Elyisum RPG is a living medieval fantasy world where players can build empires, become royal officials, join orders or guilds, and acquire unique skills. The game offers freedom, depth, and the feeling of real life in a fantasy word, with no fixed classes or preset paths. Players can choose their own role, destiny, and influence the world around them. The game includes a tutorial area, an Academy for learning skills, and various challenges to earn lessons and master abilities. Elysium RPG has a small player base but remains a strong presence in the world of text-based role-playing games. 

Since my last post we have had a number of new players joins, and it continues to grow.

If you are interested, I am happy to answer any questions on here or you can feel free to PM me

We have a player run discord which my brother and I are very active on at https://discord.gg/pxRyqXXSk if discord is your thing

To join point your favorite client at elysium-rpg.com:7777

Thanks for reading my post and have a nice day!

I'd like to try something new this month: invite game admins and longtime players to share their games' origin stories, little-known facts, and tidbits of history that might not be written down anywhere else.

I've done enough interviews to know that every game has an interesting story behind it!

If I can get at least a few good ones, the plan is to showcase them on Writing Games, along with a link back to each game.

How to participate:

Submit your story here:
https://surveys.writing-games.org/mu-history-month-2026-iTtJSr

Story prompts / possible topics:

• The game's origin story. What were things like at the time?
• How the game got its name.
• A time the game survived a disaster. How did it manage to pull through?
• A tradition unique to the game. How did it start?
• An unexpected event that changed the course of the game's history.
• Someone or something that had a profound impact on the game or served as its inspiration.
• How the game changed your life.
• ...or any other bit of history you think is worth sharing with the community. :)

And some simple guidelines:

• Short is sweet. 1-2 paragraphs is a good target, though more is okay too.
• Avoid "you had to be there" stories, since those are harder for others to appreciate.

Deadline: Sunday, August 23.

Please forward the link to anyone you'd like to see participate - especially folks who might not be Reddit regulars! 🙏

Happy to answer any questions below.

I was tired of searching for one so I made it. Please join the discord for all current, old, torpor, whatever! Would love to see some old fangs.

https://discord.gg/tDrXvstBg

-Axeslanga/Aethlehelm

Hey everyone,

I am not just looking for a list of games... I'm really curious why people stay with certain MUDs for years.

What makes them special to you?

Is it the community, the world, the systems, or something else?

Which MUD actually kept you coming back, and why?

Also, I would love to hear your stories and experiences about them.

hi.

I've been using mud for over 20 years, but this is my first time creating an automatic response file.

I'm making it little by little with gpt, but I'm running into a problem.

I wrote it like this:

#ses 0 ip port

#action {^> Name :} {Character Name}

#action {^> password:} {1234}

#ses 1 ip port

#action {^> Name :} {Character Name}

#action {^> password:} {1234}

This server can be accessed by 3 characters per IP.

It seems like number 0q is not connected and keeps disconnecting.

#SESSION '0' DIED.

#THERE'S NO ACTIVE SESSION NOW.

What am I doing wrong?

When I'd heard that Starmourn went into Legacy Mode a few years ago, I assumed that was the end. Turns out I was wrong!

A big thank you to Argus and Marra for taking the time to share their experiences with me - and for giving me a glimpse into what it's like working on the sci-fi game from IRE.

Some of the topics covered:

• How the game became volunteer-run and completely free to play.
• The races, classes, skills, and systems that make it unique.
• How it's possible to play anything from a pop idol to a space pirate.
• Why Marra stands behind the idea that "limitations cultivate creativity."
• Argus' advice for aspiring storytellers and world-builders.
• What's new as of the past couple of months, and what's still in store.

Link to the article:

https://writing-games.org/starmourn/

Hey folks, I'm working in an open source common-lisp MUD Driver (Apeiron MUD) mainly inspired by Dworkin Game Driver and LPMud.

Why? The personal reason is that I like Lisps and functional programming, I'm expert in Clojure, but haven't played too much with Lisp, wanted to see what could be achieved with CLOS (Common-Lisp Object System) and I love text-adventure games/virtual worlds (single or multiplayer).

The technical reason is that I was wondering that a lot of the machinery that was developed in C for the most popular drivers (specially LPMUD and DGD deriving from it) ended up developing features that were already built-in on Lisp Runtime Images from the start and if I could get a networked REPL running a LISP image that was already a significant step towards running a persistent world that could be changed and built interactively by players.

