Issue #1 -- August 2001 -- 40 Pages

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COLUMNS

Mire Consequences

• The Basics of Directing a MUD
  
  By Andrew Honeycutt
  
  We've all thought about Imp'ing a MUD at one point or another, but how many of us have done it? How many more would do it if they found out how easy it was?
  
  This article is directed toward the newbie admins out there.
  
  
• Effectively Promoting Your MUD/Site
  
  By Ntanel StormBlade
  
  You have a resource site which you know could be beneficial to the MUD community, but you can not seem to get the word out to the public that your site exists.
  
  Maybe you have a MUD which is revolutionary in some or all aspects but for some reason, you can not get anyone to play it or even find staff.
  
  There are many ways to do what you need to inform the public about your MUD or site, but first you must make sure you follow some specific guidelines to ensure you get the most out of advertising...
  
  
• How to Use a Demographic Survey to Your Game's Advantage
  
  By Corinne Zuribel
  
  Use a demographic survey to tap into the knowledge of current players and use their suggestions and information in your quest to improve your MUD.
  
  

Architects Advice

• Becoming a Builder
  
  By Michelle Thompson
  
  There is an undeniable lure to building. Bringing a world to life is a powerful feeling. It is not surprising then that some mudders develop an interest in becoming builders.
  
  Find out how in this article.
  
  
• The Area Check: Rooms
  
  By Kristin Micik
  
  This article is aimed toward builders and administrators alike.
  
  It is the first in a series that will deal with the proofing of an area before being brought into game play.
  
  We all hope to obtain the perfect score of zero faults when porting a new area into the game. That goal may not always be attainable but a close facsimile is certainly within reach.
  
  This article deals with checking Rooms and will be followed by Mobs and Objects in subsequent issues.
  
  

Coder's Compendium

• Build Your Own MUD in C++ From Scratch
  
  By Kevin London
  
  This is the first part in a series that will show you what components are necessary to create your very own mud from scratch.
  
  

Snippets

• Dice Snippet
  
  By Neal Haggard & James Neary
  
  Add code to roll and display ASCII dice to your MUD.
  
  

Newbie Zone

• A Hitchhiker's Guide to the MUD Galaxy
  
  By Tim Hong
  
  You've downloaded and installed this MUD-client program that your friend has bugged you to get for the last week, and are now sitting at the start up window of THISISAMUD.ORG port 1234.
  
  So now what? Read this article and find out how to get started...
  
  

In Character

• The Art of Role-Playing
  
  By John Bellone, Jr.
  
  Learn about the benefits and techniques of role-playing.
  
  
• Getting Started: The Basics
  
  By Daniel Mamalian
  
  The basics of creating a group/party.
  
  

FEATURES

• The History of MUDs
  
  By Richard Woolcock
  
  There are thousands of MUDs in existence today. Despite numerous claims through the years that MUDs are dying out, their numbers continue to steadily grow... but where did it all start?
  
  
• A New Ball Of MUDD
  
  By Eric L. Rhea
  
  Current trends in MUD development have evolved greatly over the past few decades. From text to graphics, and countless improvements in between, it is almost inconceivable that the next big thing for players might be lurking around the corner.
  
  The future of the MUD is in the MUDD, the future where one MUD is linked together by many users and many devices interacting on a scale before only imagined and never conceivably reached by the hobbyist...
  
  
• The Unexpected
  
  By Dr. Twister
  
  For a game developer, the hardest thing must not be the months and years it takes to actually build a world for role players to inhabit and explore, but I believe it is the moment in time when they realize that the individuals in their world are not playing how they had originally envisioned. It must be hard to open the world they dedicated so much time and energy creating simply to have it taken over by game players that do not understand the sacrifices involved with bringing the world to life. No matter how much planning and preparation is performed, the roughest discovery I believe is when the game developer encounters the unexpected...
  
  
• Newbies
  
  By Jess Sperring
  
  Newbies. Finally, someone everyone can pick on. It seems that the term newbie is kindly given to newer players by the older generations. Is it right for us all to ignore them? Personally, I don't think so...
  
  
• Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades; Players Who Suit MUD's
  
  By Richard Bartle
  
  Four approaches to playing MUDs are identified and described. These approaches may arise from the inter-relationship of two dimensions of playing style: action versus interaction, and world-oriented versus player-oriented. An account of the dynamics of player populations is given in terms of these dimensions, with particular attention to how to promote balance or equilibrium. This analysis also offers an explanation for the labelling of MUDs as being either social or gamelike.
  
  
• The MUD Personality Test
  
  By Erwin Andreasen and Brandon Downey
  
  After reading Richard Bartle's article about the four types of MUD personalities (Killers, Achievers, Explorers and Socializers) you may want to take this test to find out how you fit into each of those categories.
  
  

DEPARTMENTS

• Thoric's Den
  
  By Derek Snider
  
  It was nearly three years ago while looking over some old Dragon™ magazines that I got the inspiration to design a magazine both for MUD players and creators. It wasn't just something I wanted to do - it was something I had to do.
  
  I knew that at least the cover had to be in color with an amazing piece of fantasy artwork. This wasn't a marketing decision…it was a minimum requirement I set for myself.
  
  Fantasy artwork was a very large part of pen & paper role-playing games. I highly doubt the AD&D™ box sets would have been nearly as appealing without the fantastical depictions of huge dragons and other mythical beasts.
  
  As I don't envision a copy of The Mud Companion on every magazine rack around the world anytime soon, the spectacular cover art is meant to be a bonus to the subscriber - something to admire, enjoy and collect, rather than some sort of marketing tool.
  
  I would also like this magazine to be an opportunity for artists in the MUD community to get their work in print - in fact the comic strip featured in this issue is the work of two very talented players from my own MUD.
  
  The ultimate purpose of this magazine to bring the recognition and respect to text-based MUDs that they rightfully deserve. These games are generally overlooked, and the great history behind them is little known. Far too few admirers and addicts of the massively multiplayer online genre know little to none of their idol's predecessors.
  
  It is also my goal to bring the MUD community closer together. Currently most players and creators are segregated by the codebase family they have chosen - AberMUD, TinyMUD (MUSH), LPMUD, DikuMUD, and their derivatives. Even the derivative communities sometimes have sibling rivalry and family feuds.
  
  This is not to say that the MUD community is not close knit and supportive - I've made many friends, and have had a lot of encouragement and support to get this magazine together and out the door in record time.
  
  So bear with us through this stage of MUDs finally breaking through into print. I guarantee you that things will only get better from here.
  
  
• Chronicles of the Useless (Comic Strip)
  
  By Emile Néron & Jean-Francois Soucy