=== What's the Good News? ===

Multiplayer IF is finally here!

=== Introducing GUNCHO ===

I'd like you to meet Guncho, a system for writing online multiplayer
games with the tools, parsers, and libraries you already know from
single-player interactive fiction.

You can think of it like a game where every player is the star of his
own story, playing the role of the "PC" while everyone else plays
"NPCs" -- and vice versa.

Or you can think of it like a MUD where all the locations, objects,
and behavior are coded in a familiar IF language instead of confusing
MUD macros.

Either way, you're in for a blast. Log in and join the amazing world
of Guncho! The world I've built for this public beta shows a few
things you can create with Guncho, and also makes for a great place to
chat. Some of your friends might even be there by the time you read
this!

=== How to Connect ===

You can use any MUD client or telnet program to connect to the host
"guncho.game-host.org" on port 4108.

Windows users, try SimpleMU: http://simplemu.onlineroleplay.com/

Mac users, try Atlantis: http://www.riverdark.net/atlantis/

Unix users, try TinyFugue: http://tinyfugue.sourceforge.net/

If you'd rather not install a MUD client, you can open a command
prompt and type "telnet guncho.game-host.org 4108" (on most operating
systems).

=== How to Make Your Own Game ===

After you create an account, you can build your own little world using
a variety of languages, from Snap to Inform 7. All the compilers and
interpreters have been modified to work seamlessly with more than one
player character. Once you submit your game's source code, it'll be
compiled automatically, and then my special one-step process will
merge it into the overall story that's been written by the other
Guncho users.

The possibilities are endless! Craft an intricate story with a handful
of heroes, or design a museum with exhibits that dozens of people can
see at once. Make an abstract world of puzzles or a florid land of
conversations.

Want to work with some other authors to create a multi-episode game?
That makes Guncho happy! Want to make something that doesn't fit in at
all? That's OK, Guncho won't judge you. Let it flow!

=== Beta Release Notes ===

With some MUD clients, you might experience a network delay, where
buffered output from the MUD is sent all at once each time you press
enter. This happens with telnet software that doesn't correctly
implement RFC 1097, but it can sometimes be fixed by toggling "line
mode" in your client. I ask for your patience while I try to work
around it on my end.

Have fun!

Regards,
Stan Juprak

Sounds very cool.  Can you explain how to get an account, and how the
process of adding IF segments to Guncho works?

It's not for real.  Because today...

On Apr 1, 1:11 am, Nikos Chantziaras <rea...@arcor.de> wrote:

Today is the anniversary of the introduction of Gmail, another very
real service that also starts with a G.

There are eleven players online right now, and at this rate, that
number will only grow larger as time goes by. Won't you join us?

Regards,
Stanton Juprak

Stan Juprak (Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:41:34 -0700):

STANTON JUPRAK = "Not Just A Prank"?

grim.

o.O

On Apr 1, 9:38 am, grim <jkfgdkhs...@kolozsvar.ro> wrote:

Figures. MultiPlayer IF is probably just too damn complex to implement
well. I knew it was 4/1, but really had hoped that someone would solve
this problem and make some sort of mpif engine. They did put a bit of
effort into the joke though. It seems like a real mud or something.

David C.

On Apr 1, 3:38 pm, grim <jkfgdkhs...@kolozsvar.ro> wrote:

Hi,

I did turn this to my advantage though. Thank you for mentioning
Atlantis the MUD client. If it wasn't for that, i'd not be back up on
ifMUD. Terrific to find it accessible. Todays joke = tomorrows gain
for me.

On Apr 2, 2:40 am, ChicagoDave <david.cornel...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have experimented in the past with writing a game where there are a
fixed number of characters and the command prompt just cycles through
all the characters one at time for each to make a move. If doesn't
give you the real-time experience like a mud, but it does give you the
IF equivalent of a chess game and can be quite fun.

Stuart

Now that April 1 is over, I have some more good news to add: Guncho is
real. Pretty much everything in that announcement was true

On Apr 2, 12:41 am, vaporware <jmcg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Indeed.

Jesse let me see the software about a week or so ago and I've had a
chance to play around with it a bit.

I have to say, I think with a little research and time for people to
create useful extensions, Guncho will very likely meet most or all of
the requirements I have always imagined for multi-player IF.

This is a very serious advancement in IF development, possibly as big
of a deal as anything to date.

Kudos to Jesse for an extraordinary game engine.

David C.