[MUD-Dev] [DGN]: Ludicrous scheme.

Yaka St.Aise yaka at st-aise.com
Thu Sep 4 07:49:30 CEST 2003


What are the odds of succesfully translating a graphical MUD
(MMORPG) project into a text-mode MUD ?

What are the foreseeable pitfalls and benefits ?

Thinking about the comparative merits of text and graphical modes,
and how graphical MUDs evolved from both elder text MUDs, and
non-MUD-related graphical games, I came to wonder what (if any)
insight could be gained on the field as a whole by considering the
translation of a graphical MUD design (usually thought of as
"poorer") into text mode.

There is and obvious business interest here, beyond the academic
value of the question: considering the ever-raising price of the
entry ticket in graphical MUD production, how about using text-only
MUDs as a mean of prototyping and testing designs for proofing
high-concepts and innovative/controversial options that would be
discarded as too risky for a graphical MMORPG.

Why not just translate existing text MUDs design, then ?
Because it has already been done, with (moderately) satisfying results.

Succesfully doing it the other way around could be an opportunity to
approach old issues in new ways, and I figure there is a world of
difference between shoehorning an existing (text) MUD into another
(graphical) form and creating one with the intent of possibly
translating it later.

I'm aware there are other paths to work around (some of) the
entry-price issues, but I have no clue whether this one has already
been explored to any extent, and whether it may be worth goind down
this road.

Do you ?

Best,
	Yaka.
--
-----------
- What beats global warming ?
- Nuclear winter.
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