August, 1998 interview Hat
Hall of Fame

Cool grey marble swirls all around,
so much that it is nearly impossible to
tell where the floor meets the walls.
The slightest sound reverberates into
every corner and back again.

Glossy white chairs face a tall, slender
podium at the north end of the hall.
A huge, overhead projection screen is half
unfurled behind the podium.

Hallie-lujah
applauds wildly!
Pompey
smiles.
R.Bartle
waves cheerily.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) bows
Hallie-lujah
curtseys at you.
Pompey
takes the podium
Pompey
taps the microphone
Pompey
Welcome All! Thank you for joining us this evening.
Pompey
We are here to look back on the beginnings of this great experiment in society and communications.
Pompey
Looking back to 1978 where two Essex University students created the world's first MUD. Those two young men are Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle.
Pompey
glances towards Richard Bartle and says, "This evening we honor Richard Bartle... A forefather of MUDs."
Hallie-lujah
smiles.
Pompey
Rather than presenting Mr. Bartle with the traditional plaque...
Pompey
smiles and continues, "I have decided to engrave his name in the Hall of Fame AND dedicate a new museum to his honor."
Pompey
clears his throat a little then says, "Please join me in applauding Richard Bartle's contribution to the world!!!"
Hallie-lujah
applauds wildly!
William_Wallace
follows Hallie's lead.
R.Bartle
blushes.
Pompey
to R.Bartle
would yuo please say a few words?
R.Bartle
yes, OK
R.Bartle
first, I have to apologise for the fact that my backspace key is non-functional
R.Bartle
so any typing errors I make will remain made...
R.Bartle
you'll have to post-edit inside your heads instead.
Pompey
smiles.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) has the same prefdicament
R.Bartle
OK, well yes, Roy and I co-wrote MUD1 back in 1978
Pompey
tries to imagine the English accent on the text as well ;)
Hallie-lujah
agrees with Pompey.
R.Bartle
(you'll see the English spelling)
William_Wallace
can hear it.
R.Bartle
but all we provided was the framework for people to enjoy themselves
Pompey
applauds wildly!
R.Bartle
what makes MUDS, and their derivatives, so much fun is the presence of the other players
Peggy
nods in agreement and applauds
William_Wallace
smiles at you.
R.Bartle
of coruse, it's also what makes some of them no fun at all, it depends on how they're run
Pasha
Hah haa...
R.Bartle
see? coruse=course. no backspace
Pompey
. o O ( lagda )
William_Wallace
hadn't noticed.
Hbrika
of course if there were no mud to begin with all of this would never have started :>"
R.Bartle
I'm a little uncomfortable, therefore, at being honoured for my contribution to MUDs
R.Bartle
because really, it's the players who deserve all the credit
Pompey
applauds wildly!
William_Wallace
to R.Bartle
Why thanks ...
Hallie-lujah
grins at William_Wallace.
Hbrika
all the credit and all the blame huh :)
Pompey
smiles at Hbrika.
Peggy
bursts out laughing!
R.Bartle
all Roy and I did was act as a catalyst. It could have been any nuymber of player^H^H^H^H^H^Hpeople who conceived the first MUD
R.Bartle
it just happened it was some dumb students in England, of which I was one
Hallie-lujah
smiles at you.
William_Wallace
NOt dumb ...
Pompey
. o O ( what humility )
R.Bartle
(you can tell I'm not just pasting this from a prepared file, I guess)
Pasha
giggles at you.
R.Bartle
and that's part of the reason why I asked Pompey not to announce this ceremony over the net.
Hallie-lujah
raises one eyebrow curiously at you...
R.Bartle
the real heroes are the people who run their games day in, day out, without thanks
William_Wallace
nods.
Hallie-lujah
smiles.
R.Bartle
and not the people who happened to be there at the start.
Hallie-lujah
not *just*
Pompey
applauds wildly!
R.Bartle
so I guess that's probably boosted everyobne's egoes here enough
R.Bartle
grins.
Pompey
smiles at you.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) hugs Chico warmly and tenderly.
Pompey
stands
R.Bartle
but I will say that I'm happy to be honoured in this fashion
Pompey
applauds wildly!
Hallie-lujah
applauds wildly!
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Well deserved, I am sure.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) claps
Pompey
takes the podium
R.Bartle
if it means I can say that I accept this honour on behalf of everyone who ever played a MUD and contrinuted to it
Peggy
cheers enthusiastically!
Pompey
As you can see Mr. Bartle is very humble...
William_Wallace
cheers enthusiastically!
R.Bartle
contrinuted=contributed, hthese typos get worse...
William_Wallace
to R.Bartle
I'm not noticing.
R.Bartle
I'm not always humble! That's DR BARTLE
Hallie-lujah
We're used to typos :)
Peggy
bursts out laughing!
