Email to SETH Hat

From: richard 76703,3042
To: Seth 71500,2575

SETH    -

        First, many congratulations on becoming CIS's first wiz! You caught us on the hop, we weren't expecting anyone to rise so quickly, you only made it to legend last week. Anyway, well done on being first of the (hopefully many) home-grown US wizzes. It sounds like you've been misinformed somewhat about what it means to be a wiz, what it entitles you to, and how it happens. Hence, I'll take this opportunity to explain.

        There is one qualification for wizhood, 102400 points. Get that, and you've made it (assuming there was no cheating involved, eg. undue help from another wiz). There are two classes of wiz, mortal and just wiz. Mortal wizzes are ones who have made it, but who have not been entered in our wiz file. Until you're entered in this file, you can still be killed. The reason for the delay, and why we don't do it automatically, is to ease you into your new powers. If you screw the game up something rotten by abusing your powers, we'll not put you in the file. Likewise, if you mess about too much later on we'll remove you for a while. Since putting a new wiz file into production is a time-consuming business, you'd probably end up waiting for a couple of weeks before you stop being a mortal wiz.

        OK, so having told you that while we do have a discretion over whom we appoint to wiz level, the reason is so we can de-wiz naughty players rather than blackball new wizzes, I'll now explain what happens when you're a wiz.

        You get IMMENSE powers in the game. By IMMENSE, I mean there are commands to do things like crash it, reset it, kill players instantly and completely, stop everyone from playing, stop fighting, and flying about from room to room. Wizzes may use any of these but they MUST be responsible with them. The command for instant death, FOD (Finger Of Death) shouldn't be used just because you don't like someone's attitude, but you should use it if people shout profanities or come in with obscene names, for example. Likewise, the ENCHANT command, which adds/removes points from people, should ONLY be used with the greatest of control, fining people for minor infractions or rewarding them for unexpected altruism; never because they helped you up to wiz, never because they offered you money!

        The whole point of being a wiz is to make the game FUN for mortals. Dishing out T willy-nilly does no-one any favours, but organising "races" and giving out swamped T (NEVER unswamped T unless it came from the store) to the winner is fair enough. Showing newcomers round on organised tours, and trying to encourage the players to gang up on legends to test their mettle, that sort of thing is fine.

        Anyway, I hope I've cleared things up! Don't worry if you cause chaos as you get used to them, once you know what they do, though, start trying to use them sensibly!

        Oh, try not to give out all the answers to puzzles, please; hints are fine but answers aren't so good. How would you have enjoyed the game if we'd published all the solutions early on?

        Oh, one last thing, every wiz is entitled to an entry in the graveyard. Some short, appropriate one- or two-liner, please. If you mail me what you want, I'll put it in for the next release of the game.

        Well, sorry for the lengthy explanation; I hope you enjoy your wizhood. You haven't lived 'til you've died in British Legends!

                Richard ----*


Copyright © Richard A. Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk)
21st January 1999: bl9a.htm