Hi all,

I'm interested in the idea of text based MMOs, and their constituent cousins (MUDs etc...).

I've never really played any (with the exception of things like Kingdom of Loathing), but am intrigued by the prospect of imagination being used as a device to evoke huge game worlds without worrying about too much in the way of technical logistics or flashy graphics.

I'm just brainstorming really - what are peoples experiences.

One thing I'm keen on developing is an interface that allows for a full on sensory experience communicated through text (maybe one field to describe each of the senses? etc... - The art of playing the game could be to keep track of each).

How are these games physically laid out?

Which are the best in your opinions?

How does the player convincingly navigate large areas like a desert which would, in reality take days to cross, without it sounding like "1:30pm - You enter the Sahara from the south... ...1:32pm - You exit the Sahara from the north"?

Like I said - just a brainstorm, I want to blow text based MMOs open for discussion.

Your thoughts?

Have you tried the game Zork? It will take a DOS emulator (i use DOSbox), but it's a really excellent game. Try it out and tell us what you think.

The only 2 text games I remember playing in my youth was Zork and Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.

Zork -- I got lost in the maze

Hitchhiker's -- I spend a ridiculous amount of time learning to place the towel over the grate so the babel fish when dispensed from the dispenser would bounce off the towel into my ear and not go down the grate.

Single player text games can be fun, if at times frustrating, but I do not regret the shift of games to include visual and audio elements. I have no experience withh MMO text games though sorry.

How are these games physically laid out?

A black screen. White text that starts at the top. Old text scrolls down as new text replaces it. (If I remember correctly.) Why don't you just go play Zork?

I have played a few text based roguelike games in my day (nethack, etc.), and they are quite fun. I have also played a few that have some pretty cool uses of ascii graphics.

I did start to create my own roguelike with simple ascii graphics. I have to say it was nice not to have to worry about creating graphics. The idea of a text based MMO sounds pretty cool.

I would look into some of the existing roguelike games out there... you will be surprised at what you can represent with ascii graphics (different terrain, water, obsticles, enemies, etc.).

I haven't played much of muds or text based games, except for some Zork, and a slightly modernized version of Nethack.

I'm assuming you were talking more about the Zork style game, where there's literary no terrain representation or anything visual (unlike Nethack), and all description is done through pure text only.

You could make a Zork-like game, but with certain modernized modifications. Say adding a part of the screen that shows your status at all times - in more detail than just hp/mana/stamina. You could add modifiers like being cold, hungry, feeling ill etc - all displayed in a simple text status. (sort of like a text-only status monitor that most modern UIs have, but in more descriptive detail)

You could also separate the last command / description from the command history in a more clear way, such that you would only show the last occurrences on screen, and keep the history in another tab or something.

For things like travelling to through the desert, you could have the text-equivalent of sort of cutscenes. What I mean is, in games like Zork, you'd enter a command like Go North, and you would immediately end up in the are north of you. You can make some travel actions take longer, and possibly be interrupted by random events. Something like this:

> Go North

There's a large desert north of you, that goes on for as far as the eye can see. Do you embark on a journey through the desert?

> Yes

You grab your belongings, tighten your belt, and start going North through the desert, determined to cross it.

.... [ These dots would take like 1 second to display, one by one ]

The time passes slowly as you walk through the dunes, still not seeing an end to the desert in front of you

....

Your legs are feeling tired walking through the sand, and the sun is the sun is nearing the horizon. You feel like you still have some more left in you, but you consider making a camp for the night. Do you continue on your journey or make a camp for the night?

> Continue

As the sun sets, you decide to try and cover some more distance.

....

The sun now below the horizon, and the night slowly creeping in, you spot a light not far from your location. Do you investigate the light, ignore it and continue on your journey, or settle and make camp?

> investigate

etc. etc.

Anyway, that's just my take on this, not entirely sure if its been done or if it can be interesting.

I'm not sure exactly what the difference is between a text based MMO and a MUD.. but I have played MUDs, and they can evoke very real feelings if developed properly.

To date, I have never played a graphical MMO in which combat felt as real as it did in a MUD named DragonRealms. There were many contributing factors. Your strength, agility, reflex, stamina, intelligence, wisdom, discipline and stamina were compared against those of the creature or enemy you were fighting. How many were there, could they use magic, and if so, it was compared against yours, provided you were a magic user.

You could 'assess' your enemy, and determine whether you had a fighting chance against them. If overmatched, you could retreat, but that did not mean you would always be successful. Sometimes you would fall while attempting to retreat, but the enemy kept advancing from ranged, to polearm, and then finally to melee distance. Combat ranges, as weapon swings, are measured in roundtime. It may take an enemy a total of ten seconds to get to melee with you, and if you fell while trying to retreat, you suffered a roundtime for falling, as well as one for a failed attempt at standing. This meant that while you're trying to stand and retreat, the enemy is closing on you, with 'Combat Messaging' fueling your anxiety.