Hallie-lujah
giggles helplessly.
Pompey
grins at you.
Chico
. o O ( try having no backspace *sigh* )
Hallie-lujah
to Chico
he doesn't :)
Pompey
here here Dr.Bartle!
Hbrika
to Chico
he doesnt have one :)
R.Bartle
well I HAVE a backspace, just somewhere between my PC and your server it disappears
Hbrika
(Gonzo) orders Grog from the replicator.
Chico
ah ok..sorries ddi...didnt know
Hbrika (Gonzo)
Yes...
Hbrika
sips the Grog.
R.Bartle
I seem to have reached the end of my speech, anyway
Hallie-lujah
gives Dr. Bartle a standing ovation
Pompey
applauds wildly!
Pasha
claps too.
Chico
smiles.
Pasha
. o O ( questions though? )
Hbrika
(Gonzo) smiles, " a question, was this aplanned progject, something for school or 2 people just clowning about that started it all?"
Peggy
applauds, wondering what the FO is to be able to applaud wildly without having to emote it. <g>
Pompey
to R.Bartle
wuold you like to give us yuor website addy?
William_Wallace
jons the crowsd at clapping.
R.Bartle
it wasn't planned, we just found this technique for sharing memory on a DECsystem-10 and decided to use it
R.Bartle
to write a multi-player gamne
Hbrika
(Gonzo) likes it :)
R.Bartle
Roy was the main code hacker, and I was the main game person
Peggy
applauds wildly!
Hallie-lujah
smiles at Peggy.
R.Bartle
although were we to exchange places, we could both do each other's jobs
Hbrika
funny how things designed as play get worked on so hard :)
Chico
smiles.
Hallie-lujah
nods in agreement with Hbrika.
R.Bartle
it was in our spare time, too; we got no credit for it
Pompey
check out : www.mud.co.uk/richard/
Hallie-lujah
to R.Bartle
do you visit moos now, to see how your idea has developed?
R.Bartle
hey maybe I will, that sounds interested
William_Wallace
waves ...
R.Bartle
Moos, well, from time to time
R.Bartle
but there are over a thousand MUDs out there
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Guesting perhaps?
R.Bartle
(I count MOOs as MUDs, by the way)
Hallie-lujah
thinks Dominions is the BEST moo :)
R.Bartle
and so many are badly run, youhave to be lucky to get a good one
William_Wallace
PLeassed to meet you, Richard ...
R.Bartle
er, please to meet you William_Wallce...
R.Bartle
Dominions has a different emphasis to many games
R.Bartle
in that it has lots of little games stuck together
Pompey
to R.Bartle
are you still developing?
R.Bartle
and isn't itself a game
Hbrika
some are like leaving breathing ecologies :)]
R.Bartle
yes, I am still defveloping
Esperanza
to R.Bartle
does your first mud exist?
R.Bartle
well yes, they may be, but then a gae with no players can be a breathing ecology
Pompey
to R.Bartle
what do you think of the new graphical avatar areas?
R.Bartle
the first mud sort of still exists
Hallie-lujah
I think dominions is more like a community... like home""
Hbrika
(Gonzo) fluffs Chico
Esperanza
still.
R.Bartle
version 1 was a test of the shared memory
Chico
acks! im here im here!
R.Bartle
version 2 was a first attempt in machine code
Chico
tickles Hbrika
R.Bartle
version 3 was the second attempt, and the one that properly worked
R.Bartle
and that one styill runs
R.Bartle
everyone who plays a mud thinks their mud is the best
R.Bartle
and they all act as communities
Hallie-lujah
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
so long as they engender a sense of 'place', they will work
R.Bartle
it's just that some are better at it than others
R.Bartle
and some of the players are better at it than others
Pompey
nods nods nods t o Dr Bartle
Peggy
nods in agreement
Pompey
winks slyly.
Chico
pokes at Remus.
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Were you suprised, at the scope your game has taken on? I mean, when you visit Lambda, for instance, and see the Arbitration systems, the voting systems... the creative writing?
Peggy
What good are fancy creations and wonderful verbs if there isn't a community there to enjoy them?
R.Bartle
the scope never surprised me. I always knew whgat was possible
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Did you expect the plethera of sex rooms though.
R.Bartle
and the creative writing is mainly, I'm sad to say, dross
R.Bartle
there is some good stuff out there, but most people don't have a clue
Hbrika
how about the intensity in which some people lead their virtual existances? :)
Pasha
to R.Bartle
So you think the whole concept is still in its infancy?
R.Bartle
and if the game is not directed, ie. it's just a chat system , it may as well be wallpaper
William_Wallace
hugs Hallie-lujah warmly and tenderly.
R.Bartle
the sex rooms, well they were inevitable.
Pompey
smiles at you.
