I’ve heard many speculate that online text games will be extinct in the coming future. The truth is that those online text based games that are keeping for the same exact market of the MMORPGs and graphical web browser games are less likely to survive. If an online text game or the industry in general wants to survive then they need to focus on the advantages that online text games have over flashier graphical games.
Portability, Discrete Gaming, and Customization
Portability, discrete Gaming, and customization are three different advantages to online text gaming that tie together with the way that text games are played. Players can chose from a multitude of different clients for both PC or Mac including java clients and telnet itself (for the really desperate). Online text games are extremely portable. MUD clients can fit easily on and run from a flash drive. In most cases a player only needs an internet connection to play. This means that players can easily access their favorite games from the library, school, work, while traveling, or any where they can get a wi-fi connection. Online text games are much more discrete then any graphical game. If someone is playing a graphical computer or web based game it is very evident at a glance. While the scrolling text can look odd with the proper use of client features an online text based game can look very much like a text document at first glance.
Gaming for Blind Players
There are millions of people in the world that are legally blind or sight impaired. For those individuals that use screen readers to access the internet the only viable multi-user RPG are online text games. Blind gamers can be just as skilled and successful on online text based games. With slight game modifications in some cases and care in game design, a text game can be just as accessible to a blind gamer as anyone else. This is another reason why graphical interfaces should not be required to play an online text game.
Low Cost
Most online text games are free, a minority of games that charge a monthly fee or have a “pay for perks” system. Those text games that are free have an obvious advantage over the graphical games that charge hefty monthly fees. The developers of these “free” games have expenses and still try to make money in a multitude of ways many of which require players to pay to get the most out of the game. There are some gamers out there that don’t want to or can’t pay for those advantages and aren’t willing to play a game in which the playing ground is not even for them.
Gaming without Cutting Edge Technology
We have all been witness to the fast pace of technological advances, but there still will be for some time those individuals that have limitations because of the system resources of their computer or the internet connections that they use. The newer MMORPGs are in competition with each other on the cutting edge and that often means a player needs to have an upgraded computer and a high speed internet connection to play or optimally play a newer MMORPG. In some rural areas and parts of the world high speed internet connections are not even available. In some cases online text gaming is the only viable option for those who can’t get past the technical limitations of their connection or don’t have the resources to upgrade computers or internet lines.
Showing posts with label MUDs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MUDs. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Making Gaming Environments Safe for Players
I am a female gamer and I've been playing online text games for over 18 years. The internet provides many freedoms including anonymity to an extent. Because games are recreation, many players believe it gives them a license to do whatever they wish. Having held the job myself, game administration can be very busy working on online games and handling players issues can be frustrating. If the administration of a game wishes to keep gamers, especially female gamers, they do need to spend time creating and maintaining a safe environment for them.
The three main areas that are important to making a game environment safe for players is game design, rules, and rule enforcement. All do take some thought and effort but they are important to creating a safe environment for players.
Game Design
If admins want to make players feel comfortable, the game should not encourage any sexist or inappropriate behavior. The female gamer population is growing every day. If a game admin doesn’t want to alienate these potential players they need to consider what message the game is presenting to them. While the environment seems to be getting better with each passing year, females still deal with a fair amount of inappropriate behaviors in real life including being disregarded by male peers or being regarded for the wrong attributes. In our fantasy worlds, most women don’t want to deal with the issues we have to deal with in real life.
• Give female characters equal oportunity for success on the game.
• Make sure that NPCs are not designed in offensive ways nor model inappropriate
behaviors.
Rules
There should be clear rules of conduct on any online text based game. I can tell you from experience that while certain things should be considered common sense, that common sense is not common especially online. Players will do things inappropriate all the time. Online text games players come from a multitude of countries and cultures with varying rules of conduct. If a game has clear and specific rules of conduct then it is much cleaner and easier for administrators to deal with inappropriate behavior.
• Model good behavior by respecting your players.
• Create a no tolerance policy for disrespect in all out of character
communication.
• Don't allow sexual RP on games with underage players.
• Have clear rules on sexual RP on games just for those over 18.
Rule Enforcement
Rules are not worth anything if the game administration does not enforce them. There are many degrees of game rules. Some warrant tolerance and multiple chances. But if you do not catch and stop the disrespect and disregard of fellow players the problem can very easily spiral out of control.
• Be firm but fair with your players when enforcing rules.
• Don’t be afraid to delete the characters of players that are repeat offenders
and be prepared to ban certain IPs.
• Make it as equally evident that false accusations will be dealt with just as
firmly.
• Game staff should be approachable about harassment issues and make the players
feel as if such complaints are taken seriously.
• Don’t get involved in player issues that happen outside of the game.
For a more indepth advice for making gaming environments safe - http://mudadventures.webs.com/articles.htm
The three main areas that are important to making a game environment safe for players is game design, rules, and rule enforcement. All do take some thought and effort but they are important to creating a safe environment for players.
Game Design
If admins want to make players feel comfortable, the game should not encourage any sexist or inappropriate behavior. The female gamer population is growing every day. If a game admin doesn’t want to alienate these potential players they need to consider what message the game is presenting to them. While the environment seems to be getting better with each passing year, females still deal with a fair amount of inappropriate behaviors in real life including being disregarded by male peers or being regarded for the wrong attributes. In our fantasy worlds, most women don’t want to deal with the issues we have to deal with in real life.
• Give female characters equal oportunity for success on the game.
• Make sure that NPCs are not designed in offensive ways nor model inappropriate
behaviors.
Rules
There should be clear rules of conduct on any online text based game. I can tell you from experience that while certain things should be considered common sense, that common sense is not common especially online. Players will do things inappropriate all the time. Online text games players come from a multitude of countries and cultures with varying rules of conduct. If a game has clear and specific rules of conduct then it is much cleaner and easier for administrators to deal with inappropriate behavior.
• Model good behavior by respecting your players.
• Create a no tolerance policy for disrespect in all out of character
communication.
• Don't allow sexual RP on games with underage players.
• Have clear rules on sexual RP on games just for those over 18.
Rule Enforcement
Rules are not worth anything if the game administration does not enforce them. There are many degrees of game rules. Some warrant tolerance and multiple chances. But if you do not catch and stop the disrespect and disregard of fellow players the problem can very easily spiral out of control.
• Be firm but fair with your players when enforcing rules.
• Don’t be afraid to delete the characters of players that are repeat offenders
and be prepared to ban certain IPs.
• Make it as equally evident that false accusations will be dealt with just as
firmly.
• Game staff should be approachable about harassment issues and make the players
feel as if such complaints are taken seriously.
• Don’t get involved in player issues that happen outside of the game.
For a more indepth advice for making gaming environments safe - http://mudadventures.webs.com/articles.htm
Thursday, October 22, 2009
ASUS 1000HE Netbook Review
After abandoning my laptop for classes because it was too heavy, I went on the look out for a netbook. After weeks of research I settled on the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE 
. This is a great machine for portable online gaming! Overall, I have not been displeased with this netbook.
Processor: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
Hard Drive: 160GB 5,400rpm
Graphics: Mobile Intel GMA 950 (integrated)
Operating System: Windows XP
Memory: 1GB, 667MHz DDR2
Screen: 10 inch
Battery Life: 8 - 9 hours
Cost: Approx. $400.00
One of the main selling points on this netbook for me was the nearly normal size keyboard. While I do find that I fumble a bit more then on a full size keyboard, it is rare. My biggest complaint in that regard is that with the compressed area I accidentally hit the touch pad far more, but that is mostly because I am able to type at regular speed on this netbook.
The battery life on this netbook is very good. I regularly take it with me all day without the power cord and I have never had any battery issues. I use the computer for a couple of hours and have it in standby the rest of the time.
I was able to easily upgrade the memory on this netbook to 2GB. All I had to do was remove a couple of screws on the back panel and snap it the memory card. It only took a couple of minutes!
Because of the larger size (you can get netbooks smaller) and the extended battery this netbook is heavier than the average netbook at 3 pounds. After lugging around a laptop it seems incredibly light to me! I've been able to fit this netbook comfortably into my moderate size purse.
My only real complaint about this netbook is that it does not work very well with my home wireless network. Since I use it at home in the room with my wireless router I have opted for a hard connection, but I'm hoping to find a solution for the issue when I have the time. I have used it successfully on public wireless networks and my laptop works just fine on my wireless network at home, so I've determined that my netbook and wireless router don't want to play nice with each other.
With the Asus 1000HE all you need is a mud client and a wireless connection and you will be able to ready for gaming on the go!
. This is a great machine for portable online gaming! Overall, I have not been displeased with this netbook.
