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Aardwolf Mud[edit]
Major Mudd was an astronaut, that was supposed to be on a space station. He not only hosted the kid's show, he showed cartoons and had lots of games for the kids in the audience. Rex Trailer was a cowboy, on a western set, that did pretty much the same thing. He had a sidekick called 'Sgt Billy,' a U.S. Cavalry Sgt, from the old west. So I remember EverQuest 1, MajorMUD, Diablo even early versions of Vanilla WoW all having extremeley (UNIQUE/RARE) loot; 'Fungus Covered Scale Tunic', 'Felstrike', etc. My Definition of Unique: An item possessing a unique name, ability, attributes and appearance (this does not mean only 1 per server etc). In a lot of games you will receive a, then a, then a etc.
Hello - Was trying to add Aardwolf Mud to the list but not sure how to link it back. Is there a sandbox with the helps I would need ? 75.49.237.118 (talk) 02:43, 22 July 2010 (UTC)Justme from Aardwolf
- Aardwolf isn't appropriate to add to this list until it has an article again. (It was previously deleted; versions of the old article can be found at User:Aardlasher/Aardwolf (game) and User:Wikianon/new/Aardwolf (game).) You can find an introduction to starting an article at WP:YFA, and WP:SANDBOX is the general sandbox. —chaos5023 (talk) 03:26, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
- Also, I'd suggest that the article should be named Aardwolf (online game) or Aardwolf (MUD). —chaos5023 (talk) 03:31, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
- It appears that the Aardwolf article keeps getting deleted on notability grounds, because of lack of reliable sources other than an Engadget article. I don't think this is likely to change as MUD coverage is low anyway. Is there really no option to include it in the list without an article?Rody1990 (talk) 00:53, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
Minecraft[edit]
Note: Minecraft, is technically a MUD.75.173.73.176 (talk) 21:51, 21 April 2011 (UTC)
- What makes you say that? —chaos5023 (talk) 19:03, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Sojourn[edit]
I've added the names of the other two MUD developers to the table. John Bashaw also worked on Toril as well, but didn't stay very long. He got out of MUDs altogther. Roan Art (talk) 11:37, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
- Great, thanks. Can I interest you in adding to Sojourn (online game) to that effect as well? —chaos5023 (talk) 14:38, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
- Sure. Roan Art (talk) 17:31, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
Scepter[edit]
What do you mean by 'SoG not appropriate to this article b/c it's 'server software' not an individual MUD'?It most certainly was a running mud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scepter_of_Goth— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jlambert (talk • contribs) 07:13, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- See Talk:MUD. The trouble is that the BBS MUDs are this weird case where we speak of them as being 'a MUD', but they aren't really; 'a MUD' is an individual persistent world. The BBS MUDs are server software, packages used to implement a particular persistent world. Or so it seems; I'm not married to this position, it's just the best analysis I have on hand. This means that the BBS MUDs belong in a prospective article Chronology of MUD server software, which would provide an overview of MUD codebases, rather than in this article. —chaos5023 (talk) 07:42, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
- It would seem from the article that 'Milieu' itself would qualify. I understand why you you wouldn't include BBS SoG's since none of the franchise versions were notable (that I know of), unlike the franchise versions of MUD. Jlambert (talk) 07:57, 19 September 2011 (UTC)
MUD1 closing date?[edit]
MUD1 was deleted from the Essex computers in 1987, and had its name change to a different one, which is also on this list.wouldn't that qualify as a closing time? — Preceding unsigned comment added by GreyOrange (talk • contribs) 19:35, 6 November 2011 (UTC)
- No; the way the chronology is constructed, the fact that MUD1 was reopened as itself and remains available to the present prevents it from having a true 'closing date'. Basically, communicating that it's currently open trumps communicating that it once closed for a period of time (which is okay because the actual article can communicate details like that). —chaos5023 (talk) 15:29, 7 November 2011 (UTC)
