October 2002
- MUD-Dev Storytelling in MMOGs article Joe Andrieu
- terrain rendering (was: Future of MMOGs) Bruce Mitchener
- Furcadia improvement (was: Massive Online Gaming magazine) Zach Collins {Siege}
- MudWorld News ucmm@inetsolve.com
- Furcadia improvement Dr. Cat
- Furcadia improvement Ling Lo
- Inside the Serious Business of Online Gaming Michael Tresca
- Fw: [Nel] Would a complete gpl'ed and copylefted online gaming world be financialy succes? Valerio Santinelli
- Would a complete gpl'ed and copylefted online gaming world be financialy succes? Marc De Mesel
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Boyle, Paul
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Dave Rickey
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Dave Rickey
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Dave Rickey
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Rayzam
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Rayzam
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Rayzam
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Rayzam
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Casbaria
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Miroslav Silovic
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Koster, Raph
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players justice@softhome.net
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Roy Trubshaw
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Miroslav Silovic
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Crosbie Fitch
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Crosbie Fitch
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Freeman, Jeff
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players Richard A. Bartle
- In Real Life Matthew Dobervich
- Massive Online Game magazine Richard A. Bartle
- Massive Online Game magazine Dave Rickey
- 48 Hours Investigates Everquest Addiction Rayzam
- Massive Online Games Jessica Mulligan
- Massive Online Games Koster, Raph
- Wired Article on The Sims Online Rayzam
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Richard A. Bartle
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Richard A. Bartle
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) nyee@nickyee.com
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Koster, Raph
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Nicholas Yee
- Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model (was: 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Kent Peterson
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk shren
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Rayzam
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Coyote
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Boyle, Paul
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk shren
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Marc Bowden
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Ted L. Chen
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk Sulka Haro
- Myst Online article at ferrago.co.uk DeyjaL@aol.com
- What is the world? (was: Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model) Zach Collins {Siege}
- What is the world? (was: Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- What is the world? (was: Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model) Zach Collins {Siege}
- What is the world? (was: Weaknesses in the HCDS player type model) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- "On Virtual Economies" by Castronova Koster, Raph
- "On Virtual Economies" by Castronova Ted L. Chen
- "On Virtual Economies" by Castronova Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- "On Virtual Economies" by Castronova Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Brian Hook
Ola Fosheim Grxstad said:
> It is quite apparent to me that a commercial MUD is most
> interesting at the time of launch where you have lots and lots of
> players at your own level to interact with.
Lots of things here. First, we need to differentiate between
"commercial" and "mass market" (where "mass market" means "mass
market of computer game players", not the REAL "mass market" a la
The Sims audience). You can have a very small commercial MUD
(Achaea, Simutronics), and a lot of generalizations about EQ, DAoC,
AC, UO, etc. don't apply to them.
I agree that when an on-line game is first launched that it tends to
be the most interesting, IF the game is centered around either
exploration or achievement. It is not necessarily the most
interesting if it's centered around socializing, politics,
diplomacy, and other player-player interaction.
Everyone being "at your own level" does provide more opportunities
for socializing, but at the same time it's a pretty strong indicator
that you're already on a level treadmill somewhere.
> Arriving in or coming back to an established game is kind of
> lonely and discouraging, there is no level playfield, and
> everything has been discovered by somebody else...
This is only true if you're an achiever ("no level playfield") or
explorer/achiever ("everything has been discovered by somebody
else"). While this surely encompasses a large group of players,
it's important to note that this isn't an absolute.
> Why not design a flexible world that allows designers to rearrange
> the entire world, gameplay rules included?
They do, it's called "nerfing", and it pisses people off =)
Adding content is fine, changing existing content isn't, it
alienates too many players that have gotten into a groove and that
have achieved a level of familiarity and comfort with the way the
system works. It's frustrating and annoying to spend a lot of time
figuring something out, only to have it change on you capriciously.
> Then you can massively improve the world and relaunch every six
> months...
