Text-Adventuring Basics

 

The information contained in this help file is not specific to Portal©, but rather to using MUD’s in general.  In case you didn’t know yet, MUD is an acronym for Multi-User-Dungeon.  While “dungeon” is rather specific, MUDs can be based in any world or realm, limited only by human imagination.  As stated in the

Portal© Overview, there are many kinds of text-based games out there.  When we use the word MUD, we also mean all the other kinds out there (MUSHs, MOOs, etc.)

 

MUDding, as you probably know by now, involves the creation of an alter ego in a virtual world featuring combat, quests, and interaction with others.  Every MUD is different, but there are a few constants.

 

HELP SYSTEMS

The most important command for you to know on any new MUD, whether you are an experienced MUDder or not, is help.  Typing help will usually give you a menu of possible topics about which information is available.  For a new MUDder, help newbie is often a good choice when used on MUDs that support it.

 

The display of information from the help systems is variable; some MUDs have extensive and good help systems, and some do not.  You will nearly always, however, be able to obtain information about how the MUD works, the penalties for dying, where to go to find an area suitable for a newbie, etc.

 

ROOMS

The basic unit of a MUD is the room.  A room is, much like in the real world, an area defined or limited in some respect.  Rooms have two basic elements: a description and a list of exits.  You can see the room description when you enter a new room, as well as a list of the obvious exits.  The list of exits defines, as it were, the limits of the room; an exit can be a door or merely an open direction in which you can travel without running into something.

 

There are a few commands associated with rooms which primarily involve access to information: look, examine, and search are the most common variants.  The look command and the examine, or exa, command do the same thing: they display text descriptions.  By themselves, the commands simply display the room text over again.  With an argument, e.g. look at <thing> or exa <thing>, the commands display the text description, if any, of the thing.  Characters, objects in the room, and in many cases, items mentioned in a room description can all be examined or looked at.  The search command, on MUDs which use the command, usually gives extended information beyond that available by look or exa.

 

The exit list is your key to movement, and it's usually pretty simple.  The list of exits, often cardinal directions such as north, northeast and the like, as well as up, down, enter and some other variations, are also commands which move you in the specified direction through the named exit.  In other words, if there's an exit labeled "north," and you type north, you'll move through that exit and into the connecting room to the north.  For the cardinal directions, you can usually substitute "n" for north, "nw" for northwest, etc.

 

OBJECTS

MUD objects come in three basic varieties: character objects, monster objects, and “thing” objects.  The first one, a character object, is you and any other living entity connecting to the MUD.  As with any object, you can examine or look at it, including yourself.

 

Info About Your Character

On most MUDs, you can do score or sc to get a quick readout on your character's statistics.  In nearly every case, these statistics will include things like strength, constitution, and intelligence, as well as the very important concepts of hit points (try typing hp) and spell points.  Hit points represent the amount of damage you can sustain before your character dies; spell points are usually used to power abilities and spells.  Both will usually regenerate over time, and often eating and drinking will also heal them more quickly.

 

Communication

There are some nifty communication commands associated with player objects, and the standard ones are say, tell, shout, and in most cases, some kind of channel or line associated with various guilds, clans and the like.

 

The say command is pretty simple; it gives a message to anyone in the same room as you.  The command syntax is say <message> and the output would be something like "You say <message>."  Other characters can see and respond to the message as they see fit; in some cases, monster objects will also respond.

 

The tell command is much like the say command, but it delivers a message to a specific player, and no other person can see it.  It also functions over any distance.  This one can be VERY useful for a newbie if they need assistance.  On many MUDs, use of tell requires a few spell points.

 

Shout is a very special communication command; it typically "broadcasts" your message to every person on the MUD, and they can respond via tell or shout themselves.  Be careful with this command; constant shouting can sometimes irritate other players and even wizards, builders and admin.  This command often requires the use of spell points to function.  Don’t go shouting swear words just to get a reaction from people and see if they are really out there.  They are, and you will get a reaction.  Usually it will be in the form of jail time, or some sort of banishment.

 

Combat

Monster objects are in many ways similar to character objects, except that there is no player behind one; they've been created and scripted by a wizard or builder so that they can engage in many of the actions a character can.  Some will respond to says and tells, and nearly all can engage in combat.

 

Initiation of combat is pretty simple: kill <monster> works on nearly every MUD.  Of course, this might result in trouble if the monster is more powerful than you are, which leads to some other important commands, like wimpy.  Type wimpy <number> often, though not on every MUD, will make you automatically feel from combat when your hit points drop below the number or percentage you've specified.  Be sure to check the help files on this command, though, as there are many variations on this command, and most MUDs have tweaked it a bit.

 

Basically, be careful with what you kill.  Some MUDs allow you to kill other players (playerkilling or PK as it’s called).  Don’t bite off more than you can chew, as some monsters would eat you alive, like dragons, demons, soccer fans.

 

Manipulating Objects

The third type of object is the object that can be worn, read, opened or otherwise manipulated.  From a wizard perspective, these objects can be VERY different from one another, but from your perspective, it's enough to know that there are objects you can pick up and do things with.  Picking up an object is a matter of typing get <thing> or take <thing>.  When you do this, the item is moved into your inventory---"i" will usually list your inventory.  Most likely, your inventory is not infinite, as there will be a limit on how much you can carry.  There are also items on MUDs which simply cannot be moved with any amount of strength, such as signs, streetlights, Sweden.

 

The most important items to you right off the bat are going to be weapons and armor.  Weapons must typically be wielded so that you can use them in combat, e.g. wield <sword> before it will actually be used.  Armor must similarly be worn in order to be of any protective value.

 

Nearly all items can be traded for cash at shops.  The usual command is sell <object>.  Most items have some kind of commands associated with them which are specific to them.  For example, a food item can usually be eaten (eat <thing>), beverages, can be drunk, etc.  Often examining such an item will make it clear what commands you can expect to work, and where such an approach fails, the command syntax will often be a matter of common sense.

 

CONCLUSION

You should now have enough basic information to at least navigate around a MUD, communicate with other players, manipulate and use basic objects, and seek additional MUD-specific help.  Remember that the help systems on most MUDs are well developed and can often provide answers to questions you haven't even thought to ask yet.  If all else fails, you can always ask other people for help.  Just remember, these are real people too, so be respectful and treat them how you would want to be treated.