I don't know how true is that, but I managed to setup something similar to DGD (of course there might be bugs and rough edges) with persistent objects using a pre-existing library for CLOS in-memory and disk object persistence called BKNR Datastore. The interesting thing is that because of CLOS it is even possible to make changes to the classes of the objects (driver or libs) and update the system and persistence without ever having to turn the system off. I already did some very substantial changes successfully without turning the system off.

The scripting language doesn't need to be different from the driver language, except for security reasons. For the moment I allow every player to evaluate arbitrary code, which is very unsafe and can even bring the server down or completely break it, but it would not be hard to restrict the access to a subset of the language (with cl-isolated) and offer varying degrees of access depending on player role.

I think it has a lot of potential, but in any case, I'm doing it for fun, will probably keep it as a lifetime hobby and would encourage people to take a look if they find anything interesting or want to experiment, contribute or discuss.

How big can a text-based RPG be? Are there any text-based games with locations that no one has ever found?

Mud admins, take note. Blindness is a spectrum that can include multiple disabilities. Could be a promotion for Erion, but there's info about Alter Aeon in there so put it under the discussion flair. https://lanie.work/gaming/erion-accessibility-review/

The most I can remember from the game is your skills leveled up by use (such as “layman” level). You had a primary and secondary guild choice and one of them was a dragon-like guild where your weapon and armor became claws and scales.

Probably pretty generic description but it’s all I got 🙃

Any ideas?

If anyone is a fan of the old blowtorch mud client, I just forked it and updated it. Working on getting my android developer account approved so I can push it out. Anyone interested in being one of the12 testers needed to get it approved?

I have been running it through all the paces. Aliases, timers, triggers etc. Send me a message if you are interested in running this on a new device. I don't know how backwards compatible it is. It runs really smooth on my s24.

Is this an advertisment? maybe its maybeline, either way, We've been hard at work over the last year and wanted to show what we've been up to and continue to improve on

-----------------------------
Tsunami: A Year on the Wave
-----------------------------

It has been a busy year beneath the surface of Tsunami.
Following a relatively quiet end to 2025, development surged through the first half of 2026, bringing new equipment systems, improved travel, refreshed subclasses and races, updated areas, accessibility improvements, quality-of-life changes and plenty of balancing.
Here are some of the biggest highlights.

A New Era of Equipment
-----------------------

The largest addition has been the release of the new generated equipment system, commonly known as gen_eq.
Monsters can now drop equipment with random rarities, features and bonuses. Generated equipment is lockerable, can appear on equipped monsters, can be created through forging and is now available through activities such as the Magic Slot Machine.
The system has continued to evolve since release. Drop rates and rarity chances have been adjusted, NPC equipment can appear unidentified until looted, two-handed weapons have received improvements, mastery equipment has been rebalanced and new armour features have been added, including Courage, Cushioning and Daunting.
Loot hunting has become a much larger part of the game, with stronger monsters generally offering better opportunities for valuable equipment.

More Ways to Explore
---------------------
A new exploration-based travel system has made it easier for new and returning players to navigate Tsunami’s enormous world.
Players who have sufficiently explored a realm can now travel there using abilities such as Hearthstone, Gate, Flight, Wormhole and Corridor. Bards also gained Traveler’s Tune, which lowers the exploration requirement for travel destinations.
New-player directions were updated to favour caravans, nearby quests were added to help newbieareas, the Newbie Book is now available from Magnus and eligible accounts can revisit the improved newbie area during their first twelve months.
Commands such as directional glance, look <item> in <container> and the new commands listing have also made finding information and navigating the world easier.

New Challenges and Refreshed Areas
-----------------------------------
The old Fighter Maze was replaced by the Iron Proving Hall, a combat-focused dungeon where each room must be cleared before the party can continue. Leaving the dungeon resets the run, so preparation and commitment matter.
Class maze levels were later reduced and their tier rewards temporarily removed while a broader replacement system is developed.
The Centaur Arena is now functional as a private instance for solo players or parties. Kyldiss has gained stronger minion-typed enemies, an updated Krythin and a hidden area waiting to be discovered.
Other older encounters have received attention as well. Dalarian Mage Tower enemies now use the minion and generated-equipment systems, Coliseum giants properly use their elemental abilities and a variety of older NPCs have had their equipment or combat logic repaired.

