The Veteran programmers have a tendency to mutter this in their sleep, for at every programming newsgroup or mailing list they turn to, countless neophytes agonizingly scream it in bursts of incredible frustration. If you have ever been reduced to this level, or you are simply struggling to get started, this article is for you. Well, this is a little difficult to answer because the term is used so broadly these days. It stands for Multi-User Dungeon. The most complex and magnificent MUDs take the shape of entire worlds where thousands of people interact to form intricate economies and societies, an occasional battle between computer-generated monsters and players may shift the game's history, and people get together to form indispensable life lasting friendships.
MUDs are the perfect environment for someone to start learning how to game program.
They can be programmed and maintained by a single coder, often yield incredible results, and they are simple enough for anyone to learn. Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't an easy path to the big bucks, but it provides a great learning foundation that teaches important concepts like modular design, networking, and how to maintain a large gaming server. Well, we could jump right in and get you running, but my goal here is do that and help you distinguish your MUD from the thousands of others out there. Making a great game is only half of the ballgame. The other half is getting everyone else to realize that you made a great game.