MUD2

Last updated
MUD2
MUD2 Logo.png
Developer(s) Multi-User Entertainment
[1]
Engine MUDDLE [2]
Platform(s) Platform independent
Release1985
Genre(s) Fantasy MUD
Mode(s) Multiplayer

MUD2 is the successor of MUD1 , Richard Bartle's pioneering Multi-User Dungeon. MUD2 is not a sequel to MUD1, instead being a heavily updated version of MUD1 (MUD1 is officially version 3 of the codebase, MUD2 is version 4) - with the engine being implemented in C, featuring significantly more content than MUD1, and uses a flexible object-oriented scripting language (MUDDLE) to define content as opposed to MUD1's 'glorified table lookup system' (MUDDL). [3] [4]

The game is nominally a roleplaying game, with a very strict set of rules, character classes and levels. Characters progress up a ladder of 11 levels until they reach the traditional MUD goal of wiz (wizard or witch).

Characters move between locations, or game rooms, using compass directions, and basic commands such as GET LONGSWORD, GET DIAMOND, KILL DWARF WITH LONGSWORD. Points are scored by dropping treasure in the room known as the swamp, performing certain actions, killing an NPC, or killing another player. The game also includes magical powers, which are gained through a mystical artifact known as The Touchstone. The small side effect of this is that touching the Touchstone may kill you, with the likelihood of death decreasing as you get higher in level - but death is always possible. [5] In order to make Wiz, one must also complete seven of eight tasks (in addition to reaching the point threshold and surviving the touchstone). Wizzes are effectively granted limitless power over the world itself, with powers including the ability to add more content to the world (areas, mobiles, items, etc), freely manipulate objects in the world (including the personae of logged-in players), and can freely destroy anything (or anyone!) if they so desire - of course, this does come with the responsibility to use one's acquired Wizdom to assist with managing the game. [6]

Just like its predecessor, MUD2 features permadeath, with one's persona being deleted if killed in combat (whether by a mobile or another player) - however, most environmental deaths (besides some such as the aforementioned Touchstone) merely cause one's persona to lose points and return the player to the title screen. [7] If one wishes to play without being killed by other players, it's possible for one to make their persona a 'Protected Persona' (PP) by using the VOW command in the tearoom (the starting room). However, Protected Personae cannot obtain Wizdom, can still be killed by anything besides a player, and un-protecting a PP (willingly via UNVOW in the tearoom, or automatically upon reaching 102,400 points) costs 2/3 of one's points. [8]

The game's levels are laid out as follows:

LevelMagicalPoints
Novice-0
ProtectorSeer200
YeomanSoothsayer400
WarriorCabalist800
SwordsmanMagician1,600
HeroEnchanter3,200
SuperheroSpellbinder6,400
ChampionSorcerer12,800
GuardianNecromancer25,600
LegendWarlock51,200
SirMage102,400
-Wizard204,800

It is generally acknowledged that the biggest challenge in the game is other players, and highly skilled players that have made wiz will actively test "mortal" players to ensure they have the required level of skill to complete, and then manage the game.

Much of MUD2's long-running appeal comes from its much-celebrated depth, and its wide-ranging gameplay, as it contains large elements of puzzle-solving and exploration, as well as elements of skill, chance, and humour.

Related Research Articles

A multi-user dungeon, also known as a multi-user dimension or multi-user domain, is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based or storyboarded. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat. Players can read or view descriptions of rooms, objects, other players, and non-player characters, and perform actions in the virtual world that are typically also described. Players typically interact with each other and the world by typing commands that resemble a natural language, as well as using a character typically called an avatar.

A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.

AberMUD was the first popular open source MUD. It was named after the town Aberystwyth, where it was written. The first version was written in B by Alan Cox, Richard Acott, Jim Finnis, and Leon Thrane based at University of Wales, Aberystwyth for an old Honeywell mainframe and opened in 1987.

<i>BatMUD</i> 1990 video game

BatMUD is a medieval fantasy MUD, established in 1990. BatMUD is Finland-based and operated and owned by a non-profit organization, Balanced Alternative Techniques ry, officially registered 1994 in Helsinki, Finland.

<i>GemStone IV</i> 1988 video game

GemStone IV is a multiplayer text-based online role-playing video game produced by Simutronics. Players control characters in a high fantasy game world named "Elanthia". The first playable version of the game was known as GemStone ][ and was launched in April 1988 on GEnie. It was one of the first MMORPGs and is one of the longest running online games still active. Access to the game is subscription-based through its website, with three additional subscriptions levels available, "Premium", "Platinum" and "Shattered", in addition to a free-to-play model introduced in early March 2015.