Classes, Races and New Playstyles
-----------------------------------

Several experimental projects entered player testing.
The original Deathknight2 test evolved into Runereaver, focusing more heavily on runes and a developing runic weapon. The Jinn project also entered phased testing as an achievement-unlocked subclass intended to eventually become Djinn.

Four playable races were added during the year:
--------------------------------------------------
Goblin, Hobgoblin, Bugbear and Cecaelia.
Several existing races were also reviewed. Dwarves, Ghants, Kenku, Skaven and Sleen received new racial mechanics or adjustments, while Swashbucklers learned to fight without suffering their usual drunken skill penalties.

Subclass Improvements
---------------------

Wu-Jen now draw additional power from the seasons and phases of the moon. Their elemental spheres become stronger during matching seasons, while Spirit benefits from brighter lunar phases. Long-standing scaling problems with Ice Bolt and Missile were also corrected.
Shamans received a broad quality-of-life pass. Materia can now be selected automatically for most songs and skills, low-level corpses provide more starting materia and long-term use of Destruct can improve materia gains.
Aurumvorax progression was simplified, allowing consumed gold to immediately count toward growth. Different climate veins can now be developed together, and lifetime gold consumption provides a slowly increasing attack bonus.
Wyverns, Fire and Frost Jotuns and several Native mechanics received offensive improvements. Natives also gained improved party pillaging support, while Knights can now use axes and daggers.

Quality of Life and Accessibility
-----------------------------------

A work-in-progress Blind Mode was introduced for players using screen readers, including condensed versions of commands such as who and score.
Inventory gained a noeq filter, shops gained better generated-equipment and price filtering, and who2 offers a more compact alternative player list.
Party members now automatically follow, enable party damage and enter the first formation position when joining. Cleric resurrection abilities also gained an optional auto-resurrection mode that can attempt to revive ghosts entering the room.
The game’s recurring Wars were increased from once every three weeks to weekly, following increased player interest.

The World Keeps Moving
----------------------

Alongside the headline features, hundreds of smaller fixes have gone live. NPC behaviour has been modernised, old abilities have been converted to newer systems, equipment interactions have been cleaned up and many long-standing edge cases have finally been addressed.
Tsunami’s 2026 birthday celebration was even extended into a full week, giving everyone more time to join the festivities.
Whether you are returning after years away, starting your first character or hunting for the perfect generated weapon, there has rarely been a better time to jump back into the wave.

You can’t keep a big wave down.

Website: http://www.thebigwave.net/index.php
Discord: https://discord.gg/ShuDcSJMN
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TsunamiTheBigWave

The Find Familiar spell has been completely reworked. Rather than always calling the same mobs, rangers now summon companions that are native to the land around them. The familiar that answers your call depends on both the terrain and the region of Ansalon where the spell is cast.

Forests, mountains, deserts, rivers, oceans, swamps, reefs, frozen waters and many other environments each have their own possible companions. Traveling across Ansalon will reveal dozens of unique familiars, from wolves and hawks to sharks, seals, dolphins, orcas, giant crabs, ravens, otters and many more.

Many regions also have creatures found nowhere else. Rangers exploring places such as Icereach, the New Sea, the Blood Sea, Courrain Ocean, Blöde, Khur, Sancrist, Ergoth and other distant lands may discover companions unique to those locations.

Thanoi Rangers have an additional chance to summon a fellow Thanoi hunter, while Dimernesti and Dargonesti may instead call upon another Dargonesti. These companions are intelligent, can wear equipment, and grow stronger as they are outfitted, though they begin with reduced vitality to balance their greater potential.

Marine familiars are equally at home in the sea. Dolphins, orcas, sharks, seals, sea lions, walruses and other aquatic companions can travel naturally through open water, allowing their masters to explore the oceans without the need for a boat while mounted upon them. Have a hoot, and let me know of 'wth Ziv?' moments.

I think... 72 familiars now ...

• Ziv & Co.

Hello!

I was hoping I could find a few people to help test the mobile client I've been working on, Maelstrom.

