Category:General MU* Feeds
From WikiMU*
[edit] Top MUD Sites Discussion Feed
- A Litte History About MUDS
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: RPGGUY Post Time: 07-02-2009 at 04:53 PM [?]
- The Lands of Aethar
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: JusticeJustinian Post Time: 07-01-2009 at 05:31 PM [?]
- The Iron Realms Summer Slaughter Event
- Forum: MUD Announcements Posted By: Avasyu Post Time: 07-01-2009 at 05:26 PM [?]
- Shadowgate Converted to 3.x ish
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: isaiah Post Time: 06-28-2009 at 11:14 PM [?]
- MUX: The Series, Now Open!
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: Raptorine Post Time: 06-28-2009 at 08:16 PM [?]
- OtherSpace: The second decade!
- Forum: MUD Announcements Posted By: Brody Post Time: 06-27-2009 at 06:38 PM [?]
- Gotta Love Those Scraped MUD Sites
- Forum: MUD and RPG Webmasters Posted By: nass Post Time: 06-26-2009 at 11:48 AM [?]
- RIP: Farrah and Michael
- Forum: Tavern of the Blue Hand Posted By: Brody Post Time: 06-25-2009 at 06:53 PM [?]
- NiMUD 5 Re-released Under AL/GPL
- Forum: MUD Coding Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-24-2009 at 02:59 AM [?]
- Threshold RPG on twitter
- Forum: MUD Announcements Posted By: Threshold Post Time: 06-22-2009 at 09:32 PM [?]
- PRIZE$ ! OPEN CONTEST FOR BUILDERS! HURRY, APPLY NOW!
- Forum: MUD Builders and Areas Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-22-2009 at 12:32 AM [?]
- NiMUD 5 Update Released
- Forum: MUD Coding Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-21-2009 at 10:24 PM [?]
- Threshold Summer Recruitment and Playing Time Drive
- Forum: MUD Announcements Posted By: Gesslar Post Time: 06-21-2009 at 08:56 PM [?]
- Erandia
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: Denisius Post Time: 06-21-2009 at 09:40 AM [?]
- NiMUD 5 Server Update Released
- Forum: MUD Announcements Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-21-2009 at 01:11 AM [?]
- Maiden Desmodus Open Beta
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: Orrin Post Time: 06-19-2009 at 06:37 PM [?]
- Compliance reminder if your MUD uses OLC
- Forum: Legal Issues Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-18-2009 at 02:43 AM [?]
- The surprise return of NiMUD.org!
- Forum: Legal Issues Posted By: locke Post Time: 06-18-2009 at 01:32 AM [?]
- Thorns of War - Don't just grind, live a life!
- Forum: Advertising for Players Posted By: Hersir Post Time: 06-17-2009 at 06:19 PM [?]
- Thorns of War - 10 Weeks, No Validation
- Forum: Bugs and Suggestions Posted By: Hersir Post Time: 06-17-2009 at 06:16 PM [?]
[edit] MUD Connector Discussion Feed
- Builder looking for a home
- Posted to: Mud Staffing Board (July 3, 2009) [?]
- Running With Scissors pt 2
- Posted to: General Discussions (July 3, 2009) [?]
- Dealing with Problem Players
- Posted to: Administrator's Forum (July 3, 2009) [?]
- Experienced Coder/Implementor/Builder/RP Genius looking to get back into MUDing
- Posted to: Mud Staffing Board (July 3, 2009) [?]
- The Lands of Aethar
- Posted to: Mud Promotions (July 3, 2009) [?]
- Graphics Library for Clients
- Posted to: Coding and Mud Design (Advanced) (July 2, 2009) [?]
- Birds of War: Fly High, Live Forever!
- Posted to: Mud Promotions (July 2, 2009) [?]
- The Iron Realms Summer Slaughter Event
- Posted to: Mud Promotions (July 1, 2009) [?]
- Seeking Builders for Established MUD
- Posted to: Mud Staffing Board (June 30, 2009) [?]
- Devils Silence is back!
- Posted to: Mud Promotions (June 29, 2009) [?]
[edit] MUD Connector Review Feed
- Review: Vista Nights
- Vista nights is a fun experience, even for people who aren't
hardcore gamers. The staff are both educated in the systems they are
running and dedicated to making the RP experience enjoyable.
The system is, as far as I can tell, a flawless representation of
table-top roleplay over a textbased platform. The stat sheets are spot
on, character creation and play extremely simple, without a ton of
glompy commands to memorize.
The other players are friendly also, and most verbose and generous
rolepla... (posted: 2009-07-03T22:05:39-05:00) [?] - Review: Avendar: The Crucible of Legends
- Avendar's setting is so incredibly rich it's a little intimidating,
at first.
The mud's completely original and there's a huge array of original
races to play; though one can still play a human if they wish to. The
classes are mostly original, with a unique take on some classes
experienced mudders have come to know and love.
The magic system is fairly standard, though selecting what type of
'mage' you want to be isn't just typing 'necromancer', or
'enchanter'. Choosing spheres of study is the ... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:58:34-05:00) [?] - Review: 6 Dragons
- With a truly dedicated Administrator, and an extremely active Imm
staff, I cannot understand why this mud is not far more visited and
played than it is presently. Code is being constantly updated, and
worked on. New areas are being added continuously to keep players
interested. There is almost always a staff member on who will talk to
a player who wishes to ask questions, or who needs help. What is more,
the code for races and multi-classing is impressive. I have not played
a mud with a better s... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:55:59-05:00) [?] - Review: d20 MUD Forgotten Realms
- I've been working on and building this mud since 2005, and it has
truly come a long way. It is gratifying to see that it has created
it's own community now of loyal players and staff, who are dedicated
to the game.
The game itself has grown by leaps and bounds, both with code and
content, and within the community. We are truly the closest thing
out there in my opinion to a persistent world d20 rules rpg.
Now that we have more coders on the staff I expect the mud to
continue to grow incr... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:55:04-05:00) [?] - Review: Illusions of the Mind
- This used to be a great mud. Right now it is on hard times. They
have changed the character creation system extensively. Then they
did a pwipe with no warning. Aldere, the head imp and coder, kept
saying they were working to balance the characters while he knew for
at least a week he was going to do a pwipe. I had wasted hours just
the few days prior building a character only to have all my time
erased. They still keep tweaking the character creation so who knows
if another pwipe is co... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:54:29-05:00) [?] - Review: Realm of Shadows
- I've been following Realm of Shadows since the beginning and have
watched it evolve into a completely unique and exciting experience.
Realm of Shadows is derived from SMAUG code, but I have played many
other SMAUG MUDs and I've never seen anything like this.
RoS has truly random items, random names, random affects, random pops
- it really adds a lot to the game. There also is a TRUE multiclass
system - not that crap remort stuff. You start as one class and later
on you can dual to a second clas... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:53:33-05:00) [?] - Review: Star Wars: Legacy of the Sith
- Started playing this mud in Dec 08. At first, it was good, some of
the players proved very helpful. Imms, with an exception or two,
hardly ever seen. Weeks could go by without them. And then within the
last month or so an influx of self proclaimed 'veteran players' came
in, which is where the problems began.
The roleplay became less based around RP, and more based around OOC
RP. It started to become obvious that there was no fairness in the way
things were dealt with. Example: The NR President(... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:52:07-05:00) [?] - Review: Erandia
- To start off, I'd like to say I logged onto Erandia out of boredom
with MUDs in general -- which, while each has some unique feature or
another, are more or less of cookie-cutter origin -- not expecting to
find a game that, while still in beta, was not only fully fleshed out,
but had a very intriguing storyline and concept.
First, the very nature of 'death' in this MUD is something I have
never seen before. See, you aren't just a human, or an elf, or a
dwarf, or any other race you can think of ... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:49:24-05:00) [?] - Review: Legends of Xenobia
- Legends of Xenobia is my first mud and my favorite. It has a great
combination of code-leveling, actually building up skills and level
within the game and also roleplay and building up a social network.
The IMMs are wonderfully helpful and the other players are just as
helpful if an IMM cannot be reached. Long nights have been spent on
LoX, as I have totally immersed myself in this fantasy world and I
would recommend this mud in a heartbeat.
... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:47:51-05:00) [?] - Review: Shattered World
- Imagine a world in which YOU control the destiny. I guess that line
is kind of used, eh? Many MUDs claim to be player-controlled, and some
do a pretty good job of it, but none like Shattered World. As an
example, it is SO player-controlled, that it cannot be played alone.
Allow me to give a description of the Greatest Land that Ever Was:
Where to start? Guild, I guess. Guilds have bank accounts, and you
have to pay dues. Guilds have relations with other guilds, and some
can be more or less powe... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:39:37-05:00) [?] - Review: Lost Souls
- To begin, a short description should suffice. Lost Souls is the most
amazing, break taking, complex MUD in existence. If you seek a game
that is as much a work of art as it is critically involving, Lost
Souls is for you.
I have had the blessing of seeing it change throughout its various
incarnations as heavy modification of the already heavily modified
code was - and still is - constantly underway; the end result is, of
course, nothing less than pure genius.
Spearheaded by Chaos, a head implem... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:38:05-05:00) [?] - Review: Accursed Lands
- Accursed Lands used to be a hardcore RP challenge, as they claim when
you log in. However, their ancient rule has fallen through
carelessness. Standards eventually gave way with times, and you're
left with another antique game. In short, I do not recommend playing
this game to new players.
A unique system coated with intrigue and fair play was overtaken by a
personal agenda, holder unknown. The great magic system was slowly
changed (or lacked change to balance change elsewhere) to rubbish.
Mage... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:36:46-05:00) [?] - Review: Exodus
- Not only did I meet my future wife on Exodus, but it is also the
only place I get to meet my MUD-addicted children!... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:29:30-05:00) [?] - Review: BSG: Kharon
- I've played on quite a few MU*'s over the past few years (I'm also
a former Admin on one), and in my entire time playing, I have never
played on a game that was less than friendly. This is the exception.
Battlestar Galactica has such a wonderful following, and it's just
ripe for gaming, but sadly this game doesn't capture the aura that
the RDM series had. Playerbase is excellent and friendly (for the most
part), but the admins are too focused on rules and procedures to allow
for quality gamepla... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:28:45-05:00) [?] - Review: Lurking Fear 3
- Greetings,
The realm of the Lurking Fear is in essence, a powder keg waiting to
explode. Behind the many conflicts tearing at mortal society a fierce
Jihad rages in the darkness. By night, Tremere and their Gargoyle
creations fight brutal wars against the Tzimisce and their ghoul
servitors. Powerful Ventrue forcefully attempt to bring regions under
their control. Individual Tzimisce voivodes defend their ancestral
holdings from marauding packs of younger Tzimisce and Lupines of the
Silver Fang t... (posted: 2009-07-03T21:28:35-05:00) [?]
[edit] TinyTalk Feed
- Tinytalk phone number change
The Tinytalk voicemail number has changed to +1 (206) 202-0107.
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 023: Books on Games
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:35] Mal@Serenity calls in about Tinytalk 022
- [01:46] Review of Things we think about games
- [05:33] Review of Play unsafe
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- Indie Press Revolution (IPR)
- Things we think about games (also available from IPR, Amazon, and other booksellers)
- Play unsafe (at lulu.com) (also available from IPR)
- PMOG, the Passively Multiplayer Online Game
- Elvira's improv workshop at M*U*S*H
- Stidiek's Feelms album
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 022: Tales of a Fourth Grade Something
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Bill MacKenty's fourth graders reflect on text-based gaming
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:Special thanks to Bill MacKenty for recording this!
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 021: Interview with Shawn McCann
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Interview with Shawn McCann, North America's first Immersive Learning/Gaming Librarian
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- Shawn McCann's page at McMaster University
- The blog of Jeff Trzeciak, McMaster Univeristy Librarian
- Second Life URL to Steel City
- Adelino's Bissardon album
Special thanks to Siobhan for suggesting this interview!
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 020: Is MUSHing dead?
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Is MUSHing dead?
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 019: Halting State
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Halting State and point of view
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- Halting State
, by Charles Stross
- Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
, by Tom Robbins
- The 2008 Hugo award nominees
- PMOG, the passively multiplayer online game
- Philippe Mangold's Voyage dans l'éther album
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 018: Good to Great for MUSH
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Intro
- [01:00] Good to Great for MUSH
- [12:35] News and Notes
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 017: WWORAA
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Intro
- [01:10] Interview with WORA admin Rasheem
- [14:25] Javelin on WORA
- [16:35] News and Notes
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- When online RPGs Attack (WORA)
- Obviously Grimy's Des mélodies à faire danser les ours album
- (Read bboard 1 on M*U*S*H for information on Elvira's "Managing your MUSH" working picnic on Sunday, Feb 10)
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 016: Happy 2008!
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Intro
- [00:54] My 2008 MUSH resolutions
- [03:52] Staff rotation
- [06:54] One Laptop Per Child
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- Indie Press Revolution) (a place to find and buy indie rpgs)
- Nethack wiki
- The One Laptop Per Child donation site
- The OLPC wiki (a good place for developers to start)
- Obviously Grimy's Des mélodies à faire danser les ours album
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
- Tinytalk Episode 015: OGR and Gateway
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:
- [00:00] Intro
- [01:35] Interview with Siobhan, co-founder and Head Wizard of Online Gaming Resource
- [20:09] Interview with Ra, Head Wizard of Gateway: The MU* Community
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- OGR's website (for now, eventually will be Siobhan's new project but will provide a link to...)
- Gateway's web site
- XL Ant's XL Ant album
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
[?]
[edit] Electric Soup Feed
[edit] GATEWAY announcements
- Re: (Gateway) 45-Day Reminder for Ambassadors of Gateway
- Good day!
If you've not logged onto Gateway within 45 days, please do so to ensure your Embassy is being manned. This is your 45-day reminder for Ambassadors to log on to GATEWAY - The MU* Community. You can connect at connect.mu-gateway.net:6677 or 6700.
Thanks and have a good day!
Embassy Staff [?]
- 45 day reminder for Ambassadors
- Good day! If you've not logged onto Gateway within 45 days, please do so to ensure your Embassy is being manned. This is your 45-day reminder for Ambassadors to log on to GATEWAY - The MU* Community. You can connect at connect.mu-gateway.net:6677 or 6700. Thanks and have a super day! Embassy Staff GATEWAY - The MU* Community [?]
- Email addresses
- Hello Ambassadors, We're preparing mid-July to do an idle purge, and an Embassy check. So please make sure you log on regularly. As well please make sure to update your e-mail address. I sent out an e-mail to every Ambassador yesterday, and I got quite a few bounces. Please pass this on to your fellow Ambassador's whom may not be on this [?]
- Staff opportunities
- Good morning, everyone. Gateway - The MU* Community is currently seeking to expand its staffing opportunities. Gateway is looking for a minimum of 2 energetic individuals to join our dynamic staff. Qualified individuals should be self-motivated, self-reliant, have superior player service skills, and enjoy solving [?]
- Firefox 3
- Hi folks, Don't forget to download your copy of Firefox 3 today. You don't have to install it, but they're going for the world record. [link] Ra, Coordinator Gateway, The MU* Community [link] telnet://connect.mu-gateway.ne t:6700 "Turn around, look at what you see In her face, the mirror of your dreams [?]
- 45-Day Reminder for Ambassadors of Gateway
- Good day! If you've not logged onto Gateway within 45 days, please do so to ensure your Embassy is being manned. This is your 45-day reminder for Ambassadors to log on to GATEWAY - The MU* Community. You can connect at connect.mu-gateway.net:6677 or 6700. Thanks and have a super day! Embassy Staff GATEWAY - The MU* Community [?]
- Policy review
- Good evening, everyone. I apologize that it took so long, but the policy review is finally complete. The updated files have been installed in the +news directory, and on the website. If you wish to provide feedback for current or new policiies, please don't hesitate to +pitch those ideas to us. Thanks, [?]
