Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

With 14 million netbooks sold last year, I think the topic of gaming on netbooks is definitely one we should all think about.

I wrote an article recently about Netbooks vs. Laptops, but unfortunately I was not able to specifically address the issue of gaming on Netbooks. I hope to write something about that in the future. The article I wrote is here:



I think web games, MUDs, and that type of lower-tech game can really benefit from the Netbook craze. If your game can run in a browser, it can most likely run on a Netbook. That is a huge chunk of customers that cannot play games like WoW, for example.

While 4+ hour gaming sessions are unlikely on a Netbook, catching up on in game mails, doing a little fighting, or just hanging out/chatting with your MUD buffies are all very viable activities via a netbook.

What do you all think?

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Netbooks are an important form factor for all games, not just MUDs. At the moment, Netbooks don't have very good 3D graphics, so most games are ignoring them, but this year's crop will have greatly improved 3D.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

The thing is, no matter how good the 3d support gets, the small screen is going to limit the performance of your traditional graphical MMO.

Whereas web based games or MUDs are fine with a smaller amount of screen space.

Also, considering how badly most MMOs run even on desktops (except WoW), I'm doubting they are going to run well on netbooks anytime soon.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I think you are right on target. Any genre, architecture, or medium that can bring more players to MUDs is a definate plus.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

That's one of the comments I posted on MUD-DEV2, warning MMORPG developers that (a) there are 14+ million netbooks now, and (b) MMORPG gameplay and UI has to change because of such small screen size.

I got the feeling (from the silence) that they don't see netbooks as important...

Personally, I see them as a paradigm shift, just like the PC was a paradigm shift in the 90's.

In the 90's, "the new paradigm" was a PC on every desk and an every home (in the 1st world).

The paradigm that is emerging is a netbook for every person (in the 1st world), and every home (in the 3rd world). Netbooks are obvious candidates for students, business people, and travellers - which is around 50% of the population. They're also candidates for people that don't want to shell out much money for a computer because they only use it for Email, photos, skype, etc.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Stop worrying about the graphics.

Our Advertising Motto now at Netbook sites:

No need for graphics for in depth game play - Get Serious with your Gaming, Go Text, Go MUD! (TM)

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

It's not just netbooks... MMOGs are also for the most part completely ignoring the console market (perhaps with a somewhat better reason... I don't own a console, btw). I rarely go to the mall nowadays, but recently I was looking for a PC title, and went to a Gamestop. I was amazed at how little space they gave to PC games--I felt like I was perusing a bargain bin. They had about six linear feet of wall space for them, and the rest was for consoles (about 20-25 times that). PC games were in a rack in the middle of the floor, and some looked rather aged.

Luckily, Amazon hasn't seem to cut back, and big box stores like Best Buy still seem to have a good deal of floor space devoted to them.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Well, 99% of all MMO developers are too focused on figuring out how to make the next WoW clone. They can't be bothered to think outside the box.

Heck, that's why most of them still think subscriptions are a good idea.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

That makes netbook users that much better a potential source of players, doesn't it? Putting MUD ads near netbook sales is a great idea.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Indeed. I wrote a blog post about this today because the whole netbook gaming platform issue really interests me.



I can't help but feel maybe MUDs are getting a bit of a second chance to garner some interest. I don't know the best way to do that though. Any ideas?

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I doubt this will work, people will just play the browser based games or save the gaming till they can get behind a PC.

I'd say the blind market is the best way for muds to establish themselves permanently, but that'd require a popular site dedicated to resources for blind mudders.

A google search for 'games blind' presents a site offering yathzee, blackjack, and battleship.. with an eloquent speech synthesizer as the #1 resource. There's a wide open market there if someone is willing to make an effort.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

i play NWA from both my desktop and my netbook.....
the main problem is the lack of a number pad.... think, how many people here macro their number pad to movement
mines even macrod differently depending on whether numlock is on or off! (land and sea)


as for the blind market NWA has a lot of blind players but there could possibly be some more publicity about this

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

heh

I've never used my numpad for movement.


>.>

<.<

That's where I keep my long list of spell-up alias' at. One character, over thirty spell-ups from dual class and invokable items. Makes it hard to remember to turn off macros when I have to log on using Orrin's java connector (which I love. Just wish I could select more than one line of text.)

--------------------

However, I would love to use a netbook if I could actually use one at work. Silly district manager doesn't want wifi. So I have to suffer from internet withdrawal while I'm a work. I have way to much work to do. Bills to pay, groceries to buy herb gardens to grow.