R.Bartle
the concept is older than its infancy, but it'll go many ways
R.Bartle
graphical games wil suck away most of the new players
Pompey
fears that
R.Bartle
so traditional tecxt games will be less important
Peggy
I'm amazed at how many people automatically think "chat room" when they hear about MOO's! They're so much better, or they can be.
R.Bartle
which is a shamne, but that's what happens
R.Bartle
I wasn't implying MOOs need necessarily be all chat rooms
R.Bartle
I have the smae problem with people who thinks MUDs are MOOs with killing
Pompey
this MOO is big on making sure there is a sense of topography
R.Bartle
if you like a chat, and don't like to adventure, go to a game which has other players with the same views
Pasha
to R.Bartle
I feel in a way, that moos are responsible for shaping the uhh, mores I guess, of the net.
R.Bartle
whether that's a MOO or an LP or a Tiny or a Diku or whatever
R.Bartle
some mores, yes, but they inherited mny of them from MUD ancestors
Peggy
I think these text-based games" are wonderful for those of us with disabilities, and I'm glad they're still so widely available and supported."
Chico
lags grrr... :/
JennyLin
For those of us with disabilities who don't allow use of graphics, text games will always be important.. Tis scary where that is headed..
R.Bartle
well they're great for deaf people, nbot so great for blind people or
Esperanza
nods in agreement with Peggy.
Pompey
to R.Bartle
we have many ppl here with 'talkers'
R.Bartle
I prefer text to graphics
Pasha
to R.Bartle
How loose were you with your first mud? Forgive me for not knowing what or where it is. Did pretty much anything go?
R.Bartle
we used to have people play MUD1 on braille teletypes!
Pompey
to R.Bartle
they are blind and use text readers to MOO
Esperanza
wow
Peggy
I'm one of them. <g>
R.Bartle
if everyone is at 110 baud, braille doesn't give much of a disadvantage
Esperanza
me too
JennyLin
My roommate use to.. Now he uses speech.. still freaks ppl out..
Pompey
smiles at Pasha.
R.Bartle
these typos will really be roughing uyp your fingers then
Pompey
smiles at Esperanza.
R.Bartle
grins.
JennyLin
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
hmm, there was a question just now about how loose I was with the first mud
Pasha
o O ( since you were god )
R.Bartle
I had an idea what I wanted, yes.
Peggy
I think most blind mooers use speech, as a Braille terminal is way too expensive. But MOO's are really easy to navigate with speech, which is what makes them so wonderful.
R.Bartle
but I wasn't aiming at anything moralistic
Esperanza
agrees with peggy and smiles.
JennyLin
Sometimes they are..
R.Bartle
I added things to the game and only occasionally stopped people using them 'creatively'
R.Bartle
mind you, it was 4 or 5 years before I added an emote command
Pompey
to R.Bartle
we are trying to build a text to speech player class here
Pompey
wow! no emoting on a mUD
R.Bartle
well we were pretty happy with speech, given we didn't have that before MUD1
Peggy
I can't imagine what it would be like to chat without emoting! It's all I can do to write a memo at work and not put emoticons in it. <sigh>
R.Bartle
we did have a sort of emote, but it was for wizzes only
Pasha
PompeyI emote to you.
Chico
smiles.
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Was this pretty similar to the code used now?
Esperanza
knows of a mud where you can only emote after you have reached lvl 5
R.Bartle
was what pretty similar?
Pasha
to R.Bartle
I mean the same sort of verb based thing. Using language that a non-programmer like myself can muddle through.
Isis
nods in agreement with Hallie-lujah.
R.Bartle
you mean for creation?

Disconnected...

Reconnected...

R.Bartle
ouch! I hate those disconnects
R.Bartle
er, now where was I?
Fiasco
icks
Chico
to R.Bartle
welcome back :)
Pasha
to R.Bartle
You were granting universal wizbits to all of us.
Pompey
to R.Bartle
could players code to early muds?
Pompey
grins at Pasha.
R.Bartle
wahdamned missing bs
R.Bartle
very very early muds, yes
R.Bartle
version 1 they could, but only just
Peggy
hugs Fiasco warmly and tenderly.
R.Bartle
version 2 they could, including commands
Fiasco
hugs Peggy warmly and tenderly.
R.Bartle
version 3 they couldn't
R.Bartle
we were on a DEC-10, which allowed us 35K of memory
Fiasco
grins
R.Bartle
and the code to allow us to do that took up too much room so the game was pre-compiled from source files
R.Bartle
and any new bits had to be added to the sources
Fiasco
nods
R.Bartle
although we liked it that way, because the stuff people were adding wasn't very good
R.Bartle
it was inconsistent, incoherent, fuill of grammatical errors, had selective depth, was inappropriate for the milieu ... youi name it
Pompey
. o O ( grammatical error is my middle name :) )
R.Bartle
and when you tell people their neat idea for adding a p[istol has unbalanced the game, they get upset
R.Bartle
so we took that out. it gacve use much more editorial control, and made for a better game
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Weird how everyone wants guns.