- 45-Day Reminder for Ambassadors of Gateway
- Good day! If you've not logged onto Gateway within 45 days, please do so to ensure your Embassy is being manned. This is your 45-day reminder for Ambassadors to log on to GATEWAY - The MU* Community. You can connect at connect.mu-gateway.net:6677 or 6700. Thanks and have a super day! Embassy Staff GATEWAY - The MU* Community [?]
- Connection address
- Hi everyone, It was previously announced that we would stop using the old OGR connection address at the end of January, 2008. I have been a little lenient on that, and up to this point, it has continued to work. However, on May 1st, 2008 the old OGR addresses will cease to work. By then you should have updated your connection information. For those of [?]
- 45-day Reminder for Embassies
- Good day! If you've not logged onto Gateway within 45 days, please do so to ensure your Embassy is being manned. This is your 45-day reminder for Ambassadors to log on to GATEWAY - The MU* Community. You can connect at connect.mu-gateway.net:6677 or 6700. Thanks and have a super day! Embassy Staff GATEWAY - The MU* Community [?]
- How to loose a player in 10 hours
- Hi everyone, Join us this Saturday, as Rane (the Co-Goddess of Hogwarts Express) hosts a discussion "How to loose a player in 10 hours". It will take place at 5 pm EST. Ra, Coordinator Gateway, The MU* Community [link] telnet://connect.mu-gateway.ne t:6700 "Turn around, look at what you see [?]
- Gateway Roundtable Event - Villains and plots that worked... and those that REALLY didn't! ->Feb. 16, 2008
- *Roundtable: Who doesn't love a good villain?* Some of the most exciting plots for players are those that include a menacing, evil, wicked villain (or villains), but these are some of the hardest plots to run because they can be so fraught with GMing pitfalls and disasters. There are some excellent resources to read about and similar veins that can [?]
- 45 day reminder
- Good news, everyone! This is your first reminder to log on to Gateway. Ambassadors and Co-Ambassadors are expected to log on every 60 days to maintain their Embassies. Have you read news emb ambs lately? We look forward to seeing you soon! Sincerely, Ra, Coordinator Gateway, The MU* Community [link] [?]
- Logo contest feedback
- Good news, everyone! The entries for the logo contest are now in. All 4 submissions are up on our website at [link]. You may need to disable any ad-blocking software to view the 4 submissions. I have attempted to put them up in a fair, and impartial manner. File names have been changed to prevent any bias, and the images are stored [?]
- The Big Post
- Good news, everyone! I have a few announcements for you today. 1. As some of you are aware, we started 2 Roundtable e-mail lists. One for admins, and one for head wiz's. They have small, but growing memberships. (They are listed at [link]) I'm looking for one or two [?]
[edit] community.pennmush.org Feed
- Rock, Paper, Scissors cheating competition
Anybody interested in a competition?
"IC"-ly, this is a competition to create an object that wins more often at Rock-Paper-Scissors than the other objects.
Realistically: This is all about how well you can cheat, in different ways.
There will be different categories, each with different structure (to allow/prevent different kinds of cheating). The basic setup is this:
A player is created with no powers, objects, etc. To this player is then @chown'd *clones* of three objects: The testing object, and the two competing objects, A and B. The testing object is then triggered to fetch the answers from A, then B. It then compares the answers and announces a winner or draw (if both give same answer). If it doesn't get a valid answer for some reason, it declares a draw. It is then repeated for B first, then A.
Different categories will be provided with different testing objects. (And thus, different ways to cheat).
e.g:
Basic Ufun: This simply does switch(u(A/guess)-u(B/guess),rock-paper,B,paper-rock,A,rock-scissors,A,scissors-rock,B,paper-scissors,B,scissors-paper,A,Draw)
Basic trigger: @trigger a/makeguess ; @trigger b/makeguess ; switch(get(a/guess)-[get(b/guess)],...)
And other, fancier categories and ideas thrown in:
* No money for owning player (so no lsearch()).
* localized u()s, with cleared q-registers.
* Inability to modify the calling object.
* Any other ideas?Prizes: Depending on how many people participate, and if anyone wants to sponsor prizes. (If we get at least 10 people, I don't mind sponsoring a $40 gift certificate to Amazon)
[?]- PennMUSH 1.8.3p9 released
1.8.3p9 has been released right on the tail of p8, to fix a number of issues found once that got into wider distribution (3 or 4 different test OSes just isn't enough, I guess...).
Find it at the usual spot, http://ftp.pennmush.org/Source/.
[?]- PennMUSH 1.8.3p8 Released
PennMUSH 1.8.3p8 has been released. Get it at http://ftp.pennmush.org/Source/.
Lots of bugfixes and minor additions. All users are highly encouraged to upgrade.
[?]- Tinytalk Episode 023: Books on Games
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:35] Mal@Serenity calls in about Tinytalk 022
- [01:46] Review of Things we think about games
- [05:33] Review of Play unsafe
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:- Indie Press Revolution (IPR)
- Things we think about games (also available from IPR, Amazon, and other booksellers)
- Play unsafe (at lulu.com) (also available from IPR)
- PMOG, the Passively Multiplayer Online Game
- Elvira's improv workshop at M*U*S*H
- Stidiek's Feelms album
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
[?]Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
- MUSHes and Graphics
This is not a post about bringing graphics to MUSHes in the way of 3D virtual worlds or MMOs... but rather how graphics are used to supplement MUSH resources, in particular on webpages.
Obviously text is the primary mode of communication on MU*... it allows our imaginations to run wild and create an individual representation of what we've read. In a very real sense each player has a completely different world in their mind while experiencing the same MUSH. However, humans are very visual creatures and we love visual representations of the things in our imaginations. I would say the vast majority of us have at least attempted to capture the images in our heads on paper. Unfortunately, artistic ability is not always something that comes naturally to many of us.
So... I am curious, how many of those who frequent c.p.o have found themselves wishing they had a resource for acquiring good looking graphical resources for their game or character websites? (read on)
I've been toying with various ideas of ways to provide people with the opportunity to get the kind of graphics they want to add that little extra something to the websites dedicated to their passions. This ranges from detailed digital maps of game worlds to artistic portraits of game characters, races, or scenes from the game or character history.
For those of you who don't know much about my RL, I work for a 3D graphics company, and as such interact with a number of graphic artists. I also personally have an interest in cartography and digital art and have spent far too much on building my library of software and assets to work with. So, it has always been an idea in the back of my mind to create a site where MUSHers, and gamers in general, can commission the type of artwork they either don't have the time or talent to do on their own. Would there be enough interest in MUSHers commissioning this type of work for a low fee or in some cases for free?
Along with this, I have also been thinking about gauging the general interest in creating these types of graphics and trying to put together a group of people to do some basic classes with and help people get started with the necessary software and tutorials. This would be entirely free. So... if you're interested in digital art and how to get started in it, feel free to comment as well.
[?]- Code tip: Data Factory
Data handling is one of the most awkward things in MUSH. You want your data to be compact, so you want to try to avoid splattering it across a zillion individual attributes. But you also need your data model to be flexible, so that you can add fields to your data structure over time. If you shove the entirety of a data structure into a list, you can often end up with code that's hard to write and debug, because you're constantly trying to find and edit elements embedded within that list.
My belief is that one of the reasons that people find MUSHcode extremely time-consuming to write, as well as hard to maintain, is that their data models, and the way they handle, store, and manipulate data simply isn't very good. Moreover, it is incredibly easy to write obfuscated MUSHcode.
My solution to this is a layer of what I call Data Factory code. What follows is an explanation plus the code for it.
The Data Factory Concept
At minimum, every data entity consists of a data structure type, its ID number (specific to type), the dbref of the object that it is stored on, the structure version number, an owner, the last object to edit it, and the last edit time. Every data entity also contains a set of named fields, specific to its type (and to the version number of that type).
