<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools --> <!--X-From-R13: [nevna Uevssvgu <telcubaNvnrui.ay> --> <!--X-Date: Sun, 24 May 1998 06:10:11 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Marcel-1.45-0524114030-0b0Ky&5#gryphon,knoware.nl --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 9193945826E7D0118BB4080009DBF8F6107E9E@TTECH --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl"> </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="msg00814.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00816.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00617.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00817.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00815">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00815">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00815">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</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>: [MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Marian Griffith <<A HREF="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 24 May 1998 12:40:30 +0100 (BST)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#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 16 May, jacob langthorn wrote: > Forgive my naivete but why have a school at all. Because there are three types of players coming to a mud. The ones who have never played a mud before. The players who visit the mud for the first time and the players who create a new character on the same mud. All of them are in need of some things to get their character started. The mudschool is the place where that is provided. A 'What is a mud in four easy lessons' for a player who is totally new to mudding. Some basic equipment for the players who have a new character, and a bit of both for the players who visit the mud for the first time. The annoying thing is if the mudschool forces players into the wrong path, or when it takes too long to get a player started. E.g a school that is too lengthy, or experienced players who are forced to go through the school to get their basic equipment. > All mud's have zones, > whether they called dungeons or cities is irrelevant. Why not have a > starting city that is just like the rest of the world only tame, and > then a main city for every one else. This is more or less what the 'arena' part of the typical mudschool is. It is a place were the new players can get some experience with the game with- out the risk of going out in the big bad world. If you are hunting rabbits and lizards or a (fake) townspeople is less relevant. Of course being asked to chase rabbits, butterflies and similar harmless anmals is somewhat con- descending, and players tend to resent that. > By this I mean in the tame city the > guards are more likely to over look overt acts were in the main city > they act as you would expect. This is only one example of how to scale > the environment for new players. This tame city would allow a new player > to discover how the world works and get basic equipment while not being > in to serious threat of death. I tend to think the threat should be serious, but the effects and the pro- bability should be reduced somewhat, as well as the peripheral risks have to be removed. Things like assisting cityguards or monsters and chance en- counters with far too dangerous critters must be avoided in a mudschool. I admit being guilty of the later in the one mudschool I wrote though. I did add it because it serves another purpose. It drives home the lesson that a mudworld is a dangerous place and the players must be cautious where they go and what they do. Apart from this it is more a matter of design than of an inherent flaw in the concept of mudschools that most of them do not work too well. It isn't too difficult to create a mudschool that does not talk down to the players and gives them a sense of accomplishment without exposing them to all the dangers in a mudworld. > To provide a lure for senior players to > come back to the city and be examples and answer questions I would place > something extraordinary there such as a half price healer or some such > thing depending on the genre. Just an idea. One of the bigger problems with this kind of things is that it keeps the players in the school area long after they should be going out exploring the world (and their own abilities). In quite a few muds the newbie areas are crowded with players five or more levels above the range the area was meant to be for. Luring players back is rarely a problem but keeping them out may well be. If you really want to mix players of various levels you should provide a challenge and reward for the high level players without exposing the low level players to that kind of danger. And of course you will find now the newbies will fight the wrong monster and become disgruntled because there are creatures in a 'safe' area that can wipe them out in one round. Marian -- Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world, out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again will there be loneliness ... Rolan Choosing Talia, Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey </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="00817" HREF="msg00817.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Mike Sellers <mike#bignetwork,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00617" HREF="msg00617.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> jacob langthorn <jlangthorn#towertechinc,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00814.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: regulating player-created objects</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00816.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: PK and my "Mobless MUD" idea</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00617.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00817.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00815"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00815"><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>[MUD-Dev] Re: world concept</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00633" HREF="msg00633.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: world concept</A></strong>, Jo Dillon <a href="mailto:emily#thelonious,new.ox.ac.uk">emily#thelonious,new.ox.ac.uk</a>, Sat 16 May 1998, 18:32 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00706" HREF="msg00706.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: world concept</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Tue 19 May 1998, 18:57 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00710" HREF="msg00710.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: world concept</A></strong>, Holly Sommer <a href="mailto:hsommer#micro,ti.com">hsommer#micro,ti.com</a>, Tue 19 May 1998, 19:36 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00617" HREF="msg00617.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, jacob langthorn <a href="mailto:jlangthorn#towertechinc,com">jlangthorn#towertechinc,com</a>, Sat 16 May 1998, 00:47 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00815" HREF="msg00815.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Sun 24 May 1998, 13:10 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00817" HREF="msg00817.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#bignetwork,com">mike#bignetwork,com</a>, Sun 24 May 1998, 16:34 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00823" HREF="msg00823.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Mon 25 May 1998, 05:50 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00826" HREF="msg00826.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, Robert Woods <a href="mailto:rwoods#nebula,honors.unr.edu">rwoods#nebula,honors.unr.edu</a>, Mon 25 May 1998, 06:08 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00828" HREF="msg00828.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: mudschools</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#bignetwork,com">mike#bignetwork,com</a>, Mon 25 May 1998, 15:33 GMT </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>