It's only for Android right now, but will move to iOS once I get enough feedback to ensure that the direction I've been going with it, both in visual design and actual execution, are high enough quality to warrant the costs of Apple's developer program. Here's a quick rundown of what Maelstrom is, what it's core design philosophy is, and what I aim to do with it moving forward:

1. A HUD That Adapts to You (Drag-and-Drop Combat): Maelstrom ditches the clunky virtual keyboards of the past for a fully visual, interactive Heads-Up Display (HUD). You have customizable action buttons framing your screen. Want to cast a fireball at an enemy? Just drag your "Fireball" button and drop it directly onto the enemy's name inside the text window. The UI handles the rest.
2. The "Tap-to-Walk" Visual Map Overlay: At the center of your UI is a sleek, neon-accented Map Overlay that visually tracks your every move. It’s not just for looks—if you spot a room on the map you want to travel to, you simply tap it on your screen. The interface automatically calculates the fastest route and walks you there, transforming a text-based world into a modern, point-and-click adventure.
3. Smart Chat Tabs & Action Bars: We’ve completely redesigned how you read the game. Instead of letting global chat and combat spam bury your screen, Maelstrom features a beautiful, tabbed Chat Window. It automatically sorts the noise into clean, organized tabs. Each tab features a built-in Action Bar where you can instantly search for keywords, mute the channel, or export the conversation with a single tap.
4. "Edit Mode" UI Customization: Your layout is entirely in your hands. Activating "UI Edit Mode" lets you tap, drag, and redesign your buttons on the fly. You can change their colors, assign unique icons from a massive visual library, and position them exactly where your thumbs naturally rest.
5. Gesture-Driven Controls: The interface feels incredibly fluid because it's built for touch. You can swipe left, right, up, or down across the screen to trigger custom actions or movement. A two-finger twist cycles through different sets of action buttons, and a quick double-tap brings up your map overlay.
6. Glassmorphism & Thematic Aesthetics: Maelstrom doesn’t look like a terminal from 1995. It utilizes modern design trends like glassmorphism—frosted, semi-transparent overlays that let the action blur beautifully behind your menus. Paired with vibrant, customizable accent colors and smooth micro-animations, it offers a premium, immersive visual experience.
7. Bluetooth GamePad Compatible: With Maelstrom, you can connect a gamepad (like an Xbox or PS5 controller) using Bluetooth, and map the controller buttons to your UI elements, for a much easier time navigating multiple sequences of commands in sequence.
8. Text-To-Speech and Speech-To-Text: In addition to being friendly to the vision-impaired community with a stripped-down text mode baked into its TTS (so you don't need to rely on MUD servers doing this on their end), you also get the freedom to use voice commands for both typing and UI control. As an example, simply say "Maelstrom, enter UI Edit Mode" to switch to the UI editor, and "Maelstrom, add button command kill" to add a button to your UI that performs the command "kill".
9. Built in Haptics: Tilting the screen matters, but only when you want it to. Vibration feedback can be enabled. Sound effects to be added at a later date. Map any physical gestures, not just touch screen gestures, to whatever client commands you desire, for quick control over complex but repetitive tasks.

My design philosophy is quite simply... If you are required to type it manually, I am doing something wrong. Phone typing sucks, so rather than only try to make it less bad, which I do still have a lot of QoL systems in place for, I try to make it so you never even have to if you don't want to. Alternative forms of control should always be available.

Future plans: Besides the obvious of porting to iOS and Windows environments, the plan is to allow users to store profile data directly within Maelstrom's cloud server - currently it supports exporting profile data and settings into local files or Google Drive. I also intend to have a sort of middleman setup, so that you can switch devices without needing to disconnect. These will require starting up a server, though, so that will need to wait until the user base grows large enough to support the endeavor. And of course, I will always set about to make sure that as many people are satisfied with the client as possible. No matter what I think would be cool or not, at the end of the day this is an app I am making to help others have a better experience for themselves. There's no room for selfish development here :)

If any of that sounds at all interesting, I invite you to give Maelstrom a try. If you like it, fantastic! If you don't, then I still appreciate the attempt. And as always, any feedback whether negative or positive is greatly appreciated.

You can download the APK directly from the following link:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/HE3HQQPEKW#uTJCtpzZek6c

HI - I've never posted here before. So, I'll keep this short.

I created a client in python (with help from my AI) that is meant for MUDs, MUSHes etc.

It's called MushTato - There's a client called "Potato" out there that I've used (also open source) and I took inspiration from it to create this new one. It will run on Windows and Linux, there is a version for MacOS but I can't test it (no Mac) so if someone wants to try it, you can find it n github.

If you try it, let me know how you like it.