R.Bartle
I hasten to add that this was in a game-oriented MUD; if you're not game-oriented, it's not so much a probem
Pompey
to R.Bartle
did you create any muds where players were granted almost full freedom of creation?
R.Bartle
but it's like the difference between a novel and an anthology
Fiasco
nods.
R.Bartle
yes, version 2 of MUD was complete ability to add things during the game
R.Bartle
in fact that was the only way to add things
Pompey
thinks it would have been interesting to see early mudders unhindered ideas
R.Bartle
no, it wouldn't have been
Pompey
smiles.
R.Bartle
they were mainly derivative, and uninspired
Pompey
a bit of sarcasim my friend ;)
Peggy
I can just imagine all the crashes and problems. <g>
Pompey
smiles.
R.Bartle
yes, well when they were only just learning to program proper languages, they weren't all equipped for a MUD
Fiasco
+pomp smiles and just got here :)
Fiasco
laughs
Cat
pokes at Fiasco.
R.Bartle
and there's this problem that everyone thinsk writing rooms and objects is easy, whereas it's not
R.Bartle
there really is an art to it
Fiasco
What ewere the early users like? College kids?
Cat
. o O ( Experimentally? Hmm... )
R.Bartle
yes, they were college kids (as was I)
Fiasco
nods
R.Bartle
almost entyirely male
Chico
cheers for the college kids!
Fiasco
grins at Chico.
R.Bartle
but a lot of the social conventions we developed have come through in MUDs to this day
R.Bartle
so we weren't entirely losrs
Fiasco
smiles
Pompey
175 males 147 females 102 neuters 23 others.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) chuckles
R.Bartle
well that's an example
Hbrika
(Gonzo) licks some icecream
R.Bartle
if some guy has a female persona, there's no stigma attached to it at all
Pasha
to R.Bartle
Social conventions? Like Manners?
Chico
licks Hbrika
Hbrika
no??
R.Bartle
but there could so easily have been
Hbrika
(Gonzo) hmms at that one :)
Fiasco
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
frnkly, nobody cares what your gender is in a mud
R.Bartle
otherwise those 102 neuters are in serious trouble
Hbrika
almost nobody anyhow :)
Fiasco
grins
JennyLin
grins.
Pasha
to R.Bartle
I am starting to believe though, that the truth does out though. Frankly, if you are a jerk, it will soon show on a mud.
Colt
raises his hand to ask a question
William_Wallace
nods in agreement with Pasha.
R.Bartle
muds do magnify personalities
R.Bartle
if you're a jerk in real life, you're a megajerk in a MUD
Pasha
giggles at you.
R.Bartle
ask questions
Hallie-lujah
hugs Colt warmly and tenderly.
R.Bartle
id f I miss one, ask again until I see it
Colt
to R.Bartle
Doctor. Did you expect the muds to grow so wide use
Peggy
chuckles, thinking of several MOO's where she's met --- ineresting people. <g>
R.Bartle
I hoped they would, yes
Fiasco
grins at Peggy.
Cat
to Peggy
Such as?
R.Bartle
I was expecting graphical muds to wipe them out, but the internet exploded at just the right time for that not to happen
Esperanza
can think of a few too. *sigh.*
Colt
to R.Bartle
Did you think the Muds/MOOs/etc will survive into next millienum? Since they haven't changed much since you made them?
Pompey
how many players populated the first working mud?
R.Bartle
of course they will. the next millennium is only 3 years away
Colt
nods.
R.Bartle
I have people playing my MUDs who have been doing so for 10 or 15 years
Pompey
smiles at Hallie-lujah.
R.Bartle
they're not going to give up just like that
Fiasco
nods
Colt
I've noticed the more social moos have been suffering from population decrease
R.Bartle
that cuould just be a summer thing
Hbrika
there a re a lot of moo's out there :)
R.Bartle
all these games need a certain critical mass
Pasha
to R.Bartle
I can't imagine the smugness of a 15 year mooer. Talk about an oldbie.
Chico
just wait til sept. everyone will be back :)
Colt
yeah, but gophers are slowly aren't being maintained easier to connect.
R.Bartle
why would they be smug? they were newbies once, too
Fiasco
gophers are slowly going away, yes
R.Bartle
java clients make connection easy
Fiasco
to Pasha
Most of the oldtime mooers I know aren't smug about it at all.
R.Bartle
for home users anyway
Pompey
to R.Bartle
you must have never met an oldie MOOer at lambda, very smug :)
Fiasco
hmms :)
R.Bartle
anyone who has to use their age to be smug is a very sad case
JennyLin
Lambda is deviated.:>
Pompey
winks at Fiasco.
