From: tedwards@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Edwards Thomas G S1A x8297)
Subject: Re: More on MUDs (Was Re: VR Worlds better than Reality)
Date: 12 Aug 91 21:29:46 GMT
Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD



In article <1991Aug7.002128.12782@milton.u.washington.edu> evard@plover.mcs.anl.gov (Remy Evard) writes:
>One other point - and I'm sure it's flammable too - as Johan said, to
>really get something out of a MUD, you have to spend at least 8 to 10
>hours in it.

I have never gotten a chance to spend that much time on a MUD, and I must
concurr that I have never gotten too much out of it.  But my friends
who spend 6 hours a day on it enjoy it immensely.  Maybe I'll try a long
session tonight...

>MUDs will be much more interesting when VR becomes publicly available,
>but as Johan pointed out, VR world builders could learn a lot from MUDders.

The MUDs which I am familiar with, while having canned room descriptions,
are much more of a Chat line than a VR.  You might "emote" that you are
putting someone in handcuffs, but unless the other person has got the
same idea you have, that won't keep them from continuing to move their 
arms around freely...(teledildonics...what a perfect description!).
Alot of the VR feeling of MUDs is done by mental computation, not
computer computation.  The VR exists much more in your head than in the
computer.  But MUD does show that if you can get the computer to have as
neat a VR as you can in your head, that such things will be exceedingly
popular.  But I guess you can say the exact same thing about Fanatsy
Role Playing Games.  Just that the net has a way of brining together
like minded people...

-Tom