September, 1994 interview Hat

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Hi Richard, and all! Thank you, Richard for joining us tonight.
9-15,richard
that's "this morning" for me, not "tonight"!
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Hey, everybody, this is Richard Bartle <pointing to user 15> the BL Game Author or as he modestly puts it the co-author <g> Er, goodmorning care for a cup of coffee, Richard? Or is it tea?<g> We are going to be properly formal tonight/morning! So if you have a question type a ? and wait for me to call on you for your question. Similarly, if you have a comment type ! and again wait for me to call on you. The topic tonight is fairly open...Richard is here as guest speaker and will gladly answer most game related questions Remember after you are done speaking to type GA <means go ahead> to signal that you are finished and I can direct the next person to speak. Only type a ? or a ! once! You will be put on a list. Ready Richard?
9-15,richard
yes, I'm ready

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Ok, first up, Vixen, you had a question? GA Everybody else please be quiet!
9-11,vixen
Ok, are you going to come play with us when this is over,and do you play much BL yourself.?
9-15,richard
When this is over, I am going to go to sleep. It's 2:45am where I am. As for playing BL, hmm, well, no, I don't not really I pop in from time to time and see what's going on, but I don't play.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Skitzo, question, GA
9-7,skitzo
ok,how long did it take you to program BL, and are you a wiz? GA
9-15,richard
How long did it take? Depends how you measure it. BL is actually the third version of a program called MUD. The first version took about 2 days to write, but was just a test for what was to come. The second version took maybe 2 months, on and off. I didn't write either of these. I wrote around 75% of the third version, ie. BL, and made it into a game rather than a place to wander around.
9-7,skitzo
i am just asking because i am learning how to program and i wanted to know how long a good game takes to program GA
9-15,richard
Well the core of the program was maybe 3 months, but I added to it all the spare time I ever had, so the full time was a lot longer. As for being a wiz, yes, of course I am - I even worked my way up from novice (but not on BL, on the original, pre-CompuServe version).

9-3,Logrus
a ? MUD was that mULTI-USER-DUNGEON?
9-15,richard
Yes, MUD=Multi-User Dungeon

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Timmy, question, ga
9-20,Timmy <The Target>
Is ANYONE willing to give any hints on how to get boat for dragon isle??? Im stuck, GA
9-15,richard
You know where the boat is?
9-20,Timmy <The Target>
No, i think you have to build it..?
9-15,richard
You are labouring under a massive misapprehension.
9-20,Timmy <The Target>
Boat starts in game at a reset??
9-15,richard
yes, it does. it's adjacent to a body of water. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Alive, question, ga
9-6,Alive
Ok To Richard, Why did you make the MUDs and what is your daily job?
9-15,richard
I made BL (aka MUD1) because I'm a programmer and a gamer, and therefore I was just happy programming games. My daily job is programming games, too - the latest version of BL, which runs in the UK

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Aqua, question, ga
9-8,AquaDyne
Richard.....are there plans to expand BL, like MUD2...and... are you going to change the Maus puzzles again before I make wiz? GA
9-15,richard
there are no plans to expand BL, no: it's incapable of anything much more complicated than it is at the moment. That's why I wrote MUD2 from scratch. The maus puzzles will get changed when I next install a database, along with a whole load of graveyard puzzles that have been stacking up for about a year, but I can't put a game into production unless it's "worthwhile". This means I hve to wait for a whole load of little things to mount up before fixing it.
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
do you mean epitaphs, Richard?
9-15,richard
Yes, I mean epitaphs.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Logrus, question, ga
9-3,Logrus
My question comes in two parts.
9-15,richard
oh-oh
9-3,Logrus
First, Richard, did you work on a MUD project at Essex University in England?
9-15,richard
yes I did: that was the original MUD, and BL is practically identical to it this was around 1978/79, but BL didn't come until 1980
9-3,Logrus
Ahh, you see, around 8 years ago I plaid (played) MUD (and it was called just that... from Tokyo via a packet switching net (KDD) thru to Essex.
9-15,richard
yes, that's the one: MUD is what I always call BL; BL is a compuservisation
9-3,Logrus
Actually over ten years ago, and you say you worked on that original MUD?
9-15,richard
"well, we did have someone call from Tokyo, yes, I remember
9-3,Logrus
That was me. You truly remember??
9-15,richard
What was your persona name?
9-3,Logrus
I think I called myself... dang I have had so many..
9-15,richard
something short, starting with S I think... hard to remember
9-3,Logrus
Something m,edeavl (mid-evil)
9-15,richard
was that you in WiReD then?
9-3,Logrus
No im afraid not, I fell out of the MUD cicuit for a while, into LAN sipport now.
9-15,richard
hmm, well maybe there was morethan one, then anyway, I think maybe we ought to stop having a conversation and get back to the questions
9-3,Logrus
It had to have been 1982... I am thru thank you GA
9-15,richard
well if you remember JEZ and EGOR, you're the one I'm thinking of! ga
9-3,Logrus
oh yes!!! Ill be damned!