Fiasco
agrees with you.
R.Bartle
lambda suffers from being the only MUD that journalists have heard of
JennyLin
grins.
Pompey
claps at you.
Fiasco
Pretty close to it.
Hbrika
(Gonzo) is smug because they have cat dna :)
Chico
hey now..lambda is ok :)
R.Bartle
and it talekes itself far too seriously
Peggy
I've never been to Lambda and have no desire to go visit. <g>
JennyLin
Most really oldtimers I know are sweeties.
Fiasco
succumbed :)
Colt
never heard of graphical muds
Fiasco
nods in agreement with JennyLin.
William_Wallace
Lambda is depraved! :)
Cat
to Hbrika
Hmm, what does that make me then? :-)
R.Bartle
well anyone can program cat dna, or any of the other features
Pompey
winks at Hbrika.
Chico
smiles.
R.Bartle
it's like saying your novel is really great because it has a jockey murdred byu a horse
R.Bartle
well anyone who writes a book could have that
Colt
to R.Bartle
Doctor, what are you fture plans? What you doing these days?
Colt
smacks his typist upside the head.
R.Bartle
I'm still working on my (commercial) MUD
Colt
A commerical mud?
Pompey
http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/
R.Bartle
the kids have to get their new shoes from somewhere
R.Bartle
no, not grapohical
Fiasco
smiles.
R.Bartle
it's version 4 of the original MUD
Colt
noddles
R.Bartle
there are room s in there which have been in for nearly 20 years
Fiasco
whistles!
R.Bartle
feels suddenly old.
Colt
Sensemedia was once a commerical venture till the backers made the owner bankrupt
Esperanza
what is theyou created?
Pompey
smiles at you.
Colt
comforts you and offers his sympathy.
Hbrika
yow :)
Esperanza
the name of mud.?
R.Bartle
I've been shafted by other companies so many times
R.Bartle
the name of my mud is MUD. Tjhat's its name.
MUDCat
to R.Bartle
How does the MUD programming language (languages?) compare to MOO?
JennyLin
to R.Bartle
Not old.. just godlike.;>
R.Bartle
although MUD2 is what it normally goes by to avoid confusion with the generic term
R.Bartle
well the MUDDLE language I use was specifically designed for writing MUDs
Colt
nods.
Fiasco
likes the name :)
R.Bartle
and it's a little more powerful expressively than MOOs have
Colt
to R.Bartle
Have you attempted to make a graphical Mud?
R.Bartle
multiple inheritance is its main strength
R.Bartle
which applies to all objects, including commands
Pompey
agrees
Colt
nods.
Cat
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
all these single-inheritance C-oriented systems have a lot to answer for in MUD development
R.Bartle
not that I'm complaining, if people want to do it that way
Colt
nods.
Fiasco
smiles
Pompey
to R.Bartle
as you know, MOO objects inheirit back to root object
R.Bartle
yes, but only singly. it's a tree, not a directed graph
Fiasco
Yes, there are times I would love to have multiple inheritance.
Pompey
smiles.
R.Bartle
well, next project is to write one then?
Fiasco
End up doing a lot of juggling to get around that lack
Pompey
like a thing could also be a room
Fiasco
smiles.
R.Bartle
I have players being commands!
Pompey
points to our master coder.. Fia!
Fiasco
yikes!
Fiasco
laughs
Colline
cheers for Fiasco!
Cat
pokes at Fiasco.
R.Bartle
so I can type POMPEY HELLO THERE and it will treat the POMPEY as a verb
Esperanza
claps at Fiasco.
R.Bartle
so no need to type some irritating, nnecessary token verb before it
Pompey
is noly a noun at this time ;)
Pompey
changes `noly' to `only' before your very eyes!
Chico
pokes at Remus.
Colline
chuckles under his breath.
R.Bartle
well that was just an example
Hbrika
(Gonzo) pinches Poimpey!
Fiasco
nods.
Fiasco
hands Hbrika more icecream
Pompey
to R.Bartle
that could be easily done for communication, but gets tricky wit other commands
Cat
to Fiasco
Will that fix their typing? :-)
R.Bartle
of course it does
Pompey
smiles at you.
Fiasco
THat's part of the fun :)
Chico
to Fiasco
what kind?
Pompey
agrees
Fiasco
to Chico
Haagen das Bailey's Irish Cream :P
Colt
nods.
R.Bartle
I mainly use command inheritance for commands of similar types
Chico
nods in agreement with Fiasco.
R.Bartle
it's rare to have something you can, say, pick up, also be a command
Hbrika
(Gonzo) ooos at the icecream
Fiasco
nods
Pompey
to R.Bartle
interesting concept
R.Bartle
then again, some things are commands, nouns, adverbs... the lot!
Fiasco
smiles.
