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Old 01-06-2014, 12:32 AM   #1
Phoenixbinder
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Help Finding a Mud

Hello,

I've played MUDs in the past but am definitely a newbie and am looking for help finding a MUD that fits me where I'll also fit.

I'm looking for a fantasy D&D type MUD, swords, magic, dragons, ect... I'm hoping to find a MUD where uniqueness of world and PCs exists and is encouraged. I don't want a MUD where every player knows where every secret room, relic, or NPC is. I would like the world to have unique and secret characters, unique and secret places, unique and secret texts, and unique and secret abilities and objects that one finds by exploring, studying in game books or texts, or talking to NPCs. In short I'm looking for a unique world that creates unique characters and rewards players by how much they invest in the game world.

I want to play a character that doesn't just level up to learn new spells or combat abilities; I want my character to have to study arcane or hidden books to actually LEARN magic before they can use it, or study in a school and practice with masters to learn new combat skills. For example: My character is on a quest or is exploring and finds an ancient book in a ruin written in an ancient language. They then have to discover what language the book is written in. To be able to read the book they must learn the language or have the book translated. Then, they read the book. Maybe it's a book on magic and they learn a new and rare spell. Maybe the book gives clues to start a hidden quest. Maybe the book only gives lore about the game world. The point is that whatever is in the book is rare and only a few players know about it because they 1: found the book, 2: translated the book, and 3: read the book. So only a few PCs would have the secret spell, ability, quest, or lore. Then, maybe the character will release what they found into the game world thus changing the world or maybe the character keeps the knowledge for themselves. Either way the character has been refined by the actions they has taken concerning the book.

I don't want the game to be purely combat based. Maybe I have a mage character and in his travels he finds several rare books, objects, spells, explores many ruins, fights many rare creatures, reads many lore books, and decides to become a scholar of the in-game world on top of being a combat magician. Or maybe he retires for a while and exists solely as a scholar, lore expert, or shop owner that other PCs can come to for help or knowledge (especially newbies).

When it comes to role-playing, I would like to try it but have reservations. I've played MUDs in the past but have always stopped after a while because the MUDs weren't immersive enough or I'd just get lonely playing alone. I'm not very social and have a difficult time relating and interacting with people in general. One of the problems I deal with is not fitting in. In physical life it seems everyone recognizes and follows an unspoken social code which I have no clue about thus I awkwardly stand out and never fit in comfortably. This is also the case in the game world. Is role-play different or does it follow the same structure due to the players being actual people even though they are role-playing? In the past when playing games where role-play wasn't involved other players would get annoyed that I wasn't picking up on game commands and mechanics fast enough for their style of play. I'm afraid this will cross over into role-playing as well but I'm not sure. What do you think? I don't want to give up playing alone completely, but I recognize the whole point playing MUDs in the first place is the social interaction.

I'm a fan of the Elder Scrolls series. I love and care about those games because you can really get lost in the lore of the world; I want a game like that. I want a game that I will not get bored with because I care about the world and the players. I want a game where I can create a character and explore myself through the character and the fantasy world. For example, if the Elder Scrolls series was a living, breathing, evolving world like MUDs are, then I would fall in love and that would be the perfect MUD for me. Are there any MUDs like that?

Thanks.
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Old 01-06-2014, 12:45 AM   #2
dark acacia
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

inb4 plz plz try armageddon mud of the year

Seriously, though I'd really like to try something like this. I can't imagine how a game would implement skills and abilities that are provided by finding random loot, though, unless it's something like where a shield could have charges which let you use a fireball spell a certain number of times, or you can find wands and scrolls.

I've always wanted to find a MUD where dropped equipment items could randomly have a prefix and/or suffix to add particular benefits to the item (a Venomous Iron Sword of Trollslaying could add poison to attacks and have a bonus against trolls, with all the properties of iron weapons), but if I could play a game like how you describe here, that would be awesome. It would be a big change from all the MUDs out there which have the same old train/practice system, or require tons of exp and gold to get skills and levels, or where it's just soap operas between the Old Guard Players Club.

I do know that there are games out there where you can invest roleplay time and points (tokens, coins, whatever) into having the IMMs create unique items or abilities for you, but that usually involves a big time investment (and in the game I'm playing in now, being next-door neighbors with a DM is almost a requirement).
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Old 01-06-2014, 12:23 PM   #3
Newworlds
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

I'm going to recommend Ateraan at for the following reasons:

1. Large World (over 100 players to interact and rp with)

2. Unique World (The world is based on a book you can read online and gain insight to the world)

3. Vast number of Guilds. Some guilds are secretive and ALL guilds require varying tasks and quests to get into them. These tasks and quests can be a very wide variety and unique.

4. Two continents to start in. One is in the Kingdom and very good for the new player to this game as the members of the Kingdom will help the new arrival. The second is in the Southland. This area is VERY hard and only for the most intense roleplayer as you start as a slave, servant, or conscript and you must go through rigorous quests and challenges just to survive.