Processor: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
Hard Drive: 160GB 5,400rpm
Graphics: Mobile Intel GMA 950 (integrated)
Operating System: Windows XP
Memory: 1GB, 667MHz DDR2
Screen: 10 inch
Battery Life: 8 - 9 hours
Cost: Approx. $400.00
One of the main selling points on this netbook for me was the nearly normal size keyboard. While I do find that I fumble a bit more then on a full size keyboard, it is rare. My biggest complaint in that regard is that with the compressed area I accidentally hit the touch pad far more, but that is mostly because I am able to type at regular speed on this netbook.
The battery life on this netbook is very good. I regularly take it with me all day without the power cord and I have never had any battery issues. I use the computer for a couple of hours and have it in standby the rest of the time.
I was able to easily upgrade the memory on this netbook to 2GB. All I had to do was remove a couple of screws on the back panel and snap it the memory card. It only took a couple of minutes!
Because of the larger size (you can get netbooks smaller) and the extended battery this netbook is heavier than the average netbook at 3 pounds. After lugging around a laptop it seems incredibly light to me! I've been able to fit this netbook comfortably into my moderate size purse.
My only real complaint about this netbook is that it does not work very well with my home wireless network. Since I use it at home in the room with my wireless router I have opted for a hard connection, but I'm hoping to find a solution for the issue when I have the time. I have used it successfully on public wireless networks and my laptop works just fine on my wireless network at home, so I've determined that my netbook and wireless router don't want to play nice with each other.
With the Asus 1000HE all you need is a mud client and a wireless connection and you will be able to ready for gaming on the go!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
5 Tips to Making a MUD newbie friendly
With so many games for players to chose from, the first couple of hours they play a game could well determine whether they decided to keep playing the game. That is why it is important that a game is "newbie friendly". There are many things that the staff and administration can do to help make a game friendly for new players.
1.) Design a helpful creation area. As a player goes through creation they should be taught very basic MUD commands if they need them. It should be very clear to players what needs to be done to progress. But don't force players to input a multitude of basic commands, if you don't make the learning optional then you might frustrate those veteran players out there.
2.) Make game information readily accessible. Some players like to learn by doing or wish to be taught by another player, but there are plenty of players that like to learn independently. Appreciate these players because they will take up less of the time of those who help new players. To keep these players happy information should be available both in the game and on a game website. I would suggest extensive help files or systems in the game itself. It is a good idea to create a new player guide for the game website with valuable information for players to reference when they need.
3.) Appoint trustworthy, active players to specifically help new players. There should be a group of knowledgeable players that are willing to devote their time to answer questions of new players and guide them. Have game information accessible can reduce the need for a group of newbie helpers but even the best designed help system has gaps. New players should be able to send questions to these helpers at any time. Since players from around the world MUD it is important to diversify your helper staff so that someone is always available.
4.) Create some means for the new player to directly ask questions. One good way to do this is to create an Out of Character (OOC) channel that new players can ask questions on. This could be a channel that is accessible to all the game (to ensure coverage) or just to the helpers and staff of the game. Another way to facilitate this is to allow new players to send messages directly to the helpers or staff. If this method is used then the means by which a player accesses the staff should be intuitive, mentioned in creation, and mentioned again in some way in the new player areas.
5.) Create new player areas. Have areas of the game specifically for new players to progress and learn the game. These areas should reinforce the skills that will be needed for the player to become successful. They should also give a good feel of the atmosphere of the game and what the player can expect in the future. I highly caution against completely isolating new players in an area by themselves. If you isolate them from the player base how are they to truly know if they will like the game? MUDs are interactive games after all.
Players leave MUDs all the time so the survival of a MUD depends on getting and retaining new players!
1.) Design a helpful creation area. As a player goes through creation they should be taught very basic MUD commands if they need them. It should be very clear to players what needs to be done to progress. But don't force players to input a multitude of basic commands, if you don't make the learning optional then you might frustrate those veteran players out there.
2.) Make game information readily accessible. Some players like to learn by doing or wish to be taught by another player, but there are plenty of players that like to learn independently. Appreciate these players because they will take up less of the time of those who help new players. To keep these players happy information should be available both in the game and on a game website. I would suggest extensive help files or systems in the game itself. It is a good idea to create a new player guide for the game website with valuable information for players to reference when they need.
