Greetings friends!

As promised, I am working on a list of muds that I've visited (criteria being I have to have spent at least 10 hours on them, to assure that I have given them a fair chance). While I do have several that will eventually start the list when I officially post it, thus far I only have two entries. These two are for Ark of the Covenant and Emperia, a secular Rom mud with many of the same stock areas that AotC has!

Both muds have very helpful staff and players, in fact in all aspects I have listed as criteria, they scored nearly identically, with one exception: Emperia, being a secular mud, does not attempt to curtail players use of profanity unless it goes to an extreme. The staff will enforce rules asking player to respect each other, but the sorts of "lesser" profanity that makes it into everyday conversation and in the media is not restricted. For this reason only, while AotC has a "G" rating on their language, Emperia got a "PG" rating. (worst I'll give is an "R", and I think I might have to give at least one of those in time)

But for now, just know that the project is still in the works. I thank any who have stopped by!

In His blessings,
-Ron

Secular muds I've visited (some good, some not)

I have also visited a number of secular mud games. These games are not necessarily bad, but they don't offer any sort of ministry. They are simply games for the sake of gaming.

In my experience, the flavor of a mud relates strongly to the beliefs of the Wizards, Immortals or Staff that run the game. If the staff have strong Christian values, their values will reflect in the game whether the game itself is intended as a Christian ministry or not. At the very least, they will more readily enforce rules that require players to treat other players in a respectful manner.

To this end, I intend (when I figure out HOW...) to set up a listing of muds that I have spent at least 10 hours on. These muds will be graded on:

1. Staff friendliness: Do the people in charge actually interact with the players or do they tend to be standoff-ish?
2. Player helpfulness: Do the non-staff players make any effort to assist other players, or do they watch and laugh as you fail?
3. Ease of gameplay: Are the instructions and helpfiles easily understood? Is it easy to find your way around from one area to another? Are mobs set appropriately for the levels they are in?

Each of these criteria will be graded on a 10 point scale, with of course 10 being the best score and 1 being worst. The three scores for each mud will be averaged to give an overall score for the mud. While I will make note if a mud considers itself to be Christian or not, ALL muds will be graded on these same criteria. I will make notes as to Christian or non-Christian, and will give warnings about things like the types of language allowed.

So, if a mud has a C-7-G rating, that will indicate a Christian, score 7, language rated G mud.

I will post these ratings, likely in a linked page. These grades are entirely subjective on my part and thus are only my opinion. I will offer opportunity to rebutt any scores I give. Check back and I'll post when I've compiled my information.