try it out!

[Chris Gray]

I've blabbed on this list about my server for a while now. I'm finally
able to put my money where my mouth is (so to speak!). After paying
$275 for an Amiga ethernet board, and taking one of my systems to work,
AmigaMUD is up on the internet! So, give it a try. The system is at:

    mud.myrias.com	port 6667     (plus the regular telnet port)

Please don't spread this around too much yet - this is a very early
test, and the first time I've run an ethernet board in an Amiga.

I don't have the docs all setup yet (likely tomorrow - they are all
written, but just need arranging in directories properly), but the
simple stuff should be simple!

Warning: you will have to put your telnet client (or mud client) into
line mode. I only realized this shortcoming yesterday, so it'll be a
while before I yank some cooking code from another client and put it
into the one used for telnet connections. With a standard UNIX telnet
client, this is done via the "mode line" command. You can do that
before using an explicit "open" command, or, if you put the machine
name and port on the command line when you invoke telnet, you have to
use the escape character (usually printed by telnet when it starts up,
and usually a control-]) and then use the "mode line" command.

Other points:

    - the server is *very* underpowered, so if more than half a dozen
	or so users get on, it might get slow. I'm not real sure, since
	this is the first experiment using an ethernet card, etc. The
	server is a 25Mhz 68030.

    - the scenario isn't the best. I still think of it as a "starter"
	scenario which shows programmers how to do some things in order
	to create a real scenario. Nevertheless, it has a few hundred
	locations, shops, bulletin board, six quests, etc.

    - the combat is *very* primitive. Only 3 of the quests require you
	to go into the combat area, however. It even has levels!

    - I've set this system up so that all players will automatically
	be enabled as builders. Until the full builder docs are online,
	you'll have to make do with the summary in the books in the
	Builder's Guild.

    - I've enabled "free poses". That means that the normal commands
	like : and . will work without warning the recipients about
	how the output was generated. E.g. if you type

	    :gives the rhinocerous a hickey.

	others will see:

	    <Your name> gives the rhinocerous a hickey.

	Similarly, if you type

	    .It is ominously quiet.

	the message will go out without identification to others in
	the room. (By default, these commands generate output that
	others can recognize as being generated by a player, rather
	than by a system.) Use 'echo on' if you want to see your own
	speech/poses/emits.

Once the docs are up, I'll be happy to make any of you into full
wizards, as well. The worst you can do is crash the system! I'll be
telling one or two others about the system, too, and you might also
see some of my co-workers there instead of working.

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA