GodWars
Encyclopedia
GodWars is a MUD
engine derived from Merc
, created in 1995 by Richard Woolcock, better known in the MUD community as "KaVir". GodWars MUDs are typically loosely based on White Wolf
games such as Vampire: The Masquerade
, and generally offer supernatural classes such as Vampire
, Werewolf
, Mage
and Demon
. They tend to be more heavily focused upon player versus player
combat than most MUDs.
More than once there have been copyright issues involving the GodWars codebase. Aldric with the help of fellow mud players Amoeba and Rotain implemented a renamed and edited
version of the GodWars codebase. KaVir saw to it that the mud was shut down and it was only a matter of time before the codebase appeared in the hands of many other unauthorized
people. In 1996 the code was illegally posted and advertised on a website for free download. After fighting extensively to stop the illegal use of his codebase, KaVir eventually gave permission for people to use the GodWars codebase by way of a license, although by this point he had already moved on to other projects.
The GodWars codebase was very accessible, and many MUD designers contributed to later versions of the codebase. GodWars MUDs often included a unique method of gaining "experience points" through explicit, consensual sexual gameplay with another player. The less PvP-oriented Dystopia codebase and the entirely PvP-oriented Utopia codebase are the most successful examples of further community development. Utopia MUDs removed all grinding
elements from gameplay, allowing the player to begin and focus entirely on PvP combat as soon as they finish the extensive character creation process - in other words, growth could only be gained by killing other players.
One of the earliest GodWars derivatives was Vampire Wars, created in October 1995, which won the October 1998 Mud of the Month award at The Mud Connector
.
Spellbinder
. The theme and focus resemble the original God Wars MUD, although it has moved away from the White Wolf
setting and instead adopted its own dark fantasy theme.
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
engine derived from Merc
Merc (MUD)
Merc is a MUD engine derived from Copper, which in turn was based on DikuMUD. First released in March 1991, DikuMUD served as the basis for many later MUDs....
, created in 1995 by Richard Woolcock, better known in the MUD community as "KaVir". GodWars MUDs are typically loosely based on White Wolf
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
games such as Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
, and generally offer supernatural classes such as Vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, Werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, Mage
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
and Demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
. They tend to be more heavily focused upon player versus player
Player versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
combat than most MUDs.
More than once there have been copyright issues involving the GodWars codebase. Aldric with the help of fellow mud players Amoeba and Rotain implemented a renamed and edited
version of the GodWars codebase. KaVir saw to it that the mud was shut down and it was only a matter of time before the codebase appeared in the hands of many other unauthorized
people. In 1996 the code was illegally posted and advertised on a website for free download. After fighting extensively to stop the illegal use of his codebase, KaVir eventually gave permission for people to use the GodWars codebase by way of a license, although by this point he had already moved on to other projects.
The GodWars codebase was very accessible, and many MUD designers contributed to later versions of the codebase. GodWars MUDs often included a unique method of gaining "experience points" through explicit, consensual sexual gameplay with another player. The less PvP-oriented Dystopia codebase and the entirely PvP-oriented Utopia codebase are the most successful examples of further community development. Utopia MUDs removed all grinding
Grind (gaming)
Grinding is a term used in video gaming to describe the process of engaging in repetitive and/or boring tasks not pertaining to the story line of the game...
elements from gameplay, allowing the player to begin and focus entirely on PvP combat as soon as they finish the extensive character creation process - in other words, growth could only be gained by killing other players.
One of the earliest GodWars derivatives was Vampire Wars, created in October 1995, which won the October 1998 Mud of the Month award at The Mud Connector
The Mud Connector
The Mud Connector, abbreviated TMC, is a computer gaming web site which provides articles, discussions, reviews, resource links and game listings about MUDs. The site allows mud owners, administrators and enthusiasts to submit information and reviews about specific MUDs...
.
God Wars II
Recently, Woolcock has written a new MUD engine named God Wars II, which was chosen as Game of the Month by MudMagic in June 2005 and has been described by an article on linux.com as "simply astonishing in its complexity". It features a coordinate based world and a combat system inspired by Firetop Mountain, a play-by-email version of Richard Bartle'sRichard Bartle
Richard Allan Bartle is a British writer, professor and game researcher, best known for being the co-creator of MUD1 and the author of the seminal Designing Virtual Worlds. He is one of the pioneers of the massively multiplayer online game industry.-Life and career:Bartle received a Ph.D...
Spellbinder
Spellbinder (game)
Spellbinder is a 1977 pencil-and-paper game invented by Richard Bartle and first published in his fanzine, Sauce of the Nile...
. The theme and focus resemble the original God Wars MUD, although it has moved away from the White Wolf
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
setting and instead adopted its own dark fantasy theme.