July 2002

• It's About Time Dep... Food Anderson, David
• Player count threshholds (was: Text Muds vs Graphical Muds) Christopher Allen
• • Player count threshholds (was: Text Muds vs Graphical Muds) Russ Whiteman
  • • Player count threshholds (was: Text Muds vs Graphical Muds) Matt Mihaly
    • • Player count threshholds (was: Text Muds vs Graphical Muds) Russ Whiteman
  • Player count threshholds (was: Text Muds vs Graphical Muds) Dave Rickey
• Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
• • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Sasha Hart
  • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Valerio Santinelli
  • • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Dave Trump
    • • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Valerio Santinelli
      • • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Maximus
        • • Neverwinter Nights (Was: The Future of MMOGs... what's next?) Valerio Santinelli
• The importance of graphics Zach Collins {Siege}
• • The importance of graphics brian hook
  • The importance of graphics Ted L. Chen
  • The importance of graphics eric
  • • The importance of graphics Edward Glowacki
  • The importance of graphics Matthew D. Fuller
  • • The importance of graphics Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • The importance of graphics Damion Schubert
  • • The importance of graphics Kwon Ekstrom
  • The importance of graphics jolon@kungfudesign.com
  • • The importance of graphics Matt Mihaly
    • • The importance of graphics Marc Bowden
      • • The importance of graphics Koster, Raph
        • • The importance of graphics VdA
          • • The importance of graphics Marc Bowden
          • The importance of graphics jolon@kungfudesign.com
        • The importance of graphics caduvall@glue.umd.edu
        • The importance of graphics Matt Mihaly
        • The importance of graphics Michael R. Estepp
• Completed Article Series at Skotos Shannon Appelcline
• NWN upping the ante? Or is that too much to ask? Azeraab
• • NWN upping the ante? Or is that too much to ask? Matt Chatterley
• Crafting/Creation systems Paul Boyle
• • Crafting/Creation systems eric
  • • Crafting/Creation systems cooper
    • Crafting/Creation systems cheesecrow@mail.ru
    • • Crafting/Creation systems Matt Mihaly
  • Crafting/Creation systems Aaron "the mad man" Weeks
  • Crafting/Creation systems Peter Tyson
  • • Crafting/Creation systems Paul Boyle
    • • Crafting/Creation systems lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
      • Crafting/Creation systems John Buehler
      • • Crafting/Creation systems shren
        • • Crafting/Creation systems Jeff Lindsey
        • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
        • • Crafting/Creation systems John Buehler
          • • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
            • • Crafting/Creation systems Dave Rickey
              • • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
                • • Crafting/Creation systems Dave Rickey
                  • • Crafting/Creation systems Vincent Archer
                    • Crafting/Creation systems Matt Mihaly
                    • • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
                      • • Crafting/Creation systems Brandon J. Van Every
                        • Crafting/Creation systems amanda@alfar.com
                        • • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
                        • Crafting/Creation systems Kwon Ekstrom
              • Crafting/Creation systems John Buehler
            • Crafting/Creation systems Damion Schubert
            • • Crafting/Creation systems John Buehler
                Damion Schubert writes:
                > From John Buehler:
                
                >> I have an aversion to long hours of boredom punctuated by moments
                >> of entertainment. My most fundamental tenet to crafting is that
                >> the boring part has to be entertaining. If it can't be done,
                >> then don't have players do that part. Have NPCs do it and have
                >> the players manage them. I could easily imagine that harvesting
                >> could be made entertaining, at least for a while, but it's not by
                >> hearing the same chopping and cutting sounds and seeing the same
                >> animation on the exact same tree graphic over and over again.
                >> Every activity in a game that a player is invited to engage in
                >> must be more entertaining than current combat systems. And that
                >> includes combat and forestry.
                
                > Um, why? I don't think at all that the fun of crafting comes from
                > the complexity of the interface of crafting. The fun of crafting
                > is more externally-driven.
                
                I'm sure that's the case for you and for many who get into crafting.
                The current player base is strongly achievement-oriented. I'm not
                as achievement-oriented, so I represent those who are more
                interested in the crafting process itself. I'm also interested in
                the achievement side of things, but not as much as you are.
                
