It's pretty common knowledge amongst game developers of any genre, especially those involved in MMO's and MUDs that you typically have between 30 seconds and 5 minutes to snag a player. Obviously certain variables can affect a player's first impression life span. For example, if a player paid $60 for the game and signed on @ $20 a month for 3 months, he/she would be more inclined to "hope things get better" while playing a slow-starting MMO. In MUDs, MUSHes, MOOs etc though, where it typically costs nothing for the player to sample the game the time frame closes quickly.

I'm curious, and this is a 2 part question, 1 aimed at players, the other MUD developers.

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As a player, what aspects, features, qualities of a "MUD"(or other online game) encourage you to continue playing, while which other aspects drive you to leave?

As a developer, knowing your limited time-frame, what aspects and features of your game do you try to show-off to the player within the first five minutes? In depth Character Creation? Well written zones? Original Features?
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As a Player:

Extending Game Time:Shortening Game Time:

As a Developer:

With my MUD nearing beta, I've been putting a lot of resources into the first five minutes of game play. The trouble is, the amount achieved within the first 5 minutes is a lot shorter for a "non-mudder", then it is for a seasoned vetern. Thus I'm going with an web-based mud school, so new MUDders can have a second window open to help them along.

With an always available online web tutorial, I feel it will allow me to skip the player ahead to the meat of the game more quickly. Which in my case, is a small quest zone which will hopefully run the player through some of the key features of my MUD, while granting them some experience and some equipment. The "Hook", hopefully, is that there is numerous ways to complete the quest zone, all of which are remembered my various NPCs within the actual world, which is my attempt to showcase the base idea for the MUD, "What you do matters..."