The following is an actual logged game of MUD on the Essex University DEC-10. (Essex University has the earlier version of MUD: at the time of writing the new MUD was not available.)
As our intrepid adventurer, Pathos, set out on his expedition across the Land, he encountered several other players, including a few of those mysterious and unfathomable wizards. Eventually, Pathos reached the shrine, where people can teleport themselves to the secret sanctum, which contains four highly valuable icons. To do this, however, required several other people to meditate as well, giving him sufficient 'power' to make the 'jump'. So he enlisted the aid of two other players, and finally magically transported himself to the sanctum!
However, there was a mistake in his plans: he forgot about the iron golem that guards the treasure in the sanctum, and arrived without a weapon with which to dispose of it! Pathos found himself faced with a problem. Was he going to go back to the mainland empty handed, and disappoint those who had been helping him out, or would he risk life and limb and brave the evil golem? Unwilling to face up to his error, Pathos gritted his teeth and attacked the monster with his bare hands! It was a furious battle, but Pathos was blessed with incredible luck (or perhaps a kindly, but anonymous wizard helped him out?) and the creature barely landed a blow on him. So this time Pathos easily won the battle. Instead of taking the traditional path back to the mainland, as outlined by Aphrodite the Heroine (who naturally wanted her share of the loot pronto!), he decided to leave the sanctum via its exit to the galleon, which lies wrecked off the coast of the land. He found it had been mostly ransacked, but discovered a raft and some silk that the looters had left behind. He also ventured into the captain's cabin, where mortals can leave permanent messages by writing in the captain's log book. (If you do write in the book you get a charming message from MUD telling you, You feel proud to have left your mark on the land ....)
Using his new-found raft to head for home, Pathos ran aground on the Isle of Woe, where the powerful magic contained in the arches made him temporarily invisible! (This is indicated by a pair of parentheses surrounding the * which prompts the player for commands.)
Invisible, but still quite determined, he sailed quickly for the shore and made his way to the start where he wanted to rendezvous with the other players whose prayers had helped him to the sanctum. There he was going to give each of his friends an icon for their troubles. Tardis was there in the swamp to receive his reward but Aphrodite was a bit slow to arrive so the temptation to swamp the icon he had promised her proved too great for him to resist! So he unloaded all the treasures he discovered on his brief (but harrowing) journey. Tired, but satisfied by a reasonably successful bout of adventuring (and not wanting to hang around to make excuses to Aphrodite), Pathos decided to call it a day, knowing that in the near future he would return to explore further. Who knows, perhaps next time he would sail beyond the ship to the island, and meet the dreaded fire-breathing dragon!
Notice how almost all of MUD'S commands can be abbreviated. Pathos does not bother to type words like SCORE or KILL or SHOUT in full. He simply uses SC or K or SH. QUICKWHO is similarly reduced to qw - and since fast typing is often inaccurate MUD accepts wq as the same.
Another feature which the log shows is how MUD takes over the fighting once the fray has commenced. All Pathos could do once his battle with the golem had commenced was keep his fingers crossed . . . .
Here then is the complete log of Pathos the Champion's session of MUD.
