MUD2
From Mudpedia
|
MUD2, also known as MUD version 4, is the successor of MUD1, and was created in 1985 by Richard Bartle. It was intended to be run as a service for British Telecom.[1]
[edit] History
In 1984 Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle were approached by book editor and gamer Simon Dally to form a company to promote and market MUD, and to produce and market the next generation of multi-user games. As a result MUSE (Multi User Entertainment) was formed in 1985.[2] The late Dally also wrote competitions for Acorn User magazine. He told the editor Tony Quinn that he found the minicomputer to run the game in a builder's skip.[3]
In 1985 MUD2 was exclusively licensed to British Telecom. MUD2 was to run on a VAX and, because of BT's refusal to purchase a C license, written in Pascal. British Telcom failed to properly marked the game and passed the game around between BT deparments until it ended up at Prestel, which purchased a dedicated machine and authorized the engine to be rewritten in C. In 1989 Simon Dally became manic depressed, emptied MUSE's bank account, and committed suicide. As a result BT ended the contract with MUSE the same year.[4]
In later years MUD2 was licensed to several companies and individuals in the UK and USA.
[edit] References
- ↑ Richard Bartle (2002). "MUSE background". "A new version of the game, which came to be known as MUD2, was written in 1985 to be run as a service for British Telecom."
- ↑ Richard Bartle (2002). "MUSE background". "The beginnings of MUSE were in 1978, when Roy Trubshaw wrote the very first prototype of the computer game MUD. He and Richard Bartle created the bedrock upon which all subsequent MUDs were built, and such was the popularity of the game that in 1984 they were approached by book editor and games-player Simon Dally to form a company to promote and market MUD itself, while designing and implementing additional games. MUSE was formed in 1985, which makes it a comparative old-timer in the online games industry."
- ↑ Computer Magazines page at Magforum.com
- ↑ Richard Bartle (2002). "MUSE background".
