Reverie FAQ
6-20-98 by Lee Sonko
a short "getting started" FAQ for Reverie, the NERO-Ashbury MOO.
Table of Contents
What is a MOO?
How do I get a username?
How do I connect to Reverie?
What are the basic commands I need?
Troubleshooting
What is a MOO?
MOO stands for "MUD, Object Oriented". OK, so what is a MUD? MUD stands
for (among other things) Multi-User Dungeon. MOOs are second generation
MUDs. OK, so what -is- a MUD? A MUD is a virtual world where your character
can walk around and interact with other characters and things. All of the
communication is done with descriptive text. For example, here is an exurpt
from an actual session
--Next to the fire You are sitting next to a roaring fire. The rest
of the tavern is to the south.
>South
--The Dragon's Flaggon
The Dragon's Flaggon is arguably the most important structure in Ashbury.
It is a place of commerce, of negotiation, of lesuire. Scoundrels and Nobility
gathered together under one roof. Watch your back. Exits appear to be the
front doorway to the east and the steps leading upstairs. There is a fireplace
in the north end of the room Gadlen is here.
>say hey Gadlen, what's up?
Gadlen say, "I was just upstairs, the conference room is empty. Let's
go!"
>up
--Upstairs hallway in the Flaggon
A hallway leading to several smaller rooms upstairs in the Dragon's
Flaggon. There are two doors with plaques on them reading 1 and 2. You
can also go back downstairs.
>1
--Function hall (room 1)
A fairly boring room with a long table and several chairs. A sign on
the wall reads, Rent me by the hour! The only exit is the door. Wizard
has arrived.
>say What did you want to talk about?
Wizard say, "I have the secret plans! Here, let me give them to you!"
Wizard gives you secret plans
How do I get a username?
As you've heard, there are no anonymous characters on Reverie. If you
want to give Reverie a try, you can connect as a guest but you shouldn't
do this more than a few times. You want to get the added benefits and prestige
of having a registered character! You'll have to request your character
from the moomaster!
Send a letter from your character's email address to wizard@swiftmail.com.
Tell him the following info (and nothing more)
-
Your real name
-
What you want your character's name to be. Name must be one word, preferably
fairly short.
-
Your home chapter or campaign
In a few days you'll be emailed a password to get in. Note that if you
abuse the system, your username may be revoked. We're nice. We trust you are
too.
How do I connect to Reverie?
There are two main ways to connect. You can use what's called a "client"
or you can connect directly with a "telnet" session.
If you have a Java enabled web browser, just click on
this link and you'll be connected to Reverie with a basic Java client
called Cup-O-MUD
If you don't have a Java enabled web browser, you can connect with basic
telnet.
- From a unix shell, you would type: telnet swiftmail.com 7777.
- For info on connecting to Reverie with a Windows telnet program, click here.
After a while using a straight telnet, you'll probably want to get a more
advanced connection. One with better text editing, screen handling, and
maybe some macros.
There are many MUD/MOO client programs you can run on your computer
that will make your MUDing experience better. TinyFugue and TinTin come
well rated on Unix. ZMUD from www.zuggsoft.com
comes well rated on the Windows side. There are lots more client programs,
don't let me stop you from trying one that isn't listed here!
If you really must use a basic telnet client, you may have to
set your local program to echo local characters. If you can't see what
you type, on the Moo, find this option in your telnet software.
What are the basic commands I need?
note: to make these commands work, you must type them exactly as they appear,
with no additional or removed punctuation. When words are in brackets [like
this] it means that you should replace that text with your own. For this
sample, assume the name of the character is "Gadlen"
-
connect guest
This will get you online without having to create a new account for
you. You have limited powers but enough to do lots of things!
-
create [character name] [password]
Create a new identity in the world. This command is only used when
you are logging on
-
help
gets you help on hundreds of subjects, no matter where you are!
-
@pagelength / @more
If you are connected via telnet, long messages might scroll past the
top of the screen. To read these, set the pagelength. Then, long messages
won't scroll too far
IE type: @pagelength 24
then, when a long message starts scrolling, type: @more
-
look
Look around the room
-
look [object]
Take a close look at a particular object that you are in the same room
-
inventory
Take an inventory of all of your possesions.
-
say hello world!
Everyone in the same room as you will see a message that looks like
this:
Gadlen say "hello world!"
-
"hello world!
This is an abbreviation of the "say" command. Everyone will see the
following:
Gadlen say "hello world!"
-
emote is smiling
Now, everyone in the same room as you will see a message like this:
Gadlen is smiling
-
:is smiling
This is another abbreviation. Everyone will see something like this:
Gadlen is smiling
-
south
Assuming there is an exit to the south, this will move your character
to room or place to the south. You can abbreviate it with an "s". Other
directions include: north, out, up, down, exit, x... To find the exits
of a room, use the "look" command.
-
get [object]
This will let you pick up an object.
-
drop [object]
This will let you set down an object in the room you are in.
-
give [object] to [person]
This lets you give an object that you are carrying directly to another
person in the room with you.
-
@quit
Completes your session. Your character will still be standing in the
same place in the virtual world until you start another session.
Troubleshooting:
-
I logged in with the Java client. Now, whatever I type doesn't appear on
the screen.
You must log in with the format: connect [character] [password]
Otherwise, the Java client doesn't work properly.
-
It's really annoying when the text that I'm writting gets mangled when
another character types something, what can I do?
You should get a "MUD client". This is a program that manages the screen
for you. It makes using MUDs and MOOs easier to use.