[MUD-Dev] Re: java clients

[justice at softhome.net]

Philippe Lalande writes:

> Most, if not all, online commercial games' revenue depends on its
> retention rate. You want to keep the majority of the people who
> look at your product.
 
> By adding an extra step such as a download, you risk losing a good
> proportion of your potential new customer because they will see
> this as an obstacle. People are lazy. They will go look elsewhere
> if they cannot try your product when they want, which is most
> likely the exact moment they visiting your promotial site, not
> after the X minutes download.
 
> The marketing will make people want to look at your product and
> your product will make them want to stay. But you need to provide
> a lean transition between these two steps or people will lose
> interest.

I think that the balance lies somewhere in-between.  For every
mudder I know, there are 2 people who won't play a mud because it's
text.  They have no doubts that the gameplay is good, they hear me
talk about mud systems and they're obviously much more advanced than
the fps or rpg games they play, but the obstacle is interface.

Now half of these guys download files between the sizes of 10-100 mb
regularly, a download isn't a barrier, the lack of interface is a
barrier.  Additionally, I know at least as many people who play web
based games which generally have horrendous play rates (due to large
latency issues).  The interface isn't a high-end 3d but simple
html...

A text only interface is more of a barrier to new players as a
download is, moreso now than a couple years ago due to the
availability of broadband in most areas.  Downloads will continue to
be less and less of a hassle in the future as broadband becomes used
more often.  Where I live broadband only costs an additional $20 or
so over standard dialup... hardly a barrier to people wanting the
bandwidth.

The simple addition of a web interface for building/boards/config on
my mud has drastically increased the use of those systems.  True,
there's no download involved, but even if there were, I'm sure there
still would have been an increase.  How many people download mud
clients?  gmud, zmud, wintintin?

A quick glance at cnet shows me that since may 2001 there have been
95k downloads of zmud (4.7mb)

 -- Kwon J. Ekstrom

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