Posted by Zendrac on August 8, 2000 at 17:22:42:

In Reply to: Discussion of the future of Muds, and how they effect us... posted by Not An Immortal on August 8, 2000 at 12:20:52:

What I would like to know is….

1) Approximately how many hours have you put into CF total, with
all your characters? Is there any other form of entertainment that has
taken near the number of hours as CF?

Too much, in raw total in char playing time ... around 4000 hours, and
much more if you take into account speaking and socializing on campus
concerning the mud.

2) Have you ever tried any of the graphical pay muds that are out
there? Ultima Online, Asheron's Call, Everquest, etc? Do you think any
of them could ever replace what CF means to you?

Yes, I tried EverQuest for 2 months, been playing some Diablo II. Diablo
gets too linear and it's hack'n'slash. EQ is interesting, but lacks a
'refined' playerbase. Meaning that its populated by 50% Ryu's

3) Do you think text-based muds will be able to continue to compete
in the coming years? Will they evolve enough to continue attracting new
players?

Compete in market ratios ... NO
Compete for my time ... Yes

Face it, people think graphics are cool. And you get snide remarks for
playing in text. Remarks like 'Oh I played Suspended/Zork back in the
80'ies on my C64, since then I evolved.' If you insist you can drag people
into this universe, but graphic-based RPG's has a instant-appeal that text
MUD's just can't compete with.

4) When you think of your life 5 years from now, do you imagine
yourself still playing mud-type games?

I can ... But my girlfriend cannot.

5) If you had the time, and money/hardware was not a factor, would
you spend 8 hours a day playing CF in its current form? Would you
play one of the graphical Pay-muds? Or would you divide your time between
them, depending on your mood?

This is a non-issue for me ... since I have the hardware.

6) Have you ever forced yourself to quit mudding, only to lose
control of yourself at some point and find yourself back? Do you or others
ever look at CF as an addiction or Illness? Have you ever lost a close
relationship/job/class because you could not pull yourself away from the
game?

Yes ... I think crack addicts are luckier regarding withdrawal symptoms.
Yes ... CF is an addiction, when you prac a fire giant, you know your screwed
Yes ... I lost my girlfriend back in '96 due to this. But then again, might just
be gaming as a whole.(being away from home at campus in the night might
have been ... ehm harsh on her)
Yes ... I stopped at DIKU(University) mostly due to mudding.
No ... Haven't lost my job ... yet

7) Have you ever seriously considered ways to make mudding a paying
career or job? Have you ever mudded while working, even though it might
get you in trouble?

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