<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD) --> <!--X-From-R13: Epnggre <fpnggreNguribegrk.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 03:38:27 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 3610FE8C.3F9B#thevortex,com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:scatter#thevortex,com"> </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="msg01351.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01353.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01369.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01361.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01352">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01352">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01352">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</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: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Scatter <<A HREF="mailto:scatter#thevortex,com">scatter#thevortex,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 11:36:44 -0400</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> Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban#darklock,com> wrote: >J C Lawrence jumping up to say: >> >>What is the difference between an admin character able to alter the >>world thru super-commands, and a normal "puny" character whose player >>also has access to the admin console of the game? > >The admin character carries special powers that make it difficult for >him to experience what a particular area is like for a low-level >character. I tend to think the opposite - the admin character's special powers enable the character to experience what an area is like for any level of character. This is because those powers enable the admin to change any aspect of his character to match that of any player. >Separating the character and the administration permits the player to >separate his administration role from his character's role in play, and >thus allows him to more easily enjoy the game. Perhaps our concepts of what an 'admin character' is are different. The last thing I'd expect an admin character to be doing is actually playing the game (with the exception possibly of role-playing NPCs). I would expect a character with admin powers to be doing admin work. If an admin wishes to play the game as a player, they can easily start a player character which does not have the admin powers. Many muds consider it cheating for an admin character to play the game since the temptation to use their admin abilities to cheat is too great. Some go further and say that admins may not even play the game with a seperate player character for this reason. >When those commands are easily accessible from your character, admins >rapidly forget what commands are available to the average player and what >commands are restricted to admins. Separating administrative commands into >a separate console *maintains* their separation in the admin's mind. I disagree that player commands are rapidly forgotten - in my experience it's rare to have admin commands that do "in game" type things - they have admin purposes instead. However I do encourage seperating the two types of command, generally by making admin command output differ from player command output in style and colour. >>The difference can easily be argued as non-existent. > >Functionally, the difference *is* more or less nonexistent. >Psychologically, there is a BIG difference. On the subject of psychological difference, a real admin character makes players a lot happier. As an admin I've got commands that will generally let me fix problems from anywhere - destruct and replace an object in a player's inventory for example without leaving my workroom. However I've always found that that player will be a lot happier if you appear next to them first. It makes the admin a real person rather than a vague, remote presence and makes the player feel that they are getting personal attention. -- Scatter ///\oo/\\\ </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01351.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01353.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Unix is a mud (Re: Ugh, IS Diablo a mud?)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01369.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Simulation (Was Re: Room descriptions)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01361.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01352"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01352"><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><A NAME="01397" HREF="msg01397.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: UO lawsuit (fwd)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Thu 01 Oct 1998, 01:30 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01396" HREF="msg01396.html">[MUD-Dev] UO lawsuit (fwd)</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Thu 01 Oct 1998, 01:11 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01384" HREF="msg01384.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Autogenerated room descriptions</A></strong>, S. Patrick Gallaty <a href="mailto:choke#sirius,com">choke#sirius,com</a>, Wed 30 Sep 1998, 18:53 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01369" HREF="msg01369.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Simulation (Was Re: Room descriptions)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 20:54 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01352" HREF="msg01352.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</A></strong>, Scatter <a href="mailto:scatter#thevortex,com">scatter#thevortex,com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 10:38 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="01361" HREF="msg01361.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: After a long absense, a semi-return (and TFD)</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 18:15 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01351" HREF="msg01351.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Robert Woods <a href="mailto:rwoods#honors,unr.edu">rwoods#honors,unr.edu</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 08:36 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01354" HREF="msg01354.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 13:43 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01355" HREF="msg01355.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Marc Bowden <a href="mailto:ryumo#merit,edu">ryumo#merit,edu</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 14:14 GMT </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>