9-15,richard
ok skitz, your turn
9-25,skitzo
i cant figuere out that ghost on the stairs,any hints?
9-15,richard
the ghost on the stairs, yes, well that's one of the very few rooms that isn't one of mine. it's my co-author's Roy Trubshaw's. The poem is just that, a poem, it serves no purpose but to
9-5,Chaotic
annoy novices
9-10,Evaine
<g>
9-15,richard
help describe the room. Actually, it's a mis-quote, I think; the real A. A. Milne poem starts off "Halfway down the stairs", not up.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Chaotic, question, ga
9-5,Chaotic
Thank you Val. Mine is a design question... There seem to be items such as the stove and dwarf king and queen that act like puzzles, but have no solution. Are these parts of puzles u never got round to installing? you said you have got to a point where the game could get no bigger...END
9-15,richard
it's not that it couldn't get bigger, it's just that it couldn't get much more functional. the stove is a hook upon which I intended to hang all sorts of goodies, but the dungeon definition language wasn't up to it; I couldn't make it do all these extra bits because it didn't have the functionality. The stove was one of the last things I added before deciding I really ought to rewrite everything. Still, it gives the wizzes something to hang their weird imagined rumours off of..!
9-5,Chaotic
Alas. And the Dwarf King and Queen?
9-23,CAMBER
wizzes? rumors?
9-15,richard
the DQ and DK are just mobiles, nothing special about them they just have a few more stam pts, that's all. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Adrienne, you had a comment that we missed? GA
9-14,Adrienne
Re: Skitzo's question, about the stairs... I asked Richard the same question, about six years ago... and was told the poem was put there... to induce us Americans to read British poetry. <g> <GA>
9-15,richard
well... that was a reason why I didn't take it out!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Alvin, question, ga
9-24,Alvin Seville
ok..in the maus..where the heck is the dance floor?!..
9-15,richard
what dance floor? ga
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Right next to the band of course
9-24,Alvin Seville
and is there a point in dancing on it? <G> No, in the maus it says GA
9-5,Chaotic
It makes me fell like dancin'/(gonna dance the night away...)
9-24,Alvin Seville
Chaotic; DONT get me started.. or I'll do bad disco songs <VEL>

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Joanna, question, ga
9-13,Joanna
I have a comment and a question... First.. just want to say THANK YOU to Richard.. for creating this wonderful place for all of us!
9-21,Shungnak---*
ditto!!
9-15,richard
oh, er, you're welcome
9-24,Alvin Seville
I third it
9-13,Joanna
My question might be hard to answer.. I'm wondering if Richard might know of any really obscure puzzles.. That maybe even the wizzes haven't found yet..
9-15,richard
yes, we call those 'bugs'. ga
9-13,Joanna
rofl! ok.. just thinking that maybe there was some obscure things <not even puzzles.. maybe commands>... that we wouldn't know about <g> ga
9-15,richard
there are some sillies which people don't try very often, but no major puzzles. there might be ways of doing things that people don't always know about, eg. RIDE CARPET, SIT CARPET, BEAT CARPET all do different things sillies are when the game traps something and gives a message to let you know it knows, but doesn't necessarily understand

