Searching for a MUD
 

Greetings all, name's Helo, new to this forum, though not to muddin. Pleasure to meet everyone.

I've been a text only gamer for going on 13 years now, though not consistently. I've tried graphics, and honestly, hate it. They're just not at the level of my imagination, and I do not see them being so for a long time, if ever. Unfortunately, we mudders seem to be a dying breed, but personally, I refuse to give up, no matter how low the playerbase gets. Anyhow, the first world I started out in, I frequented for many a year, and quite honestly, have found nothing that compares since. I capped there, no easy feat, and although it's been a few years and I'm sure they've added content...basically seen and done everything there is to see and do there.

So, I am looking for a new world, and would really appreciate some help in doing so. I'm going to write out a "wish list" of sorts, which will likely be ridiculously specific, heh, but it is a wish list, and I of course don't expect every condition to be met. My first world, the one I compare everything else to, also carried a monthly subscription, and I realize that getting such features from a free game, is likely impossible. But here goes...

Interesting, challenging, and fun combat, both PvE and PvP. Really my largest complaint with anything I've tried, aside from possibly a complete lack of RP, is the bland, boring, monotonous combat mechanics. Although I really enjoy RP, and a well written environment...when it comes down to it, sometimes I just want to bash and level. And when that is not in the least bit entertaining, and becomes a chore...it's unlikely that I will be returning to that particular world. Challenging critters, varied attacks, class/guild skills, a multitude of spells for casters...to me, these things make bashing, fun. I've played one too many games now, that have none of these things. Mostly I've seen a lot of: swing, RT, swing, RT, swing, critter dies, exp, next. I really, really, can't stand that. I'd also prefer to be in a forced PvP environment, but one that requires an IC reason, and carries consequences, both IC and OOC, for use and/or misuse. I've found that PvP optional, can lead to some ridiculousness, with players hiding behind PvP flags or what have you, and effectively destroying RP by receiving no consequences for their actions. Granted, it is a double edged sword, and forced PvP can get out of hand as well....but, with strong and well enforced rules pertaining to such, I definitely prefer it.

Next, but not least, is RP enforced, but not required. What I mean by that is, I never want to be exposed to public OOC. Obviously trolls slip through now and again, and that is to be expected, but from the playerbase in general I really prefer a strong RP community. What I mean by not enforced is...although I generally love to RP and will always stay in character, I don't want to be forced or expected to pose every time I enter a room. I've played RP-only games, that is, games with absolutely no mechanics, and while I do enjoy that level of RP, as I mentioned before sometimes I just want to bash and level. I definitely have a certain love for game mechanics, character development, and just numbers in general, which I'm sure many of you can relate to. I cannot be completely without those things, that's for certain. That said, I have yet to find a "leveling" game, where anyone really roleplays on a serious level, and certainly not one where posing is common. In the RP-only game I mentioned, a ten line pose was common, sometimes surpassing twenty. It would be, for lack of a better term, awesome, to find a world that melds the two, as I love to write and roleplay. However, I believe this point in particular, is wishful thinking, and as long as public OOC is not allowed and punished, I could be perfectly happy.

Moving on...an interesting, large, well written environment and world. I thoroughly read every room I come across, and really need a certain level of detail and quality to be present. I've come across one too many worlds with horribly written and/or extremely short room descriptions. The shortness, I can deal with, if it's in appropriate areas, for instance a very long road between towns, or even some of the hunting areas, as long as it's somewhat interesting. However, the focal points of my adventures, like the cities, dungeons, towers, and what have you, should be longer than two lines. And I do appreciate proper spelling and grammar. It quite honestly shocks me to come across worlds with a multitude of errors in both, and while I'm more than willing to report and/or fix those problems in a game world I love, it shows a certain lack of effort on the part of the devs when such problems are common. Also horribly distracting, to me anyhow.

And next, are just a few shorter wishes, not requiring a paragraph, heh. So, I'll list them simply, to follow:

Preferably a medieval fantasy setting...elves, dwarves, halflings, swords, magic, ect ect. I might be willing to try something different, if the game were exceptional, but I certainly prefer a fantasy setting.

A variety of races and classes to choose from, with specific weaknesses and strengths associated with each. And along with that, class guilds are always fun, particularly ones that have a point in regards to mechanics, ie, skills to learn and such.

The option to play as good or evil, beyond RP. Meaning, different groups to join, gods to worship, ect.

No corpse recovery or possibility of losing all ones items. Best system I've played on allowed you to decay if you wished, waking up in a temple with body and gear intact, though with an EXP penalty, which I think is of course warranted. Or, you could wait for someone to save you, either a cleric with resurrection powers, or another kind player dragging you back to a temple.

No permadeath. I know some hardcore gamers enjoy this, but I really don't think it could ever grow on me. It actually was an option on my first game, but only on a separate, "hardcore" version of the game, played by very few.

The ability to "physically" group up with other players. A friend of mine is also looking to join a new world, and we'd like to easily be able to explore and battle together.

A relatively large amount of built in socials/emotes, and of course, at least the ability to pose, at great length if desired.

A decently sized playerbase, though I know what to expect these days, and am not getting my hopes too high on this one.