3.) Appoint trustworthy, active players to specifically help new players. There should be a group of knowledgeable players that are willing to devote their time to answer questions of new players and guide them. Have game information accessible can reduce the need for a group of newbie helpers but even the best designed help system has gaps. New players should be able to send questions to these helpers at any time. Since players from around the world MUD it is important to diversify your helper staff so that someone is always available.
4.) Create some means for the new player to directly ask questions. One good way to do this is to create an Out of Character (OOC) channel that new players can ask questions on. This could be a channel that is accessible to all the game (to ensure coverage) or just to the helpers and staff of the game. Another way to facilitate this is to allow new players to send messages directly to the helpers or staff. If this method is used then the means by which a player accesses the staff should be intuitive, mentioned in creation, and mentioned again in some way in the new player areas.
5.) Create new player areas. Have areas of the game specifically for new players to progress and learn the game. These areas should reinforce the skills that will be needed for the player to become successful. They should also give a good feel of the atmosphere of the game and what the player can expect in the future. I highly caution against completely isolating new players in an area by themselves. If you isolate them from the player base how are they to truly know if they will like the game? MUDs are interactive games after all.
Players leave MUDs all the time so the survival of a MUD depends on getting and retaining new players!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Mud Resource Website
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I've gathered together some valuable information on MUDs at my website MUD Adventures. The website like this blog is meant to be a resource for the new and veteran online text gamer. At MUD Adventures is a number of longer and more substantive articles on MUD topics. There is an extensive list of resources to aid those seeking more information on online text gaming.
It is a work in progress, but I hope you find it very useful!
.
I've gathered together some valuable information on MUDs at my website MUD Adventures. The website like this blog is meant to be a resource for the new and veteran online text gamer. At MUD Adventures is a number of longer and more substantive articles on MUD topics. There is an extensive list of resources to aid those seeking more information on online text gaming.
It is a work in progress, but I hope you find it very useful!
.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Selecting an Online Text Based Game
There are a hundreds of MUDs and online text based games. Sometimes the process to finding a good game can be overwhelming at times. Having tried more than my share of new games, I know that can be it can be overwhelming at times. But every game has an ideal type of player it is suited for. There is a perfect (or near perfect) game out there for you!
The first key to finding a new game is to determine what is the most important things you look for in a game and what are your "deal breakers". (This may change in time as you try out new games.) Both Top Mud Sites and The Mud Connector have advanced search options that allow you to eliminate the games that don't fit your criteria. Some of the main catagories on both sites are world size, average online players, RP environment, if player killing is allowed, how a character "levels" on the game, and whether it is a free or subscription game.
Please keep in mind that the game owners and admins chose what areas that they game fits into. You won't truly know if the game fits the bill until you try it. I personally keep the search criteria fairly broad and add more until I get a manageable list.
After get a manageable list begin to read the player reviews. Personally, I believe the best place to read reviews at this time is The Mud Connector (TMC) though you can read older reviews at Top Mud Sites (TMS). You will get a much better idea of games from what players say about them. I tend to take the overly glowing or overly critical reviews with a grain of salt, but you can gain some valuable information from player reviews.
If an active playerbase and/or game administration is important to you then a way to confirm this is to see what the ranking of the MUD is on both TMS and TMC. If the game administration is active and wants to see their game promoted they will regularly encourage their players to vote for their game. If the playerbase is active and passionate about the game they play then they will vote for it.
Using this information will give you a good idea of what games might be a good fit for you. But like a lot of things, you don't really know until you try!
Happy Hunting!
The first key to finding a new game is to determine what is the most important things you look for in a game and what are your "deal breakers". (This may change in time as you try out new games.) Both Top Mud Sites and The Mud Connector have advanced search options that allow you to eliminate the games that don't fit your criteria. Some of the main catagories on both sites are world size, average online players, RP environment, if player killing is allowed, how a character "levels" on the game, and whether it is a free or subscription game.
Please keep in mind that the game owners and admins chose what areas that they game fits into. You won't truly know if the game fits the bill until you try it. I personally keep the search criteria fairly broad and add more until I get a manageable list.
After get a manageable list begin to read the player reviews. Personally, I believe the best place to read reviews at this time is The Mud Connector (TMC) though you can read older reviews at Top Mud Sites (TMS). You will get a much better idea of games from what players say about them. I tend to take the overly glowing or overly critical reviews with a grain of salt, but you can gain some valuable information from player reviews.