                > Overall, the one thing I'd stress is that one should recognize the
                > difference between making crafting more fun, and simply making its
                > interface more cumbersome.
                
                Oh sure. I agree with this. Note that I consider the interfaces in
                EverQuest and Asheron's Call to be quite cumbersome and, at the same
                time, not very entertaining. I think that Dark Age of Camelot
                really helped me to distill the importance of making the crafting
                operation itself entertaining. Camelot didn't make the crafting
                process annoying and painful, so the pain was removed. But what was
                left was just the creation of zillions of items in order to advance
                the character's skill. It reminded me that crafting really is a lot
                of fun and can be entertaining in and of itself. To be able to
                create things and then sell them, have a positive impact on the game
                world at large, etc, is gravy beyond that.
                
                >> If you end up with recipe-based crafting, those recipes will be
                >> published and all players will know how to make the stuff. So
                >> that cannot be the discriminator to separate serious crafters
                >> from those who just want the end-result.
                
                > If recipes are limited by knowledge only, this is true. Consider,
                > for example, the possibility that these recipes are physical
                > objects (didn't EQ have a 'words of power' concept similar to
                > this?) Using real-world knowledge to create rarity is always a
                > bad plan (although its worth noting that this sharing of knowledge
                > is a fun and interesting design pattern in its own right and
                > should not be discounted).
                
                As described, I was fairly sure that Ron was emphasizing
                entertaining the players by having them experiment with components,
                producing player-known recipes. I favor what you're talking about,
                which is character-known recipes. While the player may know the
                ingredients through their character's knowledge, the character
                cannot assemble the recipe without the in-game knowledge of the
                character-known recipe. Indeed, even knowing the ingredients may
                not be transferrable. If my character knows that powdered eye of
                crocodile is an ingredient, I can tell you. But if you have no way
                of figuring out what powdered eye of crocodile is through your
                character's perceptions, then you can't even go find the
                ingredients.
                
                I don't place particular emphasis on the exchange of knowledge
                because I figure that it is simply the entertainment of games
                predicated on player-knowledge. It moves the entertainment out of
                the game and onto the web. While not necessarily a bad, thing, I
                like to think that a game that causes players to visit *it* instead
                of the web is a good game.
                
                >> It's funny that you say this because I've presented this exact
                >> comparison in defense of how unentertaining crafting systems are.
                >> Designers do not 'get it'.
                
                > We get it. It's just a lot easier to talk about some of these
                > things in abstract conceptual terms of 'what it should be like',
                > and much harder to actually create a system that is fulfilling on
                > that level. And given it's hard enough to make ONE core game
                > system (combat), other systems end up getting less time and
                > resources than designers would prefer.
                
                As Matt Mihaly has taken exception to, I often speak of these ideals
                as something that should be embraced by the designers of the games,
                yet I haven't built them into a game and published it. I appreciate
                the effort that goes into making software, being a long-time
                software engineer myself. I'd simply like to see more statements of
                ideals by the active designers so that we can all know what the
                ideals really are in your eyes. If the problem with developing the
                ideals is the difficulty of producing multiple core systems, then
                that is a problem to be addressed. Everyone in the industry may
                have an unspoken understanding of the ideals and the challenges, but
                those of us on the outside can't read your minds, only your posts.
                What I read generally points to status quo, which is why I talk
                about ideals so often. It may simply be that ideals aren't
                discussed because they are your stock-in-trade. Just as I don't
                hand out my source code as a software engineer, you don't hand out
                your design ideas. So I guess I'll continue to espouse my design
                ideas into the vacuum.
                
                If resources for multiple core systems is really the problem, then
                maybe we should start talking about component design and development
                again. Yet another ideal to be discussed.
                
