Imaginary Realities 2001 June Edition

Summary of June 2001 issue of Imaginary Realities. Imaginary Realities was an ezine dedicated to MUDs.

Summary of "Adjusting to Altitude" by Sanvean

Sanvean was an admin on Armageddon MUD.

Good immortals are hard to find. The best ones have integrity, imagination, creativity, writing skills, team work skills, knowledge of the MUD, and enough time to contribute effectively.

After a new immortal is selected, they are given access to the game's documentation and discussion board. Another admin walks them through the admin commands, answers questions, etc.

"People come onto the Armageddon staff at the level of Storyteller. Storytellers run plots and clans, animate NPCs, build (etc.). There's a bewildering medley of options and expectations for a new immortal, so we assign a primary and secondary mentor, usually staff members who have been around for a while and who can answer questions. A lot of time they're pointing people to the documentation."

The documentation could/should include guidelines for procedures and builds, world histories (clan, boles house, and other histories), tutorials for creating objects, NPCs rooms, and other docs. The mission statement should come first.

All new immortals need an assigned task. That task should be gears to their knowledge and skill level. Have them help with a plotline that is in progress, or give them the task of handling an NPC in a plotline. Make the first tasks ease enough that the new immortal can handle them.

Feedback is important, but not as important as providing guidance, teaching and a mentor to the new immortal. make sure all the current staff knows who the new immortal is and what they have assigned to them. Let the new immortal give an a self introduction on an internal discussion board, including experience, interests.

"Choose new staff carefully; make sure new staff members have access to the information and resources they need; and work with them on coming up with clear, measurable tasks so they know what you're expecting from them"

Summary of "Bringing Women to the Game" by Dalaena

Dalaena had MUD'ed for 3 1/2 years and gamed for 15. She played on ThreasholdRPG at the time of the article's writing.

"Women are essential to the health and growth of any excellent role-playing game, for they enhance the romantic elements of any fantasy game. In addition, they can be a strong stabilizing force in any guild, clan, or religion."

The author proceeds to explain what attracts her to a game, and might attract some other women to a MUD.

A game needs to allow building of intangibles, such as, a religion or a clan. If the gods of the religion all get along perfectly, there is no reason to chose one for your character to support over others. The religion setting is static, and not growing.

In the authors favorite MUD, the religion system has followers instantly gain enemies and allies. There are in-game consequences to joins a religion. MUDs with static religions end up with male-led cleric guilds, but MUDs with dynamic religious settings end up with female-let cleric guilds.

Personalization is of key importance for women. Women want a "home" in the game. This can be a clan abode, castle, or a small house. They have own it to the extent that they can call it "mine". They need to be able to write their own description and maybe even code for the game room that is theirs. "My home mud is approximately 40-45% women. There are tons of things to personalize: the character description, houses, clan abodes, and clothing items to name just a few."

Include lots of fantasy and real food items on the MUD. It provides talking points and discussion material.

Include forums and MUD photo albums on the MUD website to help instill a sense of community, and include a place for players to vent.

The author reminds the reader, not all women have her taste in MUDs, but that 3 1/2 years of observations went into this article.

Summary of "Cartoon - The Mud Wringer" by Rebecca Handcock

Unfortunately, this cartoon appears to have been lost forever, like so many digital copyrighted works.

Summary of "Eating and Drinking in Muds" by KaVir

KaVir, AKA Richard Woolcock had seven years of MUD experience, including writing GodWars and Gladiator Pits.

Eating and drinking is boring spam on most MUDs. "Anyway, last week I had a strange dream (I know, I think about muds too much) in which I discovered that my mud character had gained a fatness rating of 100% from eating too many pot pies from the bakery. Upon waking, I thought 'actually, that's not a bad idea' - and since then I've thought about how to make the system a little more interesting."

You could add rules for protein providing strength and healing, carbs providing energy, fat providing energy and vitamins, minerals/vitamins providing healing and health, and water being water. Add categories to your characters for hunger, weight, metabolism, blood clotting/healing, immune system, and dental health.

"Then you can sit back and watch with amusement as the obese hack-n-slashers waddle around with rotten teeth and major hair loss!"

Alternatively, these rules could be optional, if you don't want to irritate your players.

Summary of "Identity Theft and Mudding" by Anthony Haslage

Anthony Haslage was Ntanel StormBlade at MudWorld.

Some people take the long route to gain wisdom and respect. Others try to take a shortcut, to respect by identity theft. This approach skips the wisdom, and the respect is stolen.

Case 1 - you pretend to be someone you are not, to scare the admins of a server into obeying the license of the code base they are using. "However, as helpful as you were trying to be, you committed a crime the FBI (In the U.S.A.) loves to prosecute, be happy you did not go any further."

Case 2 - you pretend to be someone you are not, and start getting offers to fix code bases on various MUD servers. You copy one when you are compiling a bug fix, and try to delete your tracks from the server. The MUD owner realizes you stole the code and reports you to the person-you-impersonated's employer or the FBI. You get your internet cut and the FBI shows up at your door.

"Think because you are a minor nothing can happen to you? Well, guess again! In the U.S.A. you can get atleast 3 months in a Detention Hall. As an adult, the time you spend in prison could be many years. Either way, after you get out, it will be hard to get another internet account with many companies."

ISPs have access to a blacklist of hackers, and can deny you service when they realize what you have done.

Do the following checks to detect identity thieves.

