<s>
A	O
MUD	O
(	O
;	O
originally	O
multi-user	O
dungeon	O
,	O
with	O
later	O
variants	O
multi-user	O
dimension	O
and	O
multi-user	O
domain	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
real-time	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
,	O
usually	O
text-based	O
or	O
storyboarded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUDs	O
combine	O
elements	O
of	O
role-playing	O
games	O
,	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
,	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
,	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
,	O
and	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
read	O
or	O
view	O
descriptions	O
of	O
rooms	O
,	O
objects	O
,	O
other	O
players	O
,	O
non-player	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
actions	O
performed	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Traditional	O
MUDs	O
implement	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
fantasy	B-Application
world	O
populated	O
by	O
fictional	O
races	O
and	O
monsters	B-Application
,	O
with	O
players	O
choosing	O
classes	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
gain	O
specific	O
skills	O
or	O
powers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
objective	O
of	O
this	O
sort	O
of	O
game	O
is	O
to	O
slay	O
monsters	B-Application
,	O
explore	O
a	O
fantasy	B-Application
world	O
,	O
complete	O
quests	O
,	O
go	O
on	O
adventures	B-Application
,	O
create	O
a	O
story	O
by	O
roleplaying	O
,	O
and	O
advance	O
the	O
created	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
fantasy	B-Application
settings	O
for	O
MUDs	O
are	O
common	O
,	O
while	O
many	O
others	O
have	O
science	O
fiction	O
settings	O
or	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
popular	O
books	O
,	O
movies	O
,	O
animations	O
,	O
periods	O
of	O
history	O
,	O
worlds	O
populated	O
by	O
anthropomorphic	O
animals	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
all	O
MUDs	O
are	O
games	O
;	O
some	O
are	O
designed	O
for	O
educational	O
purposes	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
are	O
purely	O
chat	B-Protocol
environments	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
flexible	B-Algorithm
nature	I-Algorithm
of	O
many	O
MUD	O
servers	O
leads	O
to	O
their	O
occasional	O
use	O
in	O
areas	O
ranging	O
from	O
computer	B-General_Concept
science	I-General_Concept
research	O
to	O
geoinformatics	O
to	O
medical	O
informatics	O
to	O
analytical	O
chemistry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
MUDs	O
are	O
run	O
as	O
hobbies	O
and	O
are	O
free	O
to	O
play	O
;	O
some	O
may	O
accept	O
donations	O
or	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
purchase	B-Application
virtual	I-Application
items	I-Application
,	O
while	O
others	O
charge	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUDs	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
via	O
standard	O
telnet	B-Protocol
clients	O
,	O
or	O
specialized	O
MUD	O
clients	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
history	O
of	O
modern	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
)	O
like	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
and	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
related	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
genres	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
social	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
exemplified	O
by	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
,	O
can	O
be	O
traced	O
directly	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
MUD	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indeed	O
,	O
before	O
the	O
invention	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
,	O
games	O
of	O
this	O
style	O
were	O
simply	O
called	O
graphical	O
MUDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
influential	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
designers	O
began	O
as	O
MUD	O
developers	O
and/or	O
players	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Raph	B-Application
Koster	I-Application
,	O
Brad	O
McQuaid	O
,	O
Matt	O
Firor	O
,	O
and	O
Brian	O
Green	O
)	O
or	O
were	O
involved	O
with	O
early	O
MUDs	O
(	O
like	O
Mark	O
Jacobs	O
and	O
J	O
.	O
Todd	O
Coleman	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Colossal	B-Application
Cave	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
,	O
created	O
in	O
1975	O
by	O
Will	O
Crowther	O
on	O
a	O
DEC	B-Device
PDP-10	I-Device
computer	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
widely	O
used	O
adventure	B-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
called	O
Adventure	B-Application
,	O
it	O
contained	O
many	O
D&D	O
features	O
and	O
references	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
computer	O
controlled	O
dungeon	B-Device
master	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
dungeon	O
crawlers	O
were	O
created	O
on	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Illinois	O
and	O
other	O
American	O
universities	O
that	O
used	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
,	O
beginning	O
in	O
1975	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
them	O
were	O
"	O
pedit5	B-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
oubliette	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
moria	B-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
avatar	B-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
krozair	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
dungeon	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
dnd	B-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
crypt	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
drygulch	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1978	O
–	O
79	O
,	O
these	O
games	O
were	O
heavily	O
in	O
use	O
on	O
various	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
exhibited	O
a	O
marked	O
increase	O
in	O
sophistication	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
3D	O
graphics	O
,	O
storytelling	O
,	O
user	O
involvement	O
,	O
team	O
play	O
,	O
and	O
depth	O
of	O
objects	O
and	O
monsters	B-Application
in	O
the	O
dungeons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
Adventure	B-Application
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
students	O
at	O
MIT	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1977	O
wrote	O
a	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
PDP-10	B-Device
minicomputer	O
;	O
called	O
Zork	B-Application
,	O
it	O
became	O
quite	O
popular	O
on	O
the	O
ARPANET	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zork	B-Application
was	O
ported	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
filename	O
DUNGEN	O
(	O
"	O
dungeon	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
FORTRAN	B-Application
by	O
a	O
programmer	O
working	O
at	O
DEC	O
in	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1978	O
Roy	B-Protocol
Trubshaw	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
student	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
started	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
multi-user	O
adventure	B-Application
game	O
in	O
the	O
MACRO-10	B-Language
assembly	O
language	O
for	O
a	O
DEC	B-Device
PDP-10	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
named	O
the	O
game	O
MUD	O
(	O
Multi-User	O
Dungeon	O
)	O
,	O
in	O
tribute	O
to	O
the	O
Dungeon	O
variant	O
of	O
Zork	B-Application
,	O
which	O
Trubshaw	O
had	O
greatly	O
enjoyed	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trubshaw	O
converted	O
MUD	O
to	O
BCPL	B-Language
(	O
the	O
predecessor	O
of	O
C	B-Language
)	O
,	O
before	O
handing	O
over	O
development	O
to	O
Richard	O
Bartle	O
,	O
a	O
fellow	O
student	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
,	O
in	O
1980	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	O
,	O
better	O
known	O
as	O
Essex	B-Protocol
MUD	I-Protocol
and	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
in	O
later	O
years	O
,	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
network	O
,	O
and	O
became	O
more	O
widely	O
accessible	O
when	O
a	O
guest	O
account	O
was	O
set	O
up	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
on	O
JANET	O
(	O
a	O
British	O
academic	O
X.25	B-Protocol
computer	O
network	O
)	O
to	O
connect	O
on	O
weekends	O
and	O
between	O
the	O
hours	O
of	O
2	O
AM	O
and	O
8	O
AM	O
on	O
weekdays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
left	O
MIST	O
,	O
a	O
derivative	O
of	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
with	O
similar	O
gameplay	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
only	O
remaining	O
MUD	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
network	O
,	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
its	O
kind	O
to	O
attain	O
broad	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MIST	O
ran	O
until	O
the	O
machine	O
that	O
hosted	O
it	O
,	O
a	O
PDP-10	B-Device
,	O
was	O
superseded	O
in	O
early	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
included	O
Gods	O
by	O
Ben	O
Laurie	O
,	O
a	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
clone	O
that	O
included	O
online	O
creation	O
in	O
its	O
endgame	O
,	O
and	O
which	O
became	O
a	O
commercial	O
MUD	O
in	O
1988	O
;	O
and	O
MirrorWorld	O
,	O
a	O
tolkienesque	O
MUD	O
started	O
by	O
Pip	B-Application
Cordrey	O
who	O
gathered	O
some	O
people	O
on	O
a	O
BBS	B-Application
he	O
ran	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
clone	O
that	O
would	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neil	O
Newell	O
,	O
an	O
avid	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
player	O
,	O
started	O
programming	O
his	O
own	O
MUD	O
called	O
SHADES	O
during	O
Christmas	O
1985	O
,	O
because	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
was	O
closed	O
down	O
during	O
the	O
holidays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
out	O
as	O
a	O
hobby	O
,	O
SHADES	O
became	O
accessible	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
as	O
a	O
commercial	O
MUD	O
via	O
British	O
Telecom	O
's	O
Prestel	B-General_Concept
and	O
Micronet	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
Compunet	O
started	O
a	O
project	O
named	O
Multi-User	O
Galaxy	O
Game	O
as	O
a	O
science	O
fiction	O
alternative	O
to	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
which	O
they	O
were	O
running	O
on	O
their	O
system	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
programmers	O
left	O
CompuNet	O
,	O
the	O
remaining	O
programmer	O
,	O
Alan	B-Protocol
Lenton	I-Protocol
,	O
decided	O
to	O
rewrite	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
scratch	O
and	O
named	O
it	O
Federation	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
(	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
no	O
Federation	O
I	O
existed	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Federation	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
was	O
later	O
picked	O
up	O
by	O
AOL	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
became	O
known	O
simply	O
as	O
Federation	O
:	O
Adult	O
Space	O
Fantasy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1978	O
,	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
Roy	B-Protocol
Trubshaw	I-Protocol
wrote	O
MUD	O
,	O
Alan	O
E	O
.	O
Klietz	O
wrote	O
a	O
game	O
called	O
Scepter	O
(	O
Scepter	O
of	O
Goth	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
called	O
Milieu	O
using	O
Multi-Pascal	O
on	O
a	O
CDC	B-Device
Cyber	I-Device
6600	O
series	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
which	O
was	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
Minnesota	O
Educational	O
Computing	O
Consortium	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klietz	O
ported	O
Milieu	O
to	O
an	O
IBM	B-Device
XT	I-Device
in	O
1983	O
,	O
naming	O
the	O
new	O
port	O
Scepter	O
of	O
Goth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scepter	O
supported	O
10	O
to	O
16	O
simultaneous	O
users	O
,	O
typically	O
connecting	O
in	O
by	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	O
,	O
Peterson	O
rewrote	O
The	O
Realm	O
of	O
Angmar	O
,	O
adapting	O
it	O
to	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
(	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
many	O
dial-in	O
BBS	B-Application
systems	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
renamed	O
it	O
Swords	O
of	O
Chaos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
this	O
was	O
a	O
very	O
popular	O
form	O
of	O
MUD	O
,	O
hosted	O
on	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
BBS	B-Application
systems	O
,	O
until	O
widespread	O
Internet	O
access	O
eliminated	O
most	O
BBSes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
featured	O
two	O
games	O
coded	O
and	O
designed	O
by	O
Jacobs	O
,	O
a	O
MUD	O
called	O
Aradath	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
later	O
renamed	O
,	O
upgraded	O
and	O
ported	O
to	O
GEnie	B-Language
as	O
Dragon	B-Protocol
's	I-Protocol
Gate	I-Protocol
)	O
and	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
science-fiction	O
game	O
called	O
Galaxy	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
ported	O
to	O
GEnie	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
GEnie	B-Language
was	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
although	O
Dragon	B-Protocol
's	I-Protocol
Gate	I-Protocol
was	O
later	O
brought	O
to	O
AOL	O
before	O
it	O
was	O
finally	O
released	O
on	O
its	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragon	B-Protocol
's	I-Protocol
Gate	I-Protocol
was	O
closed	O
on	O
February	O
10	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1980	O
,	O
University	O
of	O
Virginia	O
classmates	O
John	O
Taylor	O
and	O
Kelton	O
Flinn	O
wrote	O
Dungeons	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
six	O
player	O
game	O
inspired	O
by	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
which	O
used	O
roguelike	O
ASCII	B-Protocol
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
founded	O
the	O
Kesmai	B-Application
company	O
in	O
1982	O
and	O
in	O
1985	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
Dungeons	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
Island	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
CompuServe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
its	O
2-D	O
graphical	O
descendant	O
Legends	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
was	O
launched	O
on	O
AOL	O
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
MUDs	O
of	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
tradition	O
escalated	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
during	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
when	O
affordable	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
with	O
300	O
to	O
2400	O
bit/s	O
modems	B-Application
enabled	O
role-players	O
to	O
log	O
into	O
multi-line	O
BBSs	B-Application
and	O
online	O
service	O
providers	O
such	O
as	O
CompuServe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