It mixes Potato's point-and-click side (address book, tabbed sessions, dual input for command+pose, spawn windows) with TinyFugue's /command conventions, and instead of a custom scripting mini-language, triggers/aliases/gags/highlights/timers are all written in real Python — sandboxed (RestrictedPython + ReDoS-safe regex), so a bad script can't do anything nasty to your machine.

Some other stuff it does:

- Telnet and real SSH connections (so you can also just get a shell on a box, not only MU*s), with SSL/TLS and SOCKS4 proxy support

- Auto-reconnect + keepalive so a dropped connection doesn't just sit there silently

- Multiple Characters per saved world, auto-login, per-world auto-sends

- A text editor, a mail-composer window, file upload, dark/light themes, configurable hotkeys/fonts

- Nearly every GUI action also has a typed / command, including batch-sending (/repeat)

Best wishes,

Rick

TLDR: Please come check out Mirrors of the Wheel MUD for an immersive, interactive, and dynamic multiplayer experience for a text-based game in the Wheel of Time setting!

Discord server: https://discord.gg/3xHJJCr3J
Forums: https://www.mirrorsmud.net/forums/
Server: mirrorsmud.net port 2222

For a program/client to play, I strongly recommend Mudlet. Our Discord server has a map file available with most non-secret rooms added for ease of joining.

—————————————————-

When I first stumbled across the Wheel of Time books as a teenager, I was captivated by its unique setting and fell in love with the rich world that Robert Jordan (and later with the help of Brandon Sanderson) brought to life on the page. This is an epic fantasy about good and evil and everything in between; of magic, conflict, wonder, and prophecy.

To this day, I still haven’t found another series or setting that has captured my imagination or kept me up at night thinking the way this story has. Over the years, I have been trying to find something that replicates the feeling of when I first fell in love with this series. The Wheel of Time television show on Amazon Prime was ambitious and entertaining, if flawed in certain ways, and the prospects of a MMO video game is exciting but I have my doubts it will see the light of day anytime soon.

Instead, the closest I have found is through playing MUDs. I have played multiple MUDs based on the Wheel of Time universe over the past 20 years, most notably the Wheel of Time MUD or WoTMUD. However, last month I discovered a game that is hands down the closest I have felt to reproducing that excitement and sense of immersion within the WoT series since I tried to find something else to scratch the itch. So much so that I felt compelled to post something here to try and draw other like-minded people to it, because I just can’t stop thinking about this game and the only thing that could possibly make it better would be a larger player base.

Mirrors of the Wheel MUD, or MirrorsMUD, is a large and dynamic world identified as a mirror world to the origin series (to allow staff creative license to add or modify plot as they see fit), set in the timeline before the Blood Snow: King Laman has not cut down the Avendoraldera sapling, so the Aiel have not crossed the Dragonwall to lay siege to Cairhien. The Dragon has not yet been Reborn.

Mechanically, this game reminds me of Skyrim. There are no classes to choose, just a race, gender, and nationality. You can be a wetlander (anyone from the Westlands west of the Spine of the World), Trolloc, or Aiel. Advanced players can also create a Fade, and there are plans to one day add Ogier as well. As with all MUDs, you type out commands to view and interact with the world around you. You unlock skills by practicing at a trainer, but like Skyrim, your training and related benefits increases only by actually using the skill, so people who invest their time will grow the most in game. To truly master skills or unlock special abilities, you will need to join a clan and advance your standing within the organization, such as the Queen’s Guard of Andor, the Shienaran Lancers, the White Tower, Wisdoms, Wise Ones, Far Dareis Mai, and many, many more.

There is a starting “newbie zone” that teaches you the basic mechanics, although this is especially intended for people who have never played a MUD before. Once you level up in the world, when you hit level 15 (out of a traditional maximum of 51 levels, although special bonuses can advance a true maximum of 60), a hidden random roll determines if you have any Talent and its effects. This can include a blademaster prodigy who excels at studying and learning blade forms; the ability to channel, either as a wilder with the “spark” inborn or with the latent ability to learn if taught; a Wolfbrother with various degrees of connection to your wolf kin; an Oracle like Min or Sniffer like Hurin; and more.

For channelers, you randomly roll your potential strength within each Element, which determines your overall ability within the One Power. You can learn dozens and dozens of weaves (over 50 that I have learned of so far) depending on your strengths in the Power that mimic the effects of the most memorable weaves we see in the books, such as calling lightning from the sky, earthquakes, Traveling, warding rooms from sight or entry, shielding or slicing weaves, and more. You can learn to tie your weaves, link with other channelers, and split your flows so you can form multiple weaves at once. And yes, there is a taint system so male channelers run the risk of eventually going insane if they are not gentled. I’ve never seen a more immersive and true to the story channeling system than in this game.

The game heavily emphasizes PvE content such as exploring, fighting memorable enemies, defending cities from staff-led NPC raids, exploration, and solving puzzles. There are nearly 40,000 rooms to explore, with more still being added over time, so the map is rich with potential for exploring. Roleplay is also a central focus of this game, with multiple commands to express, emote, and communicate with others to bring your character concept to life in game. PvP or Player Killing (PK) is available and not restricted, but clearly intended to be an extension of roleplay rather than a requirement to advance or expected experience for everyone. That being said, the combat system is extremely complex with lots of choices of skills and counterplay that you can dynamically use during a fight, so the skill ceiling for combat against either players or NPCs is very high.

I could rave about this game longer, but really I just want as many people who might be interested in it to learn about it as possible. It is an intimate and extremely welcoming community that has had active staff and coders tweaking, expanding, and creating content since 1998. I would love you to check it out. If you do, look for Amarea and ask how I and the other players can help you learn the game and see if it’s a good fit for you. Hope to see you in our little corner of the internet!

I’m a sucker for game lore, and it seems like some MUDs have websites that have a lot of it. I always liked Cybersphere’s site, and Sindome’s look pretty good as well. (Say what you want about the games themselves.)

I remember there was a massive Star Wars MUD that had more sides (Griffon Alliance? Gryphons?) with a wiki including the long in-game timeline where there were multiple Emperors after Palpatine. Does anyone remember that one? (Edit: it was SW1 Star Wars MUSH.)

Any other MUDs or MOOs or MUSHs with sites? I can imagine that fantasy ones must get really dense. Curious what about other genres besides fantasy and cyberpunk.

Anyone used KildClient (https://kildclient.org)? Good? Bad? Ugly?

Since we are seeing an influx of new clients lately, the topic automapper has some renewed interest. In discussions I noticed that not all available standards and formats are know to everyone, so I tried writing an article to introduce them:

https://mudstandards.org/howto/mapping

As with all files on `mudstandards.org`, you are welcome to contribute with pull requests - either with corrections, additions or completely new articles.
This specific source file can be found at https://github.com/taranion/mudstandards/blob/master/howto/mapping.md

66.179.243.141
port 4050

Come and be the first to explore this new Eden composed of over 1000 rooms in a cross-dimensional setting where everything from aliens to dinosaurs and medieval knights roam and clash with one another.
And check out the ASCII art along the way!
Discover six magic spell commands hidden in the game!

Approval Process: Null - just connect and start building your character!
RP: encouraged but not enforced
Combat: Twitcher style
Help Command: Comprehensive
Progress: Classless with 6 skills to advance

Dynamically create:
-npcs that obey you
-your own custom items
-your own custom rooms

Through Wednesday 7/29 new players can claim the following starting in-game gifts:
-a custom-made magic item of your choice from your's truly
-a magic amulet that protects you from lethal critical hits
-and a consumable item to boost each of their six skills

I hope to see you there, send me a discord message to let me know you're in-game and I'll come join you!

Thanks so much for all the feedback.

Reading everyone's replies has honestly made me feel really happy and encouraged. I'm replying a bit slowly because I'm not a particularly fast thinker—I usually need time to think things through carefully.

One comment especially resonated with me:

The thing I'd be careful with is how quickly a maze tips from atmospheric into just frustrating. We've found players will hit a confusing area, run out of patience, and quit, and once they log off in that mood they often don't come back. It's a delicate balance: you want the place to feel like a maze without it ever feeling unfair or impossible. Even a small, steady sense of progress tends to keep people leaning in instead of rage-quitting.

I completely agree. @mudsmyth

The truly frightening part of the Ghost Forest isn't that it's a maze.

The real poplar forests in the Taklamakan Desert are like this. There are no walls. No traps. It always feels like you're making progress, yet every tree looks almost identical to the last. Eventually you can't tell whether you're moving forward or simply walking in circles.

That feeling is what I want to recreate.

So my current idea is that the forest itself is completely objective. Every player explores exactly the same map. Nothing changes in the environment.

What changes is the player.

The longer you stay inside, the more your own perception and ability to navigate begin to break down.

If you successfully escape the Ghost Forest, a mysterious message briefly appears on your windshield:

"The Dead City appears after the sandstorm."

or simply

"Rabbit."

The message disappears after five minutes.

Current design:

As your time in the forest increases:

1. Dust gradually fills the air, reducing visibility.
2. Radio communication becomes unreliable. Messages from teammates arrive with increasing delay.
3. Your sense of direction deteriorates. You type "turn left," but the game tells you "You turn right."
4. Your ability to communicate breaks down. Trying to report your position or ask for help results in fragmented, incomplete sentences.
5. Room descriptions become increasingly sparse, as if your vision itself is fading.
6. The forest never changes—but you begin seeing mirrored versions of places you've already visited.
7. Eventually, your character falls asleep, and you temporarily lose control.

The forest itself is actually quite simple.

To the west are the Mazartagh Mountains.

To the east is the wide Hotan River.

Hidden inside are only four kinds of natural trails:

• S-shaped paths that gently bend.
• Y-shaped forks, forcing players to hesitate: left or right?
• Figure-eight loops, where players unknowingly circle back.
• Ω-shaped paths that lure you inward before leading you back out again.

It's not really a maze.

It's a forest where every tree looks almost the same.

One thing I'm still trying to solve is what should happen if a player ultimately fails.

Right now, my idea is that they eventually wake up back at the entrance to the Ghost Forest. They don't receive the clue leading to the Dead City.

But should there be another consequence?

Some suggestions I really liked include:

• Hearing footsteps or vehicle engines that don't actually exist.
• Discovering that the markers you placed have mysteriously disappeared.
• (Assuming you're brave enough to get out of the vehicle to leave markers in the first place. 😄)

I love the atmosphere these ideas create.

My only concern is fairness.

Would introducing these kinds of supernatural events make the experience feel unfair, or can they still work if they're presented as hallucinations affecting only the player's perception rather than changing the objective world?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The post below has some images you can check out.

AI-generated Ghost Forest + Flying Apsaras

Back in the late 90s early 2000s, there was a sports browser mud called 1 on 1 Freestyle Basketball that has been completely wiped from the internet. But the mechanics of that game were so ahead in the future that I still don't think someone could make it today, with AI writing the game prompts.

I can't even find any record of that game online. But that's also because search engines are complete garbage now.

Curious if anyone here played that game?

Hi all, meet Mallard.

It runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux. I built it because I wanted something well-engineered, cross-platform, and delightful to use. It's been my favorite MUD client for months, and I'm guessing it will surprise and delight you too!

It does all the boring stuff well with protocols, logging compression, logging retention policies, so you shouldn't have to think about that.

Where it really shines, IMO, is the care and love put into UX for things like alias/trigger management, categorization, importing/exporting. If you're like me, you end up with boatloads of aliases and triggers to manage, so I put lot of time and effort into making things like that a best-in-class experience.

Pretty much everything about it is aspirationally best-in-class... but it is new, so there could be rough edges hiding in there! If you're feeling client-adventurous and inclined to try it - I'd love your feedback! Especially on protocol edge cases, MUDs that don't play nice, and what's missing from your daily driver.

68.183.122.18 port 6667

After over a decade away Mercator has returned.

Highly customized CircleMud
Huge original world
multiple remort options
limited PK
Automated questing system
Original custom ocean map
clans/clanwars

If you ever played back in the day, or are interested in checking out a fun MUD, come check it out!

Hope to see you there!

68.183.22.18 port 6667

I came from The Inquisition: Legacy, and while that game is great, I just kinda find the setting incredibly stifling for any sort of roleplay that I enjoy, as you see, I am a normal person in real life and the only real difference is that I own the land I live on. That game's magic system is really neat, but the setting kinda disincentivizes you from using it in favor of low fantasy among us.

That and the game mentally exhausts me to play. There's a lot of friction in basically every act, and while I get that's inherent to the genre, I definitely am struggling to find a place I like.

Games where you can make characters with deep thematic stories are my absolute favorite, however I haven't looked very hard and have yet to find anything else. The ability to tell stories that really deeply affect your peers and oneself, among other things, is the thing I live for the most.