This article is classified "Real"
MUDs, or Multi-User-Dimensions are some of the strangest places on the
Internet. They range from the hairy (FurryMUSH) to the downright insane
(LambdaMOO). Most MUDs are centered around a theme or ideal. Something
like dragons, furrys, or Star Trek. There are a few that just say "Do
whatever, just don't disturb anybody", like LambdaMOO. The usual way of
connecting to a MUD is to Telnet there. From the Unix shell prompt type:
telnet <host> <port>
Hosts can be in the name format or the number format. A few hosts/ports
are:
lambda.xerox.com 8888
casper.bga.com 6969
128.2.116.75 4201
You can find more by looking in the rec.games.mud.announce newsgroup.
There are a few commands you should know when you connect to a MUD; some
of the most important are:
who/@who - Tells you who else is online.
where/@where - Tells you where others are
(on MOOs anyway).
look - Shows you the room, what's in it.
look <item> - Spits out a description of the item.
"<text> - On most MOOs/MUDs this is the way to talk.
page <user> <text> - Sends info to someone else not in the room
you're in (MOO command).
help - Gives help [1].
On MOOs you can @examine objects. That spits out the description and any
verbs it might have. Very useful in finding out what something does.
When you connect to a MUD, it will usually present you with a
Username:
prompt. Sometimes you type "guest" and then "guest" for the password.
On MOO's it just prints out a message asking you what you'd like to do.
"connect guest guest" is usually what you want to do. If none of those
work, type in what you'd like to be your username, and then the password
you'd like. If all else fails, ask someone. Most people are friendly,
although they do like to keep their RL (Real Life) to themselves.
Now, some useful acronyms/terms:
IC - In Character.
OOC - Out Of Character.
RL - Real Life.
MOO - Mud Object Oriented.
MUD - Multi User Dimension/Dungeon.
Wiz/Wizard - Guy/Guys who run the MUD.
HP - Hit Points, used on combat MUDs.
ST - Status.
TF - TinyFuge, a program that makes connecting with MUDs
easier and prettier.
TS - Tiny Sex, virtual sex.
VR - Virtual Reality.
VS - Virtual Sex.
Idle - How long you/they haven't been active.
Connect time - How long you/they have been connected.
AFK - Away From Keyboard.
BRB - Be Right Back.
Client - A program that takes the place of telnet.
Newbie - New user.
A few things to remember:
* Nobody likes a whiner.
* Don't interrupt. Some people take MUDing *very* seriously, and
get very ticked at you if you go where you haven't been asked.
* Some people are very private about their real life lives.
* People are generally helpful, just ask nicely.
* Don't be surprised by the kind of people you meet, and the kind
of places you'll go.
[1] On the Star Wars MUD, the help documents are in a thing called... the
Hitchhikers guide to Star Wars MUD. Or something like that. To access
the help files you type "panic <topic>" and they have some stuff from
the guide. Pretty cool, eh?