So, for instance, I can have a data structure type called "ship". Version 1 of the ship structure might just contain "xpos ypos" as its two named additional elements, indicating the ship's coordinates. Version 2 might be "xpos ypos homeport"; using this system, I can make that modification and have the data migration to the new format
be automatic and invisible.In addition to a list of named fields, data structures can be customized with a set of labels for those fields (used for the default print function for that type), and a set of defaults to populate in those fields when a new instance of that type is created. I can also set a maximum number of IDs to store on a data object for entities of that
type. If this is set, the MUSH automatically creates an additional data object every time that maximum is exceeded.Every time I create or load a data entity, I can give it an arbitrary identifier, like "myship". All fields within the entity are accessed as identifier.field -- so, for instance, if identifier "myship" is of type "ship", then the global register myship.homeport is the value of its homeport field.
My generic MUSHcode SAVE_FN takes an identifier and saves it. Since the fields are just global registers, you can change them with setq() and friends, and the save will write them out automatically; since the entity carries its ID and datastore object on it as part of its fields, the programmer does not have to worry about the details. Similarly,
when you call LOAD_FN, you just need to provide a type and the ID; it knows how to derive the data object it's stored on.Because I'm working with named global registers, and each such register is very clearly associated with a particular entity (attacker.weapon is obviously different than defender.weapon, say), making any changes to data is just a matter of writing to a register, then saving the whole blob. It saves me a gigantic amount of time, and the resulting code is a lot easier to read, too.
So, to take the ship example, if I wanted to create a new ship, owned by me (the enactor), and give it initial coordinations of (4201, 6250) and a home port of Mars, and be able to readily refer to it as 'newship' in the remainder of this block of code, I'd do this sequence of functions (the setq calls can be combined if desired):
[u(NEW_FN, %#, newship, ship)] [setq(newship.xpos, 4201)] [setq(newship.ypos, 6250)] [setq(newship.homeport, Mars)] [u(SAVE_FN, newship)]
I can access the newly-saved ship's ID with r(newship.id) and that number is the way I can access that data later. So at some future point, if I know that this is ship ID 123, I could do [u(LOAD_FN, oldship, ship, 123)] to load it with the identifier "oldship", allowing me to access the data with r(oldship.xpos), and so on. If I want to save any modifications, it's as easy as calling [u(SAVE_FN, oldship)]
This kind of technique can not only save you a lot of coding time, but it can also make your code much more readable.
The Data Factory Code
This code is for TinyMUSH 3.1, but can be adapted for any current MUSH flavor. It's intended to be quoted through Adam Dray's Unformat. (There are places where %q substitutions have been done with r() instead, to make this easier to post in HTML format.)
If you make heavy use of this, instantiating lots of different entities in a single pass, you may need to bump up the number of global registers that an object is allowed to use.
For convenience, let's start by defining a couple of global named references, which allow us to assign names to dbrefs. #67 and #68 just happen to be the dbrefs on my database; substitute whatever objects for yours. IF your codebase doesn't support nrefs, just use normal dbrefs; it's just going to allow us to use #__factory and #__meta to refer to the objects.
@reference _factory = #67 @reference _meta = #68
#__factory is the object that's going to contain our data factory code, along with our data definitions. #__meta is for our metadata; it's the object that is going to contain all the actual runtime data, like where the actual entity data is stored, and how many IDs of a particular type we've created. We're also going to use the metadata object as a storage container for the data objects. Both of these objects should be flagged HALT and SAFE.
We'll begin with the function that creates a brand-new entity. Every entity has an ID number, which is permanent; this is distinct from its identifier, which is the handle for the instance. We can normally allow the function to simply take care of where to store the data, but it can take an optional final parameter. It will also populate the new entity with the defaults for that type.
# Call as: u(NEW_FN, owner_dbref, identifier, type) # Returns: Nothing. # Side-effects: # - Sets identifier.various_fields registers to type defaults. # - Increments the top ID of the type. # - May create a new data object, if we've exceeded a max-IDs breakpoint. # # %0 - owning player, %1 - string identifier # %2 - data structure type, %3 - data object (optional) # &NEW_FN #__factory= [setq(%1.owner,%0)] [setq(%1.editor,#-1)] [setq(%1.etime,secs())] [setq(%1.type,%2)] [setq(%1.obj,usetrue(%3,last(setr(lo,get(#__meta/%2_OBJ)))))] [setq(%1.id,inc(get(#__meta/%2_TOP)))] [set(#__meta,%2_TOP:[r(%1.id)])] [nonzero(cand(notbool(%3), setr(ld,v(%2_MAX)), gt(r(%1.id),r(ld)), eq(mod(r(%1.id),r(ld)),0) ), [setq(%1.obj,create([capstr(lcstr(%2))] Data [inc(words(r(lo)))],10))] [set(#__meta,%2_OBJ:[r(lo)] [r(%1.obj)])] [set(r(%1.obj),halt)][set(r(%1.obj),safe)][tel(r(%1.obj),#__meta)] )] [qvars(iter(v(%2_DATA),%1.##),v(%2_DEF),`)] -
Creating an entity doesn't actually save it permanently; the assumption is that you'll create, alter the fields as need be, and then save it. So our next thing is our save function, which we call with the entity's identifier, and the dbref of the player (or object) that we want to note is responsible for the change.
# Call as: u(SAVE_FN, identifier, editor_dbref) # Returns: Nothing. # Side-effects: Saves the entity to an object, as attr type_ID # # %0 - identifier, %1 - editor # &SAVE_FN #__factory= [case(, r(%0.obj),#-1 NO OBJECT, r(%0.id),#-1 NO ID, set(r(%0.obj), [r(%0.type)]_[r(%0.id)]: [default([r(%0.type)]_V,1)]`[r(%0.owner)]`[usetrue(%1,%#)]`[secs()]` [iter([v([r(%0.type)]_DATA)],edit(r(%0.##),`,'),,`)] ) )] -
As a word of warning, because the backtick ` is used to separate data fields, you need to make sure to clean all ` out of your data before saving it. The code automatically does this for you, at the moment, replacing ` with ' at save time. If you want to worry about doing that yourself, replace the line:
[iter([v([r(%0.type)]_DATA)],edit(r(%0.##),`,'),,`)]
with:
[iter([v([r(%0.type)]_DATA)],r(%0.##),,`)]
and keep your data clean by checking it before saving it.
Now that we can save data, we need to be able to load it. We call this with the identifier we want to associate with this instance of the entity, the entity's type, and the entity's ID. We can normally allow it to just figure out what data object to read it from, but we can also specify it with an optional final parameter. Our load function is also able to automatically migrate data in an old format to the current version of that type. (Note that when we update the data format, we need to keep the attribute type_DATA_version on #__factory in order to know how to load that previous version.)
# Call as: u(LOAD_FN, identifier, type, ID) # Returns: Nothing. # Side-effects: # - Success: Sets identifier.various_fields registers to data. # - Failure: Sets identifier.various_fields registers to null. # # %0 - string identifier, %1 - data structure type, %2 - ID, %3 - data object # &LOAD_FN #__factory= [nonzero(neq(words(setr(lo,usetrue(%3,get(#__meta/%1_OBJ)))),1), setq(lo,extract(r(lo),inc(div(%2,v(%1_MAX))),1)) )] [nonzero(setr(ld,get(r(lo)/%1_%2)), nonzero(qvars(iter(v owner editor etime [v(%1_DATA)],%0.##),r(ld),`), /@@ read failed - wrong data version - upgrade automatically @@/ [qvars(iter(v(%1_DATA),%0.##),v(%1_DEF),`)] [qvars(iter(v owner editor etime [v(%1_DATA_[first(r(ld),`)])],%0.##), r(ld),` )] ), /@@ no data, return empty @@/ [setq(%0.v,-1)][setq(%0.owner,#-1)][setq(%0.editor,#-1)][setq(%0.etime,-1)] [null(iter(v(%1_DATA),setq(%0.##,)))] )] [setq(%0.type,%1)][setq(%0.id,%2)][setq(%0.obj,r(lo))] -
It's useful to have a wrapper function that does a load, and tells us whether the load succeeded or not. So we make a function that returns 0 or 1, indicating failure and success. We'll probably rarely call LOAD_FN directly, since we usually care about knowing whether or not we have an error to handle.
