Back in the midst of the Lockdown, I had a strange fit of nostalgia and decided to go back and play on one of the old RPI MUDs I used to enjoy. I made a relatively quick and simple character and was lucky enough to get in the game within about two or three hours.
What I had not remembered was how difficult it was to find RP on those placesโno OOC communication to organise RP, no +where command. You had to either linger in one spot hoping somebody would cross your path or wander the grid until you found someone and then try and fabricate a reason to be there. I used to enjoy it years ago, but now it was positively nightmarish.
I think the beauty of a MUSH is just being able to page someone and go "Hey would you like to go to X and RP about Y" even though a lot of us get in our heads and worry about doing it. It is a big luxury when you try playing without it.
ETA: In a MUSH, you are much freer to direct your own story about your character. In other formats, you are inserted into a world which will dictate a lot of your story for you. Even just in terms of which characters you will meet and what opportunities for scenes you will have.