The bigger problem is "how do you generate a constant stream of
content"? I think the answer to this is pretty clear -- make the
players become the content. If content is described in terms of
textures, zones, classes, models, etc. then it's a tough world for
the developers to live in, because they can't generate content at
the rate players consume it. Player generated content is rife with
problems in so many dimensions it's not even funny.
Which is why, in the end, the players have to become the content.
PvP is the obvious direction for this, and I think that things like
DAoC's Realm Wars, EQ's Race Wars (even though it was a huge
afterthought that is balanced horribly), Shadowbane, Achaea's
emphasis on politics, etc. provide an obvious direction for this.
When people get into a vibe where they're no longer trying to
"consume the environment" but must instead think in terms of social
alliances, then there's much less need to provide new rocks, new
monsters, new armor, etc. because the players can remain interested
even if it's a static world.
The extreme of this is something like Counter Strike, where the
world never, ever changes, there is no sense of discovery, and it's
a completely level playing field. It's still popular as hell today,
because the challenge doesn't come from jumping across lava or a
battle of patience against a rare spawn. The challenge is derived
from other players. We're seeing this with Battlefield 1942 as
well.
A CS server that has been up for 300 days is just as exciting as one
that was launched 5 minutes ago. I think in a gameplay environment
where the level treadmill is a means to an end, instead of the end
itself, and where other players provide a significant amount of the
game interaction, you'll find that things don't grow as boring,
stagnant and predictable as you would expect.
Unfortunately I don't think a game design like this is tenable for
large commercial ventures -- it's McDonalds vs. Ruth's Chris Steak
House. But for niche genres, it's definitely one way to avoid the
constant need to provide new stuff for players to acquire and
become.
-Hook - Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited brian hook
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited shren
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Brian Hook
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Paul Schwanz
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited shren
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Dave Rickey
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Michael Tresca
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Adam
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Michael Tresca
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Colin Coghill
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Koster, Raph
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Sasha Hart
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited John Robert Arras
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited John Robert Arras
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ted L. Chen
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited John Robert Arras
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited John Robert Arras
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Arnau Rosselló Castelló
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Clay
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Arnau Rosselló Castelló
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Kestanan
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Edward Glowacki
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Matt Mihaly
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Leigh Stillard
- Morphable worlds, Reset based systems revisited Brian Hook
- What's in the lack of a name? shren
- What's in the lack of a name? Rayzam
- What's in the lack of a name? Ted L. Chen
- What's in the lack of a name? shren
- What's in the lack of a name? Ted L. Chen
- What's in the lack of a name? Harrok
- What's in the lack of a name? shren
- What's in the lack of a name? Dan Wyman
- What's in the lack of a name? Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- What's in the lack of a name? Damion Schubert
- What's in the lack of a name? Rudy Fink
- Gaining insight from playing MUDs (MUD-Dev Storytelling in MMOGs article) Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Stunning success and catastrophic failure for skills. Ideas needed! Britt Green
- Stunning success and catastrophic failure for skills. Ideas needed! shren
- Stunning success and catastrophic failure for skills. Ideas needed! Lars Duening
- Stunning success and catastrophic failure for skills. Ideas needed! Christopher Kohnert
- Stunning success and catastrophic failure for skills. Ideas needed! Edward Glowacki
- PKing minors Richard A. Bartle
- PKing minors Jon A. Lambert
- PKing minors Richard A. Bartle
- PKing minors Crosbie Fitch
- PKing minors Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- PKing minors Shane P. Lee
- PKing minors shren
- PKing minors Justyn
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs amanda@alfar.com
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Ted L. Chen
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs amanda@alfar.com
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Ted L. Chen
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Koster, Raph
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs amanda@alfar.com
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Ted L. Chen
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs amanda@alfar.com
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Ted L. Chen
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Amanda Walker
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Matt Mihaly
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs amanda@alfar.com
- [Meta] Future of MMOGs Damion Schubert
- Starting to play (was: Morphable worlds...) Tess Lowe
- [TECH] Windows Telnet capabilities Arnau Rosselló Castelló
- [TECH] Windows Telnet capabilities Matt Owen
- November Issue of the MUD Journal Sanvean
- November Issue of the MUD Journal Tamzen Cannoy