InterviewInterview by Karya, interviewee, Hawumph.
Interview[Editor's note: This took place during a mobile bash on mudii.co.uk, hence the side chatter and noises. All opinions expressed are purely the ramblings of Hawumph and in no way bear any relationship to logical thought processes!]
Beneath ring of stones. You are underneath the ring of stones, in a druidic chamber not entered these past two thousand years until today. Light comes from cracks in an ill-fitting slab lying directly above. The walls of the chamber are stained red with the blood from the sacrifices performed on the slab. Steps lead down to the southwest. The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light, near your feet. Hawumph the warrior is here. reset Time-stamp: 21:19:58 on 7-MAR-2002. This is reset 4784, using slot 0. An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 85 minutes. Hawumph the warrior says "Ah my favourite place - on the island". Hawumph the warrior says "And safe too - even better". For your information: there are 125 mobiles still alive. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "safe from old fire-breath". Hawumph the warrior says "She loves me! I won't hear a bad word against her". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "at last! Someone who acknowledges that she is female!". qw (Karya the melancholy witch) Turrican the sinister wizard Isileth the bash-general sorcerer Severina the prelate Hobnoblin the difficult necromancer Hawumph the warrior Bloke the dragonfly-slaying yeoman Heiachi the guest Hawumph the warrior exclaims "Course she is - she is gorgeous and yet scary, tempting but dangerous - FEMALE!". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Why is the dragon island your favourite place?". Hawumph the warrior says "My name - Hawumph - I had a running battle of about 6 months once trying EVERY technique I could think of to make killing draggy foolproof". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "And she kept saying my name to me!". Hawumph the warrior says "So I finally realised she is a she and you cannot understand the female mind.". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "and did you succeed?". Hawumph the warrior says "No I did not succeed but I banished many many myths. Several made up by me". Hawumph the warrior blushes. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "can you share the most amusing one?". Hawumph the warrior asks "Amusing - hmm - well I convinced myself carrying the obsidian had to be the way to succeed.". Hawumph the warrior says "An object that makes you fire proof - that is THE way to kill the dragon. But then it occured to me - when EXACTLY does she say HAWUMPH! and what EXACTLY happens when you do this thing? And another beautiful idea went for a Burton.". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "For our American/Canadian viewers, that means it did not work!". Hawumph the warrior says "The funniest actually is when you pee on her - tried that to put the fire out.". In the distance, you hear a crack of thunder. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "And I'd like to add that we cannot accept responsiblity for any results that occur if anyone tries this trick after reading this interview". Hawumph the warrior grins. Hawumph the warrior exclaims "I can honestly say the Dragon is put out!". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think we can all assume that you got your name from the Dragon ...". Hawumph the warrior says "Its an obsession of mine - well and mud of course". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "before your current name, what name did you go under?". Hawumph the warrior asks "How far back are we talking?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "from when you started playing MUD". Hawumph the warrior says "On mud2.com I had two main names - Hawumph and Azrael". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "If I ever meet yours I am going to claim copyright!". For your information: there are 100 mobiles still alive. (+150 = 469,801). Hobnoblin the difficult necromancer cheers. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers. Hawumph the warrior says "My first mud names were Ktahr, Endiss and Odinsup". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "On which mud was that?". Hawumph the warrior says "Online - back in (oh my god) 1992". Hawumph the warrior says "But its OK theres lots of older people out there". Hawumph the warrior says "It was a sort of parallel to the Wireplay thing". defn incarnation [incarnation] NOUN An instantiation of a MUA on a particular machine or system. Although the programming is the same, the players and game management can be widely different. For example, CompuNet MUD and Essex MUD were both incarnations of MUD version 3A, but they evoked greatly different atmospheres. For some incarnations, the word "MUD" (or "MUD1" or "MUD2" if context is required) is always appended to the end of the name, eg. CompuNet MUD, On-line MUD; for others, it's optionally ommitted, eg. IPLAY, Dragon. There's probably a reason... Here is a list of all incarnations of MUD which made it into production; there are others which didn't get that far, but non-disclosure agreements prevent the naming of the guilty parties... The dates are from when the game was actually playable by real players, rather than from when coding or beta-testing started; a few of these may be wrong, so if you know better feel free to request corrections... Date(s) Site Version Nickname(s) 1978 Essex University 1A (none) Test version, to try out the shared memory mechanism. Anyone could play, but only a dozen or so people knew about it. 1978-1980 Essex University 2A (none) Full-strength version. This was generally successful, and was played for fun by hacker and non-hacker alike. It was eventually put out to pasture because the software was getting very hard to maintain, and the memory constraints of the system meant it soon reached its maximum quota of rooms/objects/commands. 