''LegendMUD'' is a text-only
MUD
Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...
game founded by a group of friends including
virtual world designer Raph Koster. It features historically significant story elements and award-winning gameplay. It opened publicly on February 14, 1994. It has received critical praise for its research and attention to detail in reconstructing past cultures within the game context.
Game characteristics
The thematic structure of ''LegendMUD'' is based on a literal interpretation of historical legend, with content based on real locales at various points in history, but with mythological elements included as concrete reality. ''LegendMUD'' was derived from
DikuMUD. At present, it features over 8,000 rooms contained within 60 areas.
''LegendMUD'' features several innovations, one of which was that
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
s were not required to select a
character class
In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations.
In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes ag ...
, such as mage or warrior. Rather, a skill system is used, which has been noted as extensive and original. The player selects a hometown affecting the types of skills which are then possible to learn. For example, a character from the industrial period in San Francisco has the opportunity to learn about guns, but cannot learn magic. In contrast, a character from ancient period Ireland is capable of learning druidic skills, but can never learn about more modern ideas such as field surgery.
To further innovate on the learning of skills, the character must through interaction with
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
s learn whatever that NPC had to teach, with some of these requiring a small form of
quest
A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...
.
History
In October 1995, ''LegendMUD'' was selected as
The Mud Connector's Mud of the Month.
Koster wrote "", a short essay and epitaph about the death of a ''LegendMUD'' player named Karyn. An investigative journalist later disproved evidence of Karyn's death.
considered the incident to be a key event in the development of virtual worlds' ethics, similar to "
A Rape in Cyberspace". The 'death' demonstrated that people can develop feelings for each other via the virtual world medium, thus experiencing real emotions about somebody they've never met, even an entirely fictional persona. ''A Story About a Tree'' is considered as a major
counterargument
In reasoning and argument mapping, a counterargument is an objection to an objection. A counterargument can be used to rebut an objection to a premise, a main contention or a lemma. Synonyms of counterargument may include rebuttal, reply, count ...
against the "it's just a game" point of view on virtual worlds. Furthermore, it showcased that while being a very real object of grief to one party, it can indeed remain just a game for another.
References
External links
*
{{MUDs
1994 video games
MUD games
Video games developed in the United States