The ability to write your own character description, or at least a varied selection of stock options to choose from. This is actually the only point on which my first world did not surpass the rest I've tried, as it used fairly simple stock options. Although, one could get them modified in various ways. I have to say that I prefer complete freedom to write my own, though this should of course have certain rules pertaining to it. Just as bad to have players destroying RP with ridiculous character descriptions. That goes for character names as well, should always be IC.

The possibility of creating or modifying weapons/armor/clothing/items. On this one, I just mean the description really, as in...taking an existing "longsword" with set statistics, and turning it into a "leather gripped elven longsword", or whatever, with the same statistics. I realize this involves dev/god intervention, and is usually won or bought somehow.

The inability, to buy god mode. I've come across more than one game that is absurdly unbalanced, particularly in a PvP sense, due to the ability to outspend everyone else. Preferably, I'd like a completely free game, that operates by donation only, with zero associated perks, or very few. At the least, the inability to buy uber gear and powerups. Perhaps one that just rewarded donation with previously mentioned "alters" and such. I realize this is likely asking a lot out of a non-subscription site, but a guy can wish eh.

Welp, heh, told ya that would be ridiculously specific. My apologies for the length, I really did attempt to make it as short as possible, while getting my points across. Again, I realize this is by far a wish list, and never expect any one game to adhere to all these conditions. If I were a millionaire, I'd hire a team of tech geniuses to build such a world....but I'm not, so here I am.

Thanks for listening everyone, I do appreciate your time. And hope to see you in game.

~Helo

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

I recently replied to a similar post to this one. So not wanting to sound like a broken record, i'll keep this short.

Check out Isles of Aedin, as I think it fits every one of your criteria. Check out both my links and please feel free to ask any specific questions you might have on either one of the message boards or here if you'd prefer.

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

Amen friend. Text is the only way for true quality imaginative roleplay.

Simply put, you found it. Come to New Worlds!

Another option might be God Wars II for PVP and complex combat sequences.

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

ArcticMUD satisfies approx. 3/4 of your requests, you may log and see if what we offer outweights the things we miss. Here it goes, very briefly:

- Dragonlance setting, elves, dwarves, kenders and minotaurs. The world is huge - being developed since 1992; it's neatly detailed and matches the Dragonlance books very closely (I personally read the books after being introduced to the MUD and found them somewhat primitive compared to the game). Needless to say, there are no stock areas in ArcticMUD.

- Unique skills and spells for each of the 10 guilds. The classes complement each other, e.g. a barbarian and a warrior are usually better than 2 barbarians or 2 warriors.

- Grouping with other players is not just an option, at higher levels it becomes a must. No matter how tough you are, any big dragon eats a single human player in a blink of an eye.

- Unrestricted PK. You see them, you may kill them (if you can). Certainly, some obvious rules do exist (e.g. don't kill the new players too much).

- ArcticMUD is free. You may buy a real-life perk (a T-shirt or a mug with our logo) if you feel like it, but the only way to progress in the game is by playing it. ArcticMUD is not selling in-game perks and never will.

- The unofficial motto of the game is challenge. For example, it is officially prohibited to publicly disclose the solutions to quests and puzzles, thus the information is valued and the players keep the secrets to themselves. It is rumoured that some of the quests have never been completed - will you be the first one to solve them?

- Every now and then (approx. once per year) Arctic wipes the entire playerbase and everyone starts from level1. This is also the time when the new features (guilds, areas or races) are introduced and thus each wipe is different from the others. Certainly, at the beginning of every wipe many old players log on to see what has changed and the on-line numbers are high. Closer to the end of the wipe the playerbase dwindles, temporarily.

Our next wipe is expected to be in 3 months or less. From now on, the mages will have the ability to specialize and become either good (white robe), evil (black robe) or neutral (red robe).


Now, the things that we miss:

- Protected inventory. What's the point in PvP if the winner has nothing to gain? When you die, the killer may loot your corpse and take everything they find useful. The victim wakes naked and with an exp penalty.

- RP. A lot of Arctic players do not even know what IC and OOC stand for. Certainly, we do encourage RP (by saying, 'good boy, your story was entertaining'), just don't expect the others to RP in return. The same is true for character description etc. In other words, when you're tired of RP and just 'want to bash and level', come to Arctic!

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

I would second Godswar II if nothing other than their complex fighting which means there is no getting bored (though they do meet quite a few of your requirements, I believe). Also may want to try 4Dimensions for extremely large world and complex quests to keep you interested.

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

GodWars2 is, from my experience of playing it, one of the best hack'n'slash games out there. KaVir has really created something pretty danged good, and if you do decide to play it I would highly recommend using the MUSHClient that he's been developing to make the interface a bit more graphical and interesting. (You can download the plugin .)

But GW2, for all its good, is purposefully an "RP Discouraged" type place, which means that it'll never satisfy any of your Role-Playing urges, so if RP is a must you should not play it. But, like I said, it's a pretty awesome game from a pure-combat approach.

Re: Searching for a MUD
 

I'll second this for sure if RP isn't a high requirement.

One of my friends got me onto the game and let me ride around on his mount. That alone was completely awesome to me, and I actually spent a good hour just riding around and getting on and off my mount. It's not just the combat but the smooth nature of the game that makes it so compelling even for people who are more RP-centric.

I'm also a Runescape player, and one of the reasons I played RS for as long as I did was the consistent nature of the game. As soon as you learned to do the first thing in the game, you instinctively knew how to do everything else. I find the same consistent nature in GW2, and that kind of game design seriously makes my day.