MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] re: Originality/Points of Reference

From: "Richard Ross" <rross#rross,eurobell.co.uk>

[q]This has probably been asked before but I currently lack the facilities to
check... Are there any -truely- original MUDs out there? or do players
need points of reference like familiar races/classes, recognisable
societies/governments etc?[/q]

What is truly original though? And what is derivative? The multiplayer roleplaying experience that I am working on has your basic elves, dwarves, but we also have Girah, Manx, Naehum, Occian, Phiss, Viricar and Wohend. Of course, giving something a new name isn't always a stroke of genius either, our Wohen are your basic dog/wolf people. On the profession side of things, we have your basic Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Warrior and Wizard, but we also have an Archon and an Eclectic. The Archon is a psionicist of a sort, while the Eclectic is a jack of all trades.

My point is that while we may have a new take on our basic professions, and even some unusual (or perhaps, just less common) professions, I can't really say that we've got a profession that is uniquely original (our Eclectic comes close ;) For our races, the Naehum and Occian I would consider fairly original, but out of twenty possible player races...on the originality scale, where does two put you? On the other hand, our elves are the progeny of a race of humans and sylvani that bred in the distant past, which I believe is a nice original twist on the basic take on elves.

I think part of the reason that you will always see an elf (or dwarf or whatever) is the familiarity factor. People want to play in an environment that is fun and challenging, but they also want some sort of basis from which they can leap off into their fantasy world. Elves (again using them as a generic substitute) serve that purpose. So in the end, I think you answered your question with what I believe to be the reason why.

ian

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ian c. klimon, esq.
product manager
ian#aephirsden,com
www.aephirsden.com