MOO (MUD object oriented)

Welcome to the MOO (MUD object oriented) learning project. This project allows Wikiversity participants to learn about the text-based virtual reality environments known as MOOs.

What is a MOO?

"MOO" means "MUD, Object Oriented".

What is a MUD?

MUD is an acronym for Multi-User Dungeon (or Domain), based on the Dungeon and Dragons board game. The board is a world divided into various sized rooms with interconnecting exits. The world is inhabitted by several monsters and contains many items like armour, weapons, potions, hearbs, scrolls, poisons, containers, and furniture. Each player creates their own character and tries to advance it as far as possible by moving around the world and 'interacting', usually by killing or getting killed by, monsters with the help of other characters.

Most MUDs use several point systems: Experience, Hit, Mana, Move, and Gold being the most common. Characters also have attributes, such as strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, and constitution. These are defined by the character's race and modified by class. The class defines what skills and spells a character can learn, but race decides how well they can do them. In some MUDs, it is possible to multi-class and in others to remortalise.

The game is played over a network, using a telnet client to connect to the MUD server, and logging in as your character, typing commands, and reading the response. Each room has a name, description, and exit list. By carefully reading the description you can figure out where you are and what surprises the room contains. Other players, monsters, and items currently in the room are listed by name and title (or item description), and their current position (standing, resting, fighting, incapacitated, or corpse).

You can use several communication channels to talk, say, shout, yell, auction, and whisper to others. This variety enables players to remain in contact throughout the world. Players can turn off channels to avoid channel spam. Unlike direct channels, notice boards provide discussions, questions, bug-reports, and advice, regardless of whether players are logged in or not.

Because the MUD simulates a world and people have the choice to become someone else, MUD culture has undergone some academic scrutiny. Four player types have been identified:

These four types interact with each other as follows:

Successful MUDs have a mix of all four types, as each contributes to the mud culture. Setting up the world to provide interest for all types is more an art than science. Ensuring that killers don't drive out socialisers, achievers the killers, socialisers the explorers, or explorers the achievers, takes careful balancing between interest, difficulty, challenge, and oppotunity. A major factor is building unique, rather than using stock, areas. Builders are designated players who have to bring the world alive with interesting descriptions and colourful words. But more than that, the layout and quests must be well tested for difficulty and interest. Coders define the game play, the skills, races, classes, and available items. Angels are special players who spend their time helping others and mediating conflicts. Immortals run the MUD, make policy, are forbidden to play, and lurk in the background, just so you know they're watching.

Object programming

Putting it all together

A MOO is a MUD that makes use of an explicitly object-oriented programming language for constructing the MUD. See: MOO programming language.

Mooversity can help Wikiversity participants learn about object-oriented programming.

Activities and discussion

If you have participated in a MOO, please provide a description and a link.

External resources

See also

This article is issued from Wikiversity - version of the Monday, May 14, 2007. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.