Nuclear War MUD
Encyclopedia
Nuclear War MUD, abbreviated Nuke, is a MUD
, a text-based online role-playing game
, founded in 1992.
elements. Civilization has been destroyed by a nuclear holocaust — hence the name of the MUD. The only effective remaining organizations are street gangs and megacorporations.
Street gangs are the most important affiliation that player character
s have, and provide both objectives and special abilities with which to carry them out. Examples of gangs are the Hackers, who carry personal computer "totems", and the Inquisitors, who believe that the nuclear apocalypse was a "cleansing".
Nuclear War has been noted for implementing the "chat channel" mechanic, a common convention in MUDs, through a thematically justified piece of equipment, a radio which must be tuned to the frequency of the channel one wishes to access. Similarly, where the term for staff on many MUDs is "wizard
", a term Nuclear War went live with, a change made a few months after release subverted the convention by calling staff "scientists", with the "Gods
" becoming "Administrators".
settings otherwise pervasive in the MUD genre and for providing strong support for new players.
running on the MudOS
game driver and a custom mudlib once based on the LPMud 2.4.5 lib.
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...
, a text-based online role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, founded in 1992.
Game characteristics
The MUD is set in a post-apocalyptic world with cyberpunkCyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
elements. Civilization has been destroyed by a nuclear holocaust — hence the name of the MUD. The only effective remaining organizations are street gangs and megacorporations.
Street gangs are the most important affiliation that player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s have, and provide both objectives and special abilities with which to carry them out. Examples of gangs are the Hackers, who carry personal computer "totems", and the Inquisitors, who believe that the nuclear apocalypse was a "cleansing".
Nuclear War has been noted for implementing the "chat channel" mechanic, a common convention in MUDs, through a thematically justified piece of equipment, a radio which must be tuned to the frequency of the channel one wishes to access. Similarly, where the term for staff on many MUDs is "wizard
Wizard (MUD)
Wizard is commonly used in MUDs, particularly LPMuds, AberMUDs and MU*, as a term for the MUD's developers and administrators. The usage originates with Richard Bartle's original MUD1 and MUD2. It is frequently abbreviated "wiz", which is sometimes used as a verb; to wiz is to become a wizard...
", a term Nuclear War went live with, a change made a few months after release subverted the convention by calling staff "scientists", with the "Gods
God (MUD)
God or Goddess, in MUDs, often refers to an administrator of a MUD server, most typically the owner. Sometimes multiple individuals with the title of God are present, or the term may even be applied to all administrative and development staff, but it is usual for the term to refer to the most...
" becoming "Administrators".
Reception
Nuclear War has received critical praise, particularly for providing an alternative to the medieval fantasyMedieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
settings otherwise pervasive in the MUD genre and for providing strong support for new players.
Technical infrastructure
Nuclear War MUD is an LPMudLPMud
LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö...
running on the MudOS
MudOS
MudOS is a major family of LPMud server software, implementing its own variant of the LPC programming language. It first came into being on February 18, 1992. It pioneered important technical innovations in MUDs, including the network socket support that made InterMUD communications possible and...
game driver and a custom mudlib once based on the LPMud 2.4.5 lib.