MUD is the abbrevation of Multi User Dungeon. MUD kind games are very popular in local networks and Internet. The attraction of that games depends on the idea which it can be playing of two or more user at the same time. Every user in these games has a character and some special abilities. As you understand from the word of DUNGEON the game is played in the labirents which is shown part by part to the user from the screen. A user who is playing a MUD uses the commands which are telling to the main program what the user wants to do.
How it works ?
There is a main program which runs on an account and it responds the messages which is come from registered users’ accounts. The program gets the messages and processes them in to an order. These messages include a command part ( It is usually the first word of the message) and they have a meaning for the program. And the program sends the message to the user after proceed the command , this message shows the last position and the result of the process to the user and if necessary to the other users. All the commands lay in to the program as subroutines and the main program manages these subroutines ( I mean ; when the main program detects a subroutine necessary then the main program calls that subroutine ). Multi-tasking property of this kind of games is not meaning that all the users see everything or every messages at the same time. Because of it responds to the users one by one and it orders the messages according to the previllages of the user.
When you want to play that kind of game, you have to find an address which includes an installed game. After connecting to that address , the program asks you for identification. If you are a registered user then the program asks you for a password but if not then the program wants to register you and asks for a nickname and new password. After completing this process you have to choose your character type and your abilities. The character types can be very different according to game but most using character types are these :Warrior : The warrior group encompasses the character classes of heros who make their way in the world primarily by skill at arms. Warriors are allowed to use any weapon. They can wear any type of armor. The disadvantage of warriors have is that tyey are restricted in their selection of magical items and spells. Even for non-complex MUD games there is no right of getting magical items and spells for warrior type user. A warrior character divided up to different kinds of characters , for example Fighters, Paladins and Rangers.
Fighter : The principle attribute of a fighter is strength. The Fighter is a warrior and expert in weapons and , if he is clever, tacticsand strategy.
Paladin : The Paladin is a noble and heroic warrior, the symbol of all that is right and true in the world. As such, he has high ideals that he must maintain at all times.
Ranger : The Ranger is a hunter and woods man who lives by not only his sword, but also his wits.Wizard : The Wizard group encompasses all spellcasters working in the various fields of magic. Both those who specialize in specific schools of magic and those who sduty abroad range of magical theories. Spending their lives in pursuit of arcane wisdom, wizards have little time for physical endeavors. They tend to be poor fighters with little knowledge weaponary. However they comment powerfull and dangerous energies with a simple gestures, rare components, and mistical words. Wizards can not wear any armor , for several reasons. Wizards divided up to some character types :
Mage : Mages are the most versatile types of wizard those who chose not to specialize in any single school of magic. Mages have not historical counter parts ; they exist only in legend and myth.
Cleric : The most common type of priest is the Cleric. The Cleric may be an adherent of any religion. The Cleric class similar to certain religious orders of knighthood of the middle ages. They are sturgy soldiers, although their selection of weapons are limited. They can wear any type of armor and use any shield.
Rogue : Rogues are people who feel that the world somehow ows them a living. They get by they by they, living in the highest style , they an effort and doing as listtle work as possible. The less they have to toil and strugle like everyone else, the better off they think they are. Rogues have a number of special abilities, such as picking pockets and detecting noise, for which they are given a persentage chance of success. Rogues have some types of classes:
Thief : Thieves come in all size and shapes ready to live off the fat of the land by the easyest means possible. In some ways they are the epitome of roguisheness.
Bard : The Burd is an optional character class that can be used. He makes his way in life by his charm, talent, and wit.
After choosing your character type you can start to play the game and you can enter the dungeon. In the dungeon there are non-player characters as player characters. These non-player characters are controlled by the program. The aim of playing that kind of game is getting more experience and gain new levels and abilities. There are so many ways to get experience in these games , one of them is killing the munsters ( Non-player characters ) or other players. When you gain a new level you can use different special commands. Some of the level names are novice ( it is first level ) , beginner, semigod and god. These names can be different according to the story of MUD. The programmer of the MUD gets the highest status God and he/she can do whatever they want but any player can become a God by election way. In the game you have to protect your character from danger. You can be hungary or thirsty so you have to find some eatable or drinkable items. One of the way getting that items is buying them from a shop or you can get them from any other player . But you don’t have to forget nobody wants to give you his or her items. May be you can take them by force like showing your power or intelligence. But if your opponent is powerfull than you you can loose your life. High level users especially Wizard type users do not need to buy something because they can create their meals.For different MUD games the things which is written above can be optional. I tried to explain a MUD with main lines. Complexty of the game can increase or decrease by the including of main program. The better way to learn the main things of a MUD is playing a basic game at first. When you start to play a that kind of game you will see different features and I am sure that you will enjoy very much.