Kingdom of Drakkar[edit]
I'm surprised not to see anything about Kingdom of Drakkar on here. I don't have the details, or I would add it. Adding this comment to hopefully jog someone's memory. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 171.159.192.10 (talk) 18:55, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
- There isn't anything about it because Kingdom of Drakkar doesn't exist, having been deleted in 2006. (Nothing is listed in this article unless Wikipedia covers it elsewhere.) I've also never previously heard of it and have nothing on it in my stack of MUD books. —chaos5023 (talk) 20:26, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
Major MUD[edit]
Related to the revert of 'Major MUD' addition. I disagree that Major MUD was not a MUD. Perhaps the software that was initally designed by WCC was intended to serve as a platform for delivering multiple MUDs, but in reality, it served only as a platform for the MUD that itself became known as 'Major MUD', which consisted of an initial MUD, and 9 additional MODs that were updates to the original MUD. I played this MUD for years, and it was never referred to as anything but 'Major MUD', although WCC gave various titles to the MUD modules. I Like Cheeseburgers (talk) 15:21, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
- The rationale for the revert stated that the list is of notable MUD servers, not software platforms, and that MajorMUD is the latter. From reading the MajorMUD article, it seems to me that this software was deployed to multiple BBSs, each of which would have been considered an independent server. Do you have some documentation for the server you played, and is it notable in its own right? As it stands now, it seems that the software itself is notable enough, but for inclusion in this list, we would have to identify one or more notable independent servers which ran the software. Elizium23 (talk) 20:20, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
- Along with the other BBS MUDs, MajorMUD would be appropriate to Chronology of MUD server software (which is listed at Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/MUD as an article desirable to create but not I nor anyone else has gotten to), not this article. —chaos5023 (talk) 23:04, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
- I find it ridiculous that Major MUD doesn't make the list when I'm willing to bet that the majority of MUDs listed can't compare to it in size, depth, or complexity. Also Runescape is most definitely not a MUD. I suspect the contributors writing this wiki page are heavily biased and the 'but it's not it's own server' thing is a poor excuse to rule out a wide variety of MUDs that existed and were popular during the days of dial-up BBS.
Lensmoor[edit]
Hello everyone. I just happened to google myself to this page. I'm a longtime mud player who used to play quite extensively back in the 90's and early 2000s, including some MUDs on this list, muds on AOL, and others. That said, I'm absolutely shocked Lensmoor isn't on this list. I played it as a kid, then when I was in college I had many friends who completely independently ended up playing it. I see there is no wikipedia page for Lensmoor, though it still exists and has been around for decades. Is there a reason for this? It seems very suspect to me, almost like having a 'Search engine' page that doesn't mention Ask Jeeves. This reeks of overzealous deletions or bias with the editors... and sure enough I see there used to be a page but it was deleted multiple times. Yet we have MUDs on this list that haven't been active since the 1980's, before I was born. How can this be? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Artifexr (talk • contribs) 14:26, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
Requested move 8 January 2016[edit]
- The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.
The result of the move request was: Moved per small discussion below, and appears to be the correct move based on the content of the current page. (non-admin closure)Tiggerjay (talk) 16:20, 19 January 2016 (UTC)
Chronology of MUDs → List of MUDs – This is a list of MUDs, not about the chronological development of the genre in general. Soetermans. T / C 16:26, 8 January 2016 (UTC)
- Sounds good to me. ~Mable (chat) 11:01, 9 January 2016 (UTC)
- The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.