# Call as: u(OK_LOAD_FN, identifier, type, ID) # Returns: 0 if the load failed, and 1 if the load succeeded. # Side-effects: # - Success: Sets identifier.various_fields registers to data. # - Failure: Sets identifier.various_fields registers to null. # # %0 - string identifier, %1 - data structure type, %2 - ID, %3 - data object # &OK_LOAD_FN #__factory=[u(LOAD_FN,%0,%1,%2,%3)][gt(r(%0.v),0)] -
In many cases, we'll want to check whether a particular entity exists or not, before attempting to do some operation on it. So we have a function that simply checks if a given ID number of a specific type, exists (where "exists" is "has been saved and exists as an attribute on the data object"). Like usual, we can let the function just take care of finding the appropriate data object, but it can be specified as an optional final parameter if desired.
# Call as: u(EXISTS_FN, type, ID) # Returns: 0 if ID of type does not exist, and 1 if it does. # Side-effects: None. # # %0 - data structure type, %1 - ID, %2 - data object # &EXISTS_FN #__factory= [nonzero(neq(words(setr(lo,usetrue(%2,get(#__meta/%0_OBJ)))),1), setq(lo,extract(r(lo),inc(div(%2,v(%1_MAX))),1)) )] [hasattr(r(lo),%0_%1)] -
One last piece of magic: Every data type can have up to 32 flags; "flags" must be one of the field names chosen in order to enable this. These flags are stored as a bitfield. So we need a couple of functions to manipulate flags.
We create a generic function that we use to set and unset flags, calling it with an identifier and a list of flags that we want to set or unset; to unset a flag, just precede its name with a !.
# Call as: u(FLAGMOD_FN, identifier, list_of_flags) # list_of_flags can contain flag and !flag lists # This is used to set and unset flags, respectively. # Returns: Nothing. # Side-effects: Modifies identifier.flags global register. # # %0 - identifier, %1 - flag list # &FLAGMOD_FN #__factory= [setq(%0._f,v([r(%0.type)]_FLAGS))] [setq(%0._d,elements(%1,matchall(%1,!*)))] [setq(%0._u,setdiff(%1,r(%0._d)))] [nonzero(r(%0._d), setq(%0.flags, bnand(r(%0.flags), ladd(iter(r(%0._d), iftrue(match(r(%0._f),delete(##,0,1)),power(2,dec(#$)),0))) ) ) )] [nonzero(r(%0._u), setq(%0.flags, bor(r(%0.flags), ladd(iter(r(%0._d),iftrue(match(r(%0._f),##),power(2,dec(#$)),0))) ) ) )] [setq(%0._f,,%0._d,,%0._u,)] -
Then we need a function to check if an entity possesses a flag. We can just call it with the identifier and the flag we want to check for.
# Call as: u(FLAGGED_FN, identifier, flag_name) # Returns: 0 if the entity doesn't have the flag, 1 if it does. # Side-effects: None. # # %0 - identifier, %1 - flag to check for # &FLAGGED_FN #__factory= [iftrue(match(v([r(%0.type)]_FLAGS),%1), band(r(%0.flags),power(2,dec(#$))), 0 )] -
Finally, we want to have a quick-and-dirty way to display all data associated with an entity. We'll almost certainly write our own custom data views, but this is very handy for debugging purposes, and we'll try to make the format nice enough that it's a reasonable view until you get around to writing something nicer for a given data type. For a bit of customization without having to write something totally different, you can set the register identifier.show, which should be formatted text to show between separators, after the main body of data is shown.
# Call as: ulocal(SHOW_FN, identifier) # Returns: Displays dump of data for an entity. # Side-effects: None intended; call with ulocal(). # &SHOW_FN #__factory= [setq(f,iter(v([r(%0.type)]_DATA),capstr(##),%b,`))] [setq(l,usetrue(v([r(%0.type)]_LABELS),%qf))] [nonzero(setr(m,match(%qf,flags,`)), [setq(f,replace(%qf,%qm,flagwords,`))] [setq(%0.flagwords, iter2(setr(b,v([r(%0.type)]_FLAGS)),iter(%qb,power(2,dec(#@))), nonzero(band(r(%0.flags),#+),##) ) )] )] [setq(w,add(2,lmax([strlen([r(%0.type)] ID)] [iter(%ql,strlen(##),`)])))] [setq(r,sub(40,%qw))] %xb[repeat(-,78)]%xn%r [ljust(%xr[capstr(r(%0.type))] ID:%xn,%qw)] [ljust(r(%0.id),%qr)] /@@ @@/ [ljust(%xrEditor:%xn,11)] [Color(r(%0.editor))]%r [ljust(%xrOwner:%xn,%qw)] [ljust(Color(r(%0.owner)),%qr)] /@@ @@/ [ljust(%xrEdit Time:%xn,11)] [convsecs(r(%0.etime))]%r [iter2(%ql,%qf, [ljust(%xr##:%xn,%qw)] [r(%0.#+)], `,%r )]%r [nonzero(r(%0.show), %xb[repeat(=,78)]%xn%r[r(%0.show)]%r )] %xb[repeat(-,78)]%xn -
And that's it. All we have to do now is to define data types.
Defining a Data Type
All information for data types is stored on #__factory. A type name is a single word; for convenience, it should probably be a short word, like "ship". The definitions consist of the following attributes:
type_DATA: a space-separated list of field names
type_LABELS: a `-separated list of user-friendly field labels
type_DEF: a `-separated list of field defaults
type_FLAGS: optional; a space-separated list of flag names
type_MAX: optional; the maximum IDs to store on one data objectAll field and flag names should be lowercased. Also, make sure that no field name ever starts with an underscore _, because that's used for variables internal to the factory code.
An Example of Usage
Here's a ship example:
&SHIP_DATA #__factory = name xpos ypos homeport - &SHIP_LABELS #__factory = Ship Name`X Coord`Y Coord`Home Port - &SHIP_DEF #__factory = Unnamed Ship`100`100`Earth - &SHIP_FLAGS #__factory = needs_repair in_hyperspace stolen - &SHIP_MAX #__factory = 100 -
You also need to seed the data objects by creating a data object, and doing:
&SHIP_OBJ #__meta = dbref
Some very crude examples of use (#__globals is the global command object, which we @parent to #__factory), that allow us to create, display, change the home port of a ship, and violently take a ship out of hyperspace and flag it as needing to be repaired:
# Command: +ship/create ship_name for player # &DO_SHIP_CREATE #__globals = $+ship/create * for * : @pemit %#= case(0, hasflag(%#,Wizard),Only wizards can create ships., t(setr(0,num(*%1))),'%1' is not a valid player., [u(NEW_FN,%q0,this,ship)] [setq(this.name,%0)] [u(SAVE_FN,this,%#)] New ship created for [name(%q0)]. ID number is [r(this.id)]. ) - # Command: +ship/show ID # &DO_SHIP_SHOW #__globals = $+ship/show *: @pemit %#= case(0, u(OK_LOAD_FN,this,ship,%0),That is not a valid ship ID., controls(%#,r(this.owner)),Permission denied., u(SHOW_FN,this) ) - # Command: +ship/port ID at port # &DO_SHIP_PORT #__globals = $+ship/port * at *: @pemit %#= case(0, hasflag(%#,Wizard),Only wizards can change the home port of ships., u(OK_LOAD_FN,this,ship,%0),That is not a valid ship ID., [setq(this.homeport,%1)] [u(SAVE_FN,this,%#)] Home port of ship '[r(this.name)]' changed. ) - # Command: +ship/crash ID # &DO_SHIP_CRASH #__globals = $+ship/crash *: @pemit %#= case(0, hasflag(%#,Wizard),Only wizards can crash ships., u(OK_LOAD_FN,this,ship,%0),That is not a valid ship ID., u(FLAGGED_FN,this,in_hyperspace),That ship is not in hyperspace., [u(FLAGMOD_FN,this,!in_hyperspace needs_repair)] [u(SAVE_FN,this,%#)] You crash the ship '[r(this.name)]'. ) -
Easy, yes? Hopefully you'll find this kind of approach useful in your own coding.
