15 Aug, 2010, GhostInAProgram wrote in the 1st comment:
Votes: 0
I am the owner of ApocalypticLegacy.

That means a good deal to me. I've always wanted to create
my own video/computer games and I thought that making a MUD
would be the best place to start.

I know the road is not paved for me and I know I have zero
connections, 1/8 the skill as most of the people that have
MUDs and run them efficiently, and no staff to help me in my
quest for a first running game that people can pick up and
have fun with.

I've been through 2 possible builders and each one shot me
down. I had someone who actually played through my game and
got to a decent level and I f*cked it up by not backing up
certain files. I've been told that there is a very good
chance that my MUD will go under and the code will collect
dust.

You would think that it would demoralize me. You would
think that I should just quit and go on with something else
in my life, but it doesn't. I am a man that loves story
above all else. Graphics are the leading thing in games now
and few have good storyline.

I want to bring MUDs back or at least make my MUD better
than anyone else's. I know I'll get a lot of criticism from
people reading this thinking that I'm a dumb as* and too
ignorant to make that dream come true, but I think I get a
thrill from that.

I think I look like a complete idiot to the majority of the
people I've talked to about my MUD and I probably look like
I have no place in this community, but I keep chugging along
for some reason; more than likely the satisfaction of coming
out with a great game and seeing people that love to play
that game. It's fantastic.

My MUD isn't up right now unless I'm doing some editing
inside it. I don't want anyone to come to my MUD unless
they want to be a builder and that's how it probably should
have been, but I f*cked up. Ha ha.

I'll get this MUD done and it'll become the best. I know it
will. Heh.

-Ghost
15 Aug, 2010, Elvarlyn wrote in the 2nd comment:
Votes: 0
Hi Mr Ghost,

Let me begin by saying that I think it's wonderful that you're beginning with ambition and drive to create a truly superior product. Further, unlike the people you mention I take no issue with the fact that you have this dream before you have the skills to make it a reality. However, there seem to be some areas of MUD development where you might benefit from the experience of others (such as ourselves at Lithmeria) who have very similar goals. I'm writing this not as a patronizing personal attack but in the honest hope that some of the things I say will prove useful to you on your MUD journey.

Time
I just want to make sure you fully understand the amount of time involved in creating something truly groundbreaking. Lithmeria has been the sole occupation of its lead coder for more than two years (the game isn't out yet, by the way). This is a man who earned a six figure salary working in the tech industry prior to starting the project and who routinely performs minor miracles of coding that make the rest of the staff question his mortality. There's nothing that says you can't be just as good, but it'll probably take you some time to reach that level of coding comfort. If you want people to get behind your project you have to be willing to show them that you have that kind of time to dedicate to it.

Builders
Builders are incredibly hard to come by. The Lithmerian builder application thread looks like this, has 700+ views, was briefly stickied for quality, is mentioned and linked to in the "What makes a good promotion" thread… and has netted us a total of one (super awesome) builder. Builder recruitment threads of similar quality have also been posted on TMS and TMC with about equal results. Now obviously your MUD, being already 'open' to some extent may have a leg up there, but if you're expecting a flood of talented and enthusiastic building staff, you're likely to be disappointed. This brings us to staff.

Staff
The post you wrote above is great in that it shows you have true passion and commitment to your MUD. However, when I look at it from the point of view of a potential staff member, what I'm not seeing is any kind of plan. Lay out, either here or just for yourself a plan or timeline for achieving some of the ambitious goals you've set. Give yourself a certain amount of months to get comfortable with the code, experiment with concepts and so forth. Map out what you want your world to look like and sketch out the lore. A MUD is a labor that's half heart, half brain. You've shown a lot of heart, but you've kept the brainwork hidden from potential staff members and that makes it difficult to distinguish you from a loudmouth who will swiftly lose interest in MUDing once they realize there's work involved. I'm sure you're not like that, but some evidence of planning and work would go a long way toward dispelling the notion utterly.

You also have a tendency to come off as slightly defensive, especially in your more recent posts. I don't know if that's in response to the community attitude or to comments you've been receiving privately so I myself am more than happy to give you the benefit of the doubt. You should realize however that you are not the first, nor the thirty first person to enter the community and declare your intention to create the best MUD ever. If you are becoming angry with the lack of enthusiasm shown by this community for your project, try to keep in mind that they are somewhat jaded. Also understand that these are people who have put hundreds and thousands of hours of work into their MUD projects and have years of experience to ensure those hours were productively spent. To have someone arrive on the scene and announce their intention to 'do better' is an irksome thing to hear and can lead to anger when that person details no clear plan for doing so.

I'm not saying you won't succeed, in fact I very much hope you do. Yet, I think you do yourself no favors if you flare up and become defensive when confronted with the pushback and skepticism you yourself admit is inevitable. Smile, take it on the chin and try to learn from those who have gone before you.

Good luck with ApocalypticLegacy,
- Elvy
15 Aug, 2010, GhostInAProgram wrote in the 3rd comment:
Votes: 0
First off, thanks for the second inspirational message I've gotten to far from this. 2/2 people who replied have been amazingly helpful and genuine.

I wrote this post off the top of my head. People were kind of dragging me down and I wanted to post a response to all the negative feedback I've gotten before; not saying that it has been a lot or it hasn't been that much.

The other person that sent me a message told me the same thing that you have to write out your goals. I read a book that also said this and I've never taken it in that that's what you should do and it has always been a bad habit of mine to dive head in first; which is not always a bad thing sometimes.

Ha ha. I know that it was harsh for me to say 'best MUD ever', but that is my goal, at least I wrote that one day in the beginning. :]

Anyways thank you very, very much for the response. It means a lot to me and I'm going to save it in a file of mine.

P.S. Samurai Jack was AMAZING

-Ghost
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