Online creation
Encyclopedia
Online Creation, also referred to as OLC, Online Coding, Online Building, and online editing, is a software feature of MUD
s that allows users to edit a virtual world
from within the game itself. In the absence of online creation, content is created in a text editor or level editor
, and the program generally requires a restart in order to implement the changes.
Further modifications could made via the menu-based Customize command.
For rooms, the name, primary and secondary descriptions could be changed. A mystery message could be added to a room that would be displayed when a magic object was brought into a room by a player. Trapdoors could be created to bounce players to a named exit (triggered by a random chance) or for bouncing dropped objects to another room.
For exits, one could set multiple aliases (i.e. n|north|road) as well as extended descriptions. Player traversal of exits could be blocked or allowed if a magic object was defined on the exit. Success and failure messages for attempted traversal could be defined as well as the messages other players saw when a player entered or came out of an exit. Exits could be marked concealed and/or flagged as doors to require the player to attempt to open a door or search the room for concealed exits.
For objects, one could edit the description, the article to be used with it (i.e. 'a', 'an', 'some'), and an extended description shown upon closer examination. A magic object or magic room could be defined that would allow or prevent an object from being picked up or used unless inside a specific place. Like exits, success and failure messages could be defined for 'getting' or 'using' an object. An object's type could be set which allowed pre-programmed behavior.
Monster heavily influenced the design of TinyMUD
. TinyMUD was an attempt to create a "stripped-down" version of Monster with just object creation and locking. As time went on some of the functionality that was deliberately left out was reinvented.
TinyMUD itself inspired an entire family of MUDs based entirely on the premise of allowing users to build online. Among those subsequent MUDs are TinyMUCK and TinyMUSH.
TinyMUCK added the following features to the "online building" interface: the ability to write and modify multi-user Forth programs online, the ability to attach these programs to things — such as objects, rooms and players — and the ability to delete objects online. TinyMUSH's online creation language is more Lisp
-like in nature.
For example, LPMud
tries to avoid the stability risks by abstracting the system into a virtual machine
which is protected from mistakes made in objects written in the game's LPC programming language
. Other MUDs that shipped with online creation features include LambdaMOO
, and CoolMUD
.
Diku and Merc MUDs did not originally support online creation capabilities — DikuMUD was specifically designed to be a better AberMUD
, which was notorious for having a hard-coded world. A number of different packages were created to add online creation capabilities, the first of these was Armageddon
for DikuMUD by Dan Brumleve, Nasri Hajj, and Santiago Zorzopulos, which allowed builders to create zones, rooms, exits, objects, and mobiles interactively through a VT100
menu, or command line driven, interface. Their online creation system was added to the DikuMUD derived SillyMUD codebase, released in 1993. The Merc
derived codebase The Isles, released in 1994, also featured online creation. SMAUG
, a descendant of the Diku and Merc branches, included a feature called Online Building.
is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game
. From within the game's client, players can engage in certain limited forms of creation (such as the development of fireworks, sculptures, or games for other players to play). Similarly, Second Life
is a 3-D virtual world which provides its users with tools to modify the game world and participate in an economy, trading user content created via online creation for virtual currency. Cube and its successor, Sauerbraten
are first-person shooter
engines designed for online creation.
:
The principals of Second Life have indicated that over 60% of their users are active content creators.
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s that allows users to edit a virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
from within the game itself. In the absence of online creation, content is created in a text editor or level editor
Level editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
, and the program generally requires a restart in order to implement the changes.
Online creation as original content
An aspect of online creation that separates it from "mere game play" is that online creation systems can generally be used to create new content — new objects, new locations, new creatures — rather than simply creating instances of predefined items in the game world. Some have observed that certain forms of online creation — notably those associated with creating new commands — can threaten the stability of the server.Origins
The first publicly available MUD that featured in-game creation of the game world was Monster."Monster allows players to do something that very few, if any, other games allow: the players themselves create the fantasy world as part of the game. Players can create objects, make locations, and set up puzzles for other players to solve. Game mechanisms allow players to:
- Create and describe new objects and locations
- Specify how game objects function
- Provide text descriptions for events that may happen
Further modifications could made via the menu-based Customize command.
For rooms, the name, primary and secondary descriptions could be changed. A mystery message could be added to a room that would be displayed when a magic object was brought into a room by a player. Trapdoors could be created to bounce players to a named exit (triggered by a random chance) or for bouncing dropped objects to another room.
For exits, one could set multiple aliases (i.e. n|north|road) as well as extended descriptions. Player traversal of exits could be blocked or allowed if a magic object was defined on the exit. Success and failure messages for attempted traversal could be defined as well as the messages other players saw when a player entered or came out of an exit. Exits could be marked concealed and/or flagged as doors to require the player to attempt to open a door or search the room for concealed exits.
For objects, one could edit the description, the article to be used with it (i.e. 'a', 'an', 'some'), and an extended description shown upon closer examination. A magic object or magic room could be defined that would allow or prevent an object from being picked up or used unless inside a specific place. Like exits, success and failure messages could be defined for 'getting' or 'using' an object. An object's type could be set which allowed pre-programmed behavior.
