Character Creation

The problem most MUD newbies face is not knowing how to get started when they log into a MUD. This document is a brief explanation of how to get help on DikuMUDs and their offspring (MERC, ROM, Envy, etc.). First of all, you have to create a new character. Your name is very important; it is better to keep it short so it'll be easier to type. Also, try to give yourself a name which fits the time period of the MUD. It's not hard to explain how tacky it is to log into a medieval MUD with a name like "Butthead". Take pride in your character. Next, choose a password. Make sure it's about eight characters with numbers and symbols, for safety. Now build the rest of your character; most MUDs provide plenty of help files to support their character creation systems.

Entering the MUD's World

Now you should be ready to enter the MUD. Most likely, you'll begin at some place close to a newbie area (the most well-known is a MUD School or some variation). You'll notice there may be a lot of messages showing up on your screen, usually gossipping. If it's annoying to you, just type help gossip for help or gossip by itself to toggle the channel off. Next, type help for a handy list of commands. These are the basic commands which are used most frequently (sleep, wake, kill, practice, etc.). For more info on each command, just type help *command*, *command* being a variable you replace with what you're trying to learn more about. Here's a list of some useful commands:

• who - Provides a list of the people logged into the MUD.
• whois *person* - Shows who a specified person is.
• quit - Leave the MUD.
• title/description - Change title (Rob t'Thief)/change description.
• look, look *object/person* - Looks at room, object, or person.
• eat *item* - Eat an item. Takes away your hunger, letting you heal faster.
• drink *item* - Drink something. Same as eating, except it quenches thirst.
• put *object* pit - Puts an object in the donation pit.
• get *object* pit - Gets an object from the donation pit.
• wizlist - Gives a list of the immortals of the MUD.
• score - Prints a table of your attributes, amount of gold, etc.
• worth - Prints amount of gold, level, experience, and experience needed.
• sleep, rest, sit - Regenerate a few times faster than when awake.
• stand - Stand up after sleeping, resting, or sitting.
• commands - Gives a list of all the commands available to you.
• north, south, east, west, up, down - Movement commands.
• spells/skills - These two give lists of spells/skills you know.

Some Tips for Newbies

1. Train wisdom and either intelligence or constitution to their maximums at first. High wis gives more practices per level, int increases the percentage learned when you practice, and constitution helps you regenerate hit points faster.
2. Ask others for help getting good newbie equipment and gold. They'll help!
3. Play nice and get allies. It'll make your growth much easier, especially on PKill MUDs.
4. Be aware that a lot of people will know more than you do in a lot of areas. And they'll be quick to point that out to you.
5. Read the 'rules' before anything else. You don't want to get on the bad side of the immortals. Type rules on most MUDs to read them.