I only started remembering about names when I started developing, and even then, it was because I kept seeing them in code comments. When I was a player, sure, I saw the names in the login sequence etc., but never really remembered them. And I only started really knowing names when I got involved in the forums. Even then, the names I know are the ones from this community.

Anyhow I think the whole "celeb" thing is a little unhealthy given what connotations that has for movie stars etc. I'd much rather think of it as somebody you've heard a lot about and might want to have a beer or coke (depending on age…) with. :wink:

Despite all the quibbling, I think Iggy's basic premise is true. There are celebs in the MUD world, even though the world is divided into 'localities'.

While players may not be aware of all the Devs, I doubt you'd have to look very long to find a MUSHer who knows who Lydia Leong (Amberyl, Fluffy) is. And most players would know Myrddin, as he wrote the bulletin board code seen on just about every MUSH out there. Keran might be remembered for his weather system, and Shae and Nick Gammon would be known for writing clients. OTOH, likely Nick is the only one that rings a bell with those on MudBytes.

You know what's missing? Famous players. If a player could get "fame", might we not have more to offer? Not that I have a clue how to make that happen….

I was MUDing for 5 years or so before I had even heard the name KaVir.

The only reason I'm familiar with who that is, is because of how active I am on TMC.

I was actually familiar with KaVir as a fellow poster on TMC before I made the connection that he was responsible for Godwars.

I abide by the Diku license, but I can't recite probably more than 1 or 2 of the names on the list. I credit the Merc team on my greet, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head who they are, same with ROM.

It's really not that hard to not be familiar with those names.

Yep, only heard of Nick myself. I can list all 5 of the DIKU Team members without looking and the CircleMUD developer, but I can 'not' list off every member of the merc, rom, and smaug development teams. I know KaVir mostly because he is outspoken compared to most developers, not because he created GodWars. I know Tyche, Samson, and Elanthis for the same reasons. (Elanthis only posted on mudmagic as far as i know, but created AweMUD and SourceMUD and mudmagic's client, none of which I would have affiliated with him had he not been a regular poster on mudmagic.) Davion owns/runs this site, yet go ask several people who aren't regular posters here and I bet they tell you that they think Samson does. Why? Samson posts more than anyone else on the dev team and is more well known. I know I've had people think I run The Builder Academy and am the head developer of tbaMUD simply because I post a lot on forums and am seen as a sort of 'spokesperson' for both. In actuality I have been staff on TBA since 2004, but TBA has existed since 2000 and obviously predates anything to do with me.

Well! Don't you think highly of me :). I just happen to pay for the server that MudBytes is on. As for who owns the site, technically, it'd be kiasyn, because he controls the domain name. For the most part, we all own/run this site :).

I'm with ya on that Fizzy. Most of the names I know from the different boards. Tyche of course (kind of absent lately too), Samson, Elanthis etc from Kyndigs and TMC/here etc. I think it doesn't help that I sometimes go by Skol, sometimes Zividave, sometimes Zivilyn etc. I know Fiz has at least one Alias hehe (ducking now ;)).

Then you also have builders/coders who gain some notoriety simply due to so many people using their code/area (IE: Lok's isles etc, dig that guys stuff back ages ago, or Jair's deity code, or Lope's color, Ivan's OLC (I refuse to mention the dipshit he brought it from, although it's in my credits/helpfile)). Tyche has given back some goldmines, and never forget ol' Erwin, he did awesome stuff.

Again though, all of that in the Diku line for me, to someone in LPC or such it might be a 'huh?' moment.

Just the one, Fizban was already taken on TMC. Not like I've tried to keep that a secret, I think only Kyndig didn't know…

Yep. It was a big joke. Glad to see the humor stands the test of time.

I've been aware of the more famous mudders for as long as I've been mudding. 1996 is my best guess, although I didn't join any communities until 1999. But once again I was a heavy diku player and spent quite a bit of time around TMC. Oh and to the OP, my definition of celebrity allows them to be considered such.

For those who are in the Tiny* circle (which is a far cry from Diku), most of the players have no idea who many of the names that are being thrown are. On the converse, the names we DO know include those like Brazil, Ash, Lensman, Javelin, Amberyl, nails. It's pretty bad not to know of them within our circle, but I doubt most of the Diku people know more than one or two (if any).

Who is this Davion everyone keeps talking about. ;)

I hadn't heard of Davion until a few week ago when I joined the site. Kiasyn however, I've played a mud with in the past.

I didn't know Davion till he held MUDCON a few years ago.

I only knew Davion because I somehow met him some years back?

Since we're all talking about Davion. :p

I only knew me because I'm well…me.

I dunno about a beer, but I'll have some form of liquor with you. ;)

As for Celebrities.. I dunno that I'd consider anyone in our community a celebrity. I think KaVir's "well known in certain circles" fits the best. Because as has been pointed out, an LPCer probably won't know the DIKU authors any more than a DIKUer would know the original developers of the first LPC stuff.

As for being the only one? No, I don't think you're the only one. Obviously we all have people we know and regard as mentors/role-models in the community, but you're certainly not alone. Everyone calls them something else, but it's all the same with a different name. (heh. that rhymes.) I have my fair share: KaVir, Samson (who I work very closely with at SmaugMuds.org), Tyche, DavidHaley, FearItself@AvP.

And I'm sure I could name more if I wasn't exhausted, mourning, and what not. I'll be more chipper and posting more after my grandfather's funeral.

Well I have heard of plenty of good ones and (when I'm around) hearing of new ones all the time. Samson and Orion are the first ones I can recall seeing the most work by.

so the general consensus is that yes we all have our own names that we recognize and are recognized by a large portion of our own mudding circles. maybe celebrity wasn't the best word for it but thats what popped into my brain when i was trying to put a name to it. i still think celebrity fits with the definition that dictionary.com has for it, but due to the negative connotation of today's red carpet train wrecks, celebrity has become somewhat of a bad term. nevertheless, my question is answered… i'm not alone in my "fanboi"ism (interesting way to term it there) of the many great developers. i have also been enlightened to many facts i hadn't thought about. i never think of mushers and lpc mudders etc cause i've only tried them once or twice and found those types of mu* not to my liking. by the way, i've even heard of amberyl somehow, maybe she played rom muds before. i've heard of davion because i used to work with him on a mud run by Sola several years back, under a different name of course. i've only seen fizban's name in forums, never actually seen any work done by him (that i know of) i only heard of samson a few times in passing years ago but only began to realize all he's done for the community recently. anyway, this is a long winded post so i'll wrap it up by saying thank you to all of you for your responses, this thread has helped me understand the mindset of my fellow mudders a little better as well as my own mindset.

I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather, Kayle.

I met Davion YEARS ago, back when Synon romaed the earth. Which is longer ago then i think me, or Davion would like to rember :D Hes a celebrity in my eyes, I knew the poor feller for so long, and hes still putting up with me :D, but im jus so helpful and insightful he can't help it :D