If an active playerbase and/or game administration is important to you then a way to confirm this is to see what the ranking of the MUD is on both TMS and TMC. If the game administration is active and wants to see their game promoted they will regularly encourage their players to vote for their game. If the playerbase is active and passionate about the game they play then they will vote for it.
Using this information will give you a good idea of what games might be a good fit for you. But like a lot of things, you don't really know until you try!
Happy Hunting!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Top 5 Mud Clients
Your personal needs and system requirements will determine what MUD client is best for you. Though there are a lot of great MUD clients, below are the some of the best clients out there. The good news is that all the clients below are free or offer at least a free trial!
Best Free Client
MUSHClient
MUSHclient is one of the best free clients out there. It is full of a lot of special features such as client side aliases, timers, and triggers. It has an amazingly long searchable buffer which helps you keep track of past gaming. MUSHclient is also extremely customizable. MUSHclient works on operating systems from Windows 95 to Windows Vista.
Best Pay Windows Client
CMUD
If you plan to do a lot of scripting, CMUD is the client for you. CMUD is designed for fast and easy scripting with the functionality to share them with others as well. It has one of the best automatic mapping systems of any MUD client. The full version of CMUD presently costs $29.95 with a free thirty day trial. If you don't need or use many special MUD client features then I would recommend trying a free client, but if you want to compete on a MUD that allows scripting CMUD is likely the choice for you. CMUD works on Windows XP and Windows Vista. (For a good scripting client for older systems check out ZMUD from the same company.)
Best Mac OS Client
Atlantis and Savitar
I couldn't help but give a tie in this catagory. There are much older Mac OS clients out there, but unfortunately they are either not very user friendly or out of development. I've read a lot of good things on these clients from Mac Users. Both are worth a try!
Best Linux Client
KMuddy
KMuddy is reccommended by many Linux users as the best MUD client on these machines. This client is relatively new but is growing in popularity. It has many regular MUD client features such as timers, triggers, speedwalking, and client side aliases. Many of the clients in this catagory can be difficult to use, but KMuddy is touted as being much easier to use than most.
Best Client for Blind Gamers
Vip Mud
Vip Mud has a lot of the features of other clients including vibrant scripting capability, but aslo a lot of special features for the blind gamer. It is designed to work with most screen reading software right out of the box. There are also voice features such as silmultaneous voices and the ability to program different voices or even screen readers for output. Vip Mud has the functionality to gag both spam and ASCII art. Vip Mud is $30 and has a 30 day free trial.
Best Free Client
MUSHClient
MUSHclient is one of the best free clients out there. It is full of a lot of special features such as client side aliases, timers, and triggers. It has an amazingly long searchable buffer which helps you keep track of past gaming. MUSHclient is also extremely customizable. MUSHclient works on operating systems from Windows 95 to Windows Vista.
Best Pay Windows Client
CMUD
If you plan to do a lot of scripting, CMUD is the client for you. CMUD is designed for fast and easy scripting with the functionality to share them with others as well. It has one of the best automatic mapping systems of any MUD client. The full version of CMUD presently costs $29.95 with a free thirty day trial. If you don't need or use many special MUD client features then I would recommend trying a free client, but if you want to compete on a MUD that allows scripting CMUD is likely the choice for you. CMUD works on Windows XP and Windows Vista. (For a good scripting client for older systems check out ZMUD from the same company.)
Best Mac OS Client
Atlantis and Savitar
I couldn't help but give a tie in this catagory. There are much older Mac OS clients out there, but unfortunately they are either not very user friendly or out of development. I've read a lot of good things on these clients from Mac Users. Both are worth a try!
Best Linux Client
KMuddy
KMuddy is reccommended by many Linux users as the best MUD client on these machines. This client is relatively new but is growing in popularity. It has many regular MUD client features such as timers, triggers, speedwalking, and client side aliases. Many of the clients in this catagory can be difficult to use, but KMuddy is touted as being much easier to use than most.
