Shiri is precisely right on everything he said, and I've highlighted two of the big points above. The "ignored background complexity" (excellent name for it) requires more suspension of disbelief, but there are ways to contain it. For instance, limit the use of communication technology, so people don't have an expectation of being able to tap into a world of information at every instant, because once they can, the world around them has the same ability and it becomes difficult for the administration to do even a bad job of reflecting the world's actions. It's like the question of why the villagers in Delport can't remember what happened yesterday, to the hundredth power.

But the biggest reason is essentially that if I were doing it, I wouldn't accomodate marketing concerns. I would make what seemed cool to me and to hell with the customers if they didn't like it. That's a really stupid way to run a business. Heck, that's a stupid way to run a not-for-profit corner of cyberspace. But I don't have the requisite talents or temperament to do it any other way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not playing punk proclaiming my unwillingness to sell out as a defiant cry of superiority. This is a failing, not a virtue, in me.

That said... it's nice to think at least one person thinks my idea would be cool.

This futuristic Mud sounds fun to me, mainly because I've played and seen a lot of fairly decent fantasy RP MUDs but nothing futuristic...

I've read the past posts, and I think I can come up wit solutions to a few of the problems you all brought up with that type of MUD...

The biggest problem seems to be the complexity of the modern world and how everything is capable of doing so many hundreds of things, how could any staff acctually code everything thats possible in real life? Answer? They can't, so, rather than make it so that the players do all the day to day things, have it so their more influencial persons in the various organizations, with the RP pointing that there are gofers within the organization doing all, or most of the grunt work for them. That would work for most things such as simplifying economics, technology, communication, travel, warfare, etc...

Now, looking at that, what kind of people would the characters be? If it was something like Organizations as the cities/communes, and planets being like planes, then the players would likely begin their existence as someone just leaving Earth, or wherever after growing up, and now seeking adventure. The whole point of the organizations would be to put the players in contact with sources of technology, implants, upgrades, training, etc...(IE, Skills!!) The skills learned from the organizations would stick with a person untill they decided to learn something else. The unique point to this would be that a character could acctually learn a great many Organization dependant skills, even if they left an organization, they would be able to join another and take on their skills, however, each organizations skills would need to be reliant in some way on sources within the organization. A Biotech Corporation would have things like bioenhancements, and unarmed combat training, or infiltrations, or corporate warfare/politics, The combat training would stick with the person, but as the Bioenhancements grew outdated, their combat training would become less effective, and their other skills would eventually degrade to being useless to them.

Another interesting thing would be the 'races' of such a MUD, I love the idea of Genetically enhanced human beings, psionics, telekinetics, psychics, steroid enhanced, genetically spliced animals, etc etc.... Be a great system for inter-racial conflict and philosophical drama.

The history would only have to be filled in for about 100 year from now till then. So it would be simple enough to give the players a base to work off of. The biggest key to the whole game is it would have to be nearly completely flexible in the manner of the locations of certain organizations, the influence certain organizations hold, and what that influence entails. Combat could range from corporate terrorism, to military strikes, to single man assassinations, to mass bombings, theft, extortion, etc etc.... The list is practically endless if you want complexity. It has the potential to be an amazingly in depth MUD, and personally I love the idea because Magic would still exist, just in a different form... 300 years ago an M-16 would seem almost like magic, a person points a weird lookin pole at a line of soldiers, it makes a loud noise and suddenly 30 of em die *Shock* IT'S MAGIC!! *grins*

Thats just the tech side of things too, then you've got the genetics, which could certainly have some telekenetic, or mind abilities that would be similar to magic in some ways. If IRE made a new MUD, if they want to do something they haven't tried before and have it completely original for in or out of IRE, this seems like an awsome idea.

I'd love to play a sci-fi MUD. But I have a better idea.

Picture a world, lovely and serene. Nearly covered in forests. Dozens of trade skills. Huge support for custom items, emotes, and constant presence by admin to guide even tiny RP things, at the beck and call of players. And absolutely NO violence. Games, and quests, and landscapes, and storylines. And NO violence. Public forest areas and 'private' forest areas (get it?) so everyone is happy and satisfied. And no violence.

And those people can get the frack out of the other games.

And by the same token, a world where everyone hates everyone and there is nothing you can do that isn't a way of hurting someone else, so the people who want that can go there.

Maybe we can have a sweet spot in the middle where there's conflict and roleplaying, each supporting the other and spurring the other one on. Though even then, there'll be games where conflict is a thing you use to generate roleplay, and other games where roleplay is a thing you use to generate conflict.

The thing is, I bet in each of those, everyone will accuse anyone whose personal preference on the conflict/roleplay balance isn't the same as theirs as being either a bloodluster or a snugglebunny. It's like what George Carlin says about driving speeds. Anyone who drives faster than you is a maniac, and anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot. If only there were more people driving at my speed!

Yeah I know, any of the MUDs on the WoT seem to suck though and don't capture it as purely as I would like (I know, here I go already).

I don't think any ever would though, so I'll just let my fantasy stay as such.

The Wheel of Time SUCKS. Thus you can't expect any games based on it to be too great.

Shut yo mouth. I love epics.

Anyway I would absolutely LOVE to see a western-themed game made utilizing the rapture engine.

Skills could inclube Cardsharp, Shooting (Branches into Gunslinging or Rifleman), Brawling, ect.

...

The Wheel of Time is not an epic. It tries to an epic, but ends up being nothing but long and tiresome.

Length =/= Epic

I have to go with Guido on this one... but that's Off Topic.

It's not my fault if I enjoy reading about Elaine's triesome day at Court for 250 pages, and then Rand's trek through the Dragon Spire (or whatever it was called, I can't remember) only to have it all culminate in a few pages at the end of each book.

But anything that runs for that long is an epic in my mind, whether it is good or bad.

over.

There isn't a lot you can do in a western game besides what you already mentioned though, is there? Arcanum has magic and technology and theres about 7 tech skills as opposed to about 20 magic ones.

I'd love to see a futuristic setting. Can't find any good futuristic MUDs. That would totally rox0r my sox0rs. Maybe there could be time travel between medieval and future, and then the two ages clash, and then in-between there is a twilight zone where people's imaginations and dreams manifest. But... the next IRE game is based on a book right? Yeah, looks like another medieval type. Ohh well.

Also, you could use all that leetspeak in such a game without any retribution.

Nah, there'd be a whole memetic group that would find you and hunt you down and kill you when you did.

well to be personal, i'd love to see something like what i've been thinking up for like a year.

The world is divided in three based on Mind, Body, Spirit (yay we keep planar)
The Physical realm where magic doesn't work is basically a small plane where your safe from harm.
It has various points at which you can enter the Magical realm. (a bit later)
there is also the spiritual realm which is a place you hang out if you want your character to die permenantly(stay more than x months/years your character is stuck there but can be called by some for guidance) it also has a trial you pass in stead of praying.

ok in this world there are seven races (matched with the 7 planets who are their gods, names aren't important though just the idea)

Dragons (Sol)- Sorcerous Mages who can bond with only one element, with the ability to change between a magic focused human form, or a dragon form (only real bonus is flight and strength which isn't that good cause their skills are mainly magical)

Elves (Luna)- Summoners of spirits from nature, but of all the most physically weak they have to earn their summons by communing with the elemental spirits,
Hermeticans (Mercury) - Think tarot, then add in spells which various ammounts of the lesser arcana. They are human in appearance like most but their eyes are always completely black.

Shifters/Changelings (Venus) - Learn many animal shifting abilities, they have a mastery like choice which determines their final race. one focusing on making small but multiple changes to their bodies (claws of the leopard, arms of the bear) while the other focuses on full shapeshifting.

Daemons (Mars) - Either Angelic or Demonic, these are the greatest warriors some of their abilities focus on them learning to manage magical damage and various battle skills harnessing the wings (glide only) and racial weapon, the double sword (think darth maul)

Jovia (Jupiter) - Childish joybringers. their abilities help them get around unscathed and protect their friends. unfortunantly their abilities are focused more of status so damage dealing is their weakness.

Shamai (Saturn) - horned masters of the spirits, they learn to call on the dead, both ways though (sending and calling). they are healers who are defended by the spirits. mastery choice of dark or light path.

hehe long post. anyway each race would have a skillset, that would be combined with a guild skillset. so a shifter could choose to use their skills in the warriors guild or in a mage guild.
in lusternian terms hmm one race could get say moon as thier skill(wouldn't work but trying to find an example). but combine that with druidry, or even a warrior skill.

hows that? theres more of course

Race skillsets would be really cool. Think of the rp value....

yeah, and the wider variety. most people i see are generally of the same race within a guild or commune, in lusternia the most common choice being the race that recieves the bonus

That's kinda the point, I think. On Achaea, there were lots of races, but not much underlying structure or culture. Here, they have four main cultures, and then minor, more specialised cultures for everyone else. (Speculation only.)

hehe. well then again if my full idea was made then we'd have seven cities of just the race, but also there would be the opportunity for guildlessness. mainly because you wouldn't have to join one right at the start if you wanted to wait a while but still be able to level