R.Bartle
like the word IN
Hbrika
Bloodsprite was thinking of a way to do dual inheritance
Cat
. o O ( Feature? )
R.Bartle
IN means 'goin' er 'go in', a verb
Fiasco
When did pronoun substitution start? And who decided to use third person singular as the default? :)
R.Bartle
GO IN or LOOK IN or whatever has it as a noun
Fiasco
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
PUT BALL IN BOX has a preposition
Pompey
eirs in hiis ways
Colt
to R.Bartle
Doctor, do you teach comper language regarding muds in colleges?
Colt
smacks his typist again and again
R.Bartle
pronoun substitution went in about 1982 I think
R.Bartle
and it wasn't me for 3rd-person singular
Fiasco
smiles.
R.Bartle
the default for MUD1 was 'them'
Fiasco
nods
Pompey
to R.Bartle
ahh.. don't you want to take any blame? :)
R.Bartle
my dialect (Yorkshire) uses plural words in singular form for gender-nonspecificity
Fiasco
nods.
R.Bartle
the word THEMSELF is perfectly OK where I come from
Hbrika
(Gonzo) lieks it :)
Pompey
. o O ( how about Y'All? )
Pompey
. o O ( Hallie :) )
Peggy
chuckles at Pompey.
R.Bartle
so I never had to make the decision. No, y'all is a little further afield...
Pompey
tickles Hallie-lujah mercilessly!
Hallie-lujah
grins at Hbrika.
Hallie-lujah
chuckles under her breath.
Fiasco
lived in Memphis long enough to say y'all now and then ;)
R.Bartle
sympathises.
Cat
comforts Fiasco and offers his sympathy.
Peggy
The one I like is You'uns". My friend's grandmother used to say that."
Hallie-lujah
tells everyone to hold their breath until the lag goes away.
Fiasco
nods in agreement with Peggy.
R.Bartle
my grandfather used thee/thou/thine
Colt
to R.Bartle
When did your mud first incounter the evil we call lag :)
Hallie-lujah
hears way too mush "hisself"
Hallie-lujah
winces.
Chico
eyes them warily
Chico
winks
Pompey
to R.Bartle
any prediction on how long MUDs/MOOs will be in any mass use before they dwindle?
Fiasco
And what about the design of exits, using separate objects to connect in each direction?
R.Bartle
itwas on a timsesharing system, we had lag from day 1
Fiasco
to R.Bartle
THat's fitting somehow :)
Colt
to R.Bartle
Was lag bad?
R.Bartle
we didn't have MUD1 object-oriented n that fashion
Fiasco
smiles at Esperanza.
Fiasco
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
well it depended on how many people were using the mainfrsame
R.Bartle
if it was really really bad we weren't allowed to run MUD at all
Colt
nods.
Cat
ouchs!
Pompey
to R.Bartle
what was total K usage of first working MUD?
Peggy
grins at Cat.
R.Bartle
well the system limit was 35K of 36-bit words
Pompey
wow!
R.Bartle
and we hit the limit
Colt
wowsers
Cat
sits down and tucks his tail around his legs.
R.Bartle
then afyer a year or so they increased it to 70K evenings and weekends
Pompey
1 player herre is about 2-15K easily
Cat
to R.Bartle
PDP-10? Univac?
R.Bartle
and since we weren't allowed to run the game in prime time, we increased to 70K
R.Bartle
PDP-10, under TOPS-10, KL10 processor
Chico
scritches Cat's ears
Cat
. o O ( Not many 36 bits machines... )
Pompey
hugs Esperanza warmly and tenderly.
Colt
wonders if it was a VAX or a Dec2020
R.Bartle
they hadn't invented VAXen back then
Colt
In 1978?
R.Bartle
it was a DECsystem-10
Colt
noddles
R.Bartle
In those days, Vaxes were PDP-11s..!
Fiasco
grins.
Colt
My schools Vax780 was supposely made in 1978
Cat
to R.Bartle
Or vacuum cleaners in GB... :-)
Pompey
to Colt
top of the line in 1978, cutting edge ;)
Colt
smirks as his work is about to get some doninated PDP-11s
R.Bartle
well you needed a government licence to import stuff from the USA in those days
Fiasco
smiles at Colt.
Fiasco
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
and therefore it's possible Vaxes were made, but iunavailable in the UK
Colt
oohs didn't realise you were outside US :)
R.Bartle
yes, Iam
R.Bartle
I'm in Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
R.Bartle
where the time is ... tomotrrow
Fiasco
nods.
Pompey
to R.Bartle
how was MUDs disimenated thru the world, did you send friends copies of the OS?
Colt
noddles as he is in New England
R.Bartle
I sent copies of MUD1 to any academic institution that wanted one
R.Bartle
which was about 6 of them
Chico
notes theres a colchester in essex county in ontario canada :)
R.Bartle
but mainly players wrote their own games inspired by MUD1
R.Bartle
and later MUD2
Pompey
to R.Bartle
how many of those 6 were in USA?
