ID:2030167
 Feb 4 2016, 4:34 pm
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How many people here would play a text based game if it featured interesting game-play, immersive content, and frequent social interaction with other players? If you wouldn't play a text based game, why not? If you've played MUDs before, what elements kept you involved and which elements turned you off? I'm just interested in spurring a bit of conversation about this particular genre of gaming.
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text only/MUDs/MUSHs/MOOs good! it was one of the genres of gaming that BYOND was originally designed to do.
would be nice to see a good multiplayer MUD engine for BYOND. | |
Does this count? http://www.byond.com/games/Kozuma3/EloraOnline
I've been wanting to make a better one. | |
Yeah that's a great example of what BYOND can do, but as you said you can always make it better/fun(ner)/and more interactive.
The thing with everything DigitalMouse said, is that they're endless imagination to what can do to make it a great game. Direction and Possibilities are unlimited to the imagination | |
You know, I've always liked text MUDs, but I'm getting old now. I started to wonder if the new generation of gamers were just too spoiled by graphical games, or if the games were just really terrible. I started playing some of the MUDs I used to like. Then, I realized that gaming has completely changed in GOOD ways since the days of MUSH, MOO, and ROMs. I was an avid WOW player, and I can probably blame that game for changing me the most.
The first MUD I ever played was called Gemstone: Dragon Realms. It was available on AOL, back when people still used it to connect to the internet ;-). I recently logged in, and I was frustrated at how long it took me to do anything actually relevant to game play. I joined another MUD I used to play, and I just couldn't get into it. After about 3 or 4 MUDs, I realized the trend: most of these games do not get you involved in the game play within the first 30 minutes. You login, wander aimlessly, die a few times, and then hopefully another player will help you out. I actually joined one game that required a GM to review your character. I received an email after a couple days letting me know that my character short description was insufficient. I thought to myself, "Really? They have so many players that they actually want to make it difficult for new players to join?" Keep in mind, I am an old-time role-player, and I understand the stringent rules on player descriptions. That being said, there are hundreds of MUDs out there, and I just went right on to the next one. If I were in the designer's shoes, and role-play was of utmost importance to me, then I would only reject the most awful character descriptions and work with the rest. I would at least give a newbie a few levels to work out his description. What is your opinion? DO you think MUDs suffer because of the text based interface or because of the archaic game style? I used to be so enthralled by the idea of playing a game online, where there might be other PEOPLE, that I looked past all of the barriers to enjoying the game play. Now, I think I realize that maybe those barriers aren't acceptable anymore. Perhaps, the reason why we all wandered around in a text based game back then without actually doing anything was because we were so enthralled with the idea of it all; we were enticed by the idea of being in a virtual environment with other people. I DO believe that there is a place for MUDs still, but that the archaic way of game design has to change. I think there is a great opportunity to bring text based games back by incorporating some modern game design concepts. It would be foolish to think there was a lot of money in the idea, but fortunately, text based games require very little overhead. | |
I think what most MUDs/ Text Based games lack are simple "Pictures" to give a base of the game with a firm storytelling that gives the "imagination" part of games that makes it who you are.
If I could put this into your heads one of my favorite games I played it started like this: Description: Welcome to Multiplayer War Game. The aim of this game is to build up your account and be the best kingdom in the game. and most important, who to attack Object: Research to gain better units both for yourself and your system Destroy (BOTS) or Other Systems BE THE TOP OF THE GAME! Visuals: Ships, Missiles, outer space all in JPEG format Community: Sector Forums System Forums Global Forums Mechanics: Every 1 hour updated your account aka every hour you got money, iron, power, etc. The only downfall was that it eventually broke and never got updated to be better. and on the profit side while it was popular made minimum $100 but as much as $5k So the interest I think is still their but you just have to engage a public domain and set the base down to entice current and future generations! | |
Mattdawgak wrote:
I think what most MUDs/ Text Based games lack are simple "Pictures" to give a base of the game with a firm storytelling that gives the "imagination" part of games that makes it who you are. Sierra Games did that with their King's Quest, Police Quest and Space Quest series. Text-based MUD-like controls (get key, go north, take axe, etc.) with a single image of the 'scene' where the player was currently at. I could envision something similar in BYOND, but perhaps using the isometric view for the current player position. but I think it would require artistic skills currently not available in the community (i'm not talking icon/sprite rippers, but actual artists/designers). Another useful and re-useable feature would be to develop an engine similar to DIKU/Circle MUD codebases where you provide in game controls for building rooms and scripting behaviors of objects or NPCs in the room. Effectively making it possible to create games that use the engine without a lot of programming knowledge. Then you get the creative-types to generate interesting worlds to play in. Again, I do not think this possible with the current set of 'developers' on BYOND either through lack of experience or lack of time. | |
digitalmouse wrote:
currently not available in the community (i'm not talking icon/sprite rippers, but actual artists/designers). Pretty Much none current set of 'developers' on BYOND either through lack of experience or lack of time. Pretty much select to none Great ideas that would make the community and its games better | |
digitalmouse wrote:
Again, I do not think this possible with the current set of 'developers' on BYOND either through lack of experience or lack of time. Lack of experience is right QQ. I can't even get a simple hello world program to work let alone all designs i've been coming up with for the past year. >:l. Don't even get me started on art design screw that. Aside from that genesis is actually moving along quite well. I even have some legit ideas for future updates to keep the game "alive" which was suggested to me by a friend U.U. Horse riders unite!! | |
BUT!
A lot of HTML games still live on no fancy visuals just colors, input boxes, strategy, and maybe fighting bots/ other humans!
This is where some text based games especially in BYOND can go far and even make profit! YES PROFIT! (If you're into that)
Soo...I would play a text based game in byond myself if it had some of what I mentioned above, and you can also say that MUD's are somewhat similar to that approach too.
If you're thinking of making a game I can point you to an idea that I think you would have fun making/ designing and easily playable for years.