<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company --> <!--X-From-R13: [nggurj [vunyl <qvnoybNorfg.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 17:43:27 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.BSF.4.10.9907151521430.28120-100000#shell9,ba.best.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: Pine.SOL.3.96.990715214130.29597B-100000@sun-cc203 --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:diablo#best,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="msg00919.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00921.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00916.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00925.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00920">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00920">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00920">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: mud-dev <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Matthew Mihaly <<A HREF="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 15:37:53 -0700 (PDT)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#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 Thu, 15 Jul 1999, Ling wrote: > On Tue, 13 Jul 1999, Matthew Mihaly wrote: > > Well, speaking as a commercial admin, there's not a chance in hell we'd > > let, much less pay, for anyone to do this. That's not a slight on you or > > your company either. It's simply that you can't just come in for a couple > > weeks and carry out a scenario. You've got to have an intimate > > understanding of the subtleties of a world's political climate, its > > history, etc. I can't speak for stockmuds, and I don't really know how > > similar they are to each other in those terms, so maybe it work work in > > them, though I don't see you making a profit out of stock muds. > > Having had a dalliance with commercial muds, I understand. I had in mind > free muds with a strong rp element. There are plenty of good FtF GMs but > the skills that make those GMs aren't really used to full effect in most > muds. (I admit to being biased towards combat based muds) I have no idea what an FtF is, I'm afraid. > > I don't see why not, later on, commercial muds won't start asking such a > company to play on their grounds. I imagine damn good professional people > in the company, not a bunch of kids messing around. The only contemporary > example I can think of right now are club DJs that go around doing sets. > Okay, they spend five minutes, not a few weeks absorbing the atmosphere > before they stick a record on but you get the idea. You never know, you > might get fans that follw this company from mud to mud. This is just talk > tho. I think part of the problem is one of standardized equipment. It's easy for a DJ like Sasha or Van Dyk to go to any club he wants (lugging along his own records of course) and go to work, because everything is relatively standard. There isn't any real atmosphere to absorb, because HE'S making the atmosphere. He's also working on tables that all are fairly similar, etc. Contrast this with MUDs though, where virtually the only thing that may be standard from mud to mud are the fact that it is multi-player, at least at the high end. I can see your plan working with muds that are essentially the same (stock muds) though, as i said. I hate to sound so negative, but at least as applies to commercial muds, I can't really see how anyone would follow your company around to different muds as you did scenarios. People who play commercial muds tend to be much more dedicated to their characters (at least in my experience) as they've sunk lots of real money into them. Conversely, someone who is just there for a few weeks isn't going to be willing to sink real effort or money into his or her character. He or she certainly wouldn't have the time to put in the 250 hours of time that I would say constitutes the minimum play time to really be a "part" of a game. There's also the question of you guys learning each new game that you went to. That, in itself, is an enormous job, and one that can't really be done unless you either had a hand in creation, or play as a mortal for a long time (well, at least in Achaea). It sounds to me like you are talking seriously involved scenarios, and for that, you've got to be very detail-oriented, which requires intimate knowledge of a game. This may work on stock muds, as they tend to be simplistic in comparison, but I just can't imagine walking into Achaea, for insatnce, spending a couple weeks, and having any real idea about what is going on in terms of really knowing the game and being able to carry out a scenario. ANOTHER problem I can see is the established players getting ticked off if these scenarios made anything bad happen to their characters. They tolerate and accept it when such things come from me or from the other Gods, as they respect us. We have put a lot of work into the game, and work hard to keep them entertained, etc. Bad things can happen (we sometimes drive players off intentionally in order to make an example out of someone), but that's just part of dealing with beings as powerful as Gods. An outside company would be viewed as interlopers, however, and I can see our players being very hostile and dismissive. Anyway, apologies for all the negativity. It does seem like a cool idea if you specialize in muds that are basically the same, but I think if you try to bridge the gap between unique muds, you will find it a nearly impossible task. --matt _______________________________________________ MUD-Dev maillist - MUD-Dev#kanga,nu <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A> </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00916" HREF="msg00916.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Ling <K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00919.html">[MUD-Dev] bytecode results</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00921.html">[MUD-Dev] fwd: forum on game design/culture</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00916.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00925.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00920"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00920"><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>Re: [MUD-Dev] In-game tailors, re-stringers, etc.</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00878" HREF="msg00878.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] In-game tailors, re-stringers, etc.</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 08 Jul 1999, 21:06 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00893" HREF="msg00893.html">[MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Wed 14 Jul 1999, 01:45 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00896" HREF="msg00896.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Wed 14 Jul 1999, 02:27 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00916" HREF="msg00916.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Thu 15 Jul 1999, 22:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00920" HREF="msg00920.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Fri 16 Jul 1999, 00:43 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00925" HREF="msg00925.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Christopher Allen - GM Fangs <a href="mailto:GMFangs#ASMRB,ORG">GMFangs#ASMRB,ORG</a>, Fri 16 Jul 1999, 19:04 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00930" HREF="msg00930.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Marian Griffith <a href="mailto:gryphon#iaehv,nl">gryphon#iaehv,nl</a>, Mon 19 Jul 1999, 16:47 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00902" HREF="msg00902.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Christopher Allen <a href="mailto:GMFangs#ASMRB,org">GMFangs#ASMRB,org</a>, Thu 15 Jul 1999, 02:52 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00906" HREF="msg00906.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] GM Touring Company</A></strong>, Alex Oren <a href="mailto:alexo#bigfoot,com">alexo#bigfoot,com</a>, Thu 15 Jul 1999, 02:53 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>