[?]- Tinytalk Episode 022: Tales of a Fourth Grade Something
Click here to download this episode:
Click here to subscribe to the podcast:
Tinytalk is a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds, and the players who play them. In this episode:- [00:00] Bill MacKenty's fourth graders reflect on text-based gaming
Links to stuff mentioned in this episode:Special thanks to Bill MacKenty for recording this!
If you have mushing questions you'd like answered, or suggestions for future shows, send email (or audio files) to tinytalk at javelin.pennmush.org. You can also leave a voice message at 206-333-1542.
[?]Tinytalk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License .
- TinyMUSH 3.1p6 has been released
I'm trying to get back into the habit of releasing code at least once a year, rather than letting changes accumulate.
So the next version of TinyMUSH is out. TinyMUSH 3.1 patchlevel 6 has a bunch of new features, including a reply-page, multiple inheritance for attributes via a concept called propdirs (property directories), and PennMUSH-style #lambda anonymous functions.
[?]- Laws of online world design - what's your favorite?
An entry on Raph Koster's blog reminded me of his page of The Laws of Online World Design.
There is some very good and serious wisdom there for people starting new MUSHes. Go read it, and then, if you've got a second, reply here and tell us all which of these Laws you consider most important, striking, or otherwise which one most speaks to you as a musher or mush admin.
[?]- HSpace:ME 4.4.1p1 Released
I have released a small update to HSpace 4.4.1 to bring it inline with the current distribution of PennMUSH 1.8.3p7.
Changes:
* Fixed the helpfiles that were missing from 4.4.1 (svn)
* Made a couple small changes to code for compatability
* Updated INSTALL_GUIDE.txt to work with PennMUSH 1.8.3p7
* Modified Unman command to work with no arguments. Players can now issue this command alone and the system will check to see if they are on a console, and remove them from it if so. You can still use the old format of unman .You can find the downloads and svn version at http://www.mindgames-studio.com/trac/hspace/
[?]
[edit] Wikia's Gaming Blog Feed
- Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
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- UNSC Marine Corps
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- UNSC Marine Corps
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- The Two Towers
- Name: The Two Towers (T2T) Website: http://t2tmud.org Address: telnet://t2tmud.org:9999 The Two Towers MUD is a free Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game set entirely within Tolkien’s world of Middle-Earth. We have extensively re-created the lands of Middle-Earth in a rich text environment, from Mithlond to Mordor and the lands of Harad beyond. With over 100,000 rooms and always growing, The [...] [?]
- Kings Quest and Space Quest
- The Wikia Gaming blog welcomes two new gaming wikis. The Space Quest Omnipedia and King’s Quest Omnipedia. The wikis cover two Sierra Online game series from the golden era of adventure games, as well as related fan-created games. You can read more about the games at Space Quest and King’s Quest. [?]
- Aelitiria Dawnsinger
- A snippet from the Weekly Featured Article on the Earthen Ring Wiki: A young sin’doeri, Aelitiria’s face is sharp and sleek, with dark green glowing eyes, prominent cheek bones, pert nose and lips a slightly darker shade then her skin without lip rouge. She has an unusual brush of freckles on the light tan coloured [...] [?]
- Role players of Final Fantasy
- Final Fantasy is a popular series of role-playing games produced by Square Enix (originally Square Co., Ltd.), and is reportedly the most widely distributed game series of all time. At Final Fantasy Wikia wiki which anyone can freely edit, we are collaborating with each other to build the largest up-dated database of everything related [...] [?]
- Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
- Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls is a compilation of the first two games in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan under the title Final Fantasy I + II Advance. Graphically, it is very similar to the previously released enhanced remakes of both games for the WonderSwan Color. Final Fantasy [...] [?]
- Greetings from SWGames
- The Star Wars Games Wiki is a wiki to inform gamers and the general public about the various aspects and subtleties of all the games in the Star Wars franchise, from Knights of the Old Republic to LEGO Star Wars. Come visit us if you are a Star Wars fan! [?]
- Polymerization
- A snippet from Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia’s Card Lore for Polymerization (Spell Card): Fusion Material Monsters that are listed by a Fusion Monster Card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon the Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck. [?]
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Talking to Gamasutra, CyberConnect2 president Hiroshi Matsuyama (.hack) has been discussing why stressing quality of life and instituting core hours at the Japanese developer has helped its focus and success. The comments came as part of a longer interview with Gamasutra tracing the evolution of the Fukuoka, Japan-based independent developer. The studio started working on games such as Silent Bomber in a former incarnation, before creating the .hack RPG series and a number of titles ...[?]
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Zynga's Texas Hold'em Poker and Mafia Wars were the two most popular titles on Facebook this past month, according to Inside Social Games' new chart, with the former claiming some 14.2 million active players. Mafia Wars, which yesterday boasted receiving 4 million daily users across multiple social networks and sites despite launching last June, enjoyed 12.4 million actives in the same period. Off to a fruitful start on Facebook, Zynga's Farmville debuted as the eighth ...[?]
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In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more ...[?]
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In this round-up, Gamasutra highlights some of the notable jobs posted in its industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Blizzard, Microsoft Game Studios and more. Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly. It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, ...[?]
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Warner Bros. can proceed with its proposed buyout of beleaguered publisher Midway and its assets, following approval granted by a bankruptcy judge, reports the Chicago Tribune. The $33 million deal will close within 10 days. First proposed in May, it was the only offer made to acquire Midway. While most of Midway's assets are being picked up, Warner left a few studios and properties on the table. Midway San Diego and Midway Newcastle have 60 ...[?]
- Feature: Game Design Essentials - 20 RPGs
In the latest in his popular Game Design Essentials series, which has previously spanned subjects from Atari games through 'mysterious games', 'open world games', 'unusual control schemes' and 'difficult games', writer John Harris examines 10 games from the Western computer RPG (CRPG) tradition and 10 from the Japanese console RPG (JRPG) tradition, to figure out what exactly makes them tick -- and why you should care. Fittingly, Harris introduces the piece with a discussion of ...[?]
- NBA 2K9 Sells 2 Million Worldwide
2K Sports' basketball game NBA 2K9 NBA 2K9 has hit the two million-unit mark, and Take-Two will publish a special "anniversary edition" of 2K10 in North America this fall to celebrate. NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition will launch packaged in a "sports locker" in which players can store their games, and will include a McFarlane Toys figurine of the LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant, a poster of the athlete, plus a retrospective video covering 10 years of ...[?]
- Social Game Mafia Wars Hits 4 Million Daily Users
The web-based social game Mafia Wars attracts 4 million daily users one year after debuting on social networking sites, developer Zynga said Thursday. The game launched in June 2008, and according to Zynga, doubled the number of daily players in the last three months. The game, available on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, and Yahoo, also launched in iPhone in April this year. Mafia Wars lets players start a mob family with their friends ...[?]
[edit] Ten Ton Hammer Feed
- Loading... Risk and Reward - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,114 - Why games and game communities should actively punish the grind.Good games reward initiative and punish complacency. Some MMORPGs get this formula backwards, punishing initiative and rewarding boring activities, which is why these MMORPGs are typically not good games. Today's Loading... looks at how one game community is tearing into one of the most hotly criticized aspects of EVE Online and why this is one jihadist offensive we can support. It's all in Loading... Risk and Reward. [?]
- Loading... Skill vs. Level - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,113 - Which approach offers better opportunities for long-term fun?Skill-based versus level-based - which character development system offers more opportunity for long-term fun? A level-based game guarantees you some progress for your time, while skill-based games typically allow you a better chance at coming out on top in any given encounter. A look at where we're at on the skill vs. level spectrum and where we're going in the coming months in today's Loading... Skill vs. Level! [?]
- Loading... Spell(re)born - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,112 - Does tCoS deserve its F2P fate so soon after launch?Yesterday, Acclaim Games announced that The Chronicles of Spellborn, released just three months ago, will undergo a period of re-development and become a micro-transaction driven game. In the age-old blame game between developers and publishers, who deserves to take the fall for tCoS's failure? Some insights from our own occasional brush with the game's troubled history and speculation on what's in store for tCoS post-F2P in today's Loading... Spell(re)born. [?]