Lives	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
Yehuda	O
Simmons	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
persistent	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
world	I-Protocol
of	O
its	O
kind	O
without	O
the	O
traditional	O
hourly	O
resets	O
and	O
points-based	O
puzzle	O
solving	O
progression	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
introduced	O
equilibrium	O
and	O
balance	O
(	O
cooldowns	O
)	O
,	O
skill-based	O
player	O
vs	O
player	O
combat	O
and	O
concepts	O
such	O
as	O
player-run	O
governments	O
and	O
player	O
housing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
popular	O
MUD	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
was	O
AberMUD	B-Protocol
,	O
written	O
in	O
1987	O
by	O
Alan	O
Cox	O
,	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Wales	O
,	O
Aberystwyth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alan	O
Cox	O
had	O
played	O
the	O
original	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	B-Protocol
MUD	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
the	O
gameplay	O
was	O
heavily	O
influenced	O
by	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AberMUD	B-Protocol
was	O
initially	O
written	O
in	O
B	B-Language
for	O
a	O
Honeywell	O
L66	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
under	O
GCOS3/TSS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
1988	O
it	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
C	B-Language
,	O
which	O
enabled	O
it	O
to	O
spread	O
rapidly	O
to	O
many	O
Unix	B-Application
platforms	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AberMUD	B-Protocol
's	O
popularity	O
resulted	O
in	O
several	O
inspired	O
works	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
notable	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
TinyMUD	O
,	O
LPMud	B-Application
,	O
and	O
DikuMUD	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monster	B-Application
was	O
a	O
multi-user	O
adventure	B-Application
game	O
created	O
by	O
Richard	O
Skrenta	O
for	O
the	O
VAX	B-Device
and	O
written	O
in	O
VMS	O
Pascal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monster	B-Application
was	O
disk-based	O
and	O
modifications	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
immediate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monster	B-Application
pioneered	O
the	O
approach	O
of	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
build	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
,	O
setting	O
new	O
puzzles	O
or	O
creating	O
dungeons	O
for	O
other	O
players	O
to	O
explore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monster	B-Application
,	O
which	O
comprised	O
about	O
60,000	O
lines	O
of	O
code	O
,	O
had	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
features	O
which	O
appeared	O
to	O
be	O
designed	O
to	O
allow	O
Colossal	B-Application
Cave	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
to	O
work	O
in	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
there	O
never	O
were	O
many	O
network-accessible	O
Monster	B-Application
servers	O
,	O
it	O
inspired	O
James	O
Aspnes	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
stripped-down	O
version	O
of	O
Monster	B-Application
which	O
he	O
called	O
TinyMUD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TinyMUD	O
,	O
written	O
in	O
C	B-Language
and	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
1989	O
,	O
spawned	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
descendants	O
,	O
including	O
TinyMUCK	B-Application
and	O
TinyMUSH	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TinyMUCK	B-Application
version	O
2	O
contained	O
a	O
full	O
programming	O
language	O
named	O
MUF	O
(	O
Multi-User	O
Forth	B-Application
)	O
,	O
while	O
MUSH	B-Application
greatly	O
expanded	O
the	O
command	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
distance	O
itself	O
from	O
the	O
combat-oriented	O
traditional	O
MUDs	O
it	O
was	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
D	O
"	O
in	O
TinyMUD	O
stood	O
for	O
Multi-User	O
"	O
Domain	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Dimension	O
"	O
;	O
this	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
eventual	O
popularity	O
of	O
acronyms	O
other	O
than	O
MUD	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
MUCK	B-Application
,	O
MUSH	B-Application
,	O
MUSE	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
)	O
for	O
this	O
kind	O
of	O
server	O
,	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
eventual	O
adoption	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
MU*	B-Protocol
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
TinyMUD	O
family	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
UberMUD	O
,	O
UnterMUD	O
,	O
and	O
MOO	B-Application
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
TinyMUD	O
but	O
are	O
not	O
direct	O
descendants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TinyMUD	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
