ID:7887
 
Tired of spending countless hours trying to make 32x32 devils for your game? Do you really want to try doing that to make a single game? Well, you don't have to! That's right, people, I'm talking "Text-Based Games." You know that little Layout button you've never dared going into?

Yes, I'm talking about that one! Inside there you should find the "Icon Type" list; from there, you'll see Text. Try it for a while.

Just because you're making a text-based game doesn't mean it has to have a map! There are LOADS of advantages to having a game without a map! There are many types of games that are great and text-based. Byond Arena is a great example of this small genre of games. Many text-based games are just small chat rooms where you can hang out and talk! I have recently made a Text-Based Game, called Santa's Little Helper; it has a great idea, and was incredibly easy to code. It was my first great experience where I was able to code, code, code, without worrying about making icons or maps.

Try making your own Text-Based Game. Hell, make 2 or 3 of them while you're at it!
I rather make text based games instead of full on RPG style games.
Which is why, oddly enough, the only two games to my name is a chat game and a text-based continue the story game.
Wargames started as a text only game, I only added the map thing cause I was bored, I hosted it and people liked it.

It means more work for me, but now they have to suffer my bad pixel art.

[/manic laughter]
I dont htink people appreacate text based games as much as they should.

I had an rpg that used text mode graphics and I would once and awhile get as many as a entire 4 players.

Some people loved it, others hated it. It was called Text RPG.
Yes people dont appreacate text enough byond started as text mode if i am correct theres loads of good text games ones TBG,byond arena,rumble arena,and chat by evi.theres so much more in my book you can do with text, with byonds 2d icons you can do some pretty good art but with text you dont have to draw it just describe it and let people use there im imagenation to bring it to life.its also alot easyer.
Text rocks.

'Nuff said.

;-P
I've already spent a rant at Keeth about text based games.
People, let's face it, you can't do certain things you can with graphical that you can do with text-based without a real-time map, and even with that it's not as good.

In graphical, you know what you're doing the instant you do it, and if someone does something to you, you generally can see it and know something is happening much quicker than the time it would take to read a sentence or two and type in a command to see what's around you.
In text based games (no real time map), you have to spend several precious seconds reading what happened and then spend a more or less longer time to type up a retort (edit: The thing with this is that I misspell things sort of alot and If I messed something up I'd have to go back and retype it where in graphical I could, say, right click and select an action).
In text based games with a real time map, you must realise icons are better form of relay and if they're good, can cause a psychological difference in terms of interest and happiness plus a quicker relay.
The problem with graphical games as Keeth has said many times to me, is that icons take a lot of time and work, and can cause lack of work on the main game which results in a game that just isn't as good. Text relieves people of that burden and thus gives more focus on to the main game for a better game all around.

Keeth convinced me to try out a VERY popular (500+ players) text game called Aardwolf. Keep in mind I've never tried a text MUD before, so this was my first time. I was given a warm welcome and Keeth took me through a bunch of maps where I typed in commands to kill things, such as "k m" for "kill monster", where I engaged in an automatic battle that I took no part in. So, as I watched myself kill these things I "follow"ed Keeth through maps, and as I walked through the maps the text scrolled so fast that I couldn't read anything from the chat much less the description of the map I was in or the ascii version of the map.. after awhile this became boring and monotonous so I quit.
National Guardsmen, Chat was not a game, it was a chatroom as indicated by the title. Very different.
I don't even see why I took the 5 minutes I did trying to show you why MUDs aren't like you say they are (they aren't).

As far as I can tell (I haven't read any of this shit), your reasons for not liking muds, is there isn't a picture for your character that you can see. No tiles, no walls, not a single picture.

It takes alot longer to right click one of those pictures than to type "look mob", or "k mob".

I'd further explain alot of the features on a MUD that can make it alot better than and GRAPHICAL MUD you would ever find, but you're just gonna go, "No Keeth, you're wrong. MUDs are stupid, you're stupid for playing them", but in any case.

Another reason a MUD is alot more versatile than a GRAPHICAL MUD is. You create a command like, let's say, the warrior skill Whirlwind. Takes only a few minutes really. Then you have to give it to the player, and make it usable, which takes only 2 more lines of code. You send a message to the player, the target, the room, and that's done. If it says your character is whirlwinding the victim, it is. There's no fancy graphic icon you have to create for it, it's just done.