Best Client for Blind Gamers
Vip Mud
Vip Mud has a lot of the features of other clients including vibrant scripting capability, but aslo a lot of special features for the blind gamer. It is designed to work with most screen reading software right out of the box. There are also voice features such as silmultaneous voices and the ability to program different voices or even screen readers for output. Vip Mud has the functionality to gag both spam and ASCII art. Vip Mud is $30 and has a 30 day free trial.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Top MUD Sites
Traditionally one of the best MUD resources out there in the world wide web has been Top MUD Sites (TMS). Hundreds of MUDs have registered with Top Mud Sites and a potential player can search Top Mud Sites database and control the results through advanced searching. There is an active community on the TMS forums. Many of the members are MUD administrators, staff, or veteran players. This is a good place to ask for general help or to search more specifically for a game you like. There is a MUD article database with topics on roleplaying, storytelling, and building MUDs.
One of the most useful tools I have used when trying to select a new MUD to play is TMS's top MUD list which is located on their home page. Honestly, this is not an indication of the best built MUDs on the web or the best environments. It is more of an indication of how active and passionate both the administrators and players for a MUD are. From my experience, a MUD will not even get listed on the front page for the top 20 MUDs without having an active and larger player base. There are still many MUDs out there that have few players at all. If a MUD is not within the top 40 on TMS it is a good indication that the MUD has a very small player base, likely too small for robust interactive play.
Unfortunately, what I deemed one of the most useful features of Top MUD Sites has gone inactive. TMS has not been accepting new MUD reviews from players since September of 2006. While the old reviews are still there, I had found it historically useful to read what players liked or hated about a game. It is true that some disillusioned players could write scathing or untrue reviews or admins could write over glowing reviews for their game, but the discerning reader can weed through both extremes to find some semblance of the truth about a game. I hope that this is a feature that they reinstate soon, though with the amount of time it has been down I'm not holding my breath.
Even with this inactive feature, Top MUD Sites is still one of the best MUD resources out there today. I've enjoyed many years of researching, writing, and reading on the site.
Hats off to you, TMS!
One of the most useful tools I have used when trying to select a new MUD to play is TMS's top MUD list which is located on their home page. Honestly, this is not an indication of the best built MUDs on the web or the best environments. It is more of an indication of how active and passionate both the administrators and players for a MUD are. From my experience, a MUD will not even get listed on the front page for the top 20 MUDs without having an active and larger player base. There are still many MUDs out there that have few players at all. If a MUD is not within the top 40 on TMS it is a good indication that the MUD has a very small player base, likely too small for robust interactive play.
Unfortunately, what I deemed one of the most useful features of Top MUD Sites has gone inactive. TMS has not been accepting new MUD reviews from players since September of 2006. While the old reviews are still there, I had found it historically useful to read what players liked or hated about a game. It is true that some disillusioned players could write scathing or untrue reviews or admins could write over glowing reviews for their game, but the discerning reader can weed through both extremes to find some semblance of the truth about a game. I hope that this is a feature that they reinstate soon, though with the amount of time it has been down I'm not holding my breath.
Even with this inactive feature, Top MUD Sites is still one of the best MUD resources out there today. I've enjoyed many years of researching, writing, and reading on the site.
Hats off to you, TMS!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Roll play vs. Role play
I’m borrowing a bit from old table top gaming terminology to make a point. What I will be addressing in this post is the long time dispute between gamers who like adopting a role and fleshing out a character and those who like to bash down doors and hack other characters into bits. Are you the type of gamer that likes adopting a role or do you prefer the roll of the die?
I’ve played in many gaming groups and on many games in my time and had plenty of experience seeing players on all ends of the spectrum. On one end of the extreme enters the hack and slash gamer. It is all about the game mechanics for him. The kill. The win. He wants to spend his time fighting monsters, solving quests, and gathering phat loot and gear. He wants that next level, that next shiny new object.
Charge!
On the other end of the spectrum enters the roleplayer. His main focus is on developing his character. He will spend a lot of time on character histories, descriptions, and mannerisms. He prefers spending his time interacting with other characters or the game master (as the case maybe). He may even roleplay when no one is around. (I’ve really known people like this!) He is the master thespian.
Scene!
Deities help you if you have both extremes in the same gaming group. Ultimately no one will be happy!
Most players are a combination for these two extremes, though sometimes it feels like roleplayers are a dying breed. Maybe they have just given up when they haven’t found others of their ilk. If you are among this endangered species I encourage you to try out “roleplay enforced” MUDs. There are still some roleplayers alive and kicking out there. Flee from “roleplay encouraged” games true RP is not to be found in these dens of RP mediocrity. Not all “RP Enforced” or “RP Mandatory” games live up to their name I fear, but they are out there!
