ifMUD
| ifMUD | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Liza Daly and project community |
| Engine | PerlMUD |
| Platform(s) | Platform independent |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Interactive fiction MUD |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
ifMUD is a MUD associated with the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup accessible via telnet or a MUD client. It is central to the interactive fiction community, frequented by many of the genre's best-known writers.[1][2] Every year, the XYZZY Awards are hosted on ifMUD during an online ceremony.[3]
ifMUD was founded in 1997 by Liza Daly.[1] It is written in the Perl computer programming language making use of an extensive hack of the earlier PerlMUD, with many additional features.[1]
Game characteristics
ifMUD is organized into areas, with a distinct area usually the work of a particular contributor or group of contributors and having its own interactive fiction plot. For example, Save Princeton was created by Jacob Weinstein and Karine Schaefer.[4]
MUD bots
Two major bots exist on ifMUD, Alex and Floyd.
Floyd acts as an interpreter for many different IF writing platforms. It was named after a fictional character from the Planetfall game by Infocom.
Alex, a "parrot" bot named after Alex Pepperberg, keeps track of memos on any topic, editable by anyone, similar to a wiki. It was written by Dan Shiovitz and was inspired by the Perl infobot Purl.
Reception
ifMUD has, at times, simultaneously been praised for its service to the interactive fiction community and criticized for fostering an excessively self-referential, socially impenetrable environment.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 Granade, Stephen. "Brass Lantern IF and a MUD". Retrieved 2010-04-08.
There is a place on the Internet where fans of adventure games gather. They meet other fans; they occasionally run into the people behind the bylines on games. [...] ifMUD is the brainchild of Liza Daly. Over the years it has moved servers; its codebase has been hacked until it only vaguely resembles the PerlMUD source from which it sprang. It has simmered since its introduction in June of 1997, a blend of personalities and ideas.
- ↑ Montfort, Nick (2005-04-01). Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction. The MIT Press. pp. xv. ISBN 0-262-63318-3.
I also appreciate the many conversations I have had about interactive fiction topics with friends from an enjoyable and topical online community, ifMUD.
- ↑ Montfort, Nick; Ashwell, Sam Kabo; Cornelson, Dave; Shiovitz, Dan (2005-04-08). "Interactive Fiction FAQ". Interactive Fiction: Other Poetic and Imaginative Writing for the Computer and Writing on Digital Media Topics. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- ↑ Göbel, Stefan (2003). Proceeding of the Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment (TIDSE) Conference, 2003. Fraunhofer IRB. p. 366.
Fig. 1 shows a map created by one interactor on a piece of paper while playing Jacob Weinstein and Karine Schaefer's Save Princeton cooperatively on ifMUD [...]
- ↑ O'Brien, Paul (2006-07-19). "Pass the Banana". ifreviews.org. Interactive Fiction Reviews Organization. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
External links
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