Now, you're probably thinking.. what's the big deal.. you die.. and then run back to your body. But what if you lost all your experience, and perhaps all the items you were carrying and wearing, unless you were raised by a Cleric? Then it wouldn't be quite so easy, especially if you were hunting in a remote area where there are not many adventurers to help. Combine that with the inability to speak while you're dead, so you can't even scream for help.

Let's also assume that while you're trying to retreat from certain death.. a pesky thief in the shadows decides to take advantage of the situation, and starts picking your pockets of all the hard earned gold coins that you have collected. Now, you're engaged with an enemy you can't defeat; have enough perception to see a thief picking your pockets but can't do anything about it, and if you die the thief may grave rob you.

I know it sounds silly, but when you're in the heat of the moment, and focused solely on not trying to die, the combat can feel very real. And death does have consequences. This game I'm describing began in 1996 (I believe), and it's premium and platinum memberships are much more than any graphical game on the market.

Basic is $14.95 per month

Premium is $39.95 per month

And I'm not sure on Platinum.. I think around $50

Distance in this game is equated with time. There is travel across deserts, and even oceans. At one point, it took almost 2 hours in real life to go from the mainland to one of the farthest islands. There was messaging every so often to give the sense of travel. Things like seeing the shore grow smaller and smaller until you are surrounded by nothing but water. Or the captain shouts out an order to change direction. Perhaps you'd even be attacked by Pirates in certain areas of the ocean. All this gave a sense of travel and being on a ship. Even the ship had different decks like a real ship. You could fish.. and even gamble in the casino while you traveled.

_____________

Below is an example of the writing in the game.

You hear a strange whirring noise.

An odd sort of shuffling noise comes from the backpack. Suddenly a ironwood doll climbs out of it, crawling in a grotesque spider-like fashion with its limbs all splayed out and its head twisted upside-down, dropping to the ground and crouching on all fours. Its limbs writhe about briefly and then it turns its head to look straight at you, carrying the same blank smile it always has. However, you quickly notice its eyes are suddenly filled with an eerie sort of intelligence.

You feel briefly frozen in shock!

Letting out a tinny sort of laughter, the ironwood doll pounces at you with a murderous expression on its face! Realizing too late that you're already somewhat off-balance, you fall to your back with a *thud* from the surprise. Drawing a rusty vegetable knife from underneath its clothing, the doll mercilessly hacks at your limbs with surgical precision, not stopping until all four are severed!

You are stunned!

Giggling more, the ironwood doll then drags your limbs off behind it, quickly disappearing from sight and leaving your broken body behind.

____________

There are many ways to accomplish what you're thinking about doing. I'd suggest checking out some MUDs and compare how each handles it. i'll give you a couple links to help get you started.

https://www.play.net/dr/

http://www.topmudsites.com/forums/

IMO, the best way to get ideas, as has been suggested, would be to go play a bunch of these types of games. I'm not into the MUD scene anymore, but I know there is a relatively active community for "text adventure games" a.k.a. "interactive fiction".

Search for IFArchive, Inform7, Tads, and intfiction.org for some resources on playing and developing these types of games.

I would suggest A scripting format for the design of the game;

such for menu's and sequences.

you might need say a Node tree structure.

you could create a script and your game would open them dynamically and output each step

say like i.e.

script<22>: "you Enter a Tavern , and the keep asks you if you want a room?"

answer<1>:"yes" (goto)->script<100>

answer<2>: "no" (goto)->script<101>

...

...

...

script<100>: (memory)->Int = Roll(20)

case: (memory)->Int > 15 (goto)->script<23>

case: (memory)->Int <= 15 (goto)->script<24>

//memory->int would be say a storage variable you can refer to

//Roll(20) would be say a common function in the game you refer to that generates a number

the game would progress through your script file (Parsing the script via file pointer) and you could create or change the adventure or game any time you want using built in script functions and memory calls or sets and comparisons.

hope this helps your storm on the brain.

Search for IFArchive, Inform7, Tads, and intfiction.org for some resources on playing and developing these types of games.

I didn't realize he meant Interactive Fiction. ADRIFT is a really good system for creating IF. http://www.adrift.co/cgi/adrift.cgi

There is a GUI to make your game, so the user really doesn't need to know how to program. There are other options available to you if you do know how, but I don't believe it's mandatory. You can learn more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADRIFT