The (expedited) Evolution of Arm

[Miradus]

I'll just remind you all that fighting with staff never ends well.

Me going off on Nyr is still a huge regret because by now I might have been a full blown sorcerer if I hadn't.

This is a pretty mild disagreement. I would contend that if this causes problems, then there already ARE problems.

[Twilight]

I think the difference comes from being a "founder" versus a "caretaker" dev.

MUD's are unique in the game industry because some of them have been around for literally decades. I remember playing one of my first ones when my first son was an infant. He's 19 now and older than some of the players of this one, which is probably my 7th or 8th mud (even though I still occasionally play that first one).

If you're a founder then you pretty much created the world and can do what you want.

But eventually the founders move on and other people, usually fans of the game, step into higher roles. They become developers, imms, producers, or whatever that particular mud culture calls the people who influence the path of the game.

Caretakers have a higher degree of responsibility. The game is not "theirs". It belongs to the next generation of players as well as the current ones. They have obligations to both make interesting changes which bring the old code up to par with modern expectations, but also the obligation not to screw around too heavily with things that everyone loses and adores.

It is unusual for a mud to go out and seek non-players to fill staff roles. Staff comes from the player base, and sometimes will return to the player base when they get tired of roles and responsibilities. In the meantime, they do have the obligation not to use their personal hobby horse to trample all over the legacy of those who came before them.

It's a very fine line and I am not privy at all to the nuances of these existing changes or the histories of the staff and playerbase here. HOWEVER I would suggest as a lover of these sorts of games that the very fact that these discussions are happening indicate that perhaps the caretakers have overstepped their bounds either with a single change or a collective set of changes. That's by no means the end of the world, but it's something to think about going forward.

Your experience doesn't generalize to how MUDs work the way I think you think it does.  I've been in a position equivalent to Arm's Producers on a long standing MUD for an 8 year period.  My experience was nothing like you mention above.  The harsh truth is that those in charge of a MUD determine what their role is.  So while the above may be your experience, that is because those in charge decided that what you describe should happen.

On Arm, it is very clear cut that this is not the case.  It is not a secret that the current Producers of Arm own the MUD, and can choose any direction for it they want.  They've been fairly transparent about that, and have posted this in the past.  A lot of posting, like yours, and those saying that players should have a say before any major change, is basically saying "But that isn't how I would like it to be!"  Great, but that really means very little.

Nothing in these changes is outside of the framework that those in charge of the MUD, years ago now, set in place for the governance of the MUD.

[seidhr]

Miradus - I think your heart is in the right place but my opinion is that you don't know what you're really talking about, and that's reinforced by you insinuating that my "panties" are in a wad.  I'll have you know that I'm usually a boxers guy, except on gym days.  Under no circumstances do I wear panties - well, maybe sometimes on special occasions.  Definitely not today.

[Asmoth]

Miradus - I think your heart is in the right place but my opinion is that you don't know what you're really talking about, and that's reinforced by you insinuating that my "panties" are in a wad.  I'll have you know that I'm usually a boxers guy, except on gym days.  Under no circumstances do I wear panties - well, maybe sometimes on special occasions.  Definitely not today.

A glimpse into the bedroom habits of staff... And it's scary as hell... lmao

[evilcabbage]

Miradus - I think your heart is in the right place but my opinion is that you don't know what you're really talking about, and that's reinforced by you insinuating that my "panties" are in a wad.  I'll have you know that I'm usually a boxers guy, except on gym days.  Under no circumstances do I wear panties - well, maybe sometimes on special occasions.  Definitely not today.

you know i love it when you wear the cabbage panties.

[Miradus]

Seidhr, your attempts to defuse the situation with humor is classy and I respect that.

I still believe that y'all have some underlying problems here that you don't want to address but I figure if you've not blown up in the past 20 years then you're probably not going to do it next week and it'll be sorted out before too long. Either way, doesn't impact me so I'll keep rolling along.

I do vehemently disagree with boxers, however. Only crazy people wear boxers.

[Asmoth]

I do vehemently disagree with boxers, however. Only crazy people wear boxers.

So what do my boxer briefs say about me?

[Miradus]

Skidmarks.

Go talk to a doctor, man. Just do. I'm serious. They can fix this.

[Asmoth]

Skidmarks.

Go talk to a doctor, man. Just do. I'm serious. They can fix this.

BUT, a doctor is educated under the corrupt system of government that is the USA, how do I know there is really something wrong with me and it's not just an act of the puppet to get me to become a prisoner of the system!

[Miradus]

Maybe there's an herbal ointment you can put on your junk then.

I suggest lemon balm. Because if it don't make the rash go away, then at least you'll smell lemony.

[Asmoth]

Maybe there's an herbal ointment you can put on your junk then.

I suggest lemon balm. Because if it don't make the rash go away, then at least you'll smell lemony.

How did you know about my rash?  I figured it was razor rash from keeping my mounds and joy clean and shaved...

[Miradus]

[SuchDragonWow]

wat