You can't argue with that, it's true. And that's from the CREATOR's perspective, not the player.

I'd list all the reasons why a MUD can be better than a Graphical Mud, but it'd take all day and night.


Oh yea, Artemio's "rant" was 'This mud is boring, I'm leaving'. And he didn't even do anything, I basically took him around with me and leveled him. Maybe if he learned to mud by himself he'd enjoy it alot more.

By the way.

artemio: I'm bored.
shriken2000: I'm working on my not byond MUD. Which is not the byond piece of shit you saw.
artemio: Cool. It's going to suck.
shriken2000: Only to lame people like you.
shriken2000: Who think any game without graphics is a waste of time.
shriken2000: Just because you have to type "kill mob" instead of right clicking the mob and clicking kill.
artemio: Only bald fat people named Norman who live in their parent's laundry room dreaming about D&D play MUDs.
shriken2000: Which is why you're lame.
shriken2000: You think like the way do.
shriken2000: You don't have to like D&D to play MUDs.
shriken2000: I've never played D&D a single day of my life, I love MUDs.
shriken2000: I know 50 year old people that mud.
shriken2000: They have JOBs too.
shriken2000: And they don't live in their parent's laundry room.
shriken2000: I know 9 year olds that don't know what D&D is and they play muds.
shriken2000: So your reason for hating MUDs is it doesn't have a picture of your character to tell you where you are.
artemio: Back.


Another thing.
I doubt anyone who muds takes the time to read a room description other than important ones, such as maze descriptions, which might contain clues to your destination.
All I could dig out of your post that went against a point of mine was the fact that it takes less time to program a command than the time it takes to program a command with graphical effects.
So, in response, I quote my previous post:
The problem with graphical games as Keeth has said many times to me, is that icons take a lot of time and work, and can cause lack of work on the main game which results in a game that just isn't as good. Text relieves people of that burden and thus gives more focus on to the main game for a better game all around.


As for everything else in your post, you pretty much ignored my post.


"You create a command like, let's say, the warrior skill Whirlwind. Takes only a few minutes really. Then you have to give it to the player, and make it usable, which takes only 2 more lines of code. You send a message to the player, the target, the room, and that's done."

.. And then when the player uses it he's disappointed that all there is is a line of text saying he did a whirlwhind as opposed to an awesome graphical effect.
Which is why I'm not going to continue to argue this point with you.

(And you're right, I did ignore your post telling me how your 16x16 icons make a player feel better, and how the ability to right click an object and hit the action rather than typing the action out [because you might strain yourself] makes it better.)
you know what you're doing the instant you do it, and if someone does something to you, you generally can see it and know something is happening much quicker than the time it would take to read a sentence or two and type in a command to see what's around you.

Flexibility is also a thing graphical MUDs can do. You can do text commands or right click and select.
That's not even a reason.
That's lazyness.

Flexibility is also a thing graphical MUDs can do. You can do text commands or right click and select.

So there goes your argument on me being able to right click and then click the action is gone.
Hey guys, spirited discussion is great, and you have both made some good points. Is there any way we could ratchet the personal attacks down a notch? Artemio obviously hasn't seen a text based game that floats his boat and Keeth obviously has seen some text based games he really liked. No need to get snippy with each other.

For what its worth, I enjoy both. A well made text game is alot of fun. I have spent hours on Circle, ROM, and Merc muds and ran a ROM based mud for over a year. But a well made graphical game rocks, too. Interestingly, Everquest seemd to be a crude 3d engine plopped onto a text mud!

WoW is pretty awesome, though there is no way I am hooking that crack up to my veins!
So there goes your argument on me being able to right click and then click the action is gone.

Uh, no. I said flexibility, meaning it can go both ways, meaning it does both, meaning you can either right click or type your command in.

Is there any way we could ratchet the personal attacks down a notch?

We're attacking each other?
I apologize.
I just hate it when people try to argue a point on something they haven't even experienced for themselves.

I know for myself Artemio has only played a mud at 5 minutes tops, and only on 1 mud (which happens to be one of the more complex muds out there, alot harder to actually play than most), and seeing him try to tell me how graphical games are all better than muds just because they have graphics, makes me wanna kill something.

But I'm done with the argument, it's going nowhere.