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Threshold (online game)
Encyclopedia
Threshold is a roleplaying enforced MUD
(text-based online role-playing game
) that has been in operation since June 1996. Its focus is on providing a place for roleplaying in addition to traditional MMO
/MUD style gameplay. It has as many as 70-100 players online at any given time.
Owned and operated by Frogdice, Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky, Threshold was originally created by Michael A. "Aristotle" Hartman.
, and the enforcement and stimulation of roleplaying motivate the bulk of its rules and cases of administrator intervention. It has a long-standing policy disallowing minors and one must be over 18 to play.
The game itself may be accessed via a telnet
client or a MUD client
. The player goes through a brief character creation, and may then begin interacting with the game world.
based MUD set in a world with three main continents and a chain of islands. Religion based on a pantheon of Greek-like deities
plays a dominant role in the story of the mud, with the ability for players to rise through the ranks of religious organizations to gain divine powers. The concepts of good and evil serve as a core driving force of the roleplay within the game. Threshold provides a framework for a player-driven legal system where players can take the role of judges, lawyers, and the jury in order to prosecute players who are accused of breaking the law. There are fourteen guilds in Threshold which are equivalent to character classes in Dungeons & Dragons
, one being a secret, unlisted guild. Players can diversify their characters further with skills acquired by joining a clan.
based on TMI-2
.
in an article about online games.
Threshold was the primary MUD example quoted and discussed in Edge
magazine's article, "Lost in Transition" which discussed the preservation of gaming history.
For three consecutive years, Threshold was The MUD Journals highest-rated role-playing game. Computer Games Magazine
listed it as a highlight of less popular MMOGs, describing it as being particularly focused on role-playing, and noting the distinct passion of its players.
Richard Bartle
described it as possessing an "individuality" lacking in other, contemporary graphical MMOGs, citing its in-game legal system as an example.
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...
(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...
) that has been in operation since June 1996. Its focus is on providing a place for roleplaying in addition to traditional MMO
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
/MUD style gameplay. It has as many as 70-100 players online at any given time.
Owned and operated by Frogdice, Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky, Threshold was originally created by Michael A. "Aristotle" Hartman.
Gameplay
Threshold is a text-based MUD running on a custom server. The focus is heavily on role-playingRole-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
, and the enforcement and stimulation of roleplaying motivate the bulk of its rules and cases of administrator intervention. It has a long-standing policy disallowing minors and one must be over 18 to play.
The game itself may be accessed via a telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
client or a MUD client
MUD client
A MUD client is a computer application used to connect to a MUD, a type of multiplayer online game. Generally, a MUD client is a very basic telnet client that lacks VT100 terminal emulation and the capability to perform telnet negotiations...
. The player goes through a brief character creation, and may then begin interacting with the game world.
Setting
Threshold is a fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
based MUD set in a world with three main continents and a chain of islands. Religion based on a pantheon of Greek-like deities
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
plays a dominant role in the story of the mud, with the ability for players to rise through the ranks of religious organizations to gain divine powers. The concepts of good and evil serve as a core driving force of the roleplay within the game. Threshold provides a framework for a player-driven legal system where players can take the role of judges, lawyers, and the jury in order to prosecute players who are accused of breaking the law. There are fourteen guilds in Threshold which are equivalent to character classes in Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, one being a secret, unlisted guild. Players can diversify their characters further with skills acquired by joining a clan.
Business model
Threshold started out with a donation system where players donated towards server upgrades and hosting costs. Then Threshold evolved to a registration system with a yearly subscription fee. In 2007, Threshold transitioned to a pay for perks system where players can purchase virtual items.Technical infrastructure
Threshold is written in LPC, running on the LDMud server with a highly customized mudlibMudlib
A mudlib, short for mud library, is a library of code forming part of the technical infrastructure of a MUD. Though different varieties of MUD may be considered to have mudlibs, the term is most often used with LPMuds. In an LPMud, the mudlib consists of interpreted code written in the LPC...
based on TMI-2
TMI Mudlib
The TMI Mudlib from The Mud Institute was an attempt to create a framework driven mudlib for the MudOS LPMud driver. It consisted of many contributors to MudOS as well as people who became influential in the LPMud community. When TMI began work in 1992, a mudlib was generally packaged with both an...
.
Reception
In 2001, the game was mentioned by Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
in an article about online games.
Threshold was the primary MUD example quoted and discussed in Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
magazine's article, "Lost in Transition" which discussed the preservation of gaming history.
For three consecutive years, Threshold was The MUD Journals highest-rated role-playing game. Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine was a computer gaming print magazine. It was formerly Computer Games Strategy Plus, and before that, Strategy Plus, which had been founded as Games International in the UK in 1988. While its initial focus was on strategy games, it covered a wide range of game genres...
listed it as a highlight of less popular MMOGs, describing it as being particularly focused on role-playing, and noting the distinct passion of its players.
Richard Bartle
Richard 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...
described it as possessing an "individuality" lacking in other, contemporary graphical MMOGs, citing its in-game legal system as an example.