<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist --> <!--X-From-R13: X Q Znjerapr <pynjNpc.arg> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 19:35:46 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: E11qTDa-0003Ng-00#under,eng.cp.net --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 4.1.19991120010157.0093f4a0#mail,microworld.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:claw#cp,net"> </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="msg00471.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00475.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00448.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00475.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00473">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00473">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00473">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</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>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist </LI> <LI><em>From</em>: J C Lawrence <<A HREF="mailto:claw#cp,net">claw#cp,net</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 19:35:42 -0800</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#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> On Sat, 20 Nov 1999 01:07:33 -0600 Ryan P <ixiterra#microworld,com> wrote: > There always seems to be that low-ranking wizard that wants to > lash out and fight back against a high-ranking wizard; there is > always that high-ranking wizard that wants to abuse his/her power > on a low-ranking wizard. Lorry comments in only partial sarcasm on this at <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/mirrors/www.lysator.liu.se/mud/mudgod.html">http://www.kanga.nu/mirrors/www.lysator.liu.se/mud/mudgod.html</A> under: <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/library.php3?viewCat=23">http://www.kanga.nu/library.php3?viewCat=23</A> --<cut>-- Heirarchies and red tape The British civil service invented this one I think and if you use it as half as well as they do, you are well on your way to becoming a master. The point is that you should build heirarchies and once you have built them you should invent a use for the various levels and make sure people only channel requests or complaints properly. Luckily, games like MIST are naturally designed this way so all you have to do is create a new heirarchy at the top. At its best, MIST had: mortal-wizard berserker-wizard wizard maintainer-wizard lev 1 (existed in a list as being more important) maintainer-wizard lev 2 (who had extra commands) Maintainer-wizard (who knew the admin password, note capital "M") arch-wizard Arch-wizard (I hate the level name 'God') We had channels of complaint, so if a mortal wanted to complain about being mistreated by a wizard (which of course wasn't really illegal), then they had to complain to the wizards. The wizards could complain to the levels above them and as a rule anyone a couple of levels above anyone else would ignore people below them. To make it seem fair and because forcing people to use the correct channels isn't easy, the arch-wizards would often listen to little problems, but most of the time they ignored them. Once you have created this heirarchy, the most important thing to do is to keep changing it. Never keep it stable else people will get complacent, also make sure you do make some pretence of enforcing the red-tape system as it stands at the time - This has the disadvantage that you have to remember what it currently is yourself. Wizards Wizards are there for two reasons. Mainly they are there for the people above them to abuse, but as a sideline, they are there to abuse the people below them. It's a bad idea to push all the wizards too far; as an arch-wizard you need someone to run the game for you so that you don't have to do it yourself. If it comes to it, it's a good idea to weigh up the fun you'd get in deleting all the wizards to the hassle you'd get from the lower players with no-one to look after their petty moans. Basically treat your wizards badly, but not too badly. One nice way of really annoying them is to promote a subset of them to a new level. This helps because if you have to delete all the lower wizards the upper ones still side with you and can continue running the game. --<cut>-- More significantly, abstract and obtuse heirchies offer endless opportunities for politiking by players. > My idea is this: get rid of the hierarchy! Have about 3-8 true > administrators (depending on the size/need of the mud of course) > and everyone else is one, large conglomeration where everyone has > equal say. Find me a society or group with more than 10 people anywhere on the planet where "everyone has an equal say". Some people will get listened to more if only for the fact that they make better sense than others, or because they say things more agreeable to those with the actual power. Cronyism. The end result is the same. What happens is rapidly assumed to be a product of their statements, and then of they preferential status with the people who have the real power. Whoops, there go the accusations already. You've just set the seeds of a political system among your player base in your game. Raph Koster and Mike Sellers make a number of intersting observations on this in regard to admin behaviours as they observed on M59 and UOL. Simply summarised: If an admin character does *ANYTHING* that appears in the slightest regard to directly benefit or hinder a specific player or character, that admin will be accused of persecuting or unfairly helping that player or character, and the player base will instantly and irrevocably expect and insist that that is how the game is administered and run and the fur will fly. > Some wizards will have more access and will be more recognized > etc., but that is earned. Lower wizards will more likely lean > towards getting to know a more experienced wizard rather than > thinking, "Oh, he's more powerful than I am, I better be wary." In other words your heirarchies are now informal instead of explicitly stated by the structures of your game or admin structures. This doesn't change the fact or the nature of the heirarchies at all, just the methods for determining position. > Nearly every mud I have wizzed on has had some problem of this > sort, and I'm sure this idea would have some problems, but I just > thought of it now and perhaps you all can add to it to make it > better) My assertion is that the only real approach is to make the administration both invisible undetectable within the game world, and generally contactable only in the abstract outside of the game. Raph's position as Designer Dragon at UOL is an interesting example of this last qualification AFAICT. Purely because he is the only really observable figure there he becomes both an iconic grounding rod (heh!) and an apologist for the game -- BUT! and ths is the really interesting bit, he is retroactively assumed to be too distant from the real nitty gritty of the day to day running of the game ("The king doesn't care about what happened to your pet mouse. He cares about the kingdom") to really understand and know the minor travails of players. Its a curious dichotomy. Raph: The above is garnered mainly from fan-site readings. I hope I'm not tooo too far adrift. Comments? -- J C Lawrence Internet: claw#kanga,nu ----------(*) Internet: coder#kanga,nu ...Honorary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... _______________________________________________ MUD-Dev maillist - MUD-Dev#kanga,nu <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A> </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00425" HREF="msg00425.html">[MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Ryan P." <ixiterra#microworld,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00471.html">Re[6]: [MUD-Dev] (no subject)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00475.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00448.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00475.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00473"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00473"><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>Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00452" HREF="msg00452.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Mon 22 Nov 1999, 20:46 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00441" HREF="msg00441.html">Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Jeremy Music <a href="mailto:rezo#lords,com">rezo#lords,com</a>, Mon 22 Nov 1999, 18:55 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00443" HREF="msg00443.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Darren Henderson <a href="mailto:darren#jasper,somtel.com">darren#jasper,somtel.com</a>, Mon 22 Nov 1999, 18:55 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00448" HREF="msg00448.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Mon 22 Nov 1999, 20:14 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00473" HREF="msg00473.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#cp,net">claw#cp,net</a>, Wed 24 Nov 1999, 03:35 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00475" HREF="msg00475.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Wed 24 Nov 1999, 06:42 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00476" HREF="msg00476.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Admins as Mortals twist</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Wed 24 Nov 1999, 06:42 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00407" HREF="msg00407.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Mud hosting services</A></strong>, gunderwood <a href="mailto:gunderwood#donet,com">gunderwood#donet,com</a>, Fri 19 Nov 1999, 20:35 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00394" HREF="msg00394.html">[MUD-Dev] about MOO</A></strong>, Ilya, Game Commandos <a href="mailto:Ilya#gamecommandos,com">Ilya#gamecommandos,com</a>, Fri 19 Nov 1999, 18:27 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>