Basically the MOO
is a MUD, but since it uses an object oriented programming language it's a bit easier to add new content and change existing content. As mentioned above, it's based on LambdaMOO, but it has come a long way in its many iterations (and had many steps back, depending on the amount of codebase transferred between splits and the preference of the ones making the server).
Personally, as a programmer, I'd be scared to take a look at the mess of code that's likely lurking beneath the surface of the otherwise fairly simplistic looking game.
I've had an urge to get back in to this for some reason. I kinda have an on again, off again relationship with the game, since the urge to indulge in a world that I know fairly well and get to see some familiar (and sometimes entertaining) personalities. It's probably the closest I ever get to roleplaying in a game, since the lack of graphical detail requires you to paint yourself with words and actions more than ever. Many good times were had helping out people, breaking into high ranking players' "impenetrable" zeppelins due to a stroke of luck, and just screwing around a lot, but your results may vary.
Heh, was looking to see how this VariantMOO was doing after I ran into a recent bout of tragic hilarity on GilmoreMOO. Seems like you've got plenty of your own MOOdrama from the looks of it.
How exactly is PvP handled in this game? Is it the carebear system with challenges and that whole mess, or does it lean more towards the old style of "fuck everything"?
Also, I'd heard rumors that Inferno was started up by some goons who wanted to make their own, anti-blind MOO. I remember there being a fantastic amount of drama way back when in regards to the sighted/non-sighted.
From what I remember, PvP is open range on anybody. It did lead to some issues when bear/GOKU/ndy/whatever he goes by these days ends up deciding to go on a rampage for a while, which can last a while since the guy seemed to never leave his computer, let alone sleep. Power differences between new and old players, and not wanting to start a whole lot of trouble between corps, ended up keeping the peace most of the time. I corp jumped for a while due to people starting shit that ended up getting me involved through no fault of my own until I settled on making my own corp for the chance at doing missions for money without being fucked with, and being able to afford the sims I wanted.
Any community this small, and somewhat tightly knit (though not as tightly screwed together in the head) is going to take things too seriously in some respects. The HellMOO variants have always attracted a certain type of person.
The backstory for the server split as I know it is as follows; there's a bit of explaining and some rambling because I'm typing this before I go to bed at 6am, but I'll probably touch up on it a bit after I wake up in a more coherent fashion.
Rumors about the variant being started up due to anti-blindism were mostly true, unfortunately, though not the sole reason for making yet another fork of the server base. I forgot who the current "owner" is of this server, but he ended up having an intense hatred toward Benaron, who managed to get some amount of favoritism from the administrator of a previous HellMOO server, meaning items in testing (which were, by some accounts, overpowered) and boosts here and there. Personally, I knew Benaron from being in his corporation a while, and he wasn't all bad, though he had more than a slight tendency to screw with N-tags, aiming them as they walked through the door of the orphanage with a lasblaster or super shorty. That conduct would have gotten anyone else newted, banned or otherwise taken care of by the admins, but he managed to get away with it scot free on many occasions.
When this was brought up to Mada, he vehemently denied allowing Benaron such favoritism. All the claims and rage thrown about culminated in the entire active playerbase being teleported to a large conference room where only one person was allowed to speak at a time, in a very organized and only vaguely civilized fashion. Players were allowed to voice their concerns about this and other issues; long story short nobody liked Benaron or the way he was getting the five star treatment by Mada et all despite the fact he had killed N-tags repeatedly. If you really want to spend an hour sifting through the chatlog, someone did a pastebin:
http://pastebin.com/hd9j0U0bOnce it was decided that Mada was not going to stop playing favorites, the current InfernoMOO guys (Flaktus and some others) decided they would take an old version of the code and go play with their ball elsewhere. While there is still some amount of blind hatred against blind people, it seems to have died down a bit with Benaron not showing his face around the newest iteration of the MOO. He would probably be banned on the spot, if not completely unable to progress if he did and someone caught on. Last I heard, he was still screwing around on MadaMOO, which has become a one or two player at peak times sort of deal, while the original existing HellMOO (as much as it can be called that) is carebear heaven.
Maybe I'm a bit biased, but InfernoMOO is probably someones best bet if they wanted to play this game at all in the way it was meant to be played. Players make the story in this sandbox game, and restricting PvP or builds detracts from that. It's sorta like a very old, nongraphical EVE Online, if EVE Online started the game with you getting forcibly face fucked, biting that persons' dick off, and choke to death as you were kicked down some stairs. Good times.
Author
Topic: Inferno MOO (Multiplayer Text-Based Post-Apocalyptic Roleplaying Game) (Read 21636 times)