ESSEX UNIVERSITY: Multi-User Dungeon. This Mud created: 17th July 1985 at 12:09:08 Origin of version: 06:19:21. Accumulated game time: 5 mins 2 secs. Welcome! By what name shall I call you? *PATHOS This persona already esiuts - what's the password? *Password Yes! Your last game was today at 6:24:32. Hello again, Pathos the champion! Narrow road between lands. You are stood on a narrow road between The Land and whence you came. To the north and south are the small foothills of a pair of majestic mountains, with a large wall running round. To the west the road continues, where in the distance you can see a thatched cottage opposite an ancient cemetery. The way out is to the east, where a shroud of mist covers the secret pass by which you entered The Land. Mugsanon the witch is here, carrying key *Fanman the enchanter has just arrived. *"Hi Wizard * Mugsanon the witch says "Hi Pathos" *who Maria the sorceress is playing Pathos the champion is playing Fanman the enchanter is playing Mugsanon the witch is playing Tana the legend is playing Aphrodite the warrior is playing Jethro is playing Grobble the legend is playing Kalamazoo the superhero is playing Rebecca the necromancess is playing Stev is playing *s Foothills. These are some foothills to the tall mountains which tower above you to the east. Travel in that direction is impossible because of a tall stone wall, built by the locals when they learned of the creatures dwelling within The Land... To the north runs an east-west road, and to the west is forest. The hills rise slowly to the south. There is a small hole in the ground, about 5 inches across. It bends too sharply for you to see anything down it. *s Cave. This is a cave, wherein once dwelled a hermit in times long passed. Above is a huge mountain towering amongst the clouds, and outside can be seen a pasture, small cottage and a cemetery in the distance. At the east end of the cave is a small opening in the wall. *s Rapids. You are on the bank of some dangerous rapids. Beyond them to the east the river goes underground; to the west it continues out of sight, and you can hear a thundering as of falling water from that direction. To the south can be seen (and smelled!) a fuming swamp, and southeast is a small pond. *s You are waylaid in a treacherous swamp. *w Dense forest. You are wandering around in some dense forest, to the south of a pleasant pasture, and to the west of a fuming swamp. To the southwest the forest opens up onto a magical glade. *s Magical glade. You are in a magical glade, surrounded by forest. East and west it looks inpenetrable, but in the northerly directions the trees are less dense. In the southerly directions, the trees are of soft pine, and through them to the southwest can be glimpsed a sundial. *se Entrance to badger's sett. You are in part of a large pine forest. Northwest, the forest opens up onto a magical glade, and in all other directions the forest continues, although in some the trees are too thick to permit passage. In front of you, in the ground, a hole leads downwards into a badger's sett. *se Pine forest. You are wandering around amongst some soft pine trees. All about you are more, some densely packed and others allowing passage through. Through the trees to the southeast you can see what appears to be a bandstand. *se You hear the clear notes of a flute ringing through the air. * Bandstand. You are stood in a bandstand in the midst of the pine forest. All around you are trees, denser in the easterly directions than in the westerly ones. The bandstand hasn't been used for some time, obviously with it being in the middle of a forest, and in places its paint is peeling, but it is nevertheless a surprisingly fine esample. *sw Pine forest. You are wandering around amongst some soft pine trees. All about you are more, some densely packed and others allowing passage through. To the northeast through the trees can be made out a wooden building something like a bandstand. To the southeast there looks to be some sort of religious shrine. *se Shrine. You are inside a small yet sacrosanct shrine. A sense of deep respectfulness fills this modest room. The way out, into a pine forest, is to the northwest. It is obvious that the shrine was meant to be used for quiet meditation, like similar chambers. *sh Does anyone want to meditate with me? *pray Worship in these parts is customarily conducted near idols, usually their eyes if there are precious stones there. *qw Pathos the champion Blatch the enchantress Maria the sorceress Blink Fanman the enchanter Mugs the necromancer Tardis the hero Aphrodite the heroine Jethro Grobble the legend Kalamazoo the enchanter Rebecca the necromancess Stev * A male voice in the diotance shouts "Tardis" * Aphrodite the hersine tells you "I will" * A female voice in the dintance shouts "yep i do blink." * A male voice in the distance shouts "kalamazoo ( in tree )" *sh Ok, Im in the shrine. The rest of you get ready! * A male voice in the distance shouts "Tardis in cave" * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "ready?" * Tardis the hero tells you "Tardis in cave." *sh Ok, lets try now!!! *meditate You feal a great tranquility filling your being, and when you cease your meditation, you are in a strange place... Outer sanctum. A golem of solid iron stands here as guardian of the inner sanctum. *sh Umm.. is this gotem pretty tough? Aphrodite the heroine tells you "ok?" A male voice in the distance shouts "Idiot. Yes, pretty tough." * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "Pretty tough. you got a weapon I hope?" Kalamazoo the enchanter tells you "what a prat ..." *wish, Umam, may I have a weapon? Your spell works, but the power of the magic you have invoked causes you to fall into a deep slumber... You can't get to sleep in this small place. * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "if you survive get icons and meditate out" *aphrodite ok *kalamazoo First time for everything! A male voice in the distance shouts "Or a sword..." *sc Score to date: 1766 level of enperience: Champion Strength: 90 Stamina: 85 Dexterity: 92 Sex: male Maximum stamina: 85 Weight carried: Og (max. weight: 90000g) Objects carried: 0 (max. number: 11) Games played to date: 2 * A male voice in the distance shouts "Aphro claims to have done it with a brand once though." * Kalamazoo the enchanter tells you "yeah well , u should have asked someone ..." *look Outer sanctum. You find yourself in the outer sanctum of some strange, holy temple. All about you, the walls seem to be a hazy, formless blackness, but there is a visible opening to the north from whence comes an errie, golden light. A golem of solid iron stands here as guardian of the inner sanctum. * A female voice in the distance shouts "I was a novice and had 1 stam left afterwards. I was lucky" * *sh Well.. here goes! *i You aren't carrying anything! *kill golem *The viciousness of a whack by the golem sends you sideways. Dazedly you pull through, and press forward into the contest. Your mis-timed return blow at the golem is effortlessly shrugged off. *You easily evade a poor swing from the golem. You bash the golem with a punishing forehand! *You comfortably shrug off a feeble thump by the golem. You wallop the golem with a crushing whack! *You easily shrug off a clumsy forehand by the golem. You strike out at the golem with a stunning cross! *You effortlessly shrug off a bungled forehand by the golem. You strike home at the golem with a stunning blow! *You narrowly evade a feeble swing from the golem. You smite the golem with a furious forehand! *Your last thump was the end of the golem! You are victorious - this time... * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "right hook, right hook, body blow" * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "jab jab uppercut!" Rebecca has been exorcised. *sh That was easy!! (phew) *sc Score to date: 1826 level of experience: Champion Strength: 90 Stamina: 74 Dexterity: 92 Sex: male Maximum stamina: 85 Weight carried: Og (max. weight: 90000g) Objects carried: 0 (max. number: 11) Games played to date: 2 * A male voice in the diotance ohouts "By the way, I already lost a champion to it tonight: with axe!" * Tardis the hero tells you "U know how to get back?" *tardis Yeah Tardis the hero tells you "where meet?" Inner nanctum. A marvellous icon depicting the inner nanctum lies here. A glorious icon depicting an ancient chamber lies hers. A valuable icon depicting a shrine lies here. A beautiful icon depicting a hallowed chamber lies here. *get all Icon taken. Icon taken. Icon taken. Icon taken. *i You are currently holding the following: icon icon icon icon *exits south Outer sanctum. in Outer tanctum. out Outer sanctum. north Vicious rocks. northeast Vicious rocks. east Vicious rocks. southeast Vicious rocks. southwest Vicious rocks. west Vicious rocks. northwest Vicious rocks. swamp Vicious rocks. jump Vicious rocks. * Aphrodite the heroine tells you "meditate now" *aphrodite I will do the ship. * Tardis the hero tells you "Well? meditate!" *n Vicious rocks. An animated skeleton bars your way. *ki skeleton *The strength of a blow by the skeleton sends you sideways. Yet courageously you carry on, and charge back into the action. Your follow-through thrust sends the skeleton to the ground! *You simply parry a pathetic punch by the skeleton. You take aim at the skeleton with a mighty cross! *You easily elude a poor punch from the skeleton. *The savageness of a thump from the skeleton tends you staggering. But you pull together, and launch yourself into the tussle. Your follow-through cross sends the skeleton