There is an environment for everyone out there. Are you a “roll player” or a “role player” or a happy combination of the two? I’m personally a happy hybrid myself and won’t settle for a game that doesn’t have a combination of both strategy and roleplaying. There is a game out there for us all. It is just a matter of finding it.
Happy Hunting!
I’ve played in many gaming groups and on many games in my time and had plenty of experience seeing players on all ends of the spectrum. On one end of the extreme enters the hack and slash gamer. It is all about the game mechanics for him. The kill. The win. He wants to spend his time fighting monsters, solving quests, and gathering phat loot and gear. He wants that next level, that next shiny new object.
Charge!
On the other end of the spectrum enters the roleplayer. His main focus is on developing his character. He will spend a lot of time on character histories, descriptions, and mannerisms. He prefers spending his time interacting with other characters or the game master (as the case maybe). He may even roleplay when no one is around. (I’ve really known people like this!) He is the master thespian.
Scene!
Deities help you if you have both extremes in the same gaming group. Ultimately no one will be happy!
Most players are a combination for these two extremes, though sometimes it feels like roleplayers are a dying breed. Maybe they have just given up when they haven’t found others of their ilk. If you are among this endangered species I encourage you to try out “roleplay enforced” MUDs. There are still some roleplayers alive and kicking out there. Flee from “roleplay encouraged” games true RP is not to be found in these dens of RP mediocrity. Not all “RP Enforced” or “RP Mandatory” games live up to their name I fear, but they are out there!
There is an environment for everyone out there. Are you a “roll player” or a “role player” or a happy combination of the two? I’m personally a happy hybrid myself and won’t settle for a game that doesn’t have a combination of both strategy and roleplaying. There is a game out there for us all. It is just a matter of finding it.
Happy Hunting!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Why text based games?
With there being so many graphical online games out there why would someone still play a MUD or other text based game? In the world of gaming MUDs seem rather archaic. Why are MUDs still thriving? Why are new games being built every day? Why are new players finding these games?
From where I'm sitting as a MUD veteran, I can see several really good reasons why MUDs are still popular.
The first thing that comes to mind is that MUDs are very portable gaming. Mudding is for serious gamers that want access to their game nearly anywhere. Anywhere you can access the internet, you can access a MUD. Some games have java or flash clients on their websites that you can access. For the hardcore mudder, any number of MUD clients (which in my experience don't take up much space) can be saved and run from a flash drive. Since MUDs are text based it is far less obvious that all that scrolling text is actually a game. Phones with net access, netbooks, laptops, and public computers will all run MUDs successfully.
MUDs don't require a lot of system resources to run. MUDs have been running on computers for years. Even older computers will successfully run MUDs and any special software that may be required or used to enchance text gaming does not take up much memory on a computer at all. Those with older computers or slower internet connections from around the world enjoy online text gaming as sometimes their only multi-player internet option. MUD updates happen on the game server and no update downloads are needed by players.
Most MUDs are free. There are MUDs out there that charge monthly fees or have pay for perks systems but the vast majority of the games are free. I'm not talking about cheap gaming but absolutely free gaming. Let's face it, it can be really expensive keeping up with most console and computer gaming. We aren't even talking about the software or the monthly fees, but also upgrading to a new console or computer system to run the latest games.
MUDs are very accessible. Blind, sight impaired players, and deaf players can easily play MUDs and get nearly the same gaming experience as everyone else. With no sound or graphics, MUDs level the playing ground.
Finally, the reason I am playing MUDs after all these years is for the better social gaming environments they provide. I have never seen a larger graphical game successfully create a roleplay enforced environment. Most staff on online graphical games chose not to police their players and the game environment greatly suffers for it. Players are MUDs are generally kinder and better behaved than those on the graphical games and MUD administrators are more apt to remove disruptive players. Social interaction is a large part of online gaming and that interaction is only worthwhile if it is positive.
The bottom line is that MUDs are still around and thriving. For these reasons above and more they've kept me captivated and entertained for years.
.
From where I'm sitting as a MUD veteran, I can see several really good reasons why MUDs are still popular.
The first thing that comes to mind is that MUDs are very portable gaming. Mudding is for serious gamers that want access to their game nearly anywhere. Anywhere you can access the internet, you can access a MUD. Some games have java or flash clients on their websites that you can access. For the hardcore mudder, any number of MUD clients (which in my experience don't take up much space) can be saved and run from a flash drive. Since MUDs are text based it is far less obvious that all that scrolling text is actually a game. Phones with net access, netbooks, laptops, and public computers will all run MUDs successfully.