- Loading... SOE Fan Faire 2009 Highlights - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,110 - We'll trumpet the biggest news from SOE's annual Fan Faire this weekend.Missed out on SOE Fan Faire 2009? We'll break down the biggest announcements (including huge new expansion reveals for EverQuest, EverQuest 2, and Star Wars Galaxies) from John Smedley's annual community address for you in today's Loading... SOE Fan Faire 2009 Highlights. [?]
- Loading... Celebrity Shuffle - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,109 - It's might be harder to become a video game celebrity than an actor / singer celeb, but give it time.The deaths of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were all over the news yesterday. Not to be morbid, but compare the emotional worldwide reaction to their passing with the more family-style mourning over the death of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Posthumous reaction might be a harsh way to gauge popularity, but it makes me wonder when game developers will ascend to the same level of celebrity as actors and singers. I want this to happen in part because it's so much harder to become a video game celebrity than an actor or singer celeb. Why? Some possible reasons in today's Loading... Celebrity Shuffle. [?]
- Loading... EA BioMythic? - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,108 - What might the future hold for WAR and SWTOR in the wake of EA's announcement?Yesterday's big announcement - that Electronic Arts is creating an MMO/RPG "group" from BioWare and EA Mythic and that longtime EA Mythic Studio Head Mark Jacobs had stepped on - created a whirlwind of speculation. I'll break down what we know and don't know at this point and look at the possible effect this could have on WAR and Star Wars: The Old Republic's development in Loading... EA BioMythic? [?]
- Loading... Aion release date & AoC 1.05 - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,107 - And regional launch date differences explained, sort of.An official Aion launch date puts an end to the speculation fueled by pre-order retailer ship dates. What are Aion's chances of making it's late September date? We read the tea leaves (or maybe consult the Daeva of Fortunetelling) and explore Age of Conan's Update 5 which went a-live today in Loading... Aion release date and AoC 1.05. [?]
- Loading... Don't Fear the Merger - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,106 - Does the server merge deserve its ugly reputation?The server merge: two of the dirtiest words among developers and player communities. But does the concept deserve its unsavory reputation? Has a server merge ever worked to better a game, rather than tear it down? We'll take a twitchy trip down merge memory lane today and explore both sides of the argument in Loading... Don't Fear the Merger. [?]
- Loading... Aion Beta Event Impressions - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,105 - The first impression are everything, and Aion delivered a good one this weekend.
Welcome to the 1,105th Edition of Loading...
[?] - Loading... The 4D MMORPG - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,103 - What would it take to free MMO players of the mouse, keyboard, and headset?NCSoft has released North America pre-order details for Aion, and at long last an MMO publisher has figured out a way to reward pre-order customers with that most coveted of pre-order bonuses - the ability to play the game months before launch. This and a look at the state of interactive hardware in the MMO industry - are we falling behind mainstream gaming? Could MMO developers do more? Those topics, plus a link to an in-depth Jumpgate Evolution lore article and a few more new and exclusive Ten Ton Hammer articles, are on-deck in today's Loading... The 4D MMORPG. [?]
- Loading... Three Patch Day - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,102 - Hefty updates for WAR, EQ2, and the iPhone today... who could ask for more?Two landmark patches went live yesterday for Warhammer Online and EverQuest 2. While both featured exciting new content and GU 52 in particular boasts a number of fixes, it was one of the small-print features from the patches that captured my imagination. A look at the patches and the iPhone 3.0 update, plus The Mittani delivers the latest good news for Goonswarm in EVE Online's Great War in this week's Sins of a Solar Spymaster and much more in today's Loading... Three Patch Day. [?]
- Loading... Unique (Like Everyone Else) - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,101 - Items, appearance, or personality - what does more to foster character uniqueness?What does more to make your character feel unique? Is it the ability to tweak basic appearance right down to the nosehair, the stats and looks that increasingly powerful items give you, or the personality you give your character? While character customizability and novel schemes to split clothing and stats are nothing new in today's MMOs, one game seeks to add personality and depth to your character beyond its appearance and level. We'll explore the ways in which games, past, and future foster a sense of uniqueness today in Loading... Unique (Like Everyone Else). [?]
- Loading... The Call of Nature - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,100 - Deet is a lie, and other helpful hints for gamers looking to get away, plus the latest on DDOU Europe.We all have to answer the call of nature sometimes, and it seemed like a good weekend to put E3 and a couple hectic weeks of MMO news and events behind me and head for the great outdoors. Little did I know that my outdoorsmanship rating has suffered a couple dozen minus points since my backpacking days. Adventures in faulty tick repellant, sleeping bag kayaking, and a little more insight into what's going on with DDO Unlimited in Europe round out today's Loading... The Call of Nature. [?]
- Loading... Hybrids and Thoroughbreds - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,099 - Do pure classes or hybrids make for better overall gameplay, and how will next-gen MMOs handle the issue?"Pure" classes typically make for cleaner role assignments and and more coordinated group tactics, but "hybrid" classes allow you to play the character you want to play. Which approach should developers cater to, and how is the next generation of MMOs handling the issue? That's the topic of discussion in today's Loading... Hybrids and Thoroughbreds. [?]
- Loading... What Killed the Fanboy? - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,098 - And where are we at now? Are we really better off without him?Is the fanboy dead? If so, are we better off without him? We'll take a break from the news ticker delivery of post-E3 goodness to step back and consider what might have killed the blind enthusiasm which typified the MMO community for so much of its existence and look at where we're at now. DDO's Eberron Unlimited devs tackle some hard questions, an enlightening spate of Torchlight info and video from E3 2009, and Paul Barnett sums up this year's E3: it's all in Loading... What Killed the Fanboy? [?]
- Loading... DDO Rolls the Dice - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,097 - Will Eberron Unlimited help or hurt DDO? Plus more from E3 2009.As the E3 goodness continues to roll out, Turbine surprised us all by announcing that DDO will go free-to-play later this year. We'll mince the details of (and possible objections to) the announcement, plus reveal the latest on Fallen Earth, The Agency, and Dragon Age Origins in today's Loading... DDO Rolls the Dice. [?]
- Loading... The New Storytelling - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,096 - How the next round of MMOs will go beyond loot and levels to draw you in.A good storyline, like an offer to help you move or a check in the mail, is something often promised but seldom delivered in today's games. But if you haven't completely given up hope that MMORPGs can be as much about raw story-driven entertainment as aquisition and prestige, the next wave of MMOGs is for you. We'll look at the bold new ways upcoming MMOs seek to draw you in aside from levels and loot in Loading... The New Storytelling and continue to deliver new and exclusive articles from E3 and games like Huxley, Free Realms, Final Fantasy XIV, and Star Wars : The Old Republic. [?]
- Loading... Does PWS Spell Success? - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,095 - How can the Persistent World Shooter crack the MMO market?E3 2009 was rife with Persistent World Shooters (PWSs), a close cousin of the MMOG. What must these developers do to prove their games and, in bigger terms, their niche has what it takes to crack a tough market? We examine the obvious and the not-so-obvious factors in PWS success and continue to offer a complete slate of E3 2009 coverage in today's Loading... Does PWS Spell Success? [?]
- Loading... Best of E3 2009 - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,094 - We select our top games of E3 2009!E3 2009 might have come to a close, but our coverage continues! Today's newsletter features your best bets for E3 2009 MMO articles and videos, plus our exclusive MMOG picks in Loading... Best of E3 2009! [?]
- Loading... E3 2009: Day Two - Ten Ton Hammer
- #1,093 - A true lack of fantasy MMOs.
Welcome to the 1,093rd Edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer. It takes about 10 seconds to have this newsletter...
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[edit] The Escapist Feed
- The Pulse of Creativity
It's not unusual for companies in large industries to have competing corporate cultures that isolate themselves from each other. But one organization aims to break down those barriers for Vancouver's game development community. Murray Chu looks at the Artery and how it's helping local artists and designers stay connected.
[?]- A Distinctive Lineage
Few game developers boast a resume like Don Mattrick's: Co-founder of one of the first game studios in Canada, President of Electronic Arts and Senior Vice President of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division. But on a more local level, Mattrick may have singlehandedly turned Vancouver into one of the foremost game development hubs in the world.