database	O
run	O
under	O
the	O
TinyMUD	O
codebase	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
is	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
TinyMUD	O
Classic	O
;	O
it	O
ran	O
from	O
August	O
1989	O
to	O
April	O
1990	O
,	O
and	O
still	O
comes	O
back	O
up	O
every	O
August	O
during	O
a	O
holiday	O
called	O
Brigadoon	O
Day	O
,	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
Scottish	O
village	O
in	O
the	O
musical	O
Brigadoon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Hourglass	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
Yehuda	O
Simmons	O
and	O
later	O
Daniel	O
James	O
for	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
Lives	I-Application
which	O
debuted	O
in	O
1989	O
at	O
the	O
last	O
of	O
the	O
London	O
MUD	O
mega	O
Meets	O
aptly	O
named	O
Adventure	B-Application
'	O
89	O
and	O
initially	O
hosted	O
on	O
the	O
IOWA	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
written	O
in	O
ARM	O
assembly	O
language	O
on	O
the	O
Acorn	B-Device
Archimedes	I-Device
440	O
,	O
in	O
1994	O
it	O
made	O
the	O
leap	O
from	O
the	O
venerable	O
Archimedes	B-Device
to	O
Debian	O
Linux	O
on	O
the	O
PC	O
and	O
later	O
Red	O
Hat	O
where	O
,	O
other	O
than	O
shifting	O
to	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
has	O
remained	O
ever	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
written	O
specifically	O
for	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
Lives	I-Application
,	O
it	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
spawn	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	O
The	O
First	O
Age	O
,	O
which	O
ran	O
from	O
1999	O
to	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
now	O
defunct	O
1996	O
Age	O
of	O
Thrones	O
and	O
notably	O
Achaea	B-Application
,	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
of	I-Application
Divine	I-Application
Lands	I-Application
started	O
life	O
in	O
Vortex	O
prior	O
to	O
moving	O
to	O
its	O
own	O
Rapture	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hourglass	O
continues	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
as	O
of	O
2016	O
and	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
Lives	I-Application
currently	O
has	O
2,901,325	O
written	O
words	O
and	O
2,248,374	O
lines	O
of	O
game	O
code	O
(	O
with	O
2,417,900	O
instructions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1989	O
,	O
LPMud	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Lars	O
Pensjö	O
(	O
hence	O
the	O
LP	O
in	O
LPMud	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pensjö	O
had	O
been	O
an	O
avid	O
player	O
of	O
TinyMUD	O
and	O
AberMUD	B-Protocol
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
world	O
with	O
the	O
flexibility	O
of	O
TinyMUD	O
and	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
AberMUD	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
accomplish	O
this	O
he	O
wrote	O
what	O
is	O
nowadays	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machine	I-Architecture
,	O
which	O
he	O
called	O
the	O
LPMud	B-Application
driver	O
,	O
that	O
ran	O
the	O
C-like	O
LPC	B-Application
programming	I-Application
language	I-Application
used	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pensjö	O
's	O
interest	O
in	O
LPMud	B-Application
eventually	O
waned	O
and	O
development	O
was	O
carried	O
on	O
by	O
others	O
such	O
as	O
Jörn	O
"	O
Amylaar	O
"	O
Rennecke	O
,	O
Felix	B-Application
"	I-Application
Dworkin	I-Application
"	I-Application
Croes	I-Application
,	O
Tim	O
"	O
Beek	O
"	O
Hollebeek	O
and	O
Lars	O
Düning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
,	O
LPMud	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
MUD	O
codebases	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descendants	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
LPMud	B-Application
include	O
MudOS	O
,	O
DGD	B-Application
,	O
SWLPC	O
,	O
FluffOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Pike	O
programming	O
language	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
long-time	O
LPMud	B-Application
developer	O
Fredrik	O
"	O
Profezzorn	O
"	O
Hübinette	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
DikuMUD	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
AberMUD	B-Protocol
,	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
virtual	O
explosion	O
of	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
MUDs	O
based	O
upon	O
its	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DikuMUD	B-Application
inspired	O
numerous	O
derivative	O
codebases	B-General_Concept
,	O
including	O
CircleMUD	B-Application
,	O
Merc	B-Application
,	O
ROM	B-Application
,	O
SMAUG	O
,	O
and	O
GodWars	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
DikuMUD	B-Application
had	O
a	O
key	O
influence	O
on	O
the	O
early	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
genre	O
,	O
with	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
(	O
created	O
by	O
avid	O
DikuMUD	B-Application
player	O
Brad	O
