MUDQuesting

Well I've beem at it again. Sniffing around the horde of MUD's that there is to find one that has the breadth and depth I want, as well as the interface features to make it highly usable. I've also cobbled together a list of things I deem important to me for a MUD to appeal:

• Free to play


• Coherent Fantasy theme


• Newbie friendly - gentle introduction


• ANSI Colour - clear display


• MAPS at location, city and world level


• Flexible Configuration and Customisation


• Large enough playerbase


• Information steeped inventory and equipped


• Extensive help system


• Clean but informative combat


• Formations/Groups allowed


• Logical and attainable Questing


• Persistant World with solid Roleplay

One that I found very interesting at first is Legends of Karinth, it has a well versed set of descriptions and a good mapping system, but sadly (I think its still in beta) the playerbase is almost non existent. It seems to have plenty of votes on some of the MUD listing sites, but when I've logged in, theres only been me, another player and perhaps an AFK admin. Which is a shame really, because it does have most of the requirements I've been looking for in my MUDquest. I particularly like the ability to scribe your own spells, name them, tweak their power and duration etc.. very nice.


Dipping into another pool, I come across a MUD that might possibly tick all the boxes. Its called Medievia and boy does it look and play good. It has its own font for the map options.

It has a rather large playerbase, 80+ on every night. And it does draw you in with a nice tutorial and a info packed website (the only real downer is that it doesnt have a community forum, to discuss the game outside of the game). Still bashing my way through the Warrior levels at the moment, apparently your progression through Medievia is all about moving through all the 4 main classes before sub-classing and specialising, so you get a taste of the action from all angles..

/em hoped he had someone to form up with and take on the ASCII horde!

Fadewyn Moon

Fadewyn Moon, an aspiring bow maiden and blade mistress. Her Elven beauty masking her sometimes unpredictable but determined ferocity. Her tenacity to pursue and overpower with skill or brutality sets her aside amongst her peers. Take arm with her, and she will serve you loyally without question. Take arms against her and some say the scorn of a begrudged elf can be unimagineable. Attuned with beasts and forest, she will not hesitate to heal as best she can, but also slay with cold precision and logical calm. For the most part, 'Fade' is a polite and pleasant elven girl, with a sly demeanour that can be unsettling, but once you know her is almost reassuring.

Achaea

http://www.achaea.com

One of the most popular and very deep MUD's. Its steeped in Lore, and seems to contain a whole breadth of options I've rarely seen in a MUD (well since the last time I played one). Also, I think it supports grouping and grouped combat as well as having a nifty MUD client ready to spawn from the web page itself, complete with compass and health/mana bars etc.. the initial tutorial hand-holds you through most of the basic commands, and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of people online willing to offer you help if you need it.

more MUDing

I'm having real trouble sifting through the vast quantity of information on offer with Achaea.. theres just so much, and it can be overwhelming...

So I've been dabbling with The Realms of Despair (RoD), a MUD I used to play years ago, which is much more simpler in its execution and its a bit more action orientated... which has ultimately lead me to another MUD that is a balance between the two.. it has more to it, more flavour than RoD, but isn't quite as overpowering as Achaea.. its known as Dark & Shattered Lands.


With all these MMO's out, I shouldn't find myself sucked into a world that has only text based descriptions, but theres just something pure about it, its like having Fantasy Grounds without the graphics. Having said that it does have a world map, that scrolls with your character as you're exploring.. which is a welcome addition to give you an overall feel of structure and environment - something many MUD's lack.. Oh and in DSL its an enforced Roleplay MUD, so noe vanity names as such, your name is vetted upon creation I believe. Anyway, I'm sure this MUD fetish will go on and on...

MUDQuest

Whilst exploring the plethora of MUD's available to play, to find one I will settle with, I've gone from verbose complex MUD's through to quite brief action orientated ones, and then some. I found a very popular MUD the other day I decided to try out, that does have a great mix of complexity with newbie friendly hand holding. Now I'm not sure whether its popular because many many people are playing it, or just that it actually requests you submit a vote for it everytime you log in - something which seems very odd, and goes against my nature - but which I'm willing to do if I can delve into its depths and enjoy it. This MUD is called Aardwolf and it is a very friendly MUD indeed, in terms of coaching you through your early years, as well as providing you with tools that facilitate the downsides to only having a text based world to play it. It has an ascii based map not only for the wider world (like Dark and Shattered Lands) but also for your local journey's, so you're no longer left blind without much of a clue about direction. You don't need to buy software to help you map common places, to build up speedwalk strings to get from A to B. You can see it all on an ANSI coloured ascii map, with a symbol key. Not only that but it also gives you a list of speedwalks from recall points to popular questing areas. Something which I thought would be looked down upon by the MUD vets - who had to build their own lists. Anyway, the customisation of the MUD seems very accessible, the combat and skillsets seem very involved, but simple to run, and generally it feels like a good world to play in. The MUDquest continues..