1980-1988 Essex University 3A MUD1, Essex MUD 1984-1987 Compunet 3A Compunet MUD 1985-1991 British Telecom 4B VAX MUD 1987-present CompuServe 3B British Legends, BL 1987 Commodore 64 (none) MicroMUD 1991-1995 Wizards' Guild 4E Dragon MUD2 1992-1996 On-Line 4E On-line MUD2 1992-1994 NVN (USV) 4E NVN MUD2 1993-1994 ALMAC 4E ALMAC MUD2 1993-1997 GEnie, Delphi, CRIS 4E Kesmai MUD2 1994-1996 MPGN 4E MPGN MUD2 1994-1996 Interplay (Engage) 4E IPLAY MUD2 1994-1995 IOL 4E IOL MUD2 1993-1997 SoNet 4E SoNet MUD2 1997-present mud2.com 4E mud2.com 1997-present Wireplay 4E Wireplay MUD2 (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did you discover MUD?". Hawumph the warrior says "Online had the UK rights to a combat flight sim - Air Warrior". Hawumph the warrior says "I was No. 6 on the table overall, and in case any of the guys are out there, in the Krait squadron". Hawumph the warrior says "Then I saw the next entry - mud". Hawumph the warrior says "So I tried it". Hawumph the warrior asks "I was helped by a few names you might recognise - Lestat and Kyric?". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. Hawumph the warrior says "Kyric was a Wiz - Lestat was an evil SOB and I thank him for showing me some of the tricks PK's use on newbies". (Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "surely Lestat was never that mean!". Hawumph the warrior says "No you are right - he was meaner - I was new as I say". You hear a rushing sound in the distance, as if a huge torrent of water has just started to flood somewhere. Hawumph the warrior says "That was also my first wiz run site". Hawumph the warrior mutters something. In the distance, you hear a low, reverberating sound. Hawumph the warrior says "You ever try to log on to your account with a 196k mage only to discover the system closed on you? Thats what happened to me". Hawumph the warrior says "Mind you I know now that between 196k and Wiz is a whole new arena". Hawumph the warrior says "In between start and end of my day's at Online, it was off to Dragon - aka Roger's mud. Most players shifted there, and only a few returned to Online afterwards.". Turrican the sinister wizard (Karya the melancholy witch) Isileth the bash-general sorcerer Severina the firefly-flattening prelate Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer Hawumph the warrior Bloke the snake-stuffing warrior Heiachi the guest For your information: there are 75 mobiles still alive. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars. Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "what's left?". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "All dwarfs?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "v, wraith, KEEP, some dwarfs". Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "v dead". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "goodo". reset Time-stamp: 21:46:14 on 7-MAR-2002. This is reset 4784, using slot 0. An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 59 minutes. Hobnoblin the bee-batting necromancer shouts "sk1 alive". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "sko and sk1 live". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "swan lives". Bloke the snake-stuffing warrior shouts "blind snake0". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "How did you find out about Dragon mud?". Hawumph the warrior says "A friend - aka another mudder - phoned me - we had never met but we used to (do I get fodded for this heresy) share ideas - he said he found a new mud for us". Hawumph the warrior says "In those days people rarely admitted sharing like now by the way - I think its a generation thing :-)". (Karya the melancholy witch) smiles. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "And so you decamped to Dragon MUD, did you find wizdom there?". Hawumph the warrior says "You're joking - I found a whole new level of game play". Hawumph the warrior says "You are as good as your peers - by the end of Online (sorry i know I am knocking a system) the real good ones had gone - at Dragon I discovered I was a novice compared to some". Hawumph the warrior asks "But I will use the opportunity to put something into perspective here - if I may?". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. Hawumph the warrior asks "I hear price complaints on both sites - guys we were paying national call rates to dial in then - have you ANY idea what that cost apart from the subs?". Hawumph the warrior says "OK thats my bit done for pricing :-)". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "we could compare montly phone bills, but I'd be too embarassed to mention mine". Hawumph the warrior says "I got ADSL recently - it cut me from 300 a quarter to now 29.99 a month - I love BT". Hawumph the warrior asks "Do you still want to compare?". In the distance, you hear the clear notes of a flute ringing through the air. Hawumph the warrior says "Thats a dedicated internet line by the way not phone calls". (Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "Nope! My worse bill is horrendous!". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "In the spirit of this article - i turn the tables - go on - what was it? Interviewer becomes interviewee!". (Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "Nooooo!". Hawumph the warrior says "Admit it or I shall apply pressure". Hawumph squeezes you. (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "well....". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "there was one quarter, and you have to take into account that some of this was from the previous quarter carried over AND Wireplay costs (you had to pay to play)". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "the bill arrived and it was ...". Hawumph makes a drum roll. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "roughly (I can't remember exactly - I think I blocked it out) over a 1000 pounds". Hawumph the warrior says "I would like to qoute another fine Wizard - who I can truly say cannot handle his drink but being the only other Irish Wiz I know of - beep'ing hell thats a big one". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior says "Oh hang on there's Grumpy - that makes 3 - and Zedd - 4 - I give up the Gaelic wizzes dominate the game". In the distance, you hear a wolf baying AAAOOOOOOHHHH. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars. Hawumph the warrior exclaims "So the motto here children is - pay your bills - or warn your parents they may have to sell their houses to satisfy your craving for mud!". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "only 55 in 43 mins go go go". Hawumph the warrior asks "We could mention Droo's modem in context - pay the bill or we'll take your modem - ok mam the modems cheaper to replace?". For your information: there are 50 mobiles still alive. (+300 = 470,101). Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers. Hawumph the warrior says "That was my favourite meet ever the Dublin one - so many people from so far afield - the real mud spirit". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Dublin was my favourite one too". Hawumph the warrior asks "You know two of the people there met in mud and got married?". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. Hawumph the warrior asks "Really RL married?". Hawumph the warrior smiles. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "their story is in ABC". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Potts and Angelmist". Hawumph the warrior asks "Angelmist - who made me a wiz - and Potts - who I knew on online - what other game could keep people together for that long?". Hawumph the warrior says "oops I am slipping into advert mode". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did Angelmist make you a wiz?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "38 in 28 , we CAN do it". In the distance, you hear the terrible RHOAAAUUUAURRRRGGGGGGHGHHHGHHHH of a dragon dying. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers. Hawumph the warrior howls. Hawumph the warrior shouts "NOOOOO". Hawumph the warrior sobs. Hawumph the warrior asks "How did I make it?". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "and where". Hawumph the warrior says "I made it on mud2.com". Hawumph the warrior says "Specifically - 2 west of swamp". Hawumph the warrior asks "I had an - um - interesting reset?". (Karya the melancholy witch) wonders. Hawumph the warrior says "20k arch bounty to anyone would kill me". Hawumph the warrior says "for that one reset". For your information: there are 25 mobiles still alive. Hawumph the warrior says "Dragon resurrected appropriately - but only after I went for the druids". (Karya the melancholy witch) cringes. Hawumph the warrior says "Gob10 did an impromptu reappearance which was nice". Hawumph the warrior says "And in the end I cracked - the only thing in the land worth doing was my oldest friend - Angelmist". (Karya the melancholy witch) gasps. Hawumph the warrior says "As it was put to me later - I turned to the darkside". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "had you ever attacked a fellow player prior to that?". Hawumph the warrior says "I was basically a tank on legs at that point - all the kit that I cannot mention - but I had it all". Hawumph the warrior says "I had lots of interesting interaction - but I am (apparently meant to be) ashamed to say I never initiated it - I guess I could be what you call a Vegetarian wiz". Hawumph the warrior says "Once I knew a pk or spotted snnops or tracks - I'd be in there - but its not ever been my thing". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Angelmist attacked you?". Hawumph the warrior says "No for once I went for her - I just prayed she would flee cos I could not take another reset like that i would have - um - done all the things that guarantee a kill". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard roars. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers. Hawumph the warrior says "Its one thing getting close - its another being VERY close". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "and THEY know it!". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How did she take being attacked by you?". reset Time-stamp: 22:19:51 on 7-MAR-2002. This is reset 4784, using slot 0. An auto-reset will be initiated in approximately 25 minutes. sv 20 alive, 258 dead. Hawumph the warrior says "She bought me a beanie dragon called scorch - it sits on my monitor". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "20 in 25, we can do IT". Hawumph the warrior says "Last time I met her (if you can call it that) was on here". Arseangel the hero cheers "I killed a mo, I can leech the 3k now". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "groan". qw Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard Turrican the sinister wizard (Karya the melancholy witch) Arseangel the hero Eleven the necromancess Isileth the bash-general sorcerer Severina the firefly-flattening prelate Hobnoblin the dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer Hawumph the warrior Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman Heiachi the guest Andy the surrealist guest Hawumph the warrior shouts "we know who you are - you cannot!". Hawumph the warrior says "sorry - couldn't resist that". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Why and when did you start playing here?". Hawumph the warrior says "Ah - I was hoping you wouldnt ask that one". Hawumph the warrior asks "Here or wp?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay". Hawumph the warrior says "I played WP to check it out a long time ago". Hawumph the warrior says "I discovered it was not MY type of mud - it was - to be politically correct - full of an unruly element who were uncontrollable by the nature of the service". For your information: there are 15 mobiles still alive. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer roars. Severina the firefly-flattening prelate cheers. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "roughly when did you first play on Wireplay?". For your information: there are 10 mobiles still alive. Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman cheers. Hawumph the warrior asks "Two years ago?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "10 in 21... go go go". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "that was before or after you made wiz on mud2.com?". Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "whats left?". Hawumph the warrior says "I mainly used my alter ego - Wampire". Hawumph the warrior says "Oh after". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Keep!". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "spider". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "No spider dead.". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay wasn't always like that, you missed it at its best". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "sk in ne tomb". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "sk0 in reverb passage". Hawumph the warrior says "I discovered that even though people KNEW it was me Wampire was taken at face value - it was really refreshing". Mike the hero shouts "whooo". Hawumph the warrior says "And I cannot vouch for wp - but the spirit that SHOULD have been there appears to be here". Hawumph the warrior says "Hardly anyone has two heads (apart from Turricans wizmorts but they are meant to)". (Karya the melancholy witch) laughs. Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "er anyone up for teaming up on sk meet mausoleum". Hawumph the warrior says "And the swearers are gone too - apart from beep'ing droo but I'll beeping well sort HIM out at the meet". Hawumph the warrior says "He owes me a beer anyway". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think he owes everyone a beer or two". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "You're still playing on the "rival" mud, why is that?". Hawumph the warrior says "Yeah but he promised MINE online in the forum :-)". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "very true". Hawumph the warrior asks "Do you really see it as rival (he said protectively)?". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I don't, but I know that's how lots of people see it". Hawumph the warrior says "Its where I made Wiz - I am bound to have a certain affinity for it". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "PAGODA OPENED NOW!!!!!". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I see mud2.com as the sister/brother mud". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "NOOO". Eleven the necromancess howls "HAHA". Hovering before you is Eros, wearing a blindfold. Eros pulls his bow and shoots Hawumph the warrior! Eros gives a satisfied smile, and flies away. Hawumph the warrior shouts "no eros that is TOO cruel". qw Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard Turrican the sinister wizard (Karya the melancholy witch) Stealth the warlock Aquiense the spellbinder Arseangel the hero Eleven the necromancess Isileth the bash-general sorcerer Severina the firefly-flattening prelate Hobnoblin the dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer Hawumph the warrior Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman Heiachi the guest Andy the surrealist guest (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "who did you get?". Hawumph the warrior says "Arseangel". (Karya the melancholy witch) laughs. Hawumph the warrior blushes. Hawumph the warrior says "Makes a change from firefarter I supose". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Anyone up for keep?". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "I am!". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "Meet me at Keep! :-p". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Good you can fod them all!". Hawumph the warrior asks "I can honestly say that mud players from whatever system are all alike - barking mad - we cross over systems for advantage - or if they close - its an ongoing thing - you ever play a computer game for 9 years?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I wonder how many of our readers will say in 9 years time