[MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions

[Koster]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Gray [mailto:cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA]
> Sent: Monday, September 28, 1998 9:34 PM
> To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Room descriptions
> 

> I think we are currently still at the stage where the most bang for
the
> buck (most user enjoyment for the developer hour) is in custom built
> stuff. Nathan's work on PhysMud, etc. seem to be a step towards having
> a full detailed world that actually works. When someone achieves it,
> the rest will be forced to follow.
> 
> Well, maybe not forced, since there are still lots of fans of text
> adventures, but the mainstream commercial world will have to follow
> the leaders.

Right now, UO is the only simulationist system going in the commercial
world. The others ready to come out are much more oriented around the
classic model, because the perception is that more people are interested
in what they call "roleplaying" (which is closer to being told a story,
really, not acting one out) than they are in anything else they might
do.

Now, I regard the simulationist aspects of UO as one of the key
successes in it; but I also don't think that going full-bore sim is the
right thing to do for the market.

-Raph