TinyMUCK or, more broadly, a MUCK, is a type of user-extendable
online text-based role-playing game
An online text-based role playing game is a role-playing game played online using a solely text-based interface. Online text-based role playing games date to 1978, with the creation of '' MUD1'', which began the MUD heritage that culminates in t ...
, designed for
role playing
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
and social interaction.
Backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
s like "Multi-User Chat/Created/Computer/Character/Carnal Kingdom" and "Multi-User Construction Kit" are sometimes cited, but are not the actual origin of the term; "muck" is simply a play on the term
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 ...
.
History
*The original TinyMUCK 1.0 server was written by Stephen White from
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...
in winter of 1990, based on
TinyMUD
A multi-user dungeon (MUD, ), also known as a multi-user dimension or multi-user domain, is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based or storyboarded. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player vers ...
1.5.2 codebase. This version improved building capabilities for the users.
*TinyMUCK 2.0 was released in June 1990 by Piaw "Lachesis" Na from
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
*George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer to ...
, who added the programming language
MUF for in-game server extensions.
*TinyMUCK 2.1 and 2.2 were released in July 1990 and April 1991 by Robert "ChupChup" Earl of
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. These were mostly bugfix releases as the code was cleaned up and ported to new operating systems and architectures.
*FuzzBall MUCK server was built on TinyMUCK 2.2 codebase b
Belfry Webworksand, as of version 5, released in 1995, includes the alternative programming language
MPI
MPI or Mpi may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and medicine
* Magnetic particle imaging, a tomographic technique
* Myocardial perfusion imaging, a medical procedure that illustrates heart function
* Mannose phosphate isomerase, an enzyme ...
. version 6, available a
SourceForge project fbmuckalso supports
MCP and
MCP-GUI.
Characteristics
MUCKs are extensible by design, players can create and modify ("build") all internal objects of the game environment, including rooms, exits, and even the system commands, for which the MUCKs use the MUF (Multi-User
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotl ...
) language. Fuzzball MUCKs also use Message Parsing Interpreter (MPI) which can be used to embed executable code into descriptions of all in-game objects. Unlike many other virtual worlds, however, TinyMUCK and its descendants do not usually have computer-controlled monsters for players to kill.
Usage
TinyMUCKs are popular among members of
furry fandom
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic animal characters. Some examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and weari ...
;
examples of active, large TinyMUCKs include ''
FurryMUCK'' and ''
Tapestries MUCK
Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to hang ...
'', both of which run the Fuzzball version of MUCK server code.
See also
*
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 ...
*
MUSH
In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on Multi-user dungeon, MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social m ...
*
MOO
A MOO ("Multi-user dungeon, MUD, object-oriented") is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users (players) are connected at the same time.
The term MOO is used in two distinct, but related, senses. One is to refer to th ...
*
Online text-based role-playing game
An online text-based role playing game is a role-playing game played online using a solely text-based interface. Online text-based role playing games date to 1978, with the creation of '' MUD1'', which began the MUD heritage that culminates in t ...
References
External links
MUCK Manual Version 1.0at The MUCK Information Kiosk
FuzzBall Software
{{MUDs
MU* games
MUD servers
Online chat