[MikeRozak]

Strategically, you'll find the way to do this is to team up with the largest or second-largest MUD to simultaneously write a really good client and make changed to the MUD. Whatever protocols they use will tend to become the de-facto standard.

If you create a wonderful client without the backing of one of the top MUDs, you'll probably find your work ignored.

Trying to design by committe will get you bogged down in a lot of great ideas that no-one is willing to implement (unless you're really skilled at committes or lucky to get the right people on committe).


My own implementation is somewhat similar to what you describe except:
- The server specifies what window to display the text on.
- The text is transferred as (basically) HTML.
- A command (to click) is <a href="inventory>What am I carrying</a>
- If the href has &lt;click&gt; then the client requests that the player click on another object, and <click> is replaced by the object that was clicked on.
- All objects are assigned GUID (16(?)-byte globally unique IDs) for every object, and that's embedded in the HTML.