R.Bartle
I think 1 was
Pompey
rest mainly in Europe?
R.Bartle
either Stanfrord or MIT
Colt
nods in agreement with you.
R.Bartle
one in Dundee, 1 in Sweden, 2 in Norway
R.Bartle
and I think one at Hatfield Polytechnic in the UK
Pompey
to R.Bartle
any of those major muds still runnning?
R.Bartle
only the ones in Dundee and Norway were open to outsiders though
R.Bartle
no, it was DEC-10 only, who has a DEC-10 these days?
R.Bartle
my watch has more computing power than a DEC-10
Pompey
grins.
Fiasco
nods
Cat
to R.Bartle
Hmm, I think the Smithsonian has one. Don't think it's functional, though...
R.Bartle
CompuServe still uses them - that's where MUD1 still runs
Colt
CompuServe?
Fiasco
smiles.
Hallie-lujah
to Pompey
that's something you should put in the museum :)
R.Bartle
yes, CompuSErve. Big, Columbus-based online service, recently eaten by AOL.
Pompey
. o O ( ppl leave Compuserve in droves now..running on DEC10s ;) )
Pompey
to Hallie-lujah
indeed
Colt
to Pompey
do you think any of your work will be doinated to the computer museum in Boston?
Cat
Hmm, I knew there had to be a reason for those 6-char filenames :-)
Colt
Boston, Ma, USA that is
R.Bartle
my work? why on earth would anyone want my work?
Fiasco
grins at Cat.
Colt
to R.Bartle
Its part of history. Its first chat rooms. Ever.
Fiasco
THey have sillier things at the Boston Computer Museum :)
Pompey
to R.Bartle
this communications venue was/is very important, and you helped bring it about
Colt
tickles Fiasco mercilessly!
Fiasco
squirms
Fiasco
to Colt
Well, they do :)
R.Bartle
well if they were to ask I guess I could dig out a DECtape with MUD1 oin it
R.Bartle
like I said, though, it's the players that mae these things successful. I just helped them do it
Fiasco
nods in agreement with you.
Cat
. o O ( Maybe for the Dead Media Prioject? :-) )
Colt
to R.Bartle
I think you have to present it. I had to fill out form when i doninated old terminal dating back to the Dec10 days
Fiasco
A MUD/MOO without players is not much to see.
Cat
nods in agreement with Fiasco.
Peggy
nods in agreement with Fiasco.
R.Bartle
well, if they dont go out acquiring, they won't get things they really want
Peggy
It's like a ghost town; really creepy.
Colt
to R.Bartle
I think they may be unaware of your creation thou.
R.Bartle
even logs are useless, you have to play to get the right feel
Pompey
to R.Bartle
good, idea, why not present your items to Smithsoni
R.Bartle
well if they're unaware of it, it can't be that important, can it?
Colt
to R.Bartle
No, they may not realize how snifigant it is
Fiasco
to Colt
So talk to them.. you're in Boston :)
Colt
sends his typist to HELL
R.Bartle
well if the national computer museum doesn't realise how significant it is, it's not significant
Fiasco
pats Colt on the head :)
Pompey
to Colt
indeed, tell em, then we'll ask Dr.Bartle if he would donate it :)
Colt
will see what he can do, but he don't how two get them to communicate between the two.
Colt
to Pompey
Thats what i plan to do :)
Colt
to R.Bartle
Yes, Dr. I want to thank you for creating these muds for us
Colt
You allowed world to talk to each other
R.Bartle
all I did was give you the tools to create them youserlf
Cat
starts grooming his left shoulder.
Colt
I never had friends in Thailand or Austrial
William_Wallace
I so much enjoy the MOO's...and I met my wife on one...thank you for that too.
R.Bartle
I prefer to hear about the marriages to the divorces
Pompey
yes, MUDs/MOOs are what is REALLY ment by 'online community'
Colt
smiles at you.
Peggy
to R.Bartle
But if you hadn't given the wherewithal to create and build and chat and meet people, we couldn't have done it.
William_Wallace
I agree.....we get that all the time..oh you met on a MOO? That's great!
Fiasco
licks the icecream off her fingers
Colt
to R.Bartle
I do think your work is very significate. I will try to get your work reconized.
R.Bartle
someone else would have done it. We just happened to be first
Hbrika
(Gonzo) smiles at you.
Esperanza
agrees with Peggy.
Pompey
is glad you made MUDs when you did
Peggy
to R.Bartle
You're too humble. <g>
R.Bartle
it's true, though.
Pompey
nods in agreement with you.
Pompey
but WHEN, is the major quesiotn
Hbrika
tue but maybe if done anyother way it would have faded away
Colt
Sir, if one were to try contact you regarding MUD1, how would they do it?
