Multi-user dungeon: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:59, 28 September 2022

Revision as of 18:02, 21 November 2022

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Such fantasy settings for MUDs are common, while many others have [[science fiction]] settings or are based on popular books, movies, animations, periods of history, worlds populated by anthropomorphic animals, and so on. Not all MUDs are games; some are designed for [[#Educational MUDs|educational]] purposes, while others are purely [[#Talkers|chat environments]], and the [[Turing completeness|flexible nature]] of many MUD servers leads to their occasional use in areas ranging from [[computer science]] research to [[geoinformatics]] to [[medical informatics]] to [[analytical chemistry]].{{R|hansen|boring|cruickshank|schaefer}} MUDs have attracted the interest of academic scholars from many fields, including [[communication]]s, [[sociology]], [[law]], and [[economics]].{{R|turkle|grimmelmann|castronova-mmorpg}} At one time, there was interest from the United States military in using them for teleconferencing.{{R|shefski}}

Most MUDs are run as hobbies and are free to play; some may accept donations or allow players to [[Virtual Asset Sales|purchase virtual items]], while others charge a monthly subscription fee. MUDs can be accessed via standard [[telnet]] clients, or specialized [[MUD clientsclient]]s, which are designed to improve the user experience. Numerous games are listed at various web portals, such as [[The Mud Connector]].

The history of modern [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]]s (MMORPGs) like ''[[EverQuest]]'' and ''[[Ultima Online]]'', and related [[virtual world]] genres such as the social virtual worlds exemplified by ''[[Second Life]]'', can be traced directly back to the MUD genre.{{R|castronova-mmorpg|stuart-mmorpg}} Indeed, before the invention of the term MMORPG, games of this style were simply called [[#Graphical MUDs|graphical MUD]]s. A number of influential MMORPG designers began as [[:Category:MUD developers|MUD developers]] and/or players{{R|taylor}} (such as [[Raph Koster]], [[Brad McQuaid]],{{R|guru3d}} [[Matt Firor]], and [[Brian Green (game developer)|Brian Green]]{{R|greenmud}}) or were involved with early MUDs (like [[Mark Jacobs (video game designer)|Mark Jacobs]] and [[J. Todd Coleman]]).

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The typical MUD will describe to the player the room or area they are standing in, listing the objects, players and [[non-player characters]] (NPCs) in the area, as well as all of the exits. To carry out a task the player would enter a text command such as '''take apple''' or '''attack dragon'''. Movement around the game environment is generally accomplished by entering the direction (or an abbreviation of it) in which the player wishes to move, for example typing '''north''' or just '''n''' would cause the player to exit the current area via the path to the north.<ref name="movement">Basic movement commands: [http://evermore.de/index.php?id=87 The Lands of Evermore Manual] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420225439/http://evermore.de/index.php?id=87 |date=2013-04-20 }}</ref>

{{vanchor|[[MUD clients}}client]]s are computer applications that make the MUD [[telnet]] interface more accessible to users,<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Levine | first1 = John R. | author-link = John R. Levine | title = More Internet for Dummies | publisher = IDG Books | year = 1997 | isbn = 0-7645-0135-6 | pages = 199 | quote = A better way to connect to a MUD is by using a MUD client program: a program specifically designed for MUDding. A MUD program is really a telnet program that has had various MUD-related commands added.}}</ref> with features such as [[syntax highlighting]], [[keyboard macro]]s, and connection assistance.<ref>{{harvnb|Shah|Romine|1995|p=257}}, "Features include regular expression hilites and gags, auto-login, macros, line editing, screen mode, triggers, cyberportals, logging, file and command uploading, shells, and multiple connects."</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Busey|1995|p=200}}, "The ''TinyFugue'' system has long been a popular client interface for players of MOO, MUCK, and many TinyMUD-derivative systems. With a robust feature list supporting multiple sessions, macros, triggers and automation, command history and other functions, TinyFugue offers users maximum control over their environment. Although more recent programs such as Tintin++ have gained large followings, many MUD players continue to use TinyFugue because of its power and flexibility in the hands of an experience client programmer."</ref> Prominent clients include TinyTalk, [[TinyFugue]], [[TinTin++]], and [[zMUD]].{{sfn|Cheong|1996|p=[https://archive.org/details/internetagentssp00cheo/page/256 256]}}{{sfn|Bartle|2003|p=481}}

==Style==

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==See also==

* [[MUD trees]]

* [[MUD client]

* [[Chronology of MUDs]]

* [[Bartle Test]]