<s>
MUD	B-Application
is	O
a	O
free	O
,	O
online	B-Application
,	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
,	O
fantasy	O
,	O
text-based	B-Application
role-playing	O
game	O
(	O
or	O
MUD	B-Application
)	O
,	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
real-time	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
combines	O
elements	O
of	O
role-playing	O
games	O
,	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
style	O
computer	O
games	O
,	O
adventure	O
games	O
and	O
social	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
as	O
an	O
LPMUD	B-Application
called	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
at	O
Newcastle	O
University	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1991	O
,	O
before	O
ultimately	O
relocating	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
of	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
suffered	O
catastrophic	O
loss	O
of	O
data	O
in	O
August	O
1994	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
switch	O
to	O
the	O
Merc	O
code	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
two	O
decades	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
environment	O
has	O
grown	O
into	O
a	O
fictional	O
world	O
spanning	O
327	O
areas	B-Application
across	O
20	O
planes	O
,	O
comprising	O
20,000	O
unique	O
rooms	O
with	O
gameplay	O
and	O
features	O
that	O
significantly	O
deviate	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Merc	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
was	O
started	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1991	O
as	O
an	O
LPMUD	B-Application
called	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
initially	O
hosted	O
on	O
the	O
servers	B-Application
of	O
Newcastle	O
University	O
by	O
three	O
PhD	O
computer	O
science	O
candidates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Catastrophic	O
loss	O
of	O
data	O
in	O
August	O
1994	O
,	O
presented	O
the	O
implementors	O
with	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
switch	O
to	O
the	O
Merc	O
code	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
was	O
created	O
during	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1991	O
with	O
the	O
established	O
LPMUD	B-Application
codebase	B-General_Concept
,	O
released	O
two	O
years	O
prior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
DikuMUD	B-Application
code	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
was	O
released	O
just	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
before	O
Farside	O
's	O
creation	O
on	O
1	O
March	O
1991	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
yet	O
to	O
become	O
popular	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DikuMUD	B-Application
was	O
quickly	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
CopperMUD	O
in	O
June	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
Merc	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
(	O
version	O
2.2	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
24	O
November	O
1993	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
newer	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
was	O
chosen	O
by	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
the	O
following	O
year	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
gameplay	O
similarities	O
with	O
LPMUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
trees	O
below	O
depict	O
the	O
hierarchy	O
of	O
derivation	O
of	O
the	O
A.V.A.T.A.R.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-General_Concept
codebase	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dotted	O
boxes	O
indicate	O
that	O
the	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
is	O
outside	O
the	O
family	O
depicted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
8	O
August	O
1995	O
,	O
after	O
disagreements	O
between	O
the	O
implementors	O
,	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
became	O
A.V.A.T.A.R.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
administrator	O
,	O
code	O
named	O
Snikt	O
,	O
changed	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
admin	O
passwords	O
and	O
locked	O
out	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
's	O
owner	O
,	O
code	O
named	O
Rox	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rox	O
would	O
later	O
start	O
a	O
new	O
MUD	B-Application
,	O
Barren	O
Realms	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
heavily	O
modified	O
merc2.2	O
code	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
's	O
newsletter	O
,	O
published	O
two	O
days	O
later	O
,	O
states	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-Application
retained	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
"	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
"	O
name	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
name	O
reflected	O
the	O
change	O
in	O
leadership	O
and	O
avoided	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
being	O
sued	O
by	O
The	O
Far	O
Side	O
comic	O
strip	O
's	O
creator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
name	O
is	O
an	O
acronym	O
which	O
stands	O
for	O
"	O
Advanced	O
Virtual	O
Adventures	O
Through	O
Artificial	O
Realities	O
"	O
and	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
computing	O
term	O
"	O
avatar	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
22	O
years	O
(	O
as	O
of	O
2014	O
)	O
that	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
has	O
been	O
running	O
,	O
the	O
Merc	O
2.2	O
code	B-General_Concept
base	I-General_Concept
has	O
been	O
extensively	O
updated	O
and	O
modified	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
35	O
game	O
levels	O
of	O
the	O
Merc	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
,	O
extended	O
to	O
50	O
levels	O
,	O
now	O
form	O
the	O
lowest	O
playable	O
tier	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
Mortal.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
tier	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
had	O
a	O
simple	O
level	O
progression	O
from	O
1	O
–	O
1000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mud	B-Application
has	O
28	O
creatable	O
races	O
(	O
of	O
which	O
two	O
are	O
'	O
evolutionary	O
 '	O
–	O
containing	O
14	O
sub-races	O
)	O
,	O
nine	O
quest	O
races	O
(	O
elemental	O
giants	O
and	O
chromatic	O
dragons	O
,	O
added	O
mid-2013	O
)	O
,	O
ten	O
'	O
remort	O
 '	O
(	O
second	O
playthrough	O
)	O
races	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
'	O
ascension	O
 '	O
(	O
pvp	O
legend	O
tier	O
specific	O
)	O
races	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
Merc	O
MUD	B-Application
codebases	B-General_Concept
usually	O
come	O
with	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
52	O
stock	O
areas	B-Application
,	O
all	O
of	O
A.V.A.T.A.R.	O
</s>
<s>
'	O
s	O
areas	B-Application
are	O
non-stock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
areas	B-Application
retain	O
the	O
theme	O
of	O
the	O
stock	O
areas	B-Application
they	O
replaced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
continues	O
to	O
grow	O
,	O
with	O
327	O
areas	B-Application
online	B-Application
as	O
of	O
January	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
these	O
permanent	O
additions	O
,	O
temporary	O
areas	B-Application
and	O
quests	O
are	O
regularly	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
,	O
and	O
older	O
,	O
less-visited	O
areas	B-Application
are	O
either	O
revamped	O
or	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
coders	O
of	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
are	O
members	O
of	O
its	O
Immortal	B-Application
staff	I-Application
,	O
formed	O
from	O
dedicated	O
volunteers	O
who	O
largely	O
forego	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
devote	O
their	O
time	O
to	O
its	O
maintenance	O
and	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Farside	O
MUD	B-Application
,	O
it	O
donated	O
FTP	B-Protocol
space	O
to	O
a	O
1993	O
inter-MUD	O
project	O
to	O
produce	O
an	O
area	O
editor	O
called	O
"	O
Make.Zones.Fast	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
has	O
been	O
borrowed	O
by	O
other	O
MUDs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
license	O
for	O
Diku	B-Application
codebase	B-General_Concept
states	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
various	O
devices	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
)	O
and	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
server	B-Application
can	O
be	O
established	O
by	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Opening	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
window	O
on	O
any	O
internet-connected	O
computer	O
and	O
using	O
the	O
built-in	O
client	O
application	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
website	O
or	O
Facebook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
or	O
telnet	B-Protocol
at	O
the	O
command	B-Device
prompt	I-Device
to	O
in	O
Windows	O
,	O
OSX	O
,	O
Linux	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
all	O
game	O
data	O
is	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
server	B-Application
,	O
players	O
can	O
switch	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combat	O
is	O
primarily	O
conducted	O
through	O
melee	B-Application
,	O
martial	O
arts	O
,	O
and	O
spells	O
,	O
alongside	O
thrown	O
weapons	O
and	O
archery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
younger	O
players	O
,	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
has	O
a	O
strict	O
language	O
policy	O
which	O
is	O
enforced	O
through	O
automatic	B-Application
logging	I-Application
of	O
bad	B-Protocol
language	I-Protocol
and	O
monitoring	O
by	O
staff	O
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
text-based	B-Application
game	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
blind	O
and	O
visually	O
impaired	O
with	O
the	O
assistance	O
of	O
screen	O
reading	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
the	O
hearing	O
impaired	O
who	O
are	O
not	O
disadvantaged	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
absence	O
of	O
auditory	O
cues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
MUD	B-Application
clients	O
include	O
customisable	O
user	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
definable	O
buttons	O
or	O
rollers	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
largely	O
remove	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
manually	O
type	O
commands	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
very	O
