Graphical Mud - How are they going?
Jason L Sturges
It required a extremely fancy client which updated itself constantly to new
graphical images so that the host machine wouldn't have to constantly send
tons of pure graphical information thru the net - only when something new
was reached. I, at first, thought that this was a mud that was currently
running, but now that I re-read the article, I find that they were looking
for a home. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about this, or if
the original creators were still looking for a home (I'm not offering a
computer, I'm just curious if it exists).
I suppose I would also be curious about how people would feel toward a
graphical mud. When I told a friend about it he said that he didn't like
the idea - that it took all the fun out of what a mud really is - ruined the
imagination. I have to admit that a mud could be more fun in text only, but
I am intrigued by the concept of a graphical mud. So, if anyone has any
comments about a graphical mud, I would like to hear them.
--Figor
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Jason L Sturges Project Vincent Student Development Group
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"stu...@iastate.edu" "n1...@isuvax.bitnet"
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Alfred Kayser
>A while back I read an article in rec.games.mud about a new graphical mud.
>It required a extremely fancy client which updated itself constantly to new
>graphical images so that the host machine wouldn't have to constantly send
>tons of pure graphical information thru the net - only when something new
>was reached. I, at first, thought that this was a mud that was currently
>running, but now that I re-read the article, I find that they were looking
>for a home. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about this, or if
>the original creators were still looking for a home (I'm not offering a
>computer, I'm just curious if it exists).
Get the 'client' code from 'lysator.liu.se' and compile it and run it.
The world is still small, but gives an hint how it can look like.
>I suppose I would also be curious about how people would feel toward a
>graphical mud. When I told a friend about it he said that he didn't like
>the idea - that it took all the fun out of what a mud really is - ruined the
>imagination. I have to admit that a mud could be more fun in text only, but
>I am intrigued by the concept of a graphical mud. So, if anyone has any
>comments about a graphical mud, I would like to hear them.
My imagination is better the simple drawings currently implemented.
But this bsx mud is a start, and better graphics are expected.
Greetings, Trickler
--
-- Ir. Alfred Kayser. PACS, OS/2, TCP/IP. --- Email: AKa...@et.tudelft.nl --
-- CARDIT, Delft University of Technology ------------ Tel: (31)-15-786179 --
-- P.O.Box 5031, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands ------ Fax: (31)-15-784898 --
George Bragg
>stu...@IASTATE.EDU (Jason L Sturges) writes:
>>I suppose I would also be curious about how people would feel toward a
>>graphical mud. When I told a friend about it he said that he didn't like
>>the idea - that it took all the fun out of what a mud really is - ruined the
>>imagination. I have to admit that a mud could be more fun in text only, but
>>I am intrigued by the concept of a graphical mud. So, if anyone has any
>>comments about a graphical mud, I would like to hear them.
[lotsa stuff deleted]
More to the point, how about the obvious:
Virtual Reality technology applied to MUDs? Interaction with other
characters on a 3D level... It'd take a few years, but it may be
possible...
...gcb
Tak
>More to the point, how about the obvious:
>
>Virtual Reality technology applied to MUDs? Interaction with other
>characters on a 3D level... It'd take a few years, but it may be
>possible...
>
> ...gcb
This topic ran through sci.virtual-worlds over this past summer I
believe. The archives are available. Contact the moderator of
sci.virtual-worlds (Bob jacobson = cybe...@u.washington.edu) for
location of these archives.
In addition, a summer intern from sweden (jna are you reading
this?) did some work with this but I'm not sure how far he got.
Later,
Tak
ps:I'm not so sure that a graphical LPMUD would work. It may have to
change into something totally different. The idea sounds
really cool, but just "porting" current MUD tech to VR wouldn't work
well.. at least IMHO.
------
Mark Takacs |"i used to be so big and strong,
mta...@u.washington.edu | i used to know my right from wrong,
t...@hitl.washington.edu | i use to never be afraid,
HITLab - Seattle Washington | i used to *BE* somebody.." -NIN
-----
Johan Andersson
>>Virtual Reality technology applied to MUDs? Interaction with other
>>characters on a 3D level... It'd take a few years, but it may be
>>possible...
>>
> In addition, a summer intern from sweden (jna are you reading
>this?) did some work with this but I'm not sure how far he got.
>
I'm reading :-)
What I did was a 3D space model with objects given shape and 6D location.
The model was implemented as LPC objects. It took a special vrplayer.c and
a external client to get something from it. The client used prototype software
not yet released (to my knowledge) from the HITLab so it can not be ftp'ed.
The prototype worked fairly nice though, with the 'world' running as a domain
under Genesis in Sweden and the client running under VEOS at the HITLab
it produced fairly nice 3D images on the SGI's. It's hardly more than a
prototype right now and I'm finishing my exam thesis regarding it and such
beasts always tend to take up more of your time than you expect :-)
>
>ps:I'm not so sure that a graphical LPMUD would work. It may have to
>change into something totally different. The idea sounds
>really cool, but just "porting" current MUD tech to VR wouldn't work
>well.. at least IMHO.
>
I agree fully. Condsider the lines,
"A sense of horrible dread flows through you as you enter
the dragon smelling cavern. Memories from innumerable
battles seem to be ingraved in the very walls."
Somebody have yet to explain to me how this would translate into a world
of funny colored polygons. I simply do not believe it can be done.
VR worlds or games may be to MUDs what movies are to books, they simply
carry different qualities and capabilities.
Take a look at the modern so called 'adventure' or 'quest' games from for
example Sierra and compare them with the classic Infocom games. Today there
is no simulated worlds only a series of preprogrammed responses to a limited
set of user inputs. Boring, no matter how nice the graphics and sound
may be.
Therefore the first effort in VR ought to be world building and not
computer graphics, sadly enough this is not the case. Today every
inclusive graphical interface is called a VR, no matter if all it
interfaces to is a set of funny colored polygons.
/Johan
--
Johan Andersson | "You don`t have conversations with microprocessors
Chalmers, Sweden | you tell them what to do, and then you helplessly
Email: | watch the disaster when they take you literally."
d8a...@dtek.chalmers.se | Sah`ot in David Brins "Startide Rising"