2.1 Issues

Section 2 of The Argo Manual discusses topics that the MUCK's RP staff will need to know in order to run the system. Nothing in this part of the manual is `secret' — players can read it, and will probably profit by doing so — but at the same time, they can probably skip this material without any great loss to their ability to use and enjoy Argo.

The first staffly decision you will need to make is whether to install and use Argo at all. On some MUCKs, it may not be a positive addition. Some things to think about:

Server Load: As MUF programs go, Argo is big and heavy... some 40,000 lines of code, which make liberal use of background processes and dbase scanning cleanup routines. MUCKs originated in an era when processing power was a much more scarce commodity than it is today, and even a fairly large and busy MUCK puts only a moderate load on a modern computer... nonetheless, you should give a bit of thought to whether using Argo will noticeably affect server performance. It probably won't, but if server tools such as `top' show that the system is heavily loaded, and that either CPU or memory is the bottleneck, it might.

World Chemistry: Some people find the idea of reducing characters to numbers and submitting them to the heavy handed effects of coded commands distinctly unpleasant: the freeform nature of MUCKs and their TinyBrethren are what attrct them to the platform in lieu of graphical RP games. So, test the waters... do your players want Argo? They may not.

Time and Effort: Installing, configuring, and running an Argo RP environment — the subject of this Staff Guide — is a time-consuming proposition. Setting up a good Argo environment requires the same skills and efforts, in comparable amounts, as are needed when building a good MUCK: a blend of creativity and MUCK know-how, attention to innumerable persnickity details, quite a bit of time, and diplomatic patience with players.

If, having mulled these issues, you want to put Argo on your world, wonderful. If not, no one's feelings will be hurt.