*sigh*

Though, while I'm in the mood for wishing for things. It would be nice to have a tablet devoted just for mudding with a screen just big enough to see. *ponder* One hundred and fifty character width, 400 heighth. Of course, with my luck, a tablet has a screen which is bigger. Maybe I should actually look at one again and check prices.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Well there's already . It'd be nice to see some regular mud listings offering a "blind friendly" option though, perhaps even add it as an MSSP variable.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I myself play from my Netbook that runs Linux. Perhaps advertising on netbook sites and Linux websites and forums could be a viable option? I have seen a lot of interest for MUDs on the Ubuntu Forums. Especially since most modern Linux distros have at least one MUD client in their repos.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Tablets with nice docking stations/keyboards have started to fill in this void as well lately.

The with its awesome docking station/keyboard/case along with Blowtorch for Android (a MUD/telnet client) makes for a totally awesome hyper portable mud machine.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I've met 2 blind mudders so far. Another big thing seems to be mudding via cell phone although what I hear is that the tiny screen makes it difficult for anything but chatting or routine "money runs".

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

We have a lot of players who play on their smart phones. It always amazes me.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I've met quite a few, but recently I met a player who was both blind and playing in a foreign language! That must have been hard with the screen reader, but he managed very well.

It's a matter of practice I think. BlowTorch (an Android client) allows you to configure multiple button sets, and I know some people use it to play fairly effectively. Bedlam offers its own graphical iPhone client, which allows you to play without typing lots of text.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

60% of our playerbase is blind, and we have one blind and one visually impaired builder. The blind builder is a section lead.

Part of our blind playerbase is a contingent of half a dozen blind players from the UAE. Their english has improved dramatically in the last year.

-dentin

Alter Aeon MUD

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

If the Netbook can acess the Internet, then its a shoe in to use for Mudding. Because like the fore mentioned Smartphones, and even Blackberries, you can take Netbooks anywhere and play anywhere if you have the time and privacy.

Blind Players easily get by with Vocal Translation Programs, where what you say in the microphone is what's typed up on the screen. I'd like to look into this as Arthritis is now effecting my hands, especially in the mornings, making typing something of a challange.

So it should be interesting to see how all of this pans out.



Darren Brimhall

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Hey Darren, we have a netbook players on the game and numerous that come from netbook websites to the game. As for blind players, an entire group is on our game and the game has features for them.

I'm guessing a netbook would work very well with you.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Well, if I can get one with large enought buttons, a well built protective carrying case (and a good warrenty--that's always a plus), and with little cost to Wi-Fi it to my internet account I'll get it.

I've been considering Mini Laptops as well for the same purpose.


Darren Brimhall

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

You might go for the laptop instead. More features and at today's cost they are basically the same price as a netbook with much more power and ease of use.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I'm a huge proponent of pushing MUDs to portable media.

There is so much advancement in Java, Android and HTML-5 that very slick interfaces could be made to facilitate ease of gameplay on a tablet or smartphone.

I think things need to change, for the better, but I think MUDs have a chance for a new and very vibrant life.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I agree.

The blowtorch Android MUD client is amazing.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Beau(who mentioned Threshold in a Massively.com article) and I talk once in awhile about MUDs, literacy and new, mobile tech.

Literacy is taking on a lot of new forms, and unlike the recent atmosphere in America, I feel literacy is actually up.

These new mobile devices already have developers creating and recreating those little choose your own adventure books and I saw one company marketing some kind of "living" book where it utilized multi-media(playing specific sound effects on certain pages, playing different visual graphics, etc...).

I'm also interested in this from a programming viewpoint, even though I'm not a programmer. I think much of spearheading a return to MUDs will be through interfaces.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

Good stuff. He is a great proponent of MUDs as a viable game type which is rare among writers on the big gaming sites.

There's definitely some solid potential there.

I think phones are in general a pretty weak gaming platform, but they are a great supplementary platform.

This works great for MUD type gameplay.

You can play "for real" when you are at a PC (questing, combat, pvp, etc.).

But you can hang out and chat, do inventory or shop maintenance, etc. when playing from your phone.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

On account that this is necro, I wasn't going to reply, but:

Blind people, as a rule, do not use voice to text programs. These have their place, and I'm sure someone somewhere is blind and with no other issues and using one, but unless there's a reason, its just as difficult for us as it is for you, in terms of using those programs for things besides writing word documents. Blind people use text to speech programs, though that description doesn't do it justice as it does a lot more than that, which are completely the opposite.

Sorry, but this is something that really bothers me: half the people I talk to assume that I, even after I have said that I am a computer science major, can't type because I'm blind, and this is kind of a pet peeve of mine, and I couldn't stop myself from saying something...

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

I'm amazed that anyone would think that. Ignorance really. Blind players normally type quite well and fast. What intriques me more is how in the world you can understand the gibberish that comes from the text to voice readers at such high speeds. I'm not blind, but one of the staff at NWA was and I heard their screenreader once and it blew my mind.

