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5 votes
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The complete history of the A Button Challenge
6 votes -
This shall be my last post about MUD games
(paging @balooga) ...or, at the very least, the last in a very long time. This is not an article, this assortment of impressions is not meant to form a cohesive whole. That is my attempt at...
(paging @balooga)
...or, at the very least, the last in a very long time. This is not an article, this assortment of impressions is not meant to form a cohesive whole.
That is my attempt at leaving these thoughts and impressions behind.
The MUD community does not wish to be saved
Historically, the genres that maintain their purity either disappear or become an eternal niche. The film-noir is a kind of crime fiction made in the United States between the 1920s and late 1950s. It cannot expand over these limitations — similar movies after 1959 are, by definition, "neo-noir". The western is circumscribed to certain folk tales of the pre-20th century American frontier. Some stories outside of that are considered "neo-western", or some other kind of western. Those genres still exist, of course, but their presence in culture was greatly reduced.
That was not the case with genres such as comedy (which wasn't even necessarily humorous for much of its existence), action, or suspense. These are meta-genres par excellence, and their survival is a consequence of their promiscuity. Meta-genres will lay with anyone and are prolific in their offspring. Their malleability makes them hard to kill. So we have action-comedies, comedy horror, suspense noir, etc. The combinations are endless.
MUDs are in the purity spectrum. Most active MUDs were created in the 1990s, and their design is representative of that era of gaming. The vast majority of the users are entirely adapted and satisfied with how these games generally function. The term "graphical-MUD" was an intermediary, but it obviously didn't stick (nowadays, they're essentially MUDs with rudimentary graphics on top of them). Retroactively speaking, MUDs are text-based MMORPGs. They're defined by a relationship of similarity and opposition to MMOs. Proposals towards the implementation of additional functionalities that are not text-based will be promptly labeled as one of the following:
- Graphical MUD
- MMORPG
- Persistent Browser Based Game
Because most of the mechanical and narrative features that used to characterize MUDs were adopted by MMOs, the MUD community settled on the notion that MUDs are defined, first and foremost, by their (1) code-bases, and (2) adherence to a very specific set of text-interfaces.
MUDs are also in opposition to interactive fiction, given their focus on complex mechanics and systems (chiefly the ones related to combat). In IF, gameplay exists to support the story, while in MUDs the story exists to support gameplay.
MUDs are entrenched, with existential threats encroaching from all sides. This perception serves to reinforce purist attitudes in the community. The desire to maintain the integrity of their games prevents innovation, and the adherence to outdated designs makes it hard to achieve a wider audience. Notorious games survive with a player-base of 10 to 15, those with 30 people or more are considered successes, and only two or three ever cross the threshold of 100 concurrent users.
But still, their core base is satisfied so there are no efforts toward renewing the audience. The general attitude is that you should adapt to MUDs, and not the opposite. If that means maintaining a game with less than 10 highly-dedicated old-timers, so be it.
For the average MUDer, disappearing is preferable to change.
This makes me think: what would I have to gain by making a MUD game?
I gotta be honest, I don't like books all that much. That's just the truth. So the first thing would be the opportunity to craft a vast, living, and breathing fictional universe. As a game. Not many genres will allow a single creator (or a small team) to make a game of that scale. Making a MUD is the closest I could ever get to making an MMORPG, and to me, there's nothing as fantastic as a true MMO.
Ultimately, I'd want to show just how far MUDs can go when you approach them as you would any other modern game.
The potential is thrilling.
If I made a game with all the changes I envision (and I'm not talking about graphics!), odds are that no one would play it. MUDers would feel uneasy with systems they do not recognize. Non-MUDers are unlikely to play a text game regardless of how cool and modern it is. MUDs are really meant to be collective affairs, and I'm afraid that even the best MUD in the world would probably be played by no one.
That said...
The best alternative, in my view, would be to not make a MUD -- or at least a deceptively MUD game. By that I mean: pick up a MUD engine, deeply integrate it with either Godot or Mudlet, ship everything as one awesome package and explicitly do not call it a MUD. Yep... I can see that working beautifully[1].
That's it, I shall never write about MUDs anymore. Unless..
[1] To be clear, I'm not announcing that I will actually do a MUD game. For now that is largely hypothetical.
11 votes -
Access glitch worlds in Super Mario Bros. via NES Tennis
4 votes -
2022 saw launcher bloat turn from a minor annoyance into a genuine problem
12 votes -
Tildes Game Giveaway Thread: Holiday 2022
Important: This will be a noisy thread. If you do not wish to see it in your feed, please use the "Ignore" feature to hide it! Tip: If the large number of comments are cluttering up the thread and...
Important: This will be a noisy thread. If you do not wish to see it in your feed, please use the "Ignore" feature to hide it!
Tip: If the large number of comments are cluttering up the thread and you just want to see the main giveaway posts, click "Collapse Replies" at the top of the comments.
@teaearlgraycold's recent INCREDIBLE giveaway idea reminded me that we were due for our usual holiday giveaway thread. Y'all presumably know the drill, but if you don't, check out some of our old threads!
Gifters
Post your available games, the platform and method of delivery, rules for your giveaways (e.g. first-come first-serve, random draw, etc.), and any additional info or requirements. Feel free to get creative!
Giftees
Request giveaways according to the gifter's guidelines!
Rules
Anyone can choose to be a gifter, giftee, or both! Giveaway rules are set by individual gifters, but there are handful of guidelines everyone should follow:
- No grey market keys! Only giveaway games from reputable sources. If you're not sure what this means, please ask.
- Requests for games should be done in the thread, but if the gift is a key, those should be delivered by PMs only. Please don't post keys publicly, even obfuscated ones.
27 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
14 votes -
Meet the man who invented microtransactions years before Oblivion’s horse armour
6 votes -
Portal RTX review: This particular release dramatically modernises the Valve classic with all-new assets and a fully path-traced pipeline, transforming the look of the game
18 votes -
The miracle of Pakistani Tekken
6 votes -
Magnus Carlsen claimed his fourth world rapid chess crown and finished with a commanding score of 10/13 in the 2022 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship
9 votes -
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl | Official 'Come to Me' gameplay trailer
5 votes -
After playing without a hijab in a world championship, Iranian chess star defects to Spain
4 votes -
Steam Replay 2022, a highlight summary of your Steam gaming this year, is now available
13 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
12 votes -
Valheim dedicated servers using Docker in Linux
11 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
10 votes -
Kynseed: A life sim RPG
4 votes -
In 2014 Magnus Carlsen defeated Bill Gates in nine moves on live Norwegian television – analysed
4 votes -
Valve answers our burning Steam Deck questions
10 votes -
The history of Lego Star Wars world records
7 votes -
We look into the implications of a bill that could classify loot boxes as gambling, and what it could mean for the Finnish games industry
4 votes -
The Witcher 3 next-gen update is going live: Patch notes
12 votes -
Hades II | Reveal trailer
24 votes -
Exclusive: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon details with Hidetaka Miyazaki and Masaru Yamamura
5 votes -
The story of Tetris
6 votes -
Atari revives unreleased arcade game too damn hard for 1982 players
7 votes -
Year in Review: Games of 2022
What were your highlights for the year? What were the best things you played? What surprised you? What let you down? Reflect back on the year and talk about anything and everything related to your...
What were your highlights for the year? What were the best things you played? What surprised you? What let you down?
Reflect back on the year and talk about anything and everything related to your gaming experiences in 2022. You do NOT have to limit it to 2022 releases -- anything you played this year counts.
Meta note: Yes, I know this is still a tad on the early side, but I'm trying to space these posts out between groups so that they don't step on each others' toes. I also plan to post this to ~books, ~movies, ~television. I'm not active in ~anime, so if someone wants to take up the mantle for that group (or any others you feel need a Year in Review post), go for it!
7 votes -
Elden Ring - and Bill Clinton - win Game of the Year
7 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
12 votes -
In which I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft… and give it to you
11 votes -
Is there an equivalent of IMDB for video games? Would you recommend one?
Preferably a website where I can make my own lists, comments, ratings, etc. And what about an equivalent to the wonderful Advanced Title Search?
13 votes -
The story of Super Mario Kart
6 votes -
Help me find vehicle customization video games
Hi, lately I've been thinking a bunch about Phantom Crash, which I played on an XBox. It was a mecha battle arena game. It had two main modes (three if you count skipping through interminable...
Hi, lately I've been thinking a bunch about Phantom Crash, which I played on an XBox. It was a mecha battle arena game. It had two main modes (three if you count skipping through interminable conversations with NPCs). First, you'd take your mech into an arena and blow people up. Then you'd go to your garage, spending your winnings on upgrading your mech.
The degree of customization you could achieve was striking. There were big options like wheels / legs / hover platform, and a variety of energy / mass / missile weapons. You could get different aim assist chips that had meaningfully different characteristics. You could tune almost any piece of equipment to be lighter or heavier, and a heavier gun really felt more powerful in the arena.
TBH the actual combat was only alright, but we loved the game anyway.
Are there any other games out there that have this kind of feedback loop? Playable today is best, but I'd also go down an internet archaeology hole.
8 votes -
Dwarf Fortress is available on Steam right now
16 votes -
Game Giveaway: The Price is Right Edition
Welcome to a special giveaway! Instead of a specific game or a lottery system you will need to guess the pre-determined amount ($X) I've allocated for the giveaway. You can submit a guess by...
Welcome to a special giveaway!