helpful	O
for	O
those	O
whose	O
ability	O
to	O
operate	O
a	O
keyboard	O
is	O
impaired	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
accessibility	O
issues	O
can	O
then	O
be	O
overcome	O
with	O
assistive	O
technologies	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
footmouse	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
AVATAR	B-Application
has	O
had	O
a	O
connection	O
with	O
education	O
since	O
1994	O
,	O
when	O
a	O
large	O
group	O
of	O
students	O
from	O
a	O
US	O
school	O
began	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
some	O
staff	O
members	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
principal	O
joining	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
as	O
a	O
staff	O
member	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Staff	O
noted	O
that	O
their	O
students	O
 '	O
literacy	O
skills	O
improved	O
,	O
with	O
academic	O
literature	O
suggesting	O
it	O
is	O
because	O
they	O
found	O
the	O
creative	O
writing	O
and	O
interactive	O
content	O
of	O
the	O
mud	B-Application
compelling	O
to	O
read	O
,	O
and	O
because	O
they	O
needed	O
a	O
certain	O
level	O
of	O
communicative	O
competence	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
both	O
the	O
computer	B-Application
server	I-Application
running	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
their	O
fellow	O
players	O
to	O
achieve	O
their	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
students	O
,	O
though	O
playing	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
player	O
community	O
of	O
various	O
ages	O
and	O
nationalities	O
,	O
were	O
impressed	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
taken	O
seriously	O
and	O
treated	O
as	O
competent	O
peers	O
by	O
older	O
members	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
content	O
or	O
influence	O
the	O
policies	O
and	O
game	O
mechanics	O
of	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
educators	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
design	O
and	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
resulted	O
in	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
Mud	B-Application
School	O
"	O
to	O
train	O
new	O
players	O
in	O
how	O
to	O
interact	O
and	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
tier	O
of	O
volunteer	O
staff	O
(	O
angels	O
)	O
to	O
care	O
for	O
and	O
assist	O
new	O
and	O
younger	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
complemented	O
by	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
's	O
family-friendly	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
open	O
to	O
anyone	O
and	O
permits	O
multiple	O
connections	O
from	O
the	O
same	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
(	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
each	O
active	O
character	O
is	O
controlled	O
by	O
a	O
separate	O
player	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
is	O
encouraged	O
but	O
not	O
enforced	O
,	O
so	O
much	O
of	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
activity	O
involves	O
finding	O
mobs	B-Protocol
(	O
non-player	O
characters	O
)	O
to	O
perform	O
quests	O
for	O
,	O
slay	O
for	O
experience	O
points	O
,	O
or	O
somehow	O
acquire	O
desirable	O
items	O
from	O
,	O
and	O
exploration	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
enjoy	O
the	O
writing	O
and	O
story	O
of	O
an	O
area	O
or	O
discover	O
easter	O
eggs	O
and	O
other	O
secrets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
social	O
space	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
comprises	O
only	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
attraction	O
of	O
the	O
MUD	B-Application
,	O
with	O
players	O
using	O
various	O
tools	O
such	O
as	O
public	B-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
private	I-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
channels	I-Protocol
,	O
an	O
in-game	O
messaging	O
system	O
and	O
forums	B-Application
to	O
engage	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MUD	B-Application
has	O
been	O
examined	O
in	O
the	O
papers	O
and	O
presentions	O
of	O
anthropologist	O
Dr.	O
Mizuko	O
Ito	O
,	O
a	O
thesis	O
by	O
tech	O
entrepreneur	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
papers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
featured	O
in	O
MUD	B-Application
history	O
articles	O
,	O
Orlando	O
Sentinel	O
's	O
article	O
on	O
TELNET	B-Protocol
and	O
in	O
a	O
video	O
tutorial	O
and	O
tutorial	O
article	O
about	O
CMD	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
also	O
in	O
the	O
1	O
October	O
1994	O
edition	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Sunlight	O
Through	O
The	O
Shadows	O
"	O
BBS	B-Application
's	O
electronic	O
magazine	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
publications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
running	O
for	O
a	O
couple	O
of	O
years	O
,	O
Immortal	O
"	O
Asamaro	O
"	O
created	O
the	O
publication	O
"	O
the	O
Farside	O
Gazette	O
"	O
on	O
15	O
December	O
1994	O
,	O
which	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
regularly	O
published	O
,	O
latterly	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
AVATAR	B-Application
Gazette	O
"	O
,	O
until	O
May	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