And since I'm here I'll put in a plug for the client that is fully featured for game play and the preference for blind players who play on Ateraan.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

And you just hit button two.

VIPMud is the same level of accessibility as mushclient, which is free. VIPMud does not support half of the protocols in existence, requires one to learn a scripting language that isn't used in anything else (as far as I know, I don't think it even has a name), and throws out windows design, i.e. it uses it's own custom wierd interface involving listboxes.

Get mushreader, I don't have a link but can find one, it's available through google if someone wants to search. There's a portable version: extract and click the mushclient executable, or you can get it as a plugin which works with a regular mushclient install if you copy some files to the right places. Also, let me take this time to counter-plug: mush-z is a great, great soundpack for alter aeon, and is pretty much the only soundpack I can stand: it is the only one that realized that, for a blind mudder, the soundpack needs to replace the messages, not be played over top of them, and should be providing information as well as flavour.

I think that VIPMud was the worst thing to happen to the blind mudding community. I think that VIPMud puts blind people in a box, as so many things do. I say that I'm blind, and everyone immediately assumes that I use VIPMud, because it's so clearly the only option.

VIPMud, which costs $30, gained momentum for a very simple reason: many blind people don't know how to use the computer, not really. I mean, some do, but, in my experience, it's like teaching the computer to your grandfather: "Copy this file." "What's a file?" Some blind people know how to use the computer for something beyond e-mail, I'd say more than I expect, but there's this issue with being able to translate go hit the OK button into something besides press tab 6 times and then enter, or so has been my experience.

I like some of GMA Game's stuff, but the better option would have been to write up instructions for getting mushclient working, not charge $30 for a client that's light-years behind.

VIPMud opened mudding up to people, but at the same time, well, not helping. I mean, if I'm using mushclient, which works just as well if you invest a little time to set it up, I can ask someone sighted for help via my mud of choice., etc. I think part of it is also that labelling something a programming language (lua, I'm looking at you) immediately makes it perceived to be hard to learn, which turns people off of the more powerful clients.

And, for the record, any mud client that can call an external dll via a trigger can be made, at least to some degree, to work with a screen reader. The three major screen readers in the US, Jaws, Window-eyes, and NVDA, all offer apis that programmers can use, and I believe dolphin (now renamed hal, or maybe it's the other way), which is more popular in europe, or so I've heard, may as well.

One of these days, I'm going to try to campaign to get speech added to core mushclient. It actually wouldn't be that hard to do, really, probably the work of a couple hours for someone who knows how to tell if a process is running with a given name: is the screen reader process running? good, which one? start sending speech. The plugin itself, in mushclient, if you disregard the standard xml hey-I-am-a-plugin stuff at the top is under 50 lines: initialization and everything. The more advanced version, also 50 lines, has a simple little bridging dll that gets called, which does the detection (I can't evaluate quality of that dll, unfortunately, as I can't read purebasic, not anymore, but it definitely works, so 5/5 until I hear of a bug in it).

It's like this: VIPMud is very, very simple. But VIPMud doesn't support half the protocols. In VIPMud, I can, for example, start playing an audio file. In mushclient, with a bit of work (or by grabbing a plugin), I can call into openal directly, for full 3d audio. Heck, if I wanted, I could output 5.1 surround sound from mushclient (I'm not sure what the point would be, but it's definitely possible). VIPMud, at last check (and I haven't heard of any updates since it came out), doesn't support mccp, mxp, any of those: I don't think it even supports the telnet negociations that a lot of muds use now for determining terminal size, but I could be wrong on that one.

So, I'm paying $30 to avoid learning a bit about my computer, for an inferior product, and that's how I look at it. I tried VIPMud once, but got the impression that the author never really played muds when writing it. And, I mean, I can't even think of a client for the sighted that's paid, not anymore, though I'm sure I can find one via google. The impression I got was that he saw it was a market that could be targeted, and targeted it without playing muds or reading these forums.

If someone can either (1) tell me how to post links or (2) point me at the documentation for this forum, which I'm obviously missing somehow, I'll post links for mush-z and mushreader.

Again, sorry, but to me that's worse than the "Blind people so obviously can't learn to type" one. I try not to be a troll, or start flamewars, or any of that, but VIPMud pushes my buttons, majorly, for the reasons above: let's all go buy something that's available for free, and the version we're going to buy can't do half the things the free version can be made to do. O, and by the way, only for the blind, forget getting help from someone else who plays the same game you do, because you bought the easy-to-set-up client that only blind people use.

Re: Netbooks - Serious Potential for MUDs?
 

You wrap links with url tags. They look like [url ] and [/url ] without the space before the closing bracket. You also can give an argument to the first url tag like [url=http://www.muds.com ] if you want to wrap a url title instead of a link.