FAQ

MUD, or multi-user dungeon, is a multi-player, text adventure game. There are many different types of MUDs around but on MUDII you play in a world where you can explore, fight monsters, and collect treasure, either alone or in the company of other players that are logged on.

MUDs have been around since the early beginnings of the Internet. The first MUD was written by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw at Essex University in 1978. MUD2 is the direct descendant of MUD, and MUDII is one is two MUD2s in existence. Richard Bartle is still active in the running of both MUD2s including MUDII.

More history about MUD can be found on the MUSE website here. MUSE (Multi-User Entertainment Ltd) owns the rights to MUD2.

The easist way to play MUDII is to click on the Play Now button at the top of any page. You will automatically connect to the game via web based client.

There are other and better clients that can be used to play MUDII but these need to be downloaded and installed on your own computer. Currently available clients are Clio, mudiiclient and zMUD.

Alternatively you can connect to MUDII with any telnet client which supports colour, such as TeraTerm or PuTTY. Connect to port 23 (the standard telnet port) at telnet://mudii.co.uk or port 22 (SSH). For both, the username is mud with no password.

While the game can be accessed over the Internet, it's been played for much longer than the Internet has been available in the UK. Game accounts are the same accounts that we used in the 80s, but aren't very Internet-friendly.

With a website account, you can log in through the web to manage your game accounts. Each website account can manage multiple game accounts.

That's a tough question, and depends on who you are and how you like to play. The easiest client is the one built into the website, click here to access it.

There are two free MUD clients available that have been designed specifically for MUD2, Clio is best suited for newer players, although advanced players also use this client. Clio's website is here.

You can also play with any TELNET or SSH client.

This is called a reset and is where all players leave the game so that everything can be automatically returned to its starting position. Normally the game resets every 107 minutes but this can be longer or shorter depending on a number of factors.

Further information about MUD2 can be found on the MUSE website here. MUSE (Multi-User Entertainment Ltd) own the rights to MUD2.

The game also has its own built-in help systems. There is an in-game FAQ which you can read by typing FAQ. Other useful commands are INFO, TOUR, COMMANDS and HELP. The in-game FAQ is also available on MUSE's website here.

Other players are also a great source of help. There are many players around who are more than willing to help out a new player.

One of the charms of MUDII is the way players learn about the game through exploration and experimentation. In fact, exchanging knowledge is actively discouraged. This is why you won't find a MUD manual (there are documents on the net that claim to be MUD manuals but they perpetuate myths more than anything else). Having said this, co-operative learning is encouraged and most experienced players are usually willing to give hints and tips if you're really stuck with a particular puzzle.

MUDII, like any society must have some basic rules. Players are required to abide by these rules. There aren't many, so don't worry.

No swearing. MUDII is a family game - please use appropriate language, particularly when talking openly.
No multi-lining. It is considered cheating to play MUDII while in real-world contact with another player. This includes one player playing two personae at once.
No looby-looing. Using one persona to take risks, while another reaps the benefit is also considered cheating. This isn't limited to treasure or to personae belonging to the same player. See here for the history of the term looby loo.
No personal abuse. Abusing other players will not be tolerated.
Keep it legal. Needless to say, anything which is illegal in the U.K. or the country you are playing from, is prohibited.

If you are in any doubt about any of the above, please speak to a wiz in game or e-mail us at questions@MUDII.co.uk.

In addition to these rules, you should also see our Terms & Conditions page.

When you sign up for an account at MUDII.co.uk you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions. These can be found here.

MUDII is free to play. MUDII is not free to run however. We rely on donations from players as well as generating money through hosting adverts on the website. If you would like to make a donation click on one of the Paypal donation buttons found on any MUDII webpage.

The forum was part of the old site and heavily customised to work with it. Unfortunately, it was also very dated and upgrading it to a new version isn't practical. For that reason, it's sadly been retired.