R.Bartle
oh, of course, but eventuallyu one would have stuck
Pompey
the advent of MUDs/MOOs could not have occured until 1990's ;)
Hallie-lujah
hugs EsteFaz warmly and tenderly.
Fiasco
Nah.. wouldn't have taken that long :)
R.Bartle
they'd email me at richard@mud.co.uk
Pompey
grins at Fiasco.
Fiasco
paints Hbrika in bright colors that are mostly black ;)
Colt
smiles
Hbrika
(Gonzo) grins
Cat
hmms at Fiasco.
Hallie-lujah
to Fiasco
careful you don't get their wings stuck together :)
Fiasco
Ooops :)
Colt
to R.Bartle
I hope you don't loose too much sleep to speak with us :)
R.Bartle
I can catch it up easily enough tomorrow
R.Bartle
or today, rather
Fiasco
smiles.
Hallie-lujah
smiles at you.
Cat
to Colt
Her can't lose much morer of it than I do :-)
EsteFaz
i'lm so glad i made it to this event adn i'm sorry to say some others wanted to bere but were un able to make it
Colt
smiles at you.
Pompey
1:36 UK time ;)
R.Bartle
well, they can look at the recorderd version and imagine themselves to be there
Fiasco
to Cat
True enough :)
EsteFaz
nods.
Pompey
nods in agreement with you.
Hallie-lujah
smiles at Pompey.
Cat
to Pompey
Hmm, 0:36, I think...
R.Bartle
OK, well it's 25 to 1 in the morning where I am... any more questions?
Hallie-lujah
no question, but an invitation... please come visit with us again
Colt
to R.Bartle
You planning to indulge into graphic muds?
R.Bartle
or get them in quick before I nod off
Hallie-lujah
smiles at you.
EsteFaz
as well as this Moo i belong to a few Muds and sao some of the Imp's realy wished they could be here
Fiasco
to R.Bartle
Thank you for taking the time to visit us :)
R.Bartle
no, no graphic muds for me, I can't get the finance to pay the artists
R.Bartle
grins.
JennyLin
to R.Bartle
Thank you for visiting.:)
Pompey
to R.Bartle
yes, indeed thank you for allowing us to honor you
Fiasco
smiles at you.
Colt
You can't get pictures from the net or digital pictures?
EsteFaz
smiles.
R.Bartle
I'll drop in some time, just to make sure you haven't moved my honour out of the way
Hallie-lujah
smiles.
Pompey
smiles at you.
Colt
to R.Bartle
Thank you for coming, Doctor :)
R.Bartle
I can't get animated 3D images, no
Hbrika
(Gonzo) grins
Fiasco
to Colt
To fdo a really good job, even getting free source pitcures, requires more work than that
Hbrika
thank you for joining us :)
Fiasco
loses her typing kills if she ever had any
R.Bartle
well thanks for honouring me, folks, even if I don't actually deserve it
Cat
stands up and starts pacing back and forth in R.Bartle's way.
Hallie-lujah
claps at you.
Pompey
applauds wildly!
Colt
stands up and claps wildly
Hallie-lujah
stands
R.Bartle
blushes.
Colt
stands
EsteFaz
applauds wildly!
Peggy
smiles and shakes hands with the person who caused her addiction.
Hallie-lujah
laughs at Peggy!
R.Bartle
OK, now is someone going to tell me to he command to disconnect?
Peggy
stands
Peggy
applauds wildly!
Hallie-lujah
NO!!
Fiasco
to Peggy
Not fair to blame him for that ;)
Colt
magiclly pop a drink into his hand "Three cheers to Dr."
EsteFaz
giggles helplessly.
Cat
to R.Bartle
No. :-)
R.Bartle
pesky syntax stufff, I bet it starts with @, they always do
Esperanza
applauds wildly!
Colt
to R.Bartle
@quit is the command dir.
Fiasco
@quit :)
Colt
doctor :)
Fiasco
to R.Bartle
Have a good night :)
Hallie-lujah
waves to you.
HBrika
@quit but without the lovely smile :>
Cat
to Fiasco
Spoilsprt!
Fiasco
bows to you.
R.Bartle
aha! OK, well thanks again for inviting me wround
Fiasco
grins at Cat.
Colt
bows humbly to the Dr.R Bartle
R.Bartle
and apologies once more for the backspoaces problem
EsteFaz
bows to you.
R.Bartle
waves cheerily.
Pompey
bows to you.
Fiasco
fluffs Hbrika mussing the paint
EsteFaz
waves cheerily.
Hallie-lujah
curtseys politely.
R.Bartle
here I got... go, I mean...
R.Bartle
waves cheerily.
Fiasco
waves cheerily.

Returning to reality... Well, close enough.

Copyright © Richard A. Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk)
21st January 1999: int0898.htm