9-5,Chaotic
I heard U used to be able to make wiz byy "k medicine w ls" instant wiz, instant fod! True?
9-15,richard
well, you were a mortal wiz, and you had to be a novice. it took points off you, but didn't check that if you went negative it should reset to 0. the negative points were treated as a very large positive number, hence wizdom.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Vixen, question, ga
9-11,vixen
Ok kind of techincal sorry. what language is BL written in? What platforms does it run on and is there anything close in a home version. And what does a license cost??? whew
9-15,richard
BL is written in BCPL. It runs only on DECsystem-10 mainframes (which they don't make any more), and the only thing close to a home version is when I get around to producing one for MUD2. We did have a CMB64 home version, single-user, and there was nearly a PC version of that CBM game, but nothing came of it. As for licence, well CompuServe have a world exclusive for BL (if memory serves me right), so there's no immediate possibility of granting BL licences.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Ok, Koshka, you're next, ga
9-17,Koshka
Thanks <g>. Richard, a simple question but one that I've been curious about for awhile. Is it totally serendipidous that MUD2 completes the acronym that we are more familiar with for fantasy games: Multiuser Dungeons and Dragons = MUDD = MUD2
9-15,richard
no, that's not true: BL is MUD version 3, and MUD2 is MUD version 4. When I was writing MUD2, the players of MUD in the UK called the new program MUD2, the original (ie. BL) being MUD1. However, strictly speaking they should be MUD3 and MUD4 respectively. The D for Dungeon, by the way, is not because there's a dungeon in MUD/BL, nor because of D&D. Rather, it's because there was a Fortran version of what came to be known as ZORK doing the rounds when MUD was named, and this Fortran program was called DUNGEON. We could have called it MUA for multi-user ADVENTURE, but we chose DUNGEON for the acronym. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Mjolna, your next, ga
9-20,Mjolnar
OK I have two questions First How many room are there in total in this version of BL?
9-15,richard
how many rooms? er, er, er hmm, it does actually have a count in the definition file, but I don't remember what it is off-hand, and some of the "rooms" are dead rooms or wiz-only rooms. There's about 400.
9-20,Mjolnar
Second are there any other spell available other than the one listed by the command spells?<GA> I think those are the only spells. the wizzes have extra powers, but these
9-15,richard
aren't spells. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Iroq, question, ga
9-18,iroquois
there is a bump in a chute with the lever is the a way to slow down to enter offshoot if there is one
9-15,richard
hmm, sorry for taking my time to reply here, I was having trouble figuring out what you meant. the reason I was having trouble was because you were asking about something that isn't in the game, ie. an off-shoot from the sliding stuff. there is no off-shoot: it's one-way. (there goes another neat idea!) ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Chaotic, ga
9-5,Chaotic
Isn't thtere a fork in the chute? I thot thats what he menat.
9-15,richard
no, there isn't a fork
9-8,AquaDyne
sen 5 if you drop the druid golden fork in the chute, there will be one <g>
9-24,Alvin Seville
sen 8 whoopsie!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Logrus, question, ga
9-3,Logrus
Richard, back to the good ol' days... Does the Essex University MUD still exist, and is it still FREE. That was 12 yeasr ago. GA
9-15,richard
MUD only runs on DECsystem-10 mainframes, and there are very few people who still run them. Essex University got rid of theirs about 5 years ago, at long last so no, I'm sad to say that they don't run MUD there any more
9-3,Logrus
Where are there others MUD systems? RICHARD, itw was on there 12 years ago, was it not?
9-15,richard
yes yes yes it was was was
9-3,Logrus
Yippee, I knew it. Thank you Richard, and a good morning to you.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Chaotic, you had a question, ga
9-5,Chaotic
Yes, I was wondering where are MUD1 's running now, and where is the CIS MUD? they use a DEC-10?
9-15,richard
there is only 1 MUD1 running, it's known as BL, and you lot play it CIS either use a DEC-10 or they use one of the emulators you can get, someone did a conversion to Unix, but since CIS have world-wide rights, it can only be used for private study etc. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Joanna, you had a question, GA
9-13,Joanna
Just wondering if there is any correlation... between the wording of fight messages and the number of hit points lost... in other words, is the 'visciousness of a slash' a certain number of points, versus the 'furioisty of a lunge' ga
9-15,richard
yes, there is, I think. The general framework is that the hit/miss is determined, then the message appropriate to that is selected, then the little bits of the message that say how badly you were hit are added in. if it says you only just missed, you did only just miss. ga
9-13,Joanna
hmm.. we'll have to study that. thanks, richard ga
9-15,richard
of course I could be wrong!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Vixen, question, ga
9-11,vixen
When will your newest version be realeased? and Thanks for coming. I love the game.
9-15,richard
I don't know when the newest version will be released; I have no substantial changes to make to BL. it may be there's never a new version of BL! ga