[?]- Games from the Great White North
Canada is home to nearly 250 game studios, employing upwards of 15,000 people. But some in the industry feel their country doesn't get the credit it deserves from the gaming media. Nicole Tanner speaks with a few developers about the past, present and future of the Canadian games industry.
[?]- Pirates of the Frozen Wastes
Canada's videogame industry is the third largest in the world, trailing only behind those of the U.S. and Japan. Yet the friendly, soft-spoken nation is under increasing pressure from its southern neighbor to conform to stricter standards of piracy prevention. Andy Chalk examines whether the U.S.'s heated rhetoric is enough to melt through the hardy igloo of Canadian resistance to copyright reform.
[?]- The Escapist On: Frustrating Gaming Experiences
The Escapist staff vents about their most frustrating gaming moments.
[?]- The Glory of the Last Stand
Sometimes, the only thing better than a flawless victory is an agonizing defeat. Lee Petrie examines the allure of the Last Stand in both videogames and the culture at large.
[?]- Wired Differently
Plenty of developers talk about promoting more visceral reactions in their audience, but they probably didn't have headaches and nausea in mind. Nova Barlow explains the plight of gamers who suffer from Virtual Simulator Sickness.
[?]- Zen and the Art of Speedrunning
How long do you have to play a game until you feel like you've sufficiently mastered it? If your answer can be measured in hours or days, chances are you're not a speedrunner. Danielle Riendeau investigates the obsessive world of competitive speedrunning.
[?]- mEssen With Your Head
Ever feel like game designers might be coddling players a little too much? Then you probably haven't played a game by Mark Essen, aka "messhof." John Adkins speaks with the indie designer about his punishing, occasionally nauseating but always interesting game design philosophies.
[?]- Roleplaying, Free Play and the Preschool Gamer
Free play - the act of playing without any structure or organization - is an important part of every child's development. But what if you want to introduce your child to gaming? Filamena Young thinks up a different kind of ruleset to nurture both her daughter's creativity and her interest in roleplaying.
[?]- Split|Screen
In the days of Steam, Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, it's easy to lose sight of what multiplayer used to be: you and a few of your buddies laughing and trading insults from across the room. Sam Machkovech catalogs the rise and fall of local multiplayer gaming.
[?]- My Big Fat Geek Marriage
Maintaining a happy marriage requires plenty of time, energy and emotional dexterity. But Lara Crigger has found that a shared love of videogames doesn't hurt, either.
[?]- The Shrooms of Oblivion
There might not be much overlap between amateur mycologists (mushroom hunters) and gamers, but that didn't stop Bethesda from lavishing detail on Oblivion's fungi. Zach Miller goes on a virtual foray through the forests of Tamriel and compares it to the real deal.
[?]- Robbing Gods
The Thief series is well known for its convincing and immersive gaming world. To achieve this feat the developers hinged the series on a religious conflict that plays no small part in driving players forward in the game. One thing's for sure, religious fanatics have never been more interesting.
[?]- Missionaries of the Digital Age
Christian missionaries famously spread the word of God as new frontiers and people were discovered. Little has changed since then, even though the frontiers are now virtual and the people are now players in these new worlds.
[?]- The Parables of Gaming
Religion and videogames mix like oil and water, with religious principles usually being tacked onto an ill-suited game design. However, one church Youth Director and Pastor in training sees a better way forward. He also happens to be a serious Call of Duty 4 player.
[?]- Pastor Blaster
When Dale Culp learned his church's pastor was a fan of Doom, he was shocked. But as more and more people identify themselves as "gamers," why shouldn't a man of God enjoy shooting virtual Nazis in the face?
[?]- Designing Religion
One of the most venerable series in gaming, Civilization, has dealt with religion in every installment. However, the way the game has incorporated it into the gameplay has varied greatly with each game. Alan Au spoke with several key people involved with the series to illuminate the role of religion in Civilization.
[?]- Sonic the Hamilton
Hip hop's concerns with sex, drugs and violence are no secret to anyone, but what about its love of videogames, comic books and cult movies? The fascination with geek culture has always been there. The latest incarnation of this is hip hop artist Charles Hamilton who, with his interest in Sonic, is taking that obsession to a whole new Zone.
[?]- And You Don't Pause
Hip hop and games have crossed paths more than a few times in the last 20 years, but the true integration of rap and videogames may be yet to come. Matt Yeomans details the history of collaboration between the two media.
[?]- Rhythm and Rhyme
Fans of rock and pop music have literally dozens of rhythm games to choose from. So why have music games left hip hop out in the cold? Darius Kazemi looks at the design problems involved with creating a compelling hip hop music game and how the right developer could solve them.
[?]- Texture the Beat
Forget 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Hip hop and videogames have had a longer and more meaningful relationship than recent crossovers would lead you to believe. Brian Rowe analyzes how the hip hop culture and aesthetic has made its way into some pretty diverse titles.
[?]- Kickin' It Nerdcore
Hip hop artists usually rhyme about what they know, whether it's the neighborhood they grew up in or their favorite Mega Man boss. Nathan Meunier examines how videogames have influenced the culture of nerdcore rappers.
[?]- Don't Knock the Aztecs
Can Civ IV teach you about Central American history? Or World of Warcraft improve your German? If Dickinson College's course offerings are any indication, they can. Todd Bryant examines how he and his employer are integrating games into their college classrooms with encouraging results.
[?]- Back to Basics
After a failed attempt at teaching game design through Counter-Strike mods, one UC Berkeley teacher learned that the best way to engage his students was also the most primitive. Robert Yang recounts how playing outside helped his students learn the fundamentals of game design.
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[edit] Lost Souls Public Changelog Feed
- made Knight guild equipment keepable
[?]# 4378 Type content revision By Chaos When Jul 2 2009 7:53 PM Description Made the Knights of the Round Table guild equipment (from the Camelot armoury) keepable, at the minimum keep cost for items (3 points). Result Knights can keep their guild equipment. Reason Not really clear on why they couldn't. Projects Knights of the Round Table Version not updated Rating Rate "made Knight guild equipment keepable" - decommissioned Red Magi
[?]# 4377 Type content revision By Chaos When Jul 1 2009 4:39 PM Description Decommissioned the Red Magi guild, converting members to Ordo Ignis Aeternis membership. This is a "history wipe", i.e. the Red Magi no longer exist in the world timeline. Result An absence of color-coded magicians. Reason See result. Version not updated Rating Rate "decommissioned Red Magi" - made -100% chest HP override thanatogalvanism
[?]# 4375 Type lib revision By Chaos When Jun 30 2009 1:18 PM Description Made it so that if you're at or below -100% HP on any limb that bleeds when disabled (for humans, the chest), this overrides thanatogalvanism and you die normally. Result People at -100% chest die irrespective of thanatogalvanism. Reason It's reasonable to consider that at that point, you don't even have the physical integrity to flail around. Version revision incremented to Ain Soph 2.3.30 Rating Rate "made -100% chest HP override thanatogalvanism" - Ordo Ignis Aeternis
[?]# 4373 Type content creation By Lysator When Jun 29 2009 10:33 PM Description Added the new guild, Ordo Ignis Aeternis, and its accompanying guildhall.New guild, the Ordo Ignis Aeternis, a group of Fire wielding magi derived from the Red Magi, but not yet replacing them. They have their own separate guildhall, and are branching out into new means of manipulating fire. Result lotsa things being burned to crispies. Reason I needed to work on guild code, and some things about the Red Magi were irritating me. So I did something about it. Projects Ordo Ignis Aeternis, Schola Fervitus Version not updated Rating Rate "Ordo Ignis Aeternis" - added 'show name'
[?]# 4369 Type lib expansion By Chaos When Jun 22 2009 7:45 PM Description Added 'show name' and its corresponding 'report name'. Result Have a show/report for character name. Reason Stairs said something about people with client environments customized to particular characters. Version revision incremented to Ain Soph 2.3.25 Rating Rate "added 'show name'"
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