sideways! *You are stricken by the force of a slash from the skeleton! Groggily you compose, and stagger forward into the melee. Your next blow sends the skeleton flying! Aphrodite the heroine tells you "check for raft first!!" *Your last swing took the life of the skeleton! You are victorious - this time... *n Deck. *d Hold. A raft, large enough to carry one perton, has been left here. Lying on the floor is some fins silk. *get raft,silk *Raft taken. *Silk taken. *u Deck. *Crow's nest. The golden earrings of some forgotten pirate lie here. *get all *Earrings taken *e Deck. *Steps. *e Poop deck. *w Steps. *w *Deck. *in Captain's cabin. An inky quill-pen hat been left here. The log of Captain Oliver is hers. In it is transcribed the following: "Hack and Slay, Hack and Slay, Hack and Slay!" "Shadow's still lengthening, in a 2060 stylee!" "Gail was here all alone and without Richard (sob)..." "Anana was here with the 5 zombies and 1 skeleton!" "Was he? So that makes 6 zombies and a skeleton all together?" "...don't miss the Gnome at Home - 01-348 3247.. (advt!)" "Duncan the wizard played from California... All by himself!!!" "Fodded everyone else did he?" "Hack & Slay... and slay.. and slay.. and slay!" "Himani, daughter of the Himalayas writes in the log at last !!!" "I love you, Himami !xxx" "I.Buryum & Sons (Undertakers) ______________________________" "Can the following please leave their measurements: Math, Romnanm, Gna" "..gwhoops gwrong gnumber - Gnome At Home on 01-888 8894 (advt!)" "Essex is in its death throws....see you guys some time (Yawn Bsc.Hons" "jane collett of Richmond was here,thanks to darling bytor!" "Darling Bytor was here - thanks to no-one!" "Hello from Maria..... love and kisses to you all!" "the original MEEPIE has been here - watch you feet" "(prev message cot'd) & slay & slay & slay!!!!" "frobozz the wiz and kate the mortal were married in essex mud on" "july 5th 1985 by Erekose the cleric" "Jessica the infamous managed to a) get here & b) get thru to Gnome at" "Home - whatever next?! a delivered Demon modem ? hehehe" "Ok dan.... i actually made it!" "And i made it again dan....signed andie" "Isn't it fun when your invisible with the egg?hehe" "Well is 58k in one night a record? took me 7 hours" "Make that 64k...." "AtAt last!!! I've finally found out how to write in this book!" "satan has claimed yet another legend hehehehe" An ancient chart lies in its frame here. *out Deck. *s Vicious rocks. *i You are currently holding the following: earrings Silk raft icon icon icon icon *s,s,s Sea. Sea. North part of Isle of Woe. *s South part of Inle of Woe. *n North part of Isle of Woe. (*)n,n,n Sea. Sea. Vicious rocks. (*)e,ne,n,ne,e (*)Sea. Sea. Sea. Sea. Stony beach. Scrub slope. (*)s Dangerous cliff. (*)s Forest on steep slope. (*)s Dense forest. (*)s A female voice in the distance shouts "Yes, tell me where!" Dense forest. There is a felled yew tree here. You can see that the hollow stump leads down to the depths. (*)s Beaten track. (*)e Road opposite cottage. (*)e Narrow road. (*)e Narrow road between lands. Mugsanon the witch it here, carrying nothing Grob is here, carrying nothing (*)Sh Come to the start if I owe you an icon. (*)Tardis the hero has just arrived. (*)Edicius has just arrived. Tardis the hero has just left. (*)Tardis the hero has just arrived. (*)give icon to tardis (*) Icon given to Tardis the hero. (*) In the distance you hear a sudden rushing tound, as if a huge torrent of water has just started to flood somewhere. (*)s Foothills. There is a small hole in the ground, about 5 inches across. It bends too sharply for you to see anything down it. (*)Stev han just arrived. (*)Jethro the warrior han arrived. (*)Jethro the warrior hat just left. (*) Cave. (*)Stev hat junt arrived. (*)Rapids. (*)s You are waylaid in a treacherous swamp. *drop icon,icon,icon,silk Icon dropped. Icon dropped. Icon dropped. Silk drupped. (*)sc (*)Score to date: 1851 level of experience: Champion Strength: 90 Stamina: 61 Dexterity: 92 Sex: male Maximum stamina: 85 Weight carried: 105OOg (max. weight: 9OOOOg) Objects carried: 1 (max. number: 11) Games played to date: 2 (*) (*)Mensch the nuperhero has junt arrived. (*)Mensch the superhero has just left. (*) A female voice in the distance shouts "Oh no, not again!" (*)save Pathos the champion saved. (*) A male voice in the distance shouts "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR" (*)n Rapids. It is snowing. (*)Edicius (Pathos the champion) Blatch the enchantress Maria the sorceress Dimar the hero Mensch the superhero Mugsanon the witch Tardis the champion Aphrodite Grob Kalamazoo the warrior Stev East pasture. (*)n You hear the clear notes of a flute ringing through the air. (*)In front of hut. *"Ah well.. time to go home. *quit
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