5. The massive world has cities, forests, tunnels, deserts, oceans, islands, ships that sail and have weapons, caravans that you can guard and protect. Secret places, societies, clans, and guilds.

6. Large and small events. Player and staff run events can be anything from a Theater play to a massive invasion of one of the cities to leather ball, deep sea fishing, or a simple card game. Because of the number of players and social/political setup the events are frequent and usually involve dozens of players.

7. The world is fantasy based. Set in Medieval times the world has dragons, magic, sorcery, and warriors. D&D style.

8. Ease of introduction. Ateraan has a creation and guide system that is unique and creative.

While not everything you asked for is on Ateraan, but if you play for a few weeks you will understand why so many have made this world their home.

Good Luck!
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Old 01-06-2014, 07:19 PM   #4
dark acacia
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

You're going to skip over his post and recommend Ateraan anyway because it's your game. I played there for a couple months and I can say right now that a large part of what was asked for is not present in Ateraan.

Also I understand why so many made Ateraan their home: it's because it was the first MUD for many of those people and they never thought of trying anything else after that.
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Old 01-07-2014, 04:59 AM   #5
PhasmaInMachina
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

It sounds like a pretty awesome MUD concept, but finding random books/spells etc. and leveling up that way sounds like fairly time consuming work.

I don't know how well something like that would go down with an aging market (MUD players are mostly getting older with jobs, kids and other time restrictions). Having to spend an average of 600 hours finding tomes to perfect a mage path would probably be 400 hours too many for most players.

I am a big advocate of PvE and I really agree that having mystifying and unknown aspects within a game makes it exciting.

I'm not going to plug our own MUD in this thread as I don't think it satisfies anything other than a few broad points on your criteria, but if you wish to know more about it Phoenix, send me a PM.

I'm personally curious to see where this goes and if there is a MUD like this out there. I might give it a try if there is.
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Old 01-07-2014, 01:36 PM   #6
Phoenixbinder
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

Thanks for the replies. To clarify a bit, every aspect I mentioned doesn't need to be met. The role play rewards that dark acacia mentioned sound like a step in the right direction. And I definitely don't need a MUD where a character can't level up save for finding rare items. I don't mind combat leveling, but I hate the static of knowing what your character's abilities will be with no room for creative expansion; the world just doesn't feel alive. Kill monsters to level up so you can explore a dungeon to find better weapons to kill monsters to level up. Why not explore a library in a wizard's tower and while reading you open a certain book that casts a spell summoning monsters that you kill to gain exp to level up like normal? Is that even possible to code?

I know events like that would make a MUD way more interesting to play but it still incorporates traditional game play. What about an Immortal dropping a book in a random library gives hints and clues to a great treasure and if the player decides to follow the quest and succeeds he gets cursed? When he tries to find the book to read it again to see why he was cursed or what he missed he finds it's either disappeared out of his inventory or disappeared from the library and because it was randomly and rarely put in place by an Immortal or code very few if ANY people know what he's talking about. It's random and totally unexpected in every way, especially the curse. If a person can be cursed by equipping an item why not by reading a book or killing a certain MOB? I don't know anything about code; maybe it's just not possible.

If that can't be coded how about an Immortal creates a new, evil or crazy Immortal character that they temporarily control to curse a player and cause other mischief? Then you can make your own quest by setting out to find out about the Immortal that cursed you? That doesn't have to be coded at all does it? The player sets out to reach a known Immortal who can remove the curse or point him in the right direction to get the curse removed. That makes everything so much more fun and exciting.

I'm sorry, I've gotten off track. Basically what I'm saying is I don't mind the MUD having traditional elements, I don't even mind if the MUD is based on traditional elements. I'm looking for a MUD that feels alive and different not static and dead like the few others I've played. And I don't mean dead as in lack of people. I've played Aardwolf and that MUD's got tons of people. I'm looking for a MUD that the Immortals and players care about and work together to make little things that make the world of the MUD great. A MUD like that may not exist, but I still wanted to give it a shot.

Thanks.
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Old 01-07-2014, 06:13 PM   #7
PhasmaInMachina
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

Phoenix, I sent you a PM with the upsides and downsides of our MUD. I also listed some aspects of the MUD that I think would really appeal to you, without sugar coating, or glossing over the negatives.

In any event, good luck finding a new MUD that suits you and let me know if you find a place that fits your criteria. I'll try it too.
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Old 01-08-2014, 11:11 AM   #8
dentin
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Re: Help Finding a Mud

Phoenix,

Your 'book summoning monsters' example is pretty easy actually, and there's stuff like that in various places on Alter Aeon. However, your examples involving immortals fall pretty squarely in the category of 'stuff that sounds good but is a Bad Idea in the long run', and we try to avoid such things on AA.

I originally decided not to respond, but if you're serious about your last paragraph, "I'm looking for a MUD that the Immortals and players care about and work together to make little things that make the world of the MUD great", then I'll suggest Alter Aeon. Our builders are active, we have new additions all the time, and experience is more than just killing monsters.

Good luck in your search.

-dentin

Alter Aeon MUD
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