Other online creation systems
Other MUD-like systems that allow creation of online content have followed. Some of these are simply alternative implementations, and others provide significant new features.Monster heavily influenced the design of TinyMUD
TinyMUD
TinyMUD is the name of a MUD server codebase, and the first MUD running that codebase. The MUD itself has subsequently come to be known as "TinyMUD Classic" or simply "Classic", or occasionally "DaisyMUD"...
. TinyMUD was an attempt to create a "stripped-down" version of Monster with just object creation and locking. As time went on some of the functionality that was deliberately left out was reinvented.
TinyMUD itself inspired an entire family of MUDs based entirely on the premise of allowing users to build online. Among those subsequent MUDs are TinyMUCK and TinyMUSH.
TinyMUCK added the following features to the "online building" interface: the ability to write and modify multi-user Forth programs online, the ability to attach these programs to things — such as objects, rooms and players — and the ability to delete objects online. TinyMUSH's online creation language is more Lisp
Lisp programming language
Lisp is a family of computer programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized syntax. Originally specified in 1958, Lisp is the second-oldest high-level programming language in widespread use today; only Fortran is older...
-like in nature.
For example, LPMud
LPMud
LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö...
tries to avoid the stability risks by abstracting the system into a virtual machine
Virtual machine
A virtual machine is a "completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system". Modern virtual machines are implemented with either software emulation or hardware virtualization or both together.-VM Definitions:A virtual machine is a software...
which is protected from mistakes made in objects written in the game's LPC programming language
LPC programming language
LPC is an object-oriented programming language derived from C and developed originally by Lars Pensjö to facilitate MUD building on LPMuds...
. Other MUDs that shipped with online creation features include LambdaMOO
LambdaMOO
LambdaMOO is an online community of the variety called a MOO. It is the oldest MOO today.LambdaMOO was founded in late 1990 or early 1991 by Pavel Curtis at Xerox PARC. Now hosted in the state of Washington, it is operated and administered entirely on a volunteer basis...
, and CoolMUD
CoolMUD
CoolMUD is a type of MUD, and a descendant of MOO. It is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users are connected at the same time...
.
Diku and Merc MUDs did not originally support online creation capabilities — DikuMUD was specifically designed to be a better AberMUD
AberMUD
AberMUD, pronounced , was the first popular open source MUD, named after the town in which it was written, Aberystwyth. The first version was written in B by Alan Cox, Richard Acott, Jim Finnis, and Leon Thrane based at University of Wales, Aberystwyth for an old Honeywell mainframe and opened in...
, which was notorious for having a hard-coded world. A number of different packages were created to add online creation capabilities, the first of these was Armageddon
Armageddon (MUD)
Armageddon, frequently abbreviated Arm, is a low fantasy MUD — a text-based online role-playing game — set in a desert world called Zalanthas. It was founded in 1991 by Dan Brumleve, Nasri Hajj, and Santiago Zorzopulos in Urbana, Illinois...
for DikuMUD by Dan Brumleve, Nasri Hajj, and Santiago Zorzopulos, which allowed builders to create zones, rooms, exits, objects, and mobiles interactively through a VT100
VT100
The VT100 is a video terminal that was made by Digital Equipment Corporation . Its detailed attributes became the de facto standard for terminal emulators.-History:...
menu, or command line driven, interface. Their online creation system was added to the DikuMUD derived SillyMUD codebase, released in 1993. The Merc
Merc (MUD)
Merc is a MUD engine derived from Copper, which in turn was based on DikuMUD. First released in March 1991, DikuMUD served as the basis for many later MUDs....
derived codebase The Isles, released in 1994, also featured online creation. SMAUG
SMAUG
SMAUG is a Merc and DikuMUD derived MUD server. Its name is a backronym inspired by the dragon Smaug found in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction. The project was started in May of 1994 by Derek Snider and in July of 1994, Realms of Despair, was opened to the public...
, a descendant of the Diku and Merc branches, included a feature called Online Building.
Post Text-based MUD
Online creation does not only exist in the text-based MUD context. For example, A Tale in the DesertA Tale in the Desert
A Tale in the Desert is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game set in Ancient Egypt, run by the independent company eGenesis. The initial software download and all new content are free, with a monthly subscription required to play beyond the first 24 hours.-Gameplay:A Tale in the Desert...
is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
. From within the game's client, players can engage in certain limited forms of creation (such as the development of fireworks, sculptures, or games for other players to play). Similarly, Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
is a 3-D virtual world which provides its users with tools to modify the game world and participate in an economy, trading user content created via online creation for virtual currency. Cube and its successor, Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten (game)
Cube 2: Sauerbraten is a cross-platform, Quake-like first-person shooter that runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X using OpenGL and SDL. The game features single-player and multiplayer gameplay and contains an in-game level editor, its main feature...
are first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
engines designed for online creation.
Prevalence
According to an article at The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
:
It's an emerging rule of thumb that suggests that if you get a group of 100 people online then one will create content, 10 will "interact" with it (commenting or offering improvements) and the other 89 will just view it.
The principals of Second Life have indicated that over 60% of their users are active content creators.
External links
- TinyMUX Wiki MUSHcode help, Server details, and indepth articles for the four major MUSH codebases.
- MUSHCode.com MUSHcoding and MUSH related resources.
- Monster's Web Home
- "A brief guide to TinyMud" by Jennifer Stone and Rusty Wright