MUDs

MUD stands for Multi User Dungeon. They have been developed a long time ago. On this page I'll describe some of the history, describe my relationship with MUDs and provide some links to MUDs I know.

History

MUDs are a multi user version of the so-called `adventures' that were written on computers. They claim to be based on roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons (this explains the `dungeon' in the abbreviation), but roleplaying games involve roleplaying, and most MUDs don't emphasize this aspect. MUDs are usually used as places to interact with other people from all over the world, or play a good adventure game.

There are several `drivers' that provide MUD-services. Each of them gives the user a specific `feel'. I myself got used to lpMUDs (Lars Pensjo MUDs) which can be programmed in LPC (a powerful C++ variant), but there are also database based MUDs, such as dikuMUD. dikuMUDs have (usually) a very dungeons & dragons-like feel to them. The only other variant I have been on are MUSHs, which seem more roleplaying oriented.

lpMUDs exist in various versions. What I call the original is in fact lpMUD 3.1.2 in compat-mode (as opposed to native-mode, which is supposedly better secured, faster and more logical). Two different groups have continued Lars' development, resulting in the Amylaar driver (3.2.0@xxx) which is rather compatible with the 3.1.2, both developing native and compat-mode. In MudOS the entire compat-mode was dropped, and the version number was reset. The people that wrote MudOS claim to have done a full rewrite. Nowadays there is also Pike, which is the language of MUDs, but then used for things like WWW-server design. For the TU-Eindhoven I once made a presentation about LPC, the language of MUDs.

A player won't easily note differences in the driver (or parser), but more in the MUDlib. I used to play 2.4.5, so I still like it best, though it is very basic. I'll not start a list of all kinds of MUDlibs, you'll just have to experience them...

If you want more information, you should probably read the FAQ.

Links to other MUDs

Here is a list of the MUDs I like, or which I think interesting, including a short description and explanation. Everywhere where I mention 2.4.5, I mean a (different) modified version of it.

RushMUD, this is the MUD that I started myself. It's 3.1.2/2.4.5, and still very basic. Currently the server is up, though the IP address might vary.
Holy Mission, here I grew up and learned coding LPC. It uses Amylaar/2.4.5, and a comple chaos. I still visit here occasionally, mostly to surprise people.
Callandor, this is a theme MUD, which is running Amylaar/Cocaine. Cocaine is a private MUDlib. I started this MUD, but because I'm rather busy with my work it has been taken over by Shadum. This is the only MUD in this list running in native-mode (the transfer was quite smooth, even).
NannyMUD, apart from Genesis (which has shutdown and started again as two separate entities) this is the oldest lpMUD on the Internet. It's NannyMOS/2.4.5, in which NannyMOS is probably a changed version of Amylaar (I'm not certain, because I'm just a player there).

There are also some MUDs that would like to be mentioned here, which I haven't visited. They are:

United Dreams. (seems offline at this moment)