Instead of a specific game or a lottery system you will need to guess the pre-determined amount ($X) I've allocated for the giveaway. You can submit a guess by listing any number of games and their prices (include a total in USD) in a top-level comment in this post by the time this post is 48 hours old. The total cost of all games can not exceed $X! The commenter who comes the closest without going over $X will win each game in their list. If there is a tie the first commenter will win.
Good luck!
For verification purposes, here is the salted hash of $X:
6879e144663fc05aacacbd7daf8614aa
Extra info:
- Exclude taxes
- If your local currency is not USD please convert the total to USD after getting the total for your local currency
- Please include sale price discounts
Example (from @psi):
Game Platform Cost Shadows Over Loathing Steam $22.99 Vampire Survivors Steam $4.99 Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin eShop $19.79 Total $47.77
@hkc COME ON UP!!!
Salted $X string:
The correct price is: $53.25
18 votes -
Activision’s faulty anti-cheat software
10 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
16 votes -
Evennia 1.0 released
6 votes -
Yogscast Jingle Jam 2022 Games Collection
4 votes -
Tetris the Grand Master is coming to PS4, Switch
@tgm_series: tgm_series株式会社ハムスター様に「TETRIS THE GRAND MASTER」のNintendoSwitch及びPlaystation4への移植許諾した事をお知らせします。We are pleased to announce that we have licensed "TETRIS THE GRAND MASTER" to Hamster Inc. for porting to NintendoSwitch and Playstation4.
7 votes -
Smash World Tour official statement - All upcoming events must be cancelled
10 votes -
What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general?
Asking about games of any kind. Do you enjoy something a lot of people seem to despise? Do you dislike some aspect of gameplay everyone cherishes? What beloved games do you find utterly boring?...
Asking about games of any kind.
Do you enjoy something a lot of people seem to despise? Do you dislike some aspect of gameplay everyone cherishes? What beloved games do you find utterly boring? What games and mechanics are underestimated in our view? In what way games nowadays are worse than before? Conversely, do you think people look at the past with rose-tinted glasses?
I wanna know!
23 votes -
Why it's rude to suck at Warcraft
8 votes -
Why do God of War's characters keep spoiling puzzles?
1 vote -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
10 votes -
Looking for a very specific kind of submarine video game
Maybe you guys can help me out since I found a lot of games that are kinda like this but not quite. It doesn't need to be a full-blown simulation, but it needs to be convincing. What I want is a...
Maybe you guys can help me out since I found a lot of games that are kinda like this but not quite.
It doesn't need to be a full-blown simulation, but it needs to be convincing.
What I want is a game that puts me inside a submarine, looking at screens full of radar and sensor information, and letting me control the sub in a realistic manner, only with the information provided in the control room. It's okay if the game jumps to an external view just to show the ultimate consequence of conflict, but mostly, I should be in the sub looking at screens.
Is there such a game?
Ideally, I play on the Xbox. My laptop is a potato, so it's only good for very old or otherwise lightweight games (technically speaking, this could easily be a command line game... like naval
htop
). Other kinds of naval simulation are good for this thread.Thanks!
7 votes -
Tildes Pop-Up Game Event: Ludonostalgia!
Pop-Up Event: Ludonostalgia! Task: Replay an old, favorite game that you haven't played in a long, long time. Tell us about how your playthrough now compares to your memories of the game. Time...
Pop-Up Event: Ludonostalgia!
Task: Replay an old, favorite game that you haven't played in a long, long time. Tell us about how your playthrough now compares to your memories of the game.
Time Period:
This weekend! (November 10-14)
Update: Ludonostalgia is extending its hours through November 21st!Uh, what is this exactly?
Its me, kfwyre, trying out yet another post type on Tildes and seeing how it goes.
In the past I've done a "Backlog Burner" event that was a full month. It was a lot to commit to, and it ended up feeling like it lost steam -- too long for its own good.
I still like the root of that idea though -- people playing games with a specific purpose or focus. Something like a "Book Club" for games, but with a common theme instead of a common title, so people are free to choose what they personally like.
Thus, a "Pop-Up": a quick, short event that identifies a common focus that people can participate in together and doesn't require too much commitment. Basically, something unexpectedly fun to do for a week or a weekend.
If this kind of thing takes, I'd love to see it happen in other communities: ~movies, ~anime, ~music, etc. I'd also love it if other people did their own "pop-ups" on a whim, rather than it being seen as something that's "mine" to post.
That's jumping the gun a bit though -- this one is a sort of test to see if this sort of thing even has any legs in the first place.
Oh, and "Ludonostalgia" is a made up pretentious word -- because every good Pop-Up needs an iconic name.
14 votes -
Johnny vs. Sonic Frontiers
3 votes -
ROBLOX_OOF.mp3
19 votes