29 Nov, 2011, quixadhal wrote in the 42nd comment:
The funny thing is, being a MUD admin means totally different things to different people.
In the DikuMUD world, the "admin" is usually the guy who edits the driver code and runs the game. Sometimes, whomever owns the machine is considered an admin, since they allow it run (even though they may never touch the code or files). In the LpMUD world, the admin is typically the guy who set the game up (and probably runs the driver), but he may not have anything to do with coding since anyone can modify game code in an LpMUD environment.
However, top-level power-switch-controlling admin aside, LpMUD's used to have a very simple way to see who got coding permission (building permission on DikuMUD's). Namely, you had to "beat" the game. In some ways, this was unfortunate, since many good designers aren't actually any good at playing, but it ensured a couple of things that no certificate program will ever do.
It ensured that the person in question knew the game itself, inside and out. Both the world, and the mechanics are best learned by playing all the way from a newbie to the level cap… no amount of staring at code or reading descriptions will do what spending weeks or months of your life will do.
It also, more importantly, ensured that the player who would become an "immortal" was at least somewhat known to the community, and in turn knew the regulars. You don't get to the level cap of most games without being seen by, and probably working with, your fellow players.
A certificate might show that you know how to code some subset of very specific kinds of MUDs out there. It might show that you are semi-mature and probably won't ragequit wipe the playerbase, or single out people to torture that you don't like. But it won't say anything about how good a fit they are for YOUR game.
So, here's the thing. If you are the one with the vision, you are the admin. You can hire others to run the game server, write code, build rooms/npcs/etc. But when it comes down to it, only you can decide if the folks you're recruiting can see your vision and will work together to make it happen. No cert is going to help with that beyond (maybe) weeding out the folks who can't code their way out of a paper bag, or can't write in your native language.
If you are NOT that visionary, then you are looking to run/code/build a game with someone who is. I'm not sure a cert is going to help much with that either, since it won't tell you anything about how solid their vision is. It won't say if the guy has spent 5 years writing a novel that details the world down to the contents of every shop in town, or if he came up with an idea at the bar and scribbled it on a napkin. More importantly, it won't tell you if the vision is one YOU believe in. If you don't buy the storyline, it's kinda silly to try to put work into creating it.
In the professional world, if I have an MCPD certificate, it says "This guy spent the time to learn how to write code in Microsoft Visual Studio." Nothing more. It doesn't say I'm an expert at C++. It doesn't say I can create awesome GUI interfaces. It just says I know how to use that set of tools, in the windows environment.
Likewise, what does a SMAUG developer certificate mean? Or a SMAUG admin cert? I would expect it to mean I know how to modify the SMAUG Dikurivative driver code, and am familiar with the layout…. or in the case of the admin one, that I know how to use all the online commands to handle security/building/etc. It says nothing about my ability to make a good game, to write code that doesn't crash, or about any other kind of MUD beyond the specific SMAUG codebase.
Because every MUD codebase out there has a totally different idea about security, what various "immortals" can do, and works totaly different from each other, I don't think a generic "MUD Admin" certificate is even possible. Even amongst LpMUDs, one mudlib will have a totally different layout and set of commands from another. A genius at PennMUSH forth coding won't have a clue what to do if dumped into an LpMUD.
That's why I don't think the idea of certificates makes much sense in this context. The things you can certify are just too specific to be useful to more than a tiny handful of people, and the things you'd love to certify are really more issues of personality and belief.
In the DikuMUD world, the "admin" is usually the guy who edits the driver code and runs the game. Sometimes, whomever owns the machine is considered an admin, since they allow it run (even though they may never touch the code or files). In the LpMUD world, the admin is typically the guy who set the game up (and probably runs the driver), but he may not have anything to do with coding since anyone can modify game code in an LpMUD environment.
However, top-level power-switch-controlling admin aside, LpMUD's used to have a very simple way to see who got coding permission (building permission on DikuMUD's). Namely, you had to "beat" the game. In some ways, this was unfortunate, since many good designers aren't actually any good at playing, but it ensured a couple of things that no certificate program will ever do.
It ensured that the person in question knew the game itself, inside and out. Both the world, and the mechanics are best learned by playing all the way from a newbie to the level cap… no amount of staring at code or reading descriptions will do what spending weeks or months of your life will do.
It also, more importantly, ensured that the player who would become an "immortal" was at least somewhat known to the community, and in turn knew the regulars. You don't get to the level cap of most games without being seen by, and probably working with, your fellow players.
A certificate might show that you know how to code some subset of very specific kinds of MUDs out there. It might show that you are semi-mature and probably won't ragequit wipe the playerbase, or single out people to torture that you don't like. But it won't say anything about how good a fit they are for YOUR game.
So, here's the thing. If you are the one with the vision, you are the admin. You can hire others to run the game server, write code, build rooms/npcs/etc. But when it comes down to it, only you can decide if the folks you're recruiting can see your vision and will work together to make it happen. No cert is going to help with that beyond (maybe) weeding out the folks who can't code their way out of a paper bag, or can't write in your native language.
If you are NOT that visionary, then you are looking to run/code/build a game with someone who is. I'm not sure a cert is going to help much with that either, since it won't tell you anything about how solid their vision is. It won't say if the guy has spent 5 years writing a novel that details the world down to the contents of every shop in town, or if he came up with an idea at the bar and scribbled it on a napkin. More importantly, it won't tell you if the vision is one YOU believe in. If you don't buy the storyline, it's kinda silly to try to put work into creating it.
In the professional world, if I have an MCPD certificate, it says "This guy spent the time to learn how to write code in Microsoft Visual Studio." Nothing more. It doesn't say I'm an expert at C++. It doesn't say I can create awesome GUI interfaces. It just says I know how to use that set of tools, in the windows environment.
Likewise, what does a SMAUG developer certificate mean? Or a SMAUG admin cert? I would expect it to mean I know how to modify the SMAUG Dikurivative driver code, and am familiar with the layout…. or in the case of the admin one, that I know how to use all the online commands to handle security/building/etc. It says nothing about my ability to make a good game, to write code that doesn't crash, or about any other kind of MUD beyond the specific SMAUG codebase.
Because every MUD codebase out there has a totally different idea about security, what various "immortals" can do, and works totaly different from each other, I don't think a generic "MUD Admin" certificate is even possible. Even amongst LpMUDs, one mudlib will have a totally different layout and set of commands from another. A genius at PennMUSH forth coding won't have a clue what to do if dumped into an LpMUD.
That's why I don't think the idea of certificates makes much sense in this context. The things you can certify are just too specific to be useful to more than a tiny handful of people, and the things you'd love to certify are really more issues of personality and belief.
The problem with certificates, though, is that they are never required until someone requires them. Right now, the easiest way to administer a MUD is to download some code, and have it hosted somewhere. The next easiest way to do it is find a community built up around someone who has done that, and make a good impression. The best way to get paid to do it, is repeat steps 1 or 2, for multiple MUDs including the profitable MUD you want to get hired for, and apply when a position opens. Most MUDs, from what I can see, hire from the community. It seems to be an easier way then a certification program.