History Of MUDS

The origin of MUDs, or 'Multi-User Dungeons,' indirectly begins back in 1937, when J.R.R. Tolkien published 'Lord of the Rings.' This series influenced most of modern fiction and fantasy, as well as creating a basis for most early gaming systems.

In October 1963, Thomas Marill, Daniel Edwards, and Wallace Feurzig publish an article in 'Communications of the ACM', Vol. 6, No. 10 called "DATA-DIAL: Two-Way Communication with Computers from Ordinary Dial Telephones". This program allowed users to communicate with computers remotely without using special equipment. The patent for the modem was registered in the same year, and the two technologies built the foundation of modern computer networks.

In 1976, ADVENT, the early computer game developed by Will Crowther for the PDP-10, is revised and expanded by Don Woods into a puzzle-oriented game, now known as "Adventure", or Colossal Cave Adventure.

In 1977, the first games to be recognized as MUDs, 'Oubliette' and 'Moria', appear on the PLATO system. In Europe at that time, MUD development was centered around academic networks and played by many people within and outside the universities.

Another early MUD called Avatar, written in 1977 by Bruce Maggs, Andrew Shapira, and Dave Sides, is opened in 1979, using the PLATO system in Illinois. Players can enter dungeons simultaneously and fight monsters as a team.

In Fall 1978, Bartle and Trubshaw complete the first real MUD, written in MACRO-10 for a PDP-10. It was called 'Dungeon' or 'Dungen' and was inspired by ADVENT. It would be later released more commercially under the name of 'Zork'.

In 1979, the makers of Zork packaged the mainframe version of their game and formed Infocom to market it and other games.

In the 1980's, software stores for home users become commonplace. Infocom games as well as more graphically-oriented series such as Ultima, Wizardy, Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, and King's Quest start a new age of computer games. They are all single-players, but collect large communities of fans who corresponded with each other.

In 1983, Alan E. Klietz ports a game he had written in 1978 called 'Milieu' to an IBM XT, renaming it 'Scepter of Golth'. It was one of the first commercial MUDS and was sold to a number of locations, allowing for 10-16 simultaneous users connected by modem.

In 1984, Mark Jacobs creates the commercial site 'Gamers World' which has a MUD Jacobs himself designed called 'Aradath' (later ported and renamed as Dragon's Gate). These early text-adventure games were inspired by contemporary RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons. Also, the first commercial version of MUD1, which had been written by Bartle and Trubshaw, becomes available in the UK.

Another MUD appearing around 1985 is 'Mirrorworld', run by Pip Cordrey. It is the first MUD with rolling resets. SHADES by Neil Newell becomes available in the UK. Also, Richard Bartle begins work on MUD2.

In 1987, after playing lots of MUD, Alan Cox designs AberMUD, named after the University of Wales in Aberystwyth. Also, MUD1 is launched as British Legends by Compuserve in the UK.

Circa 1988, John Crane writes a game called 'The Playground', an interactive and user-alterable game that expanded to over 800 objects.

Also, a multi-user game called 'Monster' is created by Richard Skrenta for the VAX and publically released in November. It was disk-based and allowed for immediate modifications. Players could build game worlds and allow other players to explore them.

On August 19, 1989, Jim Aspnes announces the availability of TinyMUD, a version of MUD in which players could both create and play in an online environment. Many derivatives, such as TinyMUCK and TinyMUSH, were developed from the original TinyMUD code.

At the same time, inspired by TinyMUD and AberMUD, LPMud is developed as a more game-oriented MUD built around the LPC programming language. A game called 'Avalon, the Legend Lives' is also developed in Europe, using an object-oriented approach. It would be the first MUD to combine a consistent fantasy storyline with a commercial venture.

In Autumn 1989, John Crane starts rewriting 'The Playground' in C, then drops it for a customized version of TinyMUD which he uses to create 'DragonMud.' DragonMud is installed in December at Northern Arizona University and will become the oldest continuously running TinyMUD on the net.

On December 10, 1989, TinyHell is opened to the Public by Russ Smith.

In January 1990, Anton Rang releases the first version of Tinytalk, a command-line TinyMUD client. Darker Realms, an LPMud, opens.

In Winter of 1990, Stephen White releases TinyMUCK 1.0, which is based on TinyMUD and allows for creative tricks with exits.

In February 1990, Marcus J. Ranum has a one-day costume ball MUD called TinyBall.

On March 11, 1990, a group of MUD builders and programmers open Islandia to the public using a core database called TinyBase, which has a neater town square than TinyMUD.

