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Did you know that the genre of text RPGs known as MUDs still exists and is still going strong with new development to older games as well as release of brand new games? The larger, long-lasting MUDs such as Medievia have withstood the test of time and still manage to not only engage the player in a world of fantasy, but also manage to have such in-depth gameplay that they hold the players' interest for years on end. These games are constantly in development and are releasing programming on the cutting edge of AI and gaming. While the playerbases are not as large as WoW, the larger, more popular games get 500 players online or more at peak times. The best thing about MUDs is that the social aspect is a large part of the game, moreso than graphical MMOs. Friendships are made and relationships form that can't be found elsewhere. If you want a new type of adventure, think outside the box, and try (or re-try) a MUD.

Links:

http://www.medievia.com/ - One of the oldest and most popular MUDs, in development since 1992.

http://www.ironrealms.com/ - Iron Realms Entertainment: providing 4 different worlds to explore.

http://www.mudconnector.com/ - The Mud Connector - major MUD portal

http://www.topmudsites.com/ - Top Mud Sites - ranking site for MUDs

Quick scan on http://www.topmudsites.com/ reveals the MUDs Armageddon, Medievia, Dragons Gate as all over 12 years - and that's just the first page.

Our players tell us that they enjoy Medievia because of the relationships they form with their fellow players. Many of Medievia's players have been logging in for 5 or more years - some even 10 or more! They keep coming back because the friends they met on Medievia keep coming back. They form clans, they have deep bloodlines. They basically have a family away from their family. This is one major reason why MUDs are better than graphical MMORPGs.. you just cannot achieve the level of closeness that you can on a MUD.

Of course there is also the gameplay. MUDs like Medievia that have been around since the early 1990s have been developing for almost 15 years now. Although the development teams are much smaller than that of the larger graphical MMORPGs, they have had much more time to develop deep storylines and complex gameplay. There are so many different aspects of Medievia and the gameplay is so deep that it is impossible to explain the game without spending 2+ hours or just experiencing it yourself. Most of the highly-developed MUDs are the same way - years of development ahead of the more modern games.

http://www.medievia.com/

For those looking to get interested into the lost art of MUDDING (and the secret art of MUDSEX), take a look at these sites for finding a game to play on:

The Mud Connector: http://www.mudconnector.com/
TopMudSites.com: http://www.topmudsites.com/

And for those that wish to become admins of their own online MU* world and seeking cheap, reliable MU* hosting services, check out:

MURPE Online Game Hosting Services: http://www.murpe.com/hosting/

-- M

www.topmudsites.com is a good place to start. If you like MMORPG's, and you enjoy a more literate, deeper, and more immersive game playing experience, MUDs could be for you.

I have notice a few Java clients for MUDs out there, but other then that I havn't seen anything else. Of, what java based MMO do you speak?

I'm surprised no one's mentioned it yet, but Top Mud Sites is a good place to check what's popular with people at any given moment. In addition to ranking the most popular MUDs, they also have interesting mudding-related articles and player reviews.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned it yet, but Top Mud Sites is a good place to check what's popular with people at any given moment. In addition to ranking the most popular MUDs, they also have interesting mudding-related articles and player reviews.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned it yet, but Top Mud Sites is a good place to check what's popular with people at any given moment. In addition to ranking the most popular MUDs, they also have interesting mudding-related articles and player reviews.

It's not really as bad as it might seem in the first moment when one learns that one's favourite MU* is going to shut down. There are bazillions of them out there, and though I'll grant that most aren't that great (most seem to be ego-trips of their respective creators), there is still a great deal of stuff happenin' out there in the MU* world.

The "threat problem" that MMOGs pose to the MU* community is not so bad once you realize the limits of the graphical medium: you are, in all instances I have so far tested, limited in the choice of avatars to what the design team made available to you. Also, the expression of emotions and even just facial expression themselves are limited to a couple of macros, which are the same for all people playing the game.

All these leave the bitter taste of limitations that I don't want or need on my tongue. Though "MUD" is still associated with the hack'n'slash variety -- and no mistake, a lot of them are --, there are as many out there, especially when you get into the MUSH, MUSE, and MUCK codebases, where roleplay is stressed, not "rollplay".

While the fact that these games are text-only can be seen as a disadvantage, it's to be kept in mind that so are books -- and no one has yet proclaimed the absolute end of the written word as a medium of its own. For people with a leaning towards these things, text can be an expressive medium that can rival any other -- and more than that, because of its very nature, it leaves the entire world open to your interaction and modification, without the need for a feature-laden editor or other modding tool.

It begins with the fact that your characters are at your proverbial fingertip: from their background stories to their appearance, their mannerisms and speech patterns, it's entirely up to you and your imagination. The only limits you operate under are the limits set by the MU* canon -- but even those are open to change for those who have the creative energy to put into the history, physiology, philosophy, and whatever else there is to know about any given city, nation, world or race in the game you frequent.

There are enough people who love these games, and enough to keep themalive. These people frequent The MUD Connector or Top MUD Sites, which serve as a place from which to plunge into the MU* of your choice.

Granted, it takes a while to find a place that suits your taste, your imagination or style; but the rewards can be well worth it.

I myself (not being above a shameless plug besides the two resource sites given above) am a player and staffer on the games found at JoinTheSaga.com, which include OtherSpace, an originally themed SciFi MUSH that's been going since 1998, Reach of the Empire, a Star Wars-themed game where Luke and Leia have died way before the start of the original trilogy (and where the prequels are disregarded), and Chiaroscuro, a newly opened work-in-progress centered around an original Fantasy theme. The former two are completely free to play (though donations are welcome, and merchandise is available), while the latter follows a monthly pay-to-play approach like most MMOGs do, but with a guaranteed close connection to the staff -- and also offers the option to play a lowly peasant for free (only the higher social classes require you to pay to be set up).

The games run 24/7 on reliable servers, and staff is available for your questions if you drop by as a guest and want to have a look around.

As a final note: the entrance bar for these games tends to be high (you have to submit a biography and skill list of your character for approval, which you can all set up in-game), and the expectation is that In-Character Actions have In-Character Consequences. This is to keep grievers, "theme idiots", and similar people from ruining the fun of our other players. Elitist? Yes, but for a good cause.

~Khamura