The Discworld boards are now aflame with discussions of instances. It was an idea I was pushing back when I was admin there, and a system we actually already have in place here. Our newbie aerate example is entirely instanced, and new players only get put into ‘the game world’ when they manage to make…
We’re moving ever closer to the date of our closed beta, which is tentatively scheduled for the 17th of February. I’ve sent out a few mails, updated our facebook page and so on, giving a little detail about what to expect for the recruitment of playtesters. What I didn’t do was explain my reasons for…
I think games are more fun when they provide frequent small rewards rather than infrequent large rewards. Games are most fun though when they offer both. However, the nature of rewards in games is surprisingly complex, largely as a result of how alien human motivation actually is compared with how simple it is assumed to…
One of the easiest ways to get a roll of the eyes when describing how your MUD works is to say ‘we have compulsory eating and drinking’. Instantly, people go ‘Urgh, that is a terrible idea’, and then go off on a rant explaining why it’s so bad. These arguments are fair, on the whole,…
So, the Discworld Osrics have returned. Every year that I have been paying attention on Discworld, I have made an effort to shamelessly sway the voting in a category – hardly ever to any success, but hey, it’s a hobby. So, for those of you out there on DW with voting alts, I would love…