On March 15, 1990, TinyTIM goes up for the first time. Also in March, Genesis of AtlantisMUCK is released by Piaw Na and BloodMUD, created to parody Islandia.

On April 9, 1990, TinyHell is retired and TinyHell 2 is established.

On April 29, 1990, TinyMUD crashes for the last time.

On May 2, 1990, Stephen White releases the first version of MOO.

Nothing particularly interesting happens for the rest of May, other than some vehicle MUCKs being constructed, a few weddings, dragon-hatchings at a Pern-themed location on TIM, and topology wars on Islandia.

In June 1990, TinyHell 2 is retired and a new MUCK called Chaos is formed. Also, Greg Scheidel and Peter Tevonian begin work on a MUCK called Brigadoon. An LPMud called TubMUD is opened.

In July 1990, Brigadoon MUCK opens to the public.

In August 1990, Atlantis is shut down. TinyTIM is converted to TinyMUSH.

In Fall 1990, the First Annual TinyAwards are held. Also, Stan Lim establishes MicroMush.

On October 30 1990, LambdaMOO is first set up, though it's a bit small at the beginning.

On October 31 1990, ChaosMUCk is retired and everyone emigrates to Brigadoon.

On November 30 1990, Islandia is retired and a MUCK called Asylum is formed.

In November 1990, FurryMUCK is formed for those who like to pretend to be anthropomorphic animals.

Also, the mud client tinyFugue is available in version 1.4 beta. The first Australian LPMud, Shattered World, opens. BatMUD opens, as well.

In January 1991, an LPMud named Orlith is formed at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Anne McCaffery fans start work on PernMUSH. A TeenyMUD called EvilMUD is formed, but the coding is terrible so new versions have to be released immediately.

On Feb 5 1991, LambdaMOO opens to the public.

In Winter 1991, Brigadoon crashes permanently. MicroMush gets a Mission Statement, Charter, and Social Contract.

In March 1991, TinySex is invented by DragonMUD users. Also, DragonMUD experiences a crippling memory shortage, so players recycle until the database works better.

In May 1991, Orlith II arises, but is divided between its creators.

In September 1991, MicroMush is ported to Chezmoto and renamed MicroMuse.

In September 1991, DragonMUD regulars hold a real-world get-together on Labor Day.

In November 1991, LambaMOO gets site tracking and a blacklist/redlist/etc capability as a mechanism to deal with troublesome players.

In December 1991, the Architectural Review Board is formed on LambdaMOO to help wizards with their workload.

Also, at some point, BSX muds are developed by Bram Stolk. An LPMud based on Discworld opens. DikuMUD, inspired by AberMUD, is released, leading to various hack-and-slash MUDs based on its code. It also inspired several derivative codebases.

On January 26, 1992, an Ad-Hoc VR Conference is held in TinyHell. Also in January, an LPMud called Valhalla becomes self-supporting by charging players for money.

In February 1992, TMI, The MUD Institute opens as a MUD for the development of a new LPMud server and to teach LPC programming language. Also in February, DruidMUCK is set up and becomes one of the longest running servers using Vanilla TinyMUCK2.3.

On March 1992, the LPmuds of Phoenix and Nightmare are slowly rebuilt, though Phoenix does better than Nightmare. Also, DragonMUD institutes monthly town meetings.

In May 1992, LambdaMOO uses Registration to prevent quota abuses and other antisocial activities. DragonMUD users also begin holding annual Memorial Day real-world get-togethers.

In July 1992, a user called Descartes takes over the development of Nightmare's mudlib, using MudOS instead of LPMud2.4.5.

In August 1992, TMI is shut down and TMI-2 opens. The teaching goal is dropped to save disk space.

In Fall 1992, amnesty is granted to the LambdaMOO Seven.

On October 31, 1992, Nightmare LPMud opens to players. Also, LambdaMOO veterans start working on Jay's House MOO. (At least, they think they did. Nobody's positive when it started.)

On December 1, 1992, the wizard administrators on LambdaMOO withdraw from social affairs.

Also, the first PK Mud, Genocide, opens. The first instances of intermud networks are formed using LPs. Dikus called World of Carnage and Merc open. A second 'Avalon, the legend lives' site is opened in Sheffield, north of England, to allow for cheaper phone call access.

In January 1993, Nightmare Mudlib is released, making it the first widely available Mudlib for MudOS.

In March 1993, the Discworld Mudlib is released, making it the second widely available Mudlib for MudOS.