  • Ask their real name.
  • Ask for the link to their codebase and their MUD/website.
  • Have them log in to your server from the website they are associated with.
  • They should not seem like a bot.
  • "Last and most important, they will answer quickly and accuratly without losing any patience. You can tell of alterior motives when someone loses patience and/or demands they are who they say they are without proving it first."

Report hacking by calling your local FBI office in the USA. Provide logs, DNS/ISP info, and be prepared to give them your hard drive as evidence. Be sure to make a backup of your drive, as you might not see it again.

Summary of "Keep on Dreaming" by Kazumba

MUD'ers dream of creating their own MUD. Using a stock MUD codebase, and trying to modify it enough to make it yours is doomed to failure. The author started with three divisions of labor: "game development, technical setup, and implementation planning." He attempted to write documents from the two divisions of labor, himself, with the plan to turn the documents over to an implementer.

The author defined the

  • MUD theme (i.e. fantasy cyberpunk),
  • the focus (i.e. detective work),
  • consequences (high level implementation requirements),
  • unique features (game play features that are unique to this MUD), and
  • general issue(game rules that need implementation).

This resulted in a 50-page manual that feels incomplete. The author became overwhelmed by the project and shelved it.

Summary of "Potlaching Your Way to Riches" by Jessica Mulligan

Gaming magazines (and websites) have a conflict of interest, because the require the game publishers' marketing dollars. GDS and E3 game conferences aren't much better. It's all a modern potlatch.

"A potlatch is a ceremony of giving invented by Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest. The object was for the ‘giver’ to create status for himself by really giving; the more goods you gave away, the higher your status. Skins, smoked salmon, slaves… just pile it on and keep doing it until the recipient screams in pain. If you were invited to a potlatch and showed up for the festivities, you were not only under an obligation to accept the gifts, you were also required to reciprocate later on. In this manner, even a poor Native American could spend all year creating wealth, then potlatch it to the right people and climb the social ladder."

The giver always had the inferred responsibility to give more than they were given. You can imagine the results. In the game industry, there's a massive quid pro quo going one between reporters and the game industry.

The author points out the list of judges involved in several game awards, don't have any development experience, but have lots of experience being paid advertising dollars by the game publishers.

Summary of "The Ascendancy of Mass Market Games" by Bob Mandel

Bob Mandel was a writer and reviewer for Adreneline Vault.

The trend is clear that gaming on computers is moving from hardcore users to the mass market, casual users. Mass market games have the following characteristics.

  • System requirements kept low
  • Game has no need for updates or patches to run
  • Solo and online play options
  • Minimal learning curve, and no need for a manual
  • Easy-to-understand rules
  • Intuitive controls
  • Early gameplay likely to generate positive reviews
  • Minimal sex and violence toward humans
  • No gore or blood splatters
  • Emotionally uplifting theme
  • Whole family appeal

Mass market buyers don't have high-end computers; can't patch or update their computers; and don't have high-end internet connections. They have little time or interest in learning a complex game. Most are also not single, and need games that are family friendly.

The casual consumer wants a simple, relaxing experience. Often then game is a shared experience with other family members. They want a simple, quick experience similar to going out to eat at a fast food restaurant or movie theater.

Hasbro Interactive has led the push for mass market game creation. Sierra Attractions been a close runner up. "The major children's oriented PC game companies are Lego Media and Mattel Interactive, both of which draw extensively off of their successful toy lines"

Even with these big companies in the market, most mass market games are by smaller companies with shareware or online sales models.

Mass market games tend to cluster in the following genres: retro arcade, puzzle, adventure, racing, board game, and construction simulations.

Some game companies worry that they'll lose street cred, if they make too many mass market games. Also, hardcore gamers are upset that mass market games are destroying their favorite pastime.

Mass market gamers are not dumber than hardcore gamers. They have different interests than hardcore gamers. Maybe at a future time, there will be less of a distinction between games created for hardcore gamers and casual consumers.

Summary of "Theories About Players" by Sire Teige

Sire Teige a Two Towers admin.

Some players will risk anything for the chance to cause emotional harm. They enjoy it.

The game client will be hacked, and can't be trusted.

Players will find and use game exploits.

"Players will hate the game Yet they will play it endlessly, often more than those who claim to like it. They will like the designers even less, considering them the Spawn of Satan. People who volunteer their time to help the community will thus be considered in league with the Devil, and treated accordingly."

Players won't do what is in their own best interest, and won't understand that it is only a game.

Players won't appreciate updates to the game, and won't ever feel there have been enough updates.

Nerfing features is despised, but still results in more players when it benefits the game experience.

Players always have unlimited energy to demand justice and freedom of speech.

Players always claim ownership to parts of the game. Forget the EULA.

Predictions:

  • Player won't be helpful.
  • Players can't or won't use proper English.
  • Players will hack and cheat.
  • Players like games that consume and destroy their real life time.
  • "Players enjoy assaulting evil. This is evident by the fact that they pay money so that something they hate can grow. Updates are released, more players hate it, and more players arrive to cause justice. They polarize themselves against the game. The more polarized they are against the game, the quicker the game itself grows, and hence the quicker the evil grows. Evil, being by definition against a player's best interest, is thus spawned by the players."
  • Players love to be vocal in angry, and incoherent ways.
  • "Players are sadists," demanding more updates, even though the hate updates.
  • Players exploit bugs, even if they know it will get them banned.
  • Players hate games shutting down, despite hating the game.
  • "There should be an anti-player, that is, someone who is similar to a player yet exhibits opposite properties. This is similar to matter and antimatter in physics. These anti-players, also called people, would be intelligent, pursue their best interests."