                JB
              • • Crafting/Creation systems Dave Rickey
                • Crafting/Creation systems Ron Gabbard
                • • Crafting/Creation systems John Buehler
        • Crafting/Creation systems Damion Schubert
• Mass customization in MM***s Ron Gabbard
• • Mass customization in MM***s Ted L. Chen
  • Mass customization in MM***s Damion Schubert
  • • Mass customization in MM***s Ron Gabbard
    • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
      • • Mass customization in MM***s Vincent Archer
        • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
          • • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
            • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
        • Mass customization in MM***s Marian Griffith
        • • Mass customization in MM***s Sasha Hart
          • • Mass customization in MM***s lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
            • • Mass customization in MM***s Ron Gabbard
              • • Mass customization in MM***s lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
          • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
          • • Mass customization in MM***s Damion Schubert
            • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
              • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
                • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
                  • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
                    • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
                      • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
                        • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
                          • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
                            • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
            • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
            • • Mass customization in MM***s Zach Collins {Siege}
              • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
              • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
              • Mass customization in MM***s Marian Griffith
              • • Mass customization in MM***s Travis Casey
                • • Mass customization in MM***s shren
                • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
                • Mass customization in MM***s Amanda Walker
                • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
            • Mass customization in MM***s Marian Griffith
            • • Mass customization in MM***s John Buehler
        • Mass customization in MM***s Damion Schubert
      • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
      • • Mass customization in MM***s Ron Gabbard
        • • Mass customization in MM***s Amanda Walker
          • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
          • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
            • • Mass customization in MM***s Sasha Hart
              • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
                • • Mass customization in MM***s Sasha Hart
                  • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
              • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
              • • Mass customization in MM***s Matt Mihaly
            • Mass customization in MM***s Paul E. Schwanz, II
            • • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
            • Mass customization in MM***s Damion Schubert
            • • Mass customization in MM***s John Robert Arras
              • • Mass customization in MM***s Koster, Raph
    • Mass customization in MM***s Marc LaFleur
    • • Mass customization in MM***s Koster, Raph
      • • Mass customization in MM***s Madrona Tree
        • Mass customization in MM***s Marc LaFleur
        • • Mass customization in MM***s Koster, Raph
          • • Mass customization in MM***s Marc LaFleur
        • Mass customization in MM***s Paul Boyle
      • Mass customization in MM***s Damion Schubert
  • Mass customization in MM***s Michael Tresca
  • Mass customization in MM***s Brandon J. Van Every
  • • Mass customization in MM***s P.David
• NLP tools? Robert Zubek
• Importance of graphic in different stages of gaming Edward Glowacki
• • Importance of graphic in different stages of gaming Koster, Raph
  • Importance of graphic in different stages of gaming Jeff Lindsey
  • Importance of graphic in different stages of gaming Damion Schubert
• Game Convention Development Survey Casbaria
• Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Koster, Raph
• • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Derek Licciardi
  • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? shren
    • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Sasha Hart
    • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Matt Mihaly
    • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Derek Licciardi
      • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Dave Rickey
        • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Matt Mihaly
        • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Matt Mihaly
        • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed t o being immatu re? Koster, Raph
    • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Marian Griffith
    • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Paul Boyle
      • • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? jo@groupinfo.com
        • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Matt Mihaly
    • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immature? Paul Schwanz
  • Are gratification-based (online) societies doomed to being immatu re? Marc LaFleur
• Salon article: "Showdown in cyberspace: Star Wars vs. The Sims" Robert Zubek
• Are gratifiction-based (online) societies doomed to being immature? Jay C.
• A Question on PvP and PK Ron Gabbard
• • A Question on PvP and PK Vladimir Cole
  • A Question on PvP and PK szii@sziisoft.com
  • • A Question on PvP and PK eric
    • A Question on PvP and PK Paul Boyle
    • • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
      • • A Question on PvP and PK Vincent Archer
        • • A Question on PvP and PK Jeff Lindsey
          • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
    • A Question on PvP and PK Damion Schubert
    • • A Question on PvP and PK szii@sziisoft.com
      • • A Question on PvP and PK Damion Schubert
        • • A Question on PvP and PK Koster, Raph
          • A Question on PvP and PK Derek Licciardi
        • A Question on PvP and PK Lars Duening
        • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
        • • A Question on PvP and PK shren
          • A Question on PvP and PK Dave Rickey
          • • A Question on PvP and PK Daniel James
          • A Question on PvP and PK Sean Kelly
          • • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
            • • A Question on PvP and PK Sean Kelly
              • • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
                • • A Question on PvP and PK Ron Gabbard
                  • • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
              • A Question on PvP and PK szii@sziisoft.com
              • • A Question on PvP and PK Lars Duening
                • • A Question on PvP and PK Koster, Raph
                • A Question on PvP and PK Matt Mihaly
                • A Question on PvP and PK Zach Collins {Siege}
                • • A Question on PvP and PK Kwon Ekstrom
                  • • A Question on PvP and PK Ron Gabbard
                • A Question on PvP and PK Jeff Lindsey
              • A Question on PvP and PK Damion Schubert
  • A Question on PvP and PK John Buehler
  • A Question on PvP and PK Eli Stevens
  • • A Question on PvP and PK Ron Gabbard
    • • A Question on PvP and PK Paul Schwanz
      • • A Question on PvP and PK Amanda Walker
        • • A Question on PvP and PK Jeff Lindsey
          • • A Question on PvP and PK Amanda Walker
      • A Question on PvP and PK Sasha Hart
      • • A Question on PvP and PK apollyon .
        • • A Question on PvP and PK Sasha Hart
    • A Question on PvP and PK ghovs
  • A Question on PvP and PK Dave Trump
  • A Question on PvP and PK Paul Boyle
  • • A Question on PvP and PK Damion Schubert
    • A Question on PvP and PK Moonvine
• Réf. : Mass customization in MM*** s Yannick.Jean@csst.qc.ca
• • Réf. : Mass cus tomization in MM*** s Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • • Réf. : Mass customization in MM*** s John Buehler
    • • Réf. : Mass cus tomization in MM*** s Jeff Lindsey
      • • Réf. : Mass customization in MM*** s John Buehler
        • • Réf. : Mass customization in MM*** s Damion Schubert
    • Réf. : Mass cus tomization in MM*** s Jeff Lindsey
• Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) shren
• • Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • • Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) shren
    • • Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
      • • Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) Sean Kelly
  • Boring Combat (was:Mass customization in MM***s) Acius
• Gamasutra plans to feature MMOGs Lars Duening
• About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Marian Griffith
• • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Greg Titus
  • • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Sean Kelly
    • • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Greg Titus
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) shren
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Dave Shepherd
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) John Buehler
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Travis Casey
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Jessica Mulligan
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Damion Schubert
  • • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Koster, Raph
  • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) Christopher Allen
  • • About Fencing (was: mass customisation) John Bertoglio
• Crafting Systems - preventing recipe decomposition? Adam
• • Crafting Systems - preventing recipe decomposition? Sie Ming
  • • Crafting Systems - preventing recipe decomposition? Jeff Cole
    • Crafting Systems - preventing recipe decomposition? Damion Schubert
  • Crafting Systems - preventing recipe decomposit ion? Anderson, David
• Gratification-based MUDs luke@rocketship.com
• Rif. : Mass customization in MM*** s Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
• EQ in mainstream news again... Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
• TECH: Britt A. Green
• • TECH: Bruce Mitchener
  • • TECH: Britt A. Green
  • TECH: Phillip Lenhardt
• Preventing recipe decomposition (why?) Sean Kelly
• • Preventing recipe decomposition (why?) Anderson, David
  • Preventing recipe decomposition (why?) John Buehler
  • Preventing recipe decomposition (why?) Sie Ming
  • Preventing recipe decomposition (why?) Derek Licciardi
• Gossip, fiction and tactical lore Damion Schubert
• • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore Sara Jensen
  • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore John Buehler
  • • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore Matt Mihaly
    • • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore John Buehler
    • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore Sasha Hart
    • • Gossip, fiction and tactical lore John Buehler
• java clients Matt Mihaly
• • java clients Valerio Santinelli
  • • java clients Jo Dillon
  • java clients Zach Collins {Siege}
  • • java clients Kwon Ekstrom
  • java clients Daniel James
  • • java clients Jo Dillon
  • java clients Colin Coghill
  • • java clients Brandon J. Van Every
    • • java clients Matt Mihaly
      • • java clients Brandon J. Van Every
        • • java clients Philippe Lalande
          • • java clients justice@softhome.net
          • java clients Matt Mihaly
          • • java clients Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
    • java clients Jo Dillon
    • • java clients David Love
    • java clients Jon A. Lambert
    • • java clients fred@clift.org
      • java clients Lars Duening
      • • java clients Jon A. Lambert
        • • java clients justice@softhome.net
          • • java clients David Love
            • • java clients Travis Casey
              • java clients bruce@cubik.org
          • java clients Fred Clift
          • • java clients Jo Dillon
            • java clients Karl Bastiman
  • java clients David Yazel
  • java clients Christopher Kohnert
  • • java clients ceo
    • • java clients Christopher Kohnert
      • • java clients ceo
        • • java clients Christopher Kohnert
      • java clients Daniel James
  • java clients ceo
  • • java clients Matt Mihaly
  • java clients ceo
• Alternative Hit Point Systems? Jack Britt
• • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Ammon Lauritzen
  • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Sasha Hart
    • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Trickey, Rob
      • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Travis Casey
      • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Anderson, David
    • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Zach Collins {Siege}
    • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? shren
      • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
        • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Mathieu Castelli
          • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Travis Casey
          • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Peter Harkins
    • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Jack Britt
    • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Sasha Hart
      • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Jo Dillon
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Bruce Mitchener
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Sie Ming
  • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Michelle Elbert
    • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Paul E. Schwanz, II
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Sean Kelly
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Christopher Allen
  • • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Travis Casey
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Sage
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Travis Casey
  • Alternative Hit Point Systems? Michael Tresca
• Creative guy seeking a MUD Brandon J. Van Every
• • Creative guy seeking a MUD Frank Crowell
  • • Creative guy seeking a MUD Sasha Hart
    • • Creative guy seeking a MUD c_andreev@fmi.uni-sofia.bg
    • Creative guy seeking a MUD Brandon J. Van Every
• "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Koster, Raph
• • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Matt Mihaly
  • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Brandon J. Van Every
    • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Matt Mihaly
      • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Brandon J. Van Every
        • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Matt Mihaly
  • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Michael Tresca
  • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Brandon J. Van Every
    • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling Tools Ron Gabbard
      • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling Tools Matt Mihaly
      • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Michael Tresca
      • • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Miroslav Silovic
    • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Matt Mihaly
  • "The Artisan's Hands" - Storytelling tools Michael Tresca
• Hangul (was Réf. : Mass customization in MM***s) Travis Casey
• remote 56K editing, especially for lpmud? Brandon J. Van Every
• • remote 56K editing, especially for lpmud? Lars Duening
  • remote 56K editing, especially for lpmud? Marc Bowden
  • remote 56K editing, especially for lpmud? Valerio Santinelli
• A question of PvP and PK Adam
• web-based MUD editing tools? Brandon J. Van Every
• • web-based MUD editing tools? Kwon Ekstrom
  • web-based MUD editing tools? Christopher Allen
  • web-based MUD editing tools? Sanvean
  • web-based MUD editing tools? John Bertoglio
  • web-based MUD editing tools? zifnab@islandsofmyth.org
• Hangul (was Réf. : Mass customization in MM***s) Sean Kelly
• ADMIN: List configuration changes J C Lawrence
• Hangul (was Ref. : Mass customization in MM***s) Jake Song
• Hangul (was Réf. : Mass customization in MM***s) David Kennerly
• Phonetic and Ideographic languages (was Hangul) Nathan F. Yospe
• portable ftpd daemon for lpmud? Brandon J. Van Every
• • portable ftpd daemon for lpmud? Lars Duening
  • • portable ftpd daemon for lpmud? Malcolm Tester
    • • portable ftpd daemon for lpmud? Brandon J. Van Every
• current portable lpmud code libraries? Brandon J. Van Every
• • current portable lpmud code libraries? David Bennett