On April 1 1993, Mr. Bungle is toaded on LambdaMOO for committing 'cyberrape'. It was one of the first recorded examples of this crime. Also in April, the TMI-2 Mudlib is released, a bilingual Diku MUD called EnsemMUD is published, and the textbook LPC Basics is released to the public.

In May 1993, the LambdaMOO petition system is created.

In June/July 1993, the LambdaMOO arbitration system is voted in by players.

On August 12, 1993, the first version of the Dwokin Game Driver is released, as are DGD lpMUDs.

In October 1993, DragonMUD has a Halloween Party, costume ball, and haunted house quest.

In November 1993, BeekOS is built by Beek and later merged into MudOS proper.

In December 1993, LambdaMOO has a byte quota and is forced to reduce its database.

Also, at some point during the year, World of Carnage closes and is later reopened, but most of its players and admins leave. ROM, Merc 2.1, CircleMUD 2.00, and Silly are also released, all of them Diku codebases except for Merc 2.1. 'Avalon, the Legend Lives,' tries to circumvent the cost of online connections in the UK by allowing access via terminals in Avalon's own offices in central London. This is called 'Hostplay.'

In 1994, WOO and ChibaMOO meld the web with MUDs. Dragonspires is opened by Dr. Cat. LegendMUD opens with Carnage refugees, and Merc 2.2 is released with a modified version of Carnage's scripting. CircleMUD 3.0 appears. Avalon becomes a pay-for-play MUD and closes its Sheffield office. It is still running and in continuous development to this day. Nexon in Korea begins work on Kingdom of the Winds, a graphical title-based MUD.

In February 1994, LambdaMOO goes down for a week due to a security breach.

Over the course of March, April, and June 1994, Evil! is moved repeatedly until reaching its current location, intac.com 4201.

In April 1994, LambdaMOO starts a Wait List for character creation.

On June 26, 1994, Beek and Robocoder take over and revive the development of MudOS.

In Summer 1994, the National Science Foundation grants BBN a grant to demonstrate Distributed Architecture Muse.

In December 1994, DragonMUD holds its Fifth Anniversary and Siege, repelling the forces of Napoleon and his evil warriors.

Also, at some point, the Realm of Angmar is rewritten by Mark Peterson for MS-DOS and renamed Swords of Chaos. It becomes popular for a while, until widespread Internet access eliminates most of the BBS systems it was run on. Legends of Terris becomes AOL Europe's flagship MUD. It became the largest commercially operating MUD in Europe, and is still running to this day. Gemstone III became very popular as well.

In April 1995, Valhalla reqests monetary donations from players rather than charging them for access.

On May 15, 1995, the Foundation II LPC Library is released, the first MudOS LPC Library meant for non-players.

In Spring 1995, MuseNet forms a strategic alliance with Whale Net at Simmons and Wheelock Colleges, respectively.

On June 5, 1995, the Nightmare IV LPC Library is released.

On July 21, 1995, LIMA Mudlib goes into pre-alpha release.

Also, TeenyMUD 2.0 is released and Illusia, a graphical MUD with static backdrops, goes public.

In 1996, the admins take back over LambdaMOO. AmigaMUD, a graphical MUD system, becomes available. Nexon launches Kingdom of the Winds. The Journal of MUD Research is launched. SMAUG, a Diku derivative codebase, is released. Furcadia, a graphical furry MUD, becomes open to the public.

In 1997, Mythic releases Darkness Falls, a graphic text MUD. Diablo and Ultima Online also come out, but they aren't MUDs.

In 1998, Mark Fabi publishes a novel called Wyrm, allegedly the first SF novel to accurately portray MUDs.

In August 1999, Bioware announces a new Neverwinter Nights will be developed as a distributed mud server.

In 2000, Mythic announces Dark Age of Camelot, a graphical MUD using some elements from Darkness Falls. Also, in May, the 16K MUD competition is held. British Legends, also known as MUD1, returns when Viktor Toth completes a port of the original to a new server codebase.

In 2001, Dark Age of Camelot starts public testing. When launched, it becomes the third most popular American online world.

Many different online games, including a number of massively multiplayer online role playing games, are released between the late nineties and early two thousands, but since they are not true MUDs, they are not included in this history. Including titles such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, these games are seen by some as the next phase in MUDs, occasionally called "graphical" or "next-generation" MUDs. (Wikipedia)

-Jeremy Band

This data was obtained from The MUD Timeline, the MUD entry on Wikipedia, and Ralph Koster's Home Page, also known as the Online World Timeline.
[http://www.linnaean.org/~lpb/muddex/mudline.html]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD]
http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/mudtimeline.shtml

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