9-3,Good Old Days
Richard, my questuion in this: Would you agree or disagree to the following statement, Any new "cversiobs" of MUD -style games wui will more than likely come from a diferent team of programmers, or for that matter run on a different (non-antiquated) platform in a differnt a language. ga addendum -- you and the other s who pioneered are through... *(WAHED HANDS OF AFFAIR)
9-15,richard
assuming "cversiobs"="versions"... well it depends how far ahead you want to look, and where you're looking on CIS, new versions will likely come from existing teams of programmers
9-15,richard
in general, though, they could come from anywhere
9-15,richard
ga
9-3,Good Old Days
looking at graphics, and faster conectivity. Maybe VR...
9-15,richard
VR as in gloves&goggles, hmm, well, if they can preserve anonymity, why not?
9-3,Good Old Days
(off to write a Virtual Reality version of MUD--be a millionaire in 6 months) bye!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Chaotic, question, ga
9-5,Chaotic
Oh, I just had some point from earlier questions; does the dwarf chute have any use (besides killing those who jump down it) ?
9-15,richard
dwarf chute has no game purpose, it's just there because a dwarf kingdom would need such a chute.

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Alvin, question, ga
9-24,Alvin Seville
uh..ok..what was it..oh Yeah a silly ? <G>.. when you on BL <whenever that is :) >.. I mean, do you have more wiz power in BL than, say, an Archwiz.. and if so, could you kick them out of BL..
9-15,richard
sorry? I think I missed a line. my rank is arch-wiz, so I only have arch-wiz powers. however, because I can change the program, naturally I could give myself any extras I felt like. ga
9-24,Alvin Seville
so when you on? BL that is
9-15,richard
I'm on BL every once in a while, but not for long and I usually stay invis
9-15,richard
maybe once a month or so? but then, sometimes I'm on every day for a week it depends on whether I remember to drop in or not!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Joanna, question, ga
9-13,Joanna
I was wondering why invisibility doesn't always last for the same amount of time <for mortals> ga
9-15,richard
well, the simply answer is because there's a random number generator used to determine it, but I guess you want to know why there's such a number? to stop people from being able to guarantee they'll be invis for a certain length of time, so they have to be quick to achieve their aims.
9-13,Joanna
ah.. we'll have to call that the RERNG <REALLY evil random number generator> <g>
9-13,Joanna
does anything you do or have with you make a difference?
9-15,richard
hmm, now that rings a bell, but I don't know what the object is if it's true
9-13,Joanna
ok, thanks ga <NOW ya got us wondering> <g>

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Camber, question, ga
9-23,CAMBER
thanks, always a pleasure to talk to ya richard my question is something that i have been curious about for a long time what is a naughty??
9-15,richard
the database definition language used for BL insists that every object have a class name, which basically means that every object has 2 names. when people issue a command, BL's parser is too weak to be able to bind to arbitrary strings, so if they use a word which I want to block, I have to create an object for that word. now, if the word is a rude one, and I have an object which has that rude name, the wizzes would not be able to resist picking up this dummy object and doing things to it. Imagine, for example, I had an object called KISS, where KISS was a rude word. The wizzes would pick it up and give it to people - X the wizard has just given you the kiss. This is fine for kiss, but not for the swear words actually used, as you can probably imagine!
9-23,CAMBER
hehe i thought it was some kind of exotic english item! :)
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
yeah! another myth dispelled <G>
9-15,richard
So, I make the words I don't want to be swearwords as synonyms of the class word... am I boring you?
9-23,CAMBER
never
9-15,richard
And NAUGHTY is the class word they're all attached to.
9-13,Joanna
<visioning Camber walking around London, asking people where he could find a naughty> <g>

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Ok, Phoenix, your question, ga
9-1,Phoenix
two things.. first.. richard.. we would NEVER do things like that.. and I'm...a little hurt at your distrust.
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
<rolling eyes toward ceiling>
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
<looking down> I think I need wader boots
9-15,richard
well ideally mortals shouldn't even know about the NAUGHTY
9-15,richard
and I only put it in because wizzes DID have "X has given you a F**K"!
9-1,Phoenix
2nd.. would you mind.. <only for theoretical use>.... giving me your personal arch/programmer password.. so I could... just LOOK at the code? I swear.
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
so much for boots...I need airvaced out of here lol what was question 2 again pho? it appeared splashed into bits on my screen
9-1,Phoenix
just simply a personal request richard.... on theoretical reasons ONLY>. may I have your personal arch/programmer password.. so I could just LOOK at the code? <trustworthy look>
9-15,richard
CompuServe made me sign all kinds of agreements to stop me from giving out passwords, sorry
9-1,Phoenix
it was a JOKE <G>
9-15,richard
hmm, come to think of it, I can't remember my password!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Alvin, question, ga
9-24,Alvin Seville
OK..for that matter..are there actions that can, say.. DEAF you or DUMB you..
9-15,richard
yes, some actions can
9-24,Alvin Seville
without using command or object.. I know abt the BLIND one <veg>
9-15,richard
I think there's a deaf, but not a dumb

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Fredie, question, ga
9-19,Fredie
Thanx easy one Richard... Seeing as you have seen players....... play from each side of the "big pon... who is nastier? The yanks or the Brit I mean who palys a bloddier game? GA
9-15,richard
depends on the game and where it is in its bloodthirstiness cycle Americans tend to like rules and details more, and go about killing in a systematic fashion. Brits tend to kill for the thrill, rather than for the sport. In general, that is. ga

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Ok last qustion of the night from Ryan, GA
9-6,Ryan Pokorny
Ya, I am really new and the thing that I would like to know is how in the world do I make a map fo BL?
9-15,richard
to make a map, set your software to log your games to a file then wander around with a novice, and if you get killed just come straight back in with another novice. at the end of the session, go through the file and make a map from it
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
typing EXITS might be helpfull to you in your map making, Ryan
9-15,richard
warning: BL rooms don't connect in any kind of regular pattern!
9-6,Ryan Pokorny
Thanx!

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Ok Alvin, your comment, real quick, ga
9-24,Alvin Seville
ok here goes..yeh, Rich, I know you burned out when you update the dbase, does that include copyrite date?.. cause most copyrites are up-to date..and MUDs must be older..it say 1992 now or is it 93..it's not 94 I know that
9-15,richard
I think the copyright updates automatically from the system clock well if it says 1992 maybe it doesn't read from the clock then! oh I remember, CIS asked me to make it read from the clock but it doesn't because I only change itwhen the game changes in a particular year original copyright is 1980

9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
That's it...Richard should be allowed to get a couple hours sleep ! Thank you Richard for attending, hope we didnt keep you up too late
9-13,Joanna
clap clap clap Thank you, Richard!
9-8,AquaDyne
Yay! Thanks for coming Richard!
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Thanks to all for coming as well!
9-14,Adrienne
Thank you, most enjoyable!
9-19,Fredie
Thank you Richard!
9-5,Chaotic
Bye Richard-try to rest!
9-15,richard
my pleasure folks - thanks for listening
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
thanks Richard! nice to see you again!
9-15,richard
and thanks for playing BL!
9-20,Mjolnar
HAIL RRICHARD
9-24,Alvin Seville
nite Dc.nite Dic..I mean Dr. Bartle
9-13,Joanna
Come visit us more often!
9-9,Erika
glad I made it even though it was way too late <G>
9-16,Valaryia/BL GameOp
Go to sleep Richard! <G>

9-19,Fredie
Let's go back to the game and sacrifice a mortal for Richard! <VEG>
9-13,Joanna
there's a plan! bye all.. going to game
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
yes! but give the mortal a nighty first
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
er...naughty <rofl>
9-24,Alvin Seville
me 2..for a minute
9-19,Fredie
<clasping hands over mouth> <LOL>
9-9,Erika
I think I'll go there for a min too
9-24,Alvin Seville
I want a nity <VEG>
9-7,Ladeadah/BL SL
hell! give him both! I'm feeling generous
9-24,Alvin Seville
Ill be d**ned if I be the victim <G>
9-9,Erika
heading for the game ... night and hugs!

Copyright © Richard A. Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk)
21st January 1999: bl9b.htm