McQuaid	O
)	O
displaying	O
such	O
Diku-like	O
gameplay	O
that	O
Verant	O
developers	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
issue	O
a	O
sworn	O
statement	O
that	O
no	O
actual	O
DikuMUD	B-Application
code	O
was	O
incorporated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
David	O
Whatley	O
,	O
having	O
previously	O
played	O
Scepter	O
of	O
Goth	O
and	O
Island	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
founded	O
Simutronics	O
with	O
Tom	O
and	O
Susan	O
Zelinski	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
they	O
demonstrated	O
a	O
prototype	O
of	O
GemStone	B-Protocol
to	O
GEnie	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
short-lived	O
instance	O
of	O
GemStone	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
,	O
GemStone	B-Protocol
III	I-Protocol
was	O
officially	O
launched	O
in	O
February	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GemStone	B-Protocol
III	I-Protocol
became	O
available	O
on	O
AOL	O
in	O
September	O
1995	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
DragonRealms	O
in	O
February	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1997	O
GemStone	B-Protocol
III	I-Protocol
and	O
DragonRealms	O
had	O
become	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
second	O
most	O
played	O
games	O
on	O
AOL	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	O
clients	O
are	O
computer	O
applications	O
that	O
make	O
the	O
MUD	O
telnet	B-Protocol
interface	O
more	O
accessible	O
to	O
users	O
,	O
with	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
syntax	O
highlighting	O
,	O
keyboard	O
macros	O
,	O
and	O
connection	O
assistance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prominent	O
clients	O
include	O
TinyTalk	O
,	O
TinyFugue	O
,	O
TinTin++	B-Language
,	O
and	O
zMUD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
there	O
have	O
been	O
many	O
variations	O
in	O
overall	O
focus	O
,	O
gameplay	O
and	O
features	O
in	O
MUDs	O
,	O
some	O
distinct	O
sub-groups	O
have	O
formed	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
help	O
categorize	O
different	O
game	O
mechanics	O
,	O
game	O
genres	O
and	O
non-game	B-Application
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
these	O
MUDs	O
restrict	O
player-killing	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
player	O
versus	O
environment	O
conflict	O
and	O
questing	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
labeled	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
MUDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
style	O
of	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
historically	O
referred	O
to	O
within	O
the	O
MUD	O
genre	O
as	O
"	O
adventure	B-Application
games	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
video	O
gaming	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
has	O
developed	O
a	O
meaning	O
of	O
"	O
adventure	B-Application
game	O
"	O
that	O
is	O
greatly	O
at	O
odds	O
with	O
this	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
this	O
a	O
step	O
further	O
are	O
MUDs	O
devoted	O
solely	O
to	O
this	O
sort	O
of	O
conflict	O
,	O
called	O
pure	O
PK	O
MUDs	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
Genocide	B-Protocol
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Genocide	B-Protocol
ideas	O
were	O
influential	O
in	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
online	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
RP	O
MUDs	O
provide	O
an	O
immersive	O
gaming	O
environment	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
only	O
provide	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
with	O
no	O
game	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
cases	O
,	O
role-playing	O
MUDs	O
attempt	O
to	O
differentiate	O
themselves	O
from	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
types	O
,	O
by	O
dropping	O
the	O
"	O
MUD	O
"	O
name	O
entirely	O
,	O
and	O
instead	O
using	O
MUX	O
(	O
Multi-User	O
Experience	O
)	O
or	O
MUSH	B-Application
(	O
Multi-User	O
Shared	O
Hallucination	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
differentiated	O
from	O
talkers	B-Protocol
by	O
retaining	O
elements	O
beyond	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
,	O
typically	O
online	O
creation	O
as	O
a	O
community	O
activity	O
and	O
some	O
element	O
of	O
role-playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Server	O
software	O
in	O
the	O
TinyMUD	O
family	O
,	O
or	O
MU*	B-Protocol
,	O
is	O
traditionally	O
used	O
to	O
implement	O
social	O
MUDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
less-known	O
MUD	O
variant	O
is	O
the	O
talker	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
environment	O
typically	O
based	O
on	O
server	O
software	O
like	O
ew-too	O
or	O
NUTS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
Internet	O
talkers	B-Protocol
were	O
LPMuds	B-Application
with	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
complex	O
game	O
machinery	O
stripped	O
away	O
,	O
leaving	O
just	O
the	O
communication	O
commands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Internet	O
talker	B-Protocol
was	O
Cat	O
Chat	B-Protocol
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
flexibility	O
of	O
MUD	O
server	O
software	O
,	O
some	O
MUDs	O
are	O
designed	O
for	O
educational	O
purposes	O
rather	O
than	O
gaming	O
or	O
chat	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
MicroMUSE	B-Protocol
is	O
considered	O
by	O
some	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
first	O
educational	O
MUD	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
argued	O
that	O
its	O
evolution	O
into	O
this	O
role	O
was	O
not	O
complete	O
until	O
1994	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
make	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
many	O
educational	O
MOOs	B-Application
,	O
Diversity	B-Application
University	I-Application
in	O
1993	O
,	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
educational	O
MUD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mud	O
Institute	O
(	O
TMI	O
)	O
was	O
an	O
LPMud	B-Application
opened	O
in	O
February	O
1992	O
as	O
a	O
gathering	O
place	O
for	O
people	O
interested	O
in	O
developing	O
LPMud	B-Application
and	O
teaching	O
LPC	B-Application
after	O
it	O
became	O
clear	O
that	O
Lars	O
Pensjö	O
had	O
lost	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TMI	O
focussed	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
LPMud	B-Application
driver	O
and	O
library	O
,	O
the	O
driver	O
evolving	O
into	O
MudOS	O
,	O
the	O
TMI	O
Mudlib	O
was	O
never	O
officially	O
released	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
influential	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
other	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
graphical	O
MUD	O
is	O
a	O
MUD	O
that	O
uses	O
computer	O
graphics	O
to	O
represent	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
and	O
its	O
visitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
prominent	O
early	O
graphical	O
MUD	O
was	O
Habitat	B-Application
,	O
written	O
by	O
Randy	O
Farmer	O
and	O
Chip	O
Morningstar	O
for	O
Lucasfilm	O
in	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
range	O
from	O
simply	O
enhancing	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
to	O
simulating	O
3D	O
worlds	O
with	O
visual	O
spatial	O
relationships	O
and	O
customized	O
avatar	B-Application
appearances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
such	O
as	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
,	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
and	O
Dark	B-Protocol
Age	I-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Camelot	I-Protocol
were	O
routinely	O
called	O
graphical	O
MUDs	O
in	O
their	O
earlier	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RuneScape	B-Protocol
was	O
actually	O
originally	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
text-based	O
MUD	O
,	O
but	O
graphics	O
were	O
added	O
very	O
early	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
increase	O
in	O
computing	O
power	O
and	O
Internet	O
connectivity	O
during	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
shift	O
of	O
online	O
gaming	O
to	O
the	O
mass	O
market	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
graphical	O
MUD	O
"	O
fell	O
out	O
of	O
favor	O
,	O
being	O
replaced	O
by	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
,	I-Protocol
Massively	I-Protocol
Multiplayer	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
Role-Playing	I-Protocol
Game	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
term	O
coined	O
by	O
Richard	O
Garriott	O
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
MUD	O
's	O
technical	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
a	O
mudlib	O
(	O
concatenation	O
of	O
"	O
MUD	O
library	O
"	O
)	O
defines	O
the	O
rules	O
of	O
the	O
in-game	B-Application
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
mudlibs	O
include	O
Ain	O
Soph	O
Mudlib	O
,	O
CDlib	O
,	O
Discworld	O
Mudlib	O
,	O
Lima	O
Mudlib	O
,	O
LPUniversity	B-Application
Mudlib	I-Application
,	O
MorgenGrauen	O
Mudlib	O
,	O
Nightmare	O
Mudlib	O
,	O
and	O
TMI	O
Mudlib	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
A	O
Story	O
About	O
A	O
Tree	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
short	O
essay	O
written	O
by	O
Raph	B-Application
Koster	I-Application
regarding	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
a	O
LegendMUD	B-Protocol
player	O
named	O
Karyn	O
,	O
raising	O
the	O
subject	O
of	O
inter-human	O
relationships	O
in	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Puns	B-Application
on	O
the	O
"	O
wet	O
dirt	O
"	O
meaning	O
of	O
"	O
mud	O
"	O
are	O
endemic	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
names	O
of	O
the	O
ROM	B-Application
(	O
Rivers	O
of	O
MUD	O
)	O
,	O
MUCK	B-Application
,	O
MUSH	B-Application
,	O
and	O
CoffeeMUD	O
codebases	B-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
MUD	O
Muddy	O
Waters	O
.	O
</s>