The addition of 3 muds to the list[edit]
I'd like to discuss the addition of 3 muds to the list. The original God Wars (US and Europe being included as 1 mud), Midpoint Void, and Duris: Land of Bloodlust. Both God Wars and Midpoint Void were very influential in the mudding community as they were both the origins of 2 very popular mud codes, and Duris: Land of Bloodlust was part of the other mud that opened when Sojourn's staff decided to go their separate ways. Anyone object? --JustAnotherNerdWithWords (talk) 02:41, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
- If they have articles, they should be on the list. (This implies that someone can come up with sources that meet WP:GNG, or they won't have articles for long.) If they don't have articles, they shouldn't be on the list, and if placed on the list they will be removed. —chaos5023 (talk) 07:31, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks for the info Chaos, I'm still new to doing the whole Wiki editing thing and am in the middle of putting together the sources, their own wiki pages etc before I do make any changes to this page. Thank you for the info. You seem to be quite the MUD historian yourself btw. Would it be a problem if I ask you to review some of my sources etc before I do make edits to this page? Trying to familiarize myself with the process etc and prefer to work in a community environment. --JustAnotherNerdWithWords (talk) 17:13, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
- Sure, no problem. —chaos5023 (talk) 07:48, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks for the info Chaos, I'm still new to doing the whole Wiki editing thing and am in the middle of putting together the sources, their own wiki pages etc before I do make any changes to this page. Thank you for the info. You seem to be quite the MUD historian yourself btw. Would it be a problem if I ask you to review some of my sources etc before I do make edits to this page? Trying to familiarize myself with the process etc and prefer to work in a community environment. --JustAnotherNerdWithWords (talk) 17:13, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
Isn't RuneScape free?[edit]
RuneScape is marked as Subscription here, while the main article states the game is free with optional subscriptions. DoomMaster (talk) 10:30, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
- 'Optional subscription' is a type of subscription model. Subscription doesn't imply no free tier. From the page legend: 'Subscription' means that the MUD charges a periodic subscription fee for access or for a set level of in-game benefits, such as a 'full' or 'non-trial' account.—chaos5023 (talk) 14:23, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:List_of_MUDs&oldid=853011054'
(Redirected from MajorMUD)
Original author(s) | Tim Stryker and others |
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Developer(s) | Galacticomm, Inc., Elwynor Technologies, LLC |
Initial release | 1986; 33 years ago |
Stable release | |
Written in | Turbo C; Borland C++ |
Operating system | MS-DOS with DOS extender Unix (MBBS 6.x/WG 1.x only) Windows NT (WG 3.x only) |
Platform | IBM PC compatible; SPARC, HP/UX, Linux, SCO (Unix variant) |
Available in | English |
Type | Bulletin board system |
License | Proprietary software (source code available by separate license) |
Developer(s) | Galacticomm, Inc., Elwynor Technologies, LLC |
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Initial release | 1995 |
Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
Platform | IBM PC compatible |
Type | Bulletin board systemGUI client |
The Major BBS (sometimes MajorBBS or MBBS) was bulletin board software (a bulletin board system server) developed between 1986 and 1999 by Galacticomm. In 1995 it was renamed Worldgroup Server and bundled with a user client interface program named Worldgroup Manager for Microsoft Windows. Originally DOS-based, two of the versions were also available as a Unix-based edition, and the last versions were also available for Windows NT-based servers.
Galacticomm headquarters (4101 S.W. 47 Ave., Suite 101, Fort Lauderdale, FL) in August 1994
Galacticomm logo
Worldgroup logo
- 1History
- 3Technical information
- 4Add-on software
- 5International Versions
History[edit]
The Major BBS was developed by Tim Stryker and launched in 1986 by Stryker's company, Galacticomm, Inc., as a demonstration of the abilities of the Galacticomm Software Breakthrough Library (or GSBL). The GSBL was a powerful set of assembler routines written for IBM and compatible PCs that allowed up to 32 simultaneous serial port or dialup connections to a single software instance without the need for an external multitasker. It was licensed to developers for varied uses, such as communications systems, bank systems, and real estate systems. Eventually, The Major BBS was enhanced enough that it became a marketable product in its own right. By late 1987, Galacticomm was licensing more copies of The Major BBS than the GSBL by itself. The GSBL continued to be enhanced, expanding to 64 users by 1988, then 256 by 1992, with The Major BBS's line capacity expanding as a result.
Because it was one of the few multi-line bulletin board systems, MBBS software was known for fostering online communities and an interactive online experience where users were able to interact with each other via Teleconference (chat rooms) and multiplayer games. This flexibility spawned a small industry of Independent Software Vendors (ISV) who began developing MBBS add-ons, which ranged from shopping malls (what would now be called shopping cart software) to online role playing games.
The Major BBS allowed incoming connections via modems on telephone lines, IPX networks, and X.25packet-switched networks. In the mid-1990s, the offering expanded to include TCP/IP by the ISV Vircom, a Canadian company that has since become well known for its anti-spam/anti-virus software, shortly followed by Galacticomm's own TCP/IP add-on, the Internet Connection Option (ICO), which was derived from another ISV's offering.
In 1992, the Major BBS was selected by the National Library of Medicine as the access mechanism for the Grateful Med medical journal system, just prior to universal access via the World Wide Web.
