<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows? --> <!--X-From-R13: X Q Znjerapr <pynjNxnatn.ah> --> <!--X-Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 21:13:13 -0800 --> <!--X-Message-Id: E12Emfc-0004Xe-00#dingo,kanga.nu --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 000601bf63d6$e7e292c0$0201a8c0#syntax2,javanet.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody kn</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu"> </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="msg00234.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00236.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00207.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00239.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00235">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00235">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00235">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</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] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows? </LI> <LI><em>From</em>: J C Lawrence <<A HREF="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 21:13:08 -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 Fri, 21 Jan 2000 01:15:25 -0500 phlUID <phluid#mindless,com> wrote: > How do you get players addicted to your mud? A few basic goals/techniques that rather overlap: Community -- they are a part of a society or social group, and are needed by and valuable to that group. Investment -- they have invested effort and expertise with gains that might be lost without attention. Involvement -- they are an implicit and functional part of the world, such that both they, and the game world, are mutually dependent and will change (possibly for the worse) without their continued involvement. Participation -- they are involved in group and game-world activities such that they are a "member" to an observable (to them) extent, and thus feel a pleasant sense of obligation and duty toward those activities. Value -- they value their role, its impact, and their participation in in-game activities and the other people there. How you can achieve these things is various and has been an extensive, and never-ending topic here. They are also of course a primary concern of commercial games in their efforts to reduce churn and lock in players (and their resulting income) for extended periods. I'd love to see some discussion and expansion on the above so that we can start establishing some recipies. Periodic celebrations and Events are probably the only real recipe we've discussed here (thanks to Amy Jo Kim for observing that all societies have 'em). > What are some ideas that people have implemented to make players > just HAVE to get on and player for just a FEW more minutes. I suspect that that is the wrong target and view to approach the problem with. I would expect that a more profitable view would be: What can I do to the game/game world, such that players value their participation in the game more? You're not looking for addiction, or visceral hormonal thrills. Those are too short-lived and have nasty burn out factors. What you are looking for is the ability to establish the willing habit in your players of playing your game. You want them to incorporate your game and its world as a standard and even anticipated part of their normal routine. More, you want them _coming_back_, not just playing ever spare second they have until they find some other silicon tart that winds their curlies even tighter than you do. > I've read an excellent paper on the subject of addiction from > Amit's Game Programming Resources (no link offhand)... There's a link off the Library at Kanga.Nu. > ... and it seems to me that the more players that you can get > addicted, the more stable your playerbase is and the more free > advertising you are getting. Player count is obviously important. There is definitely a "critical mass" required which seems to vary in magnitude for each game and the size of its target public. I would however look at it this way: People play MIST again, again, and again. They play it just to walk thru the scenery, to appreciate some of the craft that went into it, and, I suspect, to re-experience the memory of the wonder from the first time they played it. People play Quake for a while, even obsessively, and then "get sick of it", and go do something else. ObStory: I got Quake-World set up here under Linux and have been messing with the various Team Fortress variants (I have the marked advantage of being a definite LPB on the server I haunt -- my typical ping is between 30 and 80). It took about a week of occassional playing however before I came to a simple conclusion: I'm tired of 2fort5 and variants. I'll now only play more interesting maps like Dune, Tater, CanalZone, Canyon, etc. I have no doubt that in another week or so I'll be burnt out on those, and will abandone QuakeWorld. MUDs need longer lived players than a couple weeks. -- J C Lawrence Home: claw#kanga,nu ----------(*) Other: coder#kanga,nu --=| A man is as sane as he is dangerous to his environment |=-- _______________________________________________ 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> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00240" HREF="msg00240.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> J C Lawrence <claw#kanga,nu></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00239" HREF="msg00239.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Ben Greear <greearb#candelatech,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00207" HREF="msg00207.html">[MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "phlUID" <phluid#mindless,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00234.html">[MUD-Dev] ScryMUD 2.0.10 released.</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00236.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Community Relations</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00207.html">[MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00239.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00235"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00235"><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] [adv-mud] Spellbound Hierarchy and Keys (fwd)</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00231" HREF="msg00231.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] [adv-mud] Spellbound Hierarchy and Keys (fwd)</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sat 29 Jan 2000, 20:46 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00187" HREF="msg00187.html">[MUD-Dev] [adv-mud] Re: Topic list repost (fwd)</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Thu 20 Jan 2000, 23:41 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00186" HREF="msg00186.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Thu 20 Jan 2000, 23:34 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="00207" HREF="msg00207.html">[MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, phlUID <a href="mailto:phluid#mindless,com">phluid#mindless,com</a>, Fri 21 Jan 2000, 06:37 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00235" HREF="msg00235.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 30 Jan 2000, 05:13 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00239" HREF="msg00239.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, Ben Greear <a href="mailto:greearb#candelatech,com">greearb#candelatech,com</a>, Sun 30 Jan 2000, 17:40 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00240" HREF="msg00240.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 30 Jan 2000, 18:07 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00252" HREF="msg00252.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, Wes Connell <a href="mailto:wconnell#adhesive,com">wconnell#adhesive,com</a>, Mon 31 Jan 2000, 23:30 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00258" HREF="msg00258.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: [adv-mud] What good is a hero when nobody knows?</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Wed 02 Feb 2000, 06:20 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </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>