I really didn't like starting out in one of those Iron realm games, but I didn't actually give it a great try, either.
And all the Hell incarnations are unique. Insane playerbase is a part of their nature and what makes them fun, but usually after a period of stability the admins go crazy and there's a bunch of drama and everything falls apart. I think Inferno is still going strong, though.
I wouldn't recommend giving them a try for three main reasons:
1) Pay to win. VERY pay to win.
2) Grindy as all hell.
3) Combat is usually just played with two automation systems.
I've heard that's what happens. I do think drama's a major part of MUDs, just like it's a major part of MMOs.
I've never played any MUDs but have been interested in the idea for quite a while now. I never quite got to the point of registering for any, even if I've lurked on some MUD forums for a while.
A while back I got interested in trying to design a DF-like game and it occurred to me that MUDs could have a lot in common with DF. From what I can tell most of them are like MMOs where you largely play just to grind, which isn't surprising since they inspired MMOs, but some have more roleplaying and world building features. They could easily be used for a large, procedural open world, and the text / simple graphics medium lends itself well to depth of gameplay vs. time invested in development.
I got kind of wrapped up in a grandiose plan to design a more "modern" MUD that did away with some of the old conventions like rooms, but I quickly realized that I had no business trying to do that if I'd never even played one before.
Maybe I should actually try taking a look at joining one at some point. I'm not terribly interested in playing a grindfest though, and from what I gather those are mostly the only popular MUDs left.
Man, there's more MUSHes (pure roleplay) than there are pure grindfest MUDs. If you're looking for something like that, try The Inquisition: Legacy. It has game mechanics, but you're probably not gonna be grinding.
If you want games with a solid mix:
- Armageddon: THE roleplaying MUD. Roughly based on Dark Sun's Athas. Make an expendable character because you will die sharpish in this game.
- New Worlds Ateraan: Huge roleplaying MUD. Very generic fantasy. Has about 150 people on at all times, which is a LOT.
- Legends of the Jedi: Star Wars MUD. The Trade Federation just fell to the Republic so it'll probably go onto the second era (Empire vs Republic) soon.
- The Eternal City: Roman MUD. Not ever played it but it looks cool. Just jumped up to like number 10 on some MUD lists from nowhere.
I was considering programming a "better" MUD. A lot of the functionality I was thinking of already exists (like BatMUD has a Final Fantasy-ish world map like I was considering) so I don't think it'd be too hard. It's just a matter of getting a theme and design down.