Worldgroup[edit]
Seeking to compete with America Online, Galacticomm extended The Major BBS software to communicate in a client–server model with a custom program. The MBBS software was renamed Worldgroup Server, and released in 1995 with the version number restarting at 1.0; the included user-side client software was named Worldgroup Manager (but sometimes known as Worldgroup Client) and ran in Microsoft Windows.
As version 3.0 in 1997, the first 32-bit version of Worldgroup Server was released for Windows NT, and other versions were simultaneously continued. This release finally focused on an active HTML web community, after three years of concentrating on the original client–server strategy. The DOS version of the server was discontinued with[clarification needed] version 3.1.
Demise[edit]
Although Worldgroup initially had some success, the initial proprietary client/server model was an unfortunate strategic choice, as the world wide web was just emerging as a dominant phenomenon. The popularity of the text-terminal-based BBSes, as well as America Online's proprietary client model, faded as online use became web-oriented. Galacticomm's slow response in adapting to the web-based online model probably was fatal.
Founder Tim Stryker committed suicide on August 6, 1996, in Colorado, and the company was sold by his widow Christine to a group headed by Yannick Tessier, owner of Tessier Technologies, who developed software as an ISV. As Galacticomm Technologies, Inc., Tessier and Peter Berg led the company toward an initial public offering, which failed in 1998. The company discontinued operations in 1999 and was foreclosed upon by their primary lender; the lender acquired the company's assets through the foreclosure in 2002. The company's assets were purchased by an ISV from the bank in 2005.[1]
Timeline[edit]
- 1986: MajorBBS 1.0 — not released
- 1986: MajorBBS 2.0 — shareware
- 1987: MajorBBS 3.0 — commercial software
- 1988: MajorBBS 5.0
- 1989: MajorBBS 5.07
- 1990: MajorBBS 5.2
- 1991: MajorBBS 5.3 — includes Novell NetWare support
- 1992: MajorBBS 6.0 — included Phar Lapprotected mode capability
- 1993: MajorBBS 6.1 — multilingual
- 1994: MajorBBS 6.25 — Internet Connection Option (ICO) TCP/IP; Unix version available
- 1995: Worldgroup 1.0 — introduced Microsoft Windows client; final Unix server version
- 1996: Worldgroup 2.0 — included plug-in for Netscape
- 1997: Worldgroup 3.0 — first server version for 32-bit Windows NT
- 1999: Galacticomm ends operations after failed IPO
- 2002: Galacticomm assets foreclosed upon by lender
- 2005: Galacticomm assets sold by lender to a current ISV[1]
Technical information[edit]
Software[edit]
- Initially, a system's linecount depended on the user limit of the GSBL purchased with the BBS. The GSBL (and thus the BBS) was offered in 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 user editions. Later, with the release of version 6, the concept of user six-packs was introduced. System operators (SysOps) purchased as many packs as they needed to add additional lines, up to 256.
- Due to a limitation of the 16-bit architecture of MS-DOS, Major BBS was limited to a maximum of 255 incoming lines (plus one 'local console'). In practice, it was extremely difficult to scale to this level due to the 16MB RAM limitation of the Phar Lap 286 memory extender in use, as well as the physical limitations on connecting 255 modems to a single computer.
- Developers were sold development kits that allowed add-ons to be written in C/C++
- All data files were stored using a Btrieve format.
- It was necessary for the system to go down for maintenance each evening in order to re-index data files as well as running the cleanup routines for the main system and its addons.
Hardware[edit]
Galactiboard
MBBS ran on standard Intel PC hardware. However it relied on serial ports the number of which was limited to 4 by the standard PC/MS-DOS architecture. Therefore, Galacticomm provided some of their own hardware to increase the number of communication channels.
- multi-line modem cards
- Galactiboard - an 8-port serial interface for connecting external modems
- Galactibox - a 16 slot extender that could house multiple Galactiboards and/or internal modem cards
Add-on software[edit]
Connection add-ons[edit]
- Vircom TCP/IP — allowed the system to link to the Internet, provide both inbound and outbound FTP and Telnet services, and provide e-mail service. The add-on also allowed MajorBBS to provide dialup Internet access via SLIP and PPP. Vircom later went on to produce software solutions to combat spam.
- Vircom RADIUS — a RADIUS server which allowed MajorBBS to act as the central authentication and billing server for any number of applications such as Internet services.
Games[edit]
- Flash Attack
- Fazuul by Tim Stryker
- Quest for Magic by Scott Brinker and Tim Stryker (copyright held by Elwynor Technologies, source was previously released)
- Quest for Sorcery by Scott Brinker (source code missing, but rights held by Elwynor Technologies)
- Quest for Sorcery II by Scott Brinker (source code missing, but rights held by Elwynor Technologies)
- Quest of the Alchemists by Scott Brinker (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- Kyrandia by Scott Brinker and Richard Skurnick
- Alchemy II: The Hangover by Scott Brinker (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- Infinity Complex by Steve Neal (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- MajorMUD[2] by West Coast Creations (currently owned by Metropolis Gameport)
- Tele-Arena by Sean Ferrell
- Sub Striker by Tim Stark / Mark Enriquez [Magicomm]
- Tournament Backgammon by Mark Enriquez [Magicomm]
- Tele-Arena/II by Sean Ferrell (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- Swords of Chaos by Mark Peterson (currently owned by Metropolis Gameport)
- Mutants by Majorware Inc.(currently owned by Metropolis Gameport)
- Phantasia by Ewe-Nique Creations (Bil Simser, based on Edward Estes UNIX version)
- Sceptre by Ewe-Nique Creations (Bil Simser)
- Trivia Party and Word Party by Ewe-Nique Creations (Bil Simser)
- Galactic Empire by Mike Murdock (DOS version maintained by Bil Simser)
- Galactiwars by Don Arnel/Logicom (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- War of Worlds by Richard Skurnick (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- Crossroads of the Elements by High Velocity Software
- Trade Wars 2002 by High Velocity Software and Martech/EIS
- Farwest Trivia/Tele-Trivia (currently owned by Datasafe (only DOS version owned by Metropolis Gameport))
- Lords of Cyberspace (currently owned by metropolis Gameport)
- Wilderlands/II by Wilderland Software (currently owned by Elwynor Technologies)
- Androids by Tim Stryker
- Hangman's Secret Cove by Galacticomm
- Super Nova by Galacticomm
- T-LORD by Robinson Technologies Inc
- Oltima 2000 by Tessier Technologies Inc
- Swords & Sorcery by Logicom Inc
- BladeMaster by Logicom Inc
- CyberTank by InfiNetwork
- Foodfight by Jabberwocky Inc
- Teleconference Trivia by Jabberwocky Inc
- RingMasters by InfiNetwork
- Archery by GWW
- The Casino by Logicom Inc
- Forbidden Lands Book I: The City of Falchon by Computel
- Forbidden Lands Book II: The Vale of Grimyre by Computel
- Forbidden Lands Book III: The Islands of Dawn by Computel
International Versions[edit]
German[edit]
- A german version of The Major BBS was published by ONLINE STORE AG in Liechtenstein
- A german version of Worldgroup was published by ONLINE STORE AG in Liechtenstein
Spanish[edit]
- A spanish version of The Major BBS was published
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Found a bunch of source files...'The Major BBS Restoration Project. 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-04-27.[dead link]
- ^'The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 1'. Engadget. AOL.
External links[edit]
- Elwynor Technologies — largest active ISV for Major BBS/Worldgroup; actively locating old TPD/ISV people and acquiring their software
- The Major BBS Restoration Project — dedicated to preserving the history of Galacticomm, The Major BBS/Worldgroup, and the TPD/ISV add-on software
- Swords of Chaos FOREVER! BBS - dedicated to preserving and restoring Swords of Chaos and its userbase
- Dialsoft - one of the few remaining active ISVs for Worldgroup as of 2009
- Universal Interactive — ISV for Worldgroup releated software (ISV code: UII); active as of 2009
- The MajorBBS for Unix — archive of only known MajorBBS for Unix material, maintained by one of the MBBS-for-Unix developers
- SEC EDGAR filings for Galacticomm Technologies Inc (CIK# 0001043003). U.S. government-required filings concerning failed 1998 stock offering
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Major_BBS&oldid=840067355#Games'