<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design --> <!--X-From-R13: Rneeva Vlehc <funqrfNzlguvptnzrf.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 19:12:47 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 3.0.5.32.19981012222407.00867180#mythicgames,com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 11A17AA2B9EAD111BCEA00A0C9B41793EDC07C#forest,origin.ea.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:shades#mythicgames,com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00159.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00161.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00179.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00188.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00160">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00160">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00160">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Darrin Hyrup <<A HREF="mailto:shades#mythicgames,com">shades#mythicgames,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 22:24:07 -0400</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> At 12:50 PM 10/10/98 -0500, Raph Koster wrote: >A first pass on this project. Please feel free to question, debate, add, >etc. Only try to do it in pithy little statements. ;) Many thanks to all >those who helped with some of these laws, too. I've been lurking on the list for about 6 months now, and while I usually don't have time to say much, this seemed like a good opportunity to chime in with some of the lessons I've learned in my 10 or so years of commercial MUD experience... o No matter how many new features you have or add, the players will always want more. o Despite your best intentions, any change will be looked upon as a bad change to a large percentage of your players. Even those who forgot they asked for it to begin with. o If something can be abused, it will be. o The more detailed you make the world, the more players will want to be break away from the classical molds. o It is not possible to run a scenario or award player actions without other players crying favoritism. o The longer your game runs, the less often you get kudos for your efforts. o Servers only crash and don't restart when you go out of town. Finally, for those who have paying MUDs, something that I've always found intriguing. o The higher the fee, the better the roleplayers. (And of course, the smaller the playerbase.) Btw, since you probably have no idea who I am... in my tenure in the commercial MUD biz, I've worked as a designer and/or programmer on Gemstone (during the early years on GEnie), Dragon's Gate (in all its incarnations, currently on AOL), Darkness Falls (currently on AOL and Gamestorm) and Magestorm (a graphical MUD of sorts, also available on AOL and Gamestorm.) I've also worked on a lot of non-MUD related online games to which many of the same "laws of online world design" apply. Like most of you, I am also developing my version of the "Ultimate MUD Server / Ultimate MUD Universe" which, as usual, is more an exercise in design technique than anything else, and may never see the light of day. Best, Darrin </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00188" HREF="msg00188.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> J C Lawrence <claw#under,engr.sgi.com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00147" HREF="msg00147.html">[MUD-Dev] Laws of Online World Design</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Koster, Raph" <rkoster#origin,ea.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00159.html">[MUD-Dev] (CDMag) Sosaria Cracked: Why OSI's great social experiment is doomed</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00161.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00179.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00188.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00160"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00160"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00147" HREF="msg00147.html">[MUD-Dev] Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Sat 10 Oct 1998, 17:54 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00148" HREF="msg00148.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sun 11 Oct 1998, 04:30 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00151" HREF="msg00151.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Sun 11 Oct 1998, 17:21 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00179" HREF="msg00179.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Tue 13 Oct 1998, 18:45 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00160" HREF="msg00160.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Darrin Hyrup <a href="mailto:shades#mythicgames,com">shades#mythicgames,com</a>, Tue 13 Oct 1998, 02:12 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00188" HREF="msg00188.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Tue 13 Oct 1998, 22:14 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00162" HREF="msg00162.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Tue 13 Oct 1998, 02:45 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00173" HREF="msg00173.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Laws of Online World Design</A></strong>, Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt <a href="mailto:hhs#cbs,dtu.dk">hhs#cbs,dtu.dk</a>, Tue 13 Oct 1998, 11:28 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00135" HREF="msg00135.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Red Black Tree ?</A></strong>, Valerio Santinelli <a href="mailto:tanis#mediacom,it">tanis#mediacom,it</a>, Fri 09 Oct 1998, 15:29 GMT </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>