MUDs don't require a lot of system resources to run. MUDs have been running on computers for years. Even older computers will successfully run MUDs and any special software that may be required or used to enchance text gaming does not take up much memory on a computer at all. Those with older computers or slower internet connections from around the world enjoy online text gaming as sometimes their only multi-player internet option. MUD updates happen on the game server and no update downloads are needed by players.
Most MUDs are free. There are MUDs out there that charge monthly fees or have pay for perks systems but the vast majority of the games are free. I'm not talking about cheap gaming but absolutely free gaming. Let's face it, it can be really expensive keeping up with most console and computer gaming. We aren't even talking about the software or the monthly fees, but also upgrading to a new console or computer system to run the latest games.
MUDs are very accessible. Blind, sight impaired players, and deaf players can easily play MUDs and get nearly the same gaming experience as everyone else. With no sound or graphics, MUDs level the playing ground.
Finally, the reason I am playing MUDs after all these years is for the better social gaming environments they provide. I have never seen a larger graphical game successfully create a roleplay enforced environment. Most staff on online graphical games chose not to police their players and the game environment greatly suffers for it. Players are MUDs are generally kinder and better behaved than those on the graphical games and MUD administrators are more apt to remove disruptive players. Social interaction is a large part of online gaming and that interaction is only worthwhile if it is positive.
The bottom line is that MUDs are still around and thriving. For these reasons above and more they've kept me captivated and entertained for years.
.
Monday, August 24, 2009
World of MU*
It is hard for to keep track of all of the different classifications of online text games. Even veteran gamers still debate how to classify certain games or what they really mean. Below I've detailed the major classifications of online text games.
There are also some behind the scenes significant code differences between the different MU* platforms. As you poor MU* programmers are in the minority in comparison to the actual players and my extent of MUD programming is limited I'm not going to even address the programming differences.
MUDs = Multi-User Dungeon. These games are a balance of both social interaction, roleplaying, and hack n' slash gaming.
MUSH = Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, Holodeck, or Hallucination (Take your pick!) These games focus mostly on roleplaying and social interaction. It is rare to find much combat on these games and if there is combat system it is often a vehicle for roleplay combat.
MUCK = Multi-User Created Kingdom. The focus of MUCKs is also on roleplay and social interaction. Players can create and modify all internal objects of the existing game environment.
MOO = MUD, Object Oriented. The focus is on social interaction and roleplaying. Users can perform object oriented programming to expand and change the server.
I have to admit I haven't spent much time on MUSHes, MUCKs, or MOOs. Even after doing research on them the differences between them all is about as clear as MUD. (I couldn't resist.) What I do know that on any text game I have tried that isn't a MUD there has been a decided lack of dragon and monster slaying. I don't know about you, but I don't feel as if my day is complete unless I've vanquished a foe or three. As much as I adore adopting the role of one of my characters, deep down I'm a gamer at heart.
Happy Slaying!
.
There are also some behind the scenes significant code differences between the different MU* platforms. As you poor MU* programmers are in the minority in comparison to the actual players and my extent of MUD programming is limited I'm not going to even address the programming differences.
MUDs = Multi-User Dungeon. These games are a balance of both social interaction, roleplaying, and hack n' slash gaming.
MUSH = Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, Holodeck, or Hallucination (Take your pick!) These games focus mostly on roleplaying and social interaction. It is rare to find much combat on these games and if there is combat system it is often a vehicle for roleplay combat.
MUCK = Multi-User Created Kingdom. The focus of MUCKs is also on roleplay and social interaction. Players can create and modify all internal objects of the existing game environment.
MOO = MUD, Object Oriented. The focus is on social interaction and roleplaying. Users can perform object oriented programming to expand and change the server.
I have to admit I haven't spent much time on MUSHes, MUCKs, or MOOs. Even after doing research on them the differences between them all is about as clear as MUD. (I couldn't resist.) What I do know that on any text game I have tried that isn't a MUD there has been a decided lack of dragon and monster slaying. I don't know about you, but I don't feel as if my day is complete unless I've vanquished a foe or three. As much as I adore adopting the role of one of my characters, deep down I'm a gamer at heart.
Happy Slaying!
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