FiranMUX

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FiranMUX (or Firan) is an online text-based role-playing game which is set in an original world with a strong Greco-Roman flavor.

1 Overview
2 History
3 Thematic Information
4 Characters
5 Praise
6 Criticism
7 References

[edit] Overview

Based on the TinyMUX codebase, FiranMUX could be considered a hybrid of the plot-based roleplay of a MUSH with much of the coded detail and objects of a MUD. For example, Firan's combat is fully code-based, and coded commands even exist for procreation, with appropriate rolls made by the game for pregnancy and so on. Firan was also one of the earliest innovators of code-based social and economic systems, a combination that is still rare in multiplayer gaming of any variety.

[edit] History

FiranMUX was created by Stephanie and Adam Dray of Maryland, with the help of many volunteers. The Firan world began the game as a table-top role-playing game in the mid-1990s. After a few years, the Drays decided to start an online game, and in January 1997 FiranMUX was brought online. Firan has been in nearly continuous operation since that time. A staff of almost thirty volunteers keep the game in operation. Connections peak at 100-120 players on an average night, something that it has maintained for the better part of a decade. This makes it the one of the largest text-based online games in existence.

The design of the game was influenced by other MUSHes and MUDs of the late 1990s, by computer games such as Civilization (computer game), by modern table-top role-playing games, by classical history, and by Norse and Greco-Roman mythology.

The Firan world is also the setting for Stephanie Dray's unpublished novel, Elik's Shadow, based on events from the table-top game.

[edit] Thematic Information

FiranMUX focuses on the lives and times of a people called the Firans. The game is set mostly in the republic capital of Anarinuell, where characters engage in social battles running the gamut from intrigues to epics to romances. Players attempt to gain social power and political influence for their characters as well as spread rumors, trade goods, practice a craft, worship their respective gods, go to war, and so on. While there is day-to-day role-play and individual tinyplots depending upon each character, some of the major events within the game revolve around Bronze Age-style battles with the Shamibelians, another unique race in the game which at one time placed the Firan people in slavery. Though the Firans have been freed from bondage, the Shamibelians still hold several formerly Firan cities.

[edit] Characters

Unlike most MUSHes, FiranMUX offers pre-generated characters that come ready to play with detailed histories, drives, motivations, skills, and a list of relationships which connect each character to other players’ characters. Many of them can be played by just browsing through the roster, choosing one, and providing an e-mail address, to which the game will send a password needed to play that specific character. Some characters require an application for administrative approval which requests reasons as to why the player would like to play the said character, and plots that the player would like to be involved in (this is similar to the "app" process on many other text-based online games). As of August 2005, Firan does allow players to create completely new characters if a player so wishes.

[edit] Praise

FiranMUX is one of the largest role-playing games in the online community of role-playing. Players claim that the staff and players are friendly and willing to give a helping hand to acclimate new players to the game [1] [2] [3]. Firan won a peer "Andy Award" in 2001 for being the "Most Newbie Friendly" [4].

The Firan world also has a rich history, most of which was written by the players. FiranMUX's storyline has run with little interruption since 1997 (spanning roughly 22 years of in-game time as of July 2006). Thus, entire generations of characters have been born, grown up, and died. Characters marry and have children on Firan. Their children grow up over time and become available on the roster to be played by other individuals. FiranMUX has seen the birth of the great-grandchildren of characters played in the original table-top game.

The depth and complexity of the coded economy and social system are fairly unique in online text-based gaming, which is perhaps matched only by areas of Second Life in online gaming at all. The richness of these systems has evolved over time, which means that there is always something new to learn, a great advantage for a longtime player. As a result FiranMUX does not lose its appeal quickly or easily.

The virtual community is another strength. Players generally treat each other well and grow close to one another. Since 2000, the Drays have hosted an annual "real life" get-together called FiranCon. In 2005, around 60 players and staff convened at a hotel in Maryland to party, talk about Firan, and have fun. Players came from Germany, England, Scotland, and Hong Kong, as well as the United States and Canada.

[edit] Criticism

One of FiranMUX's strong points as a game also has a strong downside. While the coded economy is part of what gives the game its flavour, it also can be difficult for a new player to learn. This is partially counter-acted by the game's active player helper group, and the high value that is placed on new players in the game community. However, this does not take away from the fact that the learning curve is very steep, and it is difficult to master without a great deal of player investment.

As with many large role-playing environments, FiranMUX does have its detractors. Players with bad experiences often report staff burnout, and on one side of the coin, complain of too much staff involvement in the plot of the game and every minute detail — to objects sold at the market to continual monitoring of a character's actions. In Firan's defense, a policy stated up-front and agreed to by every prospective player states that there is no expectation of privacy on the game [5].

Older players sometimes say that the flavor of the game has begun to degrade as many of the older and active characters have taken staff positions, and are no longer available to play their parts that are often instrumental in the game. Other players complain that the pre-generated character roster is too abundant — so abundant that many playerless characters have been on the roster so long and are in need of updating. This situation can also make it difficult to develop a character whose relations are rostered.

Several players also find the Drays' "living room" policy to be draconian. The policy specifies that Firan's players should act as a guest in the Drays' living room. This means that players who have bad things to say about the game should either find a way to voice those problems constructively and in a forum acceptable to the Drays or they should find another game to play.

Part of the conflict with this policy stems from the fact that such a huge investment is required to build a successful character on FiranMUX. This is not only an investment in learning the FiranMUX codebase, but in forming relationships with the other players, in understanding the world, and in developing the character being played. By the time a player has spent any time on the game, he or she must necessarily have made a substantial contribution to the game's story, and to the game's community. This is different from a typical MMORPG, for example, where a player is using resources that have been paid for, but not contributing to the development of the game.

At that point, it is easy to see how players can feel that the 'living room' metaphor is no longer appropriate, after all, they have built a part of the Drays' virtual 'living room'. These players may feel that they merit a certain amount of say in return. It is also easy to see how the Drays, who have that much more invested in the game, and the additional responsibility of making it work for everyone, could feel differently.

This type of conflict is not unique to Firan, and has been a subject for consideration in the Daedalus Project and other psychologically- and sociologically-based studies of the MMORPG phenomenon. Whether or not a game's administrators manage to strike a balance between these two extremes seems to be one of the primary factors in determining a game's ability to retain long-term players.