through discipline alone for a while, but it burns you out, and you ultimately end up hating, loathing what you used to love doing.
4. Playerbase. This is not a top concern of mine, but I admit it does help. The instant gratification gotten through watching players enjoy your area can help alleviate some of the stress. However, if the top three issues are taken care of, this is not a crucial issue for me personally.
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