MIST (MUD)
| MIST | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Michael Lawrie, project community |
| Release date(s) | 1986 |
| Genre(s) | Cross-genre satire MUD |
| Mode(s) | Online |
MIST was one of the first public access MUDs in the world. Running at the University of Essex England between the hours of 2am and 8am and at weekends, and free to use, it attained immense popularity among a dedicated user base.
MIST used MUDDL, a definition language written by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, which was originally used to implement MUD1.[1] While there were several other MUDs written in MUDDL, ROCK, BLUD, and UNI being the most notable ones, they all ran on the mud account which was deleted in October 1987 when Richard Bartle left the University of Essex, making MIST the only MUD left running on the Essex network. MIST, under the management of Michael "Lorry" Lawrie ran until the machine that hosted it, a DEC-10, was superseded in 1991.[2]
MIST was notorious for its "dog eat dog" and "anything goes so long as some more powerful character doesn't decide otherwise" philosophy, as well as its unparalleled bloodthirstiness.[3] Wanton killing, deception, and using magic powers to compel players to attack others without warning, were common and acceptable.[4]
External links
- ↑ Bartle, Richard (1999). "MUDDL". Retrieved 2011-07-10.
Many MUDDL databases were written by students at Essex University, the most well-known being 'Mist', 'Rock', 'Blud' and 'Uni';
- ↑ Lawrie, Michael (2003). "Escape from the Dungeon". Retrieved 2011-07-10.
On January 31, 1991, Essex University closed the DEC-10 and with it, MIST and MUD1.
- ↑ Bartle, Richard (1999). "Mist". Retrieved 2011-07-10.
The general historical verdict on Mist is that it was of unparalleled bloodthirstiness, but highly original and inspired, with some excellent puzzles.
- ↑ Lawrie, Michael (1991). "Confessions of an Arch-Wizard". Retrieved 2011-07-10.
The British civil service invented this one I think and if you use it as half as well as they do, you are well on your way to becoming a master. The point is that you should build hierarchies and once you have built them you should invent a use for the various levels and make sure people only channel requests or complaints properly. Luckily, games like MIST are naturally designed this way so all you have to do is create a new hierarchy at the top.