Why Text Mud over Graphic Mud?

[Grizz]

I was asked today by a friend why I would prefer to play a Text Mud over something like Everquest or Dark Age of Camelot.

Some of what I told him was that:
1: There is a smaller community here. You can actually go to a zone and not have to deal with another raid being there (mostly). You actually get to know almost everyone on the mud on a first name basis given time.
2: The players can actually contribute to the game by having events, writing areas, helping the new people and such like that.
3: The game is run by people who actually CARE instead of some mindless customer service rep from an agency making minimum wage.
4: It's Free!

Why do you guys play here rather than there?

[mynazzaraxxsyn]

Because I missed a friend and my computer is too old to run EverQuest anymore.

[Delmair Aamoren]

Because evercrack costs not only money per month, but every 3 months it costs another 30 bucks for the newest expansion. The quality of players and people on evercrack and the clones also seems to be lower. Too many noobs that don't care about the next guy.

[Dalar]

Time commitment for high end crap. Much easier to get to high-end on this MUD than say Everquest.

Either way, I still run into people who don't know how to play, boring timesinks, and bugs.

[Sarvis]

I've only tried one MMORPG, and that was on a free trial. At first it was fun, and I was thinking about trying to get the money together to actually buy it... despite being flat broke.

But then, for no apparent reason I was struck with the desire to play here instead. So I played for a couple nights here, and realized it was much much more fun... I never even played for the rest of my free trial!

I dunno though really, there's a certain feeling with this mud that no other game/MUD has really duplicated for me. I tried a lot of MUDs while sojourn was down a couple years ago, but none of them really felt right. :shrug:

[Ambar]

Well lately we have been trying to find something to do online other than mud. Last week we tried EQ and didnt like it. We bought an EQ *box* set which had 5 expansions .. installed it .. and ... wow it's old... Didn't like.

I upgraded my system and we are now trying Lineage2 which seems nice. We are just low level but the play is smooth and the graphics are pretty good too.

Ultimately I think I will always prefer mudding for the imagination factor. The pictures on EQ-type games dont interest me. I prefer to use my imagination on how things look, ya know?

Plus the people factor. Noone has talked to me on L2 other than Michael, unless they were gonna pkill us. With Toril and her previous incarnations, there were always people to help .. to lend a hand. A big part of it may be familiarity. Family. What we know. What we *grew up* with.

[Sesexe]

There are graphical games I've liked over the years, but I never keep at them nearly as long as I've kept at mudding.

Graphical muds all turn into the same thing.. A click-a-thon.

I like to type on the keys more then holding a mouse, especially after I've been holding a mouse all day already.

Typing is relaxing I guess.. to me, and it's more comfortable, and easier. I like having a mud client that reduces the amount of clicking I'd have to do in a graphical program for the same effect.

Mud scroll is also somewhat relaxing to me as well. I'll zone out just staring at it and let my mind wander off into creative artistic pursuits.

Since it's reading, it helps put me to sleep at night too. I have a big problem just going to bed. Always have. So it's a form of sleep therapy I guess.


So I guess you could say, Mudding is inspiring to me, while graphical games just take from you with their limited lifespans.

*shrug*

[Gurns]

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20040616

[ssar]

I like to type on the keys more then holding a mouse, especially after I've been holding a mouse all day already.

Typing is relaxing I guess.. to me, and it's more comfortable, and easier. I like having a mud client that reduces the amount of clicking I'd have to do in a graphical program for the same effect.

Mud scroll is also somewhat relaxing to me as well. I'll zone out just staring at it and let my mind wander off into creative artistic pursuits.

Since it's reading, it helps put me to sleep at night too. I have a big problem just going to bed. Always have. So it's a form of sleep therapy I guess.

So I guess you could say, Mudding is inspiring to me, while graphical games just take from you with their limited lifespans

Yeah, some excellent points sesexe, same for me.
Also,

I dunno though really, there's a certain feeling with this mud that no other game/MUD has really duplicated for me. I tried a lot of MUDs while sojourn was down a couple years ago, but none of them really felt right. :shrug:

and,

Ultimately I think I will always prefer mudding for the imagination factor. I prefer to use my imagination on how things look, ya know?

Yes, yes and yes.

There is something about this fantasy MUD that just makes it so engaging, this has been true for me ever since my very 1st elf ranger hit level 10 many years ago.

Also, the level of commitment and desire to improve the game from/by many of the admin and coders over the years I have often found good.

The fact you don't need a high-end PC to run zmud is also a big factor for me.

Mmmm.. on with the blood..

[Ahxeriden Aethorcyn]

1. Playing with a much more higher class and usually more intelligent group of people than on most graphical games.

2. Socializing. On most graphical games its all about business, here I can actually loosen up and be friendly, talk about life etc.

3. Imagination. I like to roleplay. I can really flesh out my character here.

4. Individuality. I'm not just like a thousand other gamers playing everquest. I can be unique.

[Disoputlip]

My eyes hurt after 2 hours of graphical onlinegaming.

Dunno why mud doesn't do the same, some zones are very spammy. But I'm just better at filtering it I guess.

[Sservis]

1) I'd rather read and type, than watch and click.

2) mud clients.

3) ability to use mysql in conjunction for data tracking

4) numbers rather than hp/mana bars [really numbers rather than graphics]

[Mitharx]

I've never cared for graphical things. The X, Y, and Z coordinate stuff confuses me.

But seriously, there are graphical muds?

[mynazzaraxxsyn]

But seriously, there are graphical muds?

EverQuest for all intents and purposes is a graphical mud. It is based largley on Sojourn thanks to Aradune. There are even some of you favorite old skoolers in the game. I've spoken with a guard npc named Qualith and Verab (sp). In the random name generator there is a Varia. There is a cloak of shadows, tinker bag, ebony and many more Sojourn items. Oh and the biggest thing that was taken from Sojourn to EverQuest, is rangers are useless and suck.

[Grizz]

One thing about EQ that is good, at least in my eyes, is that I could play a caster. I have a hard time playing a caster on the mud. On EQ Dohrum was a top notch Cleric. Granted, other things like Cinemax often got my group killed because I wasn't watching the right screen, but that could happen in any game. hehe

[Teklar]

I like to read alot and being on dialysis that is sometimes 4 books a week. I like the text format because you use your imagination you don't have some graphic to do it for you, and it is like a interactive story in a sense.

I have always prefered text over graphics, I play ADOM, Rogue, Nethack, Dungeon Crawl, Tradewars 2002.. all ascii/text games.

[kragt]

Can play from work.