<i>Discworld MUD</i> 1991 video game

Discworld MUD is a popular MUD, a text-based online role-playing game, set in the Discworld as depicted in the Discworld series of books by Terry Pratchett.

Player versus player (PVP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are most often used in games where both activities exist, particularly MMORPGs, MUDs, and other role-playing video games, to distinguish between gamemodes. PvP can be broadly used to describe any game, or aspect of a game, where players compete against each other. PvP is often controversial when used in role-playing games. In most cases, there are vast differences in abilities between players. PvP can even encourage experienced players to immediately attack and kill inexperienced players. PvP is often referred to as player killing in the cases of games which contain, but do not focus on, such interaction.

LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of multi-user dungeon (MUD) server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö. LPMud was innovative in its separation of the MUD infrastructure into a virtual machine and a development framework written in the programming language LPC.

A persistent world or persistent state world (PSW) is a virtual world which, by the definition by Richard Bartle, "continues to exist and develop internally even when there are no people interacting with it". The first virtual worlds were text-based and often called MUDs, but the term is frequently used in relation to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and pervasive games. Examples of persistent worlds that exist in video games include Battle Dawn, EVE Online, and Realms of Trinity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Bartle</span> British writer, professor and game researcher

Richard Allan Bartle FBCS FRSA is a British writer, professor and game researcher in the massively multiplayer online game industry. He co-created MUD1 in 1978, and is the author of the 2003 book Designing Virtual Worlds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D&D Adventurers League</span> Tabletop role-playing game association

D&D Adventurers League is the organized play association for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game which is officially administered by D&D's publisher, Wizards of the Coast. It was rebranded with the launch of D&D's 5th Edition in 2014. Prior to 2014, it was known as the Role Playing Game Association Network. The organization was originally established by D&D's previous publisher, TSR, Inc., in 1980.

A mob, short for mobile or mobile object, is a computer-controlled non-player character (NPC) in a video game such as an MMORPG or MUD. Depending on context, every and any such character in a game may be considered to be a "mob", or usage of the term may be limited to hostile NPCs and/or NPCs vulnerable to attack.

Permadeath or permanent death is a game mechanic in both tabletop games and video games in which player characters who lose all of their health are considered dead and cannot be used anymore. Depending on the situation, this could require the player to create a new character to continue, or completely restart the game potentially losing nearly all progress made. Other terms include persona death and player death. Some video games offer a hardcore mode that features this mechanic, rather than making it part of the core game.

<i>MUD1</i> 1978 video game

Multi-User Dungeon, or MUD, is the first MUD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartle taxonomy of player types</span> Classification of video game players

The Bartle taxonomy of player types is a classification of video game players (gamers) based on a 1996 paper by Richard Bartle according to their preferred actions within the game. The classification originally described players of multiplayer online games, though now it also refers to players of single-player video games.

The history of massively multiplayer online games spans over thirty years and hundreds of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) titles. The origin and influence on MMO games stems from MUDs, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and earlier social games.

TinyMUCK or, more broadly, a MUCK, is a type of user-extendable online text-based role-playing game, designed for role playing and social interaction. Backronyms like "Multi-User Chat/Created/Computer/Character/Carnal Kingdom" and "Multi-User Construction Kit" are sometimes cited, but are not the actual origin of the term; "muck" is simply a play on the term MUD.

<i>LegendMUD</i> 1994 video game

LegendMUD is a text-only MUD game founded by a group of friends including virtual world designer Raph Koster. It features historically significant story elements and award-winning gameplay. It opened publicly on February 14, 1994. It has received critical praise for its research and attention to detail in reconstructing past cultures within the game context.

<i>Avalon: The Legend Lives</i> Fantasy multi-player role-playing game

Avalon: The Legend Lives is a text-based online multi-player role-playing game world that was first released on 28 October 1989 at the gaming convention Adventure 89. It has maintained a near-continuous on-line presence with consistent and intact persona files and player history since the late 1980s. Until regular outages began occurring in 2023, it was the longest continuously running online role-playing game in history.

This is a glossary of terms common in multi-user dungeon (MUD) multiplayer virtual worlds.

References

  1. ↑ "MUSE Ltd.: Background". mud.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  2. ↑ "MUSE Ltd.: MUDDLE". mud.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  3. ↑ "MUSE Ltd.: MUD2". mud.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  4. ↑ "History - MUD2". www.mud2.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Your persona - MUD2". mud2.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  6. ↑ "Wizards and witches - MUD2". mud2.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  7. ↑ "Fighting - MUD2". mud2.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  8. ↑ "How do I stop being attacked? - MUD2". mud2.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.