In particular, MUD is a role-playing game, and this may affect your relationships with certain of the most deadly creatures you will encounter - the other players. As well as friendly advances from people who talk to you as if you've known them all your life, also be prepared for a strained, even hostile approach to something even as innocuous as unsolicited communication. As in real life, some people are extroverts, yet some are shy of newcomers and take time to adjust to them. Part of the attraction of MUD is that you can never quite predict what's going to happen next, or how other players will react to what you do.
MUD's scenario is called 'The Land', and is a timeless, fantasy realm of open pastures, vast forests, tormented seas, and deep, subterranean passages. Part of the purpose of this Beginners' Companion, is to help you understand the peculiarities of The Land, and the nature of its inhabitants, so better to survive its often hazardous ways.
The overall 'objective' of the game is to become a wizard or witch - a 'wiz'. You will probably find wizzes are the least hostile of characters, since they have suffered most of the problems and inconveniences the game has to offer, and are likely to be sympathetic to the difficulties met by a newcomer. However, they will not look too kindly on continuous 'whining', and some of their replies to your questions may be very cryptic.
Specific requests from a novice for information or assistance may well be answered, though, and so long as you pay attention to what is said and thank the wiz concerned afterwards, the wiz's respect for you will increase, and you may soon find that you have made a most useful friend.
Your persona has several attributes, as follows. The first two are chosen by you when you first start off a new persona:
Magic also starts off at 0, and remains there until you perform a certain dangerous act, that of touching an object called the 'touchstone'. This has a fair chance of wiping out your persona, but the risk reduces as your level increases. It is guaranteed to kill novices! If you touch it and survive, your magic will be set to the same as your maximum stamina, and you can then cast spells (about which more later).
Listed here are some of the basic commands you'll need in order to take your first steps in The Land. Around 50% of the commands actually issued by players are directions, and as with most commands they can be shortened. The main directions (with minimum abbreviation in upper case) are:
* command
example
what the example does
--------
* DRop <object>
dr all
Drop everything that you're holding.
* FOLLOW <creature>
follow nancy
Until your next movement command, you go where Nancy goes.
* Get <object>
g t
Pick up all the treasure in this room.
* GIve <object> TO <creature>
gi straw to alf
Transfer the straw from you to Alf.
* Help
h
Give a (hopefully) useful help message.
* Inventory
i
List all that you are carrying.
* Look
l
Describe your room in full, plus its contents.
* Look <container>
l box
Describe what objects can be seen inside the box.
* Look <creature>
l mouse
Describes the mouse in detail, giving some indication of how injured it is.
* PUT <object> INto <container>
put stick in box
Insert the stick in the box.
* QUIT
quit
Leave the game.
* REMove <object> From <container>
rem tin f box
Takes out any tin there is in the box.
* SCore
sc
Gives a run-down on your persona. For less detail, use QuickScore.
* SLEEP
sleep
Gradually recover lost stamina.
* STeal <object> From <creature>
st ruby f tom
Transfer possession of the ruby from Tom to you.
* WHO
who
List all (visible) players currently in the game. For a shorter
version, use QuickWho.
There are three primary ways to communicate:
When a fight starts in MUD, it continues until either party is dead, or has fled. Every few seconds, an exchange of blows takes place. The higher your dexterity, the greater your chance of hitting your opponent. The higher your strength, the more damage you will do when you hit. The higher your stamina, the more damage you can take. When your stamina drops to 0 or less, you die. If you flee from a fight you will lose points, but obviously not as many as if you had died! More points are gained for killing an opponent than for having one flee from you, too. In both cases, however, everything they were carrying will be left behind on the ground.
A weapon increases the damage you deliver, but some weapons require that you have a certain strength before you can wield them. Useful weapons include:
* command
example
what the example does
--------
* Kill <creature>
k banshee
Initiate a fight with the banshee.
* USE <weapon>
use staff
Use the staff as a weapon in this fight.
* Kill <creature> WIth <weapon>
k banshee wi staff
Previous two combined.
* Flee
f
Leave the fight and move in a random direction.
* Flee <direction>
f o
Leave the fight and move in the out direction.
* SuperFlee
SF
Leave the fight and quit immediately.
* HIT <creature>
hit rat
Hurt the rat without starting a fight.
* HIT <creature> WIth <weapon>
hit rat wi stick
As above, use the stick.
* WithDraw
WD
Accept/offer a mutual withdrawal, with no resulting points loss if
your opponent also withdraws.
Not all mobiles are vicious killing machines. Many will hardly notice you if you don't bother them, and of those mobiles that do attack, some are so puny as to be fairly easy to dispose of, even for novices. Many of the stronger mobiles consider it beneath their dignity to attack low-level players, but as you accumulate points they may turn their attention to you. Likewise, if you annoy them, for example by hitting them or stealing things from them, they may get angry enough to want to teach you a lesson!
MUD has a large number of mobiles, a selection of ones not too hard to find being:
To become a wiz, you need to accumulate 'points'. You start off at 0, as a 'novice'. As you obtain more points, you will go up through different 'levels', the highest of which is wizard/witch.
There are three basic ways to obtain points:
Fighting is a way to go up levels quickly, since the rewards can be very high (some players are worth around 40,000 points dead!). However, it is also a risk - you may yourself be killed! You'll certainly make enemies if you go around attacking players, but few people object to the slaying of mobiles!
Other ways of obtaining points depend on your doing something, for example entering the fountain of wisdom (if you can find it!). Sometimes, you can find your score increased because of what other players have done - when the number of mobiles alive drops to 100, for example, everyone in The Land receives a bonus, even if they've only been in two minutes! Wizards and witches can give out points for deeds they consider worthwhile, or because they feel sorry for you; however, they can take points away, too, so don't be too fawning to them!
You can lose points all three ways, as well. Some treasure is worth negative points to non-novices; if you flee in a fight, or are killed, you'll lose points dependent on your level; some actions which cause your (temporary) death can reduce your points total, eg. walking into the swamp carrying a burning fire brand.
A protected persona cannot attack or be attacked by another player. This makes it ideal for exploring and socialising. However, there is a penalty, in that protected personae cannot reach wizard/witch level. Instead, when they obtain 102,400 points, they lose their protected status and two thirds of their points (because it's easier to score points as a protected persona). To become a protected persona, issue the command VOW in the Tearoom. To cease being one, UNVOW from the Tearoom (NB: you will still lose two thirds of your points!).
The tables which follow list all the levels in the game, and the points required to achieve those levels.
Points Male/Female fighter
0 novice
200 protector
400 yeoman/yeowoman
800 warrior
1,600 swordsman/swordswoman
3,200 hero/heroine
6,400 superhero/superheroine
12,800 champion/championne
25,600 guardian/guardienne
51,200 legend
102,400 Sir/Lady
204,800 -
Points Male/Female magic-user
0 -
200 seer/seeress
400 soothsayer
800 cabalist
1,600 magician
3,200 enchanter/enchantress
6,400 spellbinder/spellbindress
12,800 sorcerer/sorceress
25,600 necromancer/necromancess
51,200 warlock
102,400 mage
204,800 wizard/witch
Points Male/Female protected fighter
0 discoverer
200 pathfinder
400 voyager
800 wayfarer
1,600 scout
3,200 rover
6,400 pioneer
12,800 explorer
25,600 ranger
51,200 minstrel
102,400 -
204,800 -
Points Male/Female protected magic-user
0 -
200 neophyte
400 pilgrim
800 acolyte
1,600 friar
3,200 cleric
6,400 brother/sister
12,800 priest/priestess
25,600 prelate
51,200 patriarch/matriarch
102,400 -
204,800 -
Some spells you should know of (but there are others!) are:
In brief, wizzes have virtually limitless power. They can pick up treasures from wherever they like, whenever they like; teleport to any location, including some that mere mortals can never visit; destroy anything they like with casual ease. They can also create their own rooms, objects, and even mobiles, imbuing them with life to roam The Land at their behest.
A staggering list of spells and special wiz commands lie at their fingertips, enabling them to make things appear to happen that haven't, or not to have happened that have; they can add or remove points from players, confiscate their treasures, move them about, even change their name and title! They can become the mobiles that stalk the land, playing as the dragon, say, instead of as their wiz. It is hardly surprising that one frequently hears it said that becoming a wiz is when the fun in MUD REALLY starts!
This Beginners Companion is too small to go into detail. Once you become a wiz, the arch-wizzes will contact you and tell you what you need to know, and exactly what you can do with your new-found might. Remember, however, that with these hard-won powers comes great responsibility, and that wizzes are not only masters of The Land, but also its most trusted servants. Although the road is tough, by the time you have reached this exalted status, you will certainly have earned your reward!
Good luck!