<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: A little help --> <!--X-From-R13: "Brpx, [nggurj k96724p1" <k96724Nrkznvy.hfzn.nezl.zvy> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 15:43:43 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: AF02FD48C411D211868400E0291AAB2C3DD174@EXMAIL10-1 --> <!--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: A little help</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:x96724#exmail,usma.army.mil"> </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="msg01372.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01374.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01370.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg01348.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#01373">Author</A> | <A HREF="#01373">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#01373">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</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>'" <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: "Peck, Matthew x96724c1" <<A HREF="mailto:x96724#exmail,usma.army.mil">x96724#exmail,usma.army.mil</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 18:47:35 -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> > [Marc Bowden] > > > > On Tue, 29 Sep 1998, Robert Woods wrote: > > > > I find this 'tried-and-tested' heirarchy ironic, given that most (large) > > businesses strive for an open management style, as flat as is possible. > > Bear in mind what management knowledge I know is from various lectures > and > > videos I've been forced to take in as opposed to first hand experience. > > > > One mud I visited admitted they used an internal numeric representation > > for 'wiz levels', not because it is actually useful but so they can > award > > them to wizzes for actually doing something. > > > > I personally find this distasteful, I hope never to use anything like > > this but deep down, I know this horrendous Victorian approach works. > > > > Yeah, well. > Your cast members are no different from the players in that they need to > feel like they've achieved something, and need ways to benchmark those > achievements. If they don't they drift lethargically away, or turn to > more anti-social activities. > > > I would have to say that most "staff" members tend to act this way. They > feel the need for advancement, even if there is no logical reason why they > should be advanced, regardless of the merit of the promotion. In most > MUDs I have worked at, promotions tend to give more access to > administrative commands, which can easily be abused. In addition, > promoting immortals tends to make the hierarchy very top heavy. "If > so-and-so immortal is level 80, why can't I be level 80?" It doesn't > matter that they do more work than the higher level person, or perceive > that they do (someone earlier in the thread stated that the initiates and > lower creators do most of the "real" work or something like that). Though > if they are an excellent builder, what recourse does one have? > > The hierarchy that I want to create will be a little different, in that > there are no real ranks, only jobs. A person cannot be promoted from > initiate to senior creator to elder, but instead, they have the job of > "builder", where that is their main assignment. Specialized jobs will > have different commands and such, but there is no way that you can be > promoted unless you enter one of those jobs. Since there is a limited > number of specialized jobs (quest master, guild master, etc), there is a > more even hierarchy. I will, however, retain some measure of rewards. > Not all builders, for example, will have the same authority. Builders who > have been working for a while and have proven themselves will receive > access to additional commands, which should serve as a reward for their > labors. > > What are people finding is the life-cycle of the average immortal, etc? > Over the last ten years, my perception of it has dropped from 18 months to > closer to 6; why work your way up somewhere when you can start your own? > > > I have also found that jobs don't last very long anymore. On the first > mud I was immortalized on, there was an average turnover of about 5 months > for a given staff member, and they also tended to run in groups (that is, > about 4 or so would leave at once) and also be replaced in groups. > > One thing I have been wondering is the hiring of immortals. On the MUDs > I've been at, we tend to hire immortals from within the ranks of > established players, instead of from outside sources (such as adds on > Mudconnector). Is this the exception or the rule? I'm sure there are > advantages and disadvantages to each method, and I'd like to hear what > some of the more experienced members have seen. > > > Matthew Peck > No ICQ > No Homepage to speak of > x96724#exmail,usma.edu or > valatar#mb2,mudservices.com > </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="msg01372.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Simulation (Was Re: Room descriptions)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01374.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01370.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01348.html">[MUD-Dev] [CUSTOM] ScryMUD is opening for Beta on Oct 1!</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#01373"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#01373"><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: A little help</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="01368" HREF="msg01368.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, 20:12 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="01374" HREF="msg01374.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, T. Alexander Popiel <a href="mailto:popiel#snugharbor,com">popiel#snugharbor,com</a>, Wed 30 Sep 1998, 01:04 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="01367" HREF="msg01367.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 19:41 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01370" HREF="msg01370.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 21:29 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01373" HREF="msg01373.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: A little help</A></strong>, Peck, Matthew x96724c1 <a href="mailto:x96724#exmail,usma.army.mil">x96724#exmail,usma.army.mil</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 22:43 GMT </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01348" HREF="msg01348.html">[MUD-Dev] [CUSTOM] ScryMUD is opening for Beta on Oct 1!</A></strong>, Ben Greear <a href="mailto:greear#cyberhighway,net">greear#cyberhighway,net</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 05:07 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01358" HREF="msg01358.html">[MUD-Dev] Mud adverts, was: ScryMUD is opening for Beta on Oct 1!</A></strong>, Richard Woolcock <a href="mailto:KaVir#dial,pipex.com">KaVir#dial,pipex.com</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 17:46 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="01347" HREF="msg01347.html">[MUD-Dev] A little help</A></strong>, Dale Hoffman <a href="mailto:edaleh#igg-tx,net">edaleh#igg-tx,net</a>, Tue 29 Sep 1998, 03:09 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="01326" HREF="msg01326.html">[MUD-Dev] Autogenerated room descriptions</A></strong>, T. Alexander Popiel <a href="mailto:popiel#snugharbor,com">popiel#snugharbor,com</a>, Mon 28 Sep 1998, 03:24 GMT </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>