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Mabus
10-15-2009, 11:02 AM
As others have posted here about their games, I figure to share my hobby as well.

Throes of Creation (http://throes.slayn.net/) is a text-based role-play game (MUD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD)) set in the original world of Therron.

We have 7 races, 17 classes (yes, we already have Monks...), thousands of rooms and critters, a couple thousand skills (including skills, spells, chants, songs and prayers, dances, etc), a timed non-auto melee combat system and are hosted on a server with a decent connection.

We are free to play, with no donations, no pay-2-play, no pay-for-perks; just free.

We are in what I term "perpetual alpha", in that I am unsure if the code will ever be "done". We are using Java as our language, with both an internal language and Javascript for scripting. We use a MYSQL database.

The website is being redone (I really dislike doing web and graphical work), and we just changed from YaBB forums to phpBB forums. There is a lot of content that has not been written, and potential writers (or others that want to help) are welcome to contact me.

Just added (last week) a hit-location change to melee combat that takes into account armor-type versus damage-type. It is still in live testing.

Suggestions for changes and additions are always considered, and many make it quickly into the game.

We have private home ownership, crafting (and Artisans even gain experience by crafting and gathering), and clans (with clan hall ownership and building).

To many features to list here.

We have been working on this for 3 years. We consider it a "text art project", and for those that are staff it is more a "labor of love" then just "a game". We do not advertise (other then free listings on a few game sites), so player-base numbers are low (usually 0-10 players).

If you are interested in trying it out, download a MUD Client (http://throes.slayn.net/mudclients.html), and connect to:

Address:
throes.slayn.net

Port:
1200

Hope to see you.
Asha
10-15-2009, 11:13 AM
I prefer to pay (more than any other monthly subscription) for unfinished, broken, dying and relatively soon, obsolete games with absolutely fucking appalling customer service, thanks.

Yours isn't for me.
Gelston
10-15-2009, 11:28 AM
Can I MA FTW?
Mabus
10-15-2009, 12:24 PM
Can I MA FTW?
You can have as many characters as you want, but rule #8 (there are currently only 8 rules) says:

8. Do not log in alternate characters to aid each other.
Back
10-15-2009, 12:27 PM
Yay! Something to do on my rainy day off.
4a6c1
10-15-2009, 01:03 PM
ALOT of details. Great game.
Gelston
10-15-2009, 01:10 PM
You can have as many characters as you want, but rule #8 (there are currently only 8 rules) says:

Well, I'm definitely not in. I can't get ultimate power without MAing.
petroglyph
10-15-2009, 03:00 PM
Yay! Something to do on my rainy day off.

Hell, if all you want to do is kill time, come mess around in Inferno. It's up and running again as a free game, though I wouldn't put money on it lasting out the year.
Warriorbird
10-15-2009, 03:17 PM
I love MUDs. Sadly they just don't have the longevity. I've worked too long on and too much on too many of them and seen it all fade away.
Mabus
10-15-2009, 05:50 PM
Hell, if all you want to do is kill time, come mess around in Inferno. It's up and running again as a free game, though I wouldn't put money on it lasting out the year.
I loved Inferno.

Great magic system, and decent role-play.

Did Will go ahead and use the LambaMOO core this time? I believe he stated he was going to somewhere. My memory could be off.
Mabus
10-15-2009, 05:53 PM
I love MUDs. Sadly they just don't have the longevity. I've worked too long on and too much on too many of them and seen it all fade away.
I agree that most do not last.

As someone that has been coding on (and playing on) them since the 80's I cannot tell you how many times I have seen my work go "poof".

Like I stated before, Throes of Creation is now 3 years old (this week, as a matter of fact) and as long as I have a server (or even if I need to set one up at home) this hobby of mine will be around.
Coin
10-18-2009, 04:17 PM
How does it stack up against G4 though?

I mean how many rooms does G4 have total? And how many does your game have?

How long does it take to level in your game?

How many people are usually playing at once?

What kind of combat system does it have? Similar to G4?

These are the kind of questions that are important to an avid gamefan.
Drunken Durfin
10-18-2009, 04:27 PM
8. Do not log in alternate characters to aid each other.

Eff that.
pabstblueribbon
10-18-2009, 04:30 PM
Eff that.


Thats a standard rule in almost every free mud. Simu is the exception since you have to have an account to play them.

I sort of remember Inferno, came out right when GS went to the web right? If I remember correctly their forging system was pretty badass. Never got to play it though.
Makkah
10-18-2009, 04:41 PM
lol Bestatte
pabstblueribbon
10-18-2009, 04:48 PM
Heh, using Coffeemud. Man, I've been on that mailing list for years.
Mabus
10-18-2009, 07:27 PM
How does it stack up against G4 though?
We are not trying to "stack up" to any game, but rather build our own world for the art of it.


I mean how many rooms does G4 have total? And how many does your game have?
Not sure on GS. We are around 4,500 rooms now. A couple new areas are currently being built, so that will rise in about a month or so.

Some of those rooms have multiple descriptions, as we can have them change based on a variety of factors (time, seasons, other dynamic variables). Many of the rooms also have items in them that can be interacted with, and taking a "long look" (abbreviated LL) can show some of the items that appear in the description.


How long does it take to level in your game?
That would depend on the race and the class, as well as the play style of the player.

Some people log in and role-play. Some build weapons and armor all day, or work on their clan halls.


How many people are usually playing at once?
I think I addressed this. Numbers are usually 0-10. I have not seen it go above 20, though it could handle hundreds.


What kind of combat system does it have? Similar to G4?
It has its own, and is constantly being updated. Testing hit-location armor-types versus damage-types currently.

Unlike most free MUDs it does use a time non-auto combat system.

The code for that system was written to be extensible, and the variables for a critical system (still in the planning stage) already exist within the code.


These are the kind of questions that are important to an avid gamefan.
I understand.

As this is a hobby I do it for the fun. I do not do it for player numbers, power tripping, money or any other various reasons. Not to disparage those reasons (well, maybe to disparage power-tripping), but I just enjoy game design, world design and coding.
Mabus
10-18-2009, 07:35 PM
Heh, using Coffeemud. Man, I've been on that mailing list for years.
I proudly display that in the login, even though the license (Apache) does not require it. While I have several "from scratch" frameworks under my belt I decided to use the code-base to skip reinventing the wheel on basic requirements (telnet protocol, MSP/MXP implementation, etc.).

I have been a contributor to the code, design and the Yahoo group (and SourceForge) since around version 3.0, and I believe it is now version 5.6 (though we branched at 5.2, for various reasons).

One of the last messages on the list should be from a guy seeking help designing and implementing a skill-proficiency check system in a level-less game. He was responding to a "brainstorm" post I made explaining one way to go about it.