From: jacob@fy.chalmers.se (Jacob Hallen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.lp
Subject: Re: **** TOP 10 LPMUDs ****
Date: 18 Aug 92 07:29:37 GMT
Organization: Chalmers University of Technology, G|teborg, Sweden

Few things make me as angry as people who proudly show their stupidity
in public. Of course I really should refrain from answering the
ramblings of this poor Don Quixote, but he is spreading lies, damned
lies and statistics about Genesis, and I can't accept that. Also, a
sitting duck is always a tempting target.

In article <1992Aug17.114401.8376@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> ak853@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Eric Blade) writes:
>
>In a previous article, jacob@fy.chalmers.se (Jacob Hallen) says:
>
>>
>>I do agree about the criticism of the combat system to a certain extent.
>>We want to give the player a message each time his health status changes
>>from one description to an other while he is in combat. This hasn't been 
>>implemented yet. Our time is limited, and we place our priorities on things
>>that we feel add the most to the game.
>>
>How hard can that be to install? A 5-minute patch?  Or is CD
>Driver too complicated for that?

To implement this in an efficient way is not a trivial matter and will
with tests etc take at least an hour. There are lots of things that are
more pressing to deal with, or more fun to implement so this patch
comes way down on our priority lists. 
>
>Hey, wow, sounds just like the Genesis I played about 2 years
>ago. Too bad it's nothing like that.

I get great pangs of nostalgia when I think of all the frustrating
hours I spent on hunting cheaters, destructive wizards, abusive players,
bugs, loopholes and bad objects while being bombarded with shoutwars
and tells from 3 people at a time.
No, you may wish for the good old times to return, but I'm very happy that
they are gone forever. If they were so good, why doesn't the entire
mud world hang out at 'Hall of fame'?
>
>	If all the major components aren't in, then why in heck are you
>allowing people to play? It makes no sense that people would play on a
>mud that isn't ready yet, like people wouldn't eat in a restaurant that
>is in its building stages. (ok, it's late, I've been up 24 hrs straigh,
>but you get my allusion.)

Let me guess. You must be the blueprint for a stereotype blonde. Do you
think it is at all possible to develop an entire mud to its fine details
without input from players? Why don't you try just writing a very simple
mudlib to see what you are up against. To use an analogy that is much more 
fitting than yours, you live in Cleveland, even though the city isn't finished.
It has been changing since the day it was founded and it will continue
to change until the last citizen leaves. Or perhaps you would want
the authorities to close the entire town while they install a new monorail
transport system?
>
>>
>	That would've been much easier when there were more than 8
>people on Genesis at one time.  I've logged into Genesis several times
>over the past 4 or 5 months, at radically different times, and have seen
>no more than 9 people, counting myself.

The last few weeks the number of players has been between 10 and 25 and
it looks like there is a constant rise. Considering that the mud has
been in a test stage and that the adventureable area has been quite
small, I can't see that these numbers should be in any way bad.
Let me suggest that your memory of the number of people logged on has
been selective in a way that serves to prove your point.
>
>>If it is any comfort, we plan to make dying a lot more interesting.
>>
>	Anything like the 2.4.5 mudlib's death was interesting?

Parse error. Statement doesn't make sense.
>
>>Stronger incentive to roleplaying was one of the main design goals when we
>>planned the new Genesis. Shouting and widespread tells destroy too much
>>of the illusion to be acceptable in such an environment. A very strong
>>advantage of having limited communication channels is that it's quite
>>difficult and not very fun to be abusive to other players. If someone
>>is rude, you can just walk away, and be rid of the stupid git.
>>
>	Isn't there one person left in the world that can respect the
>ideas of a truly amazing programmer (Lars)?

What does this statement do in this context? Are you insinuating something?
>
>	Also, of the ENTIRE time I've logged into Genesis since
>re-opening after the 2.4.5 mudlib was removed, I've only seen a wizard
>logged in three times.  That's probably some 50 or 70 logins.   Real
>great wizards.

Well, you don't see wizards who aren't introduced to you, and I have a hard
time seeing our wizards wanting to introduce themselves to a complaining
idiot. On Genesis you are a wizard because you want to code. No other
reason is accepted and we regularly demote people who don't want to code.
This means that we no longer have idly chatting wizards and wizards who
spend all their time playing stupid pranks on mortals and other wizards.

We do have real great wizards, and with a few noteable exceptions we have
real great players

Well, from now on I'll treat this silly thread with my standard antidote
for all problems:
Ignore it, and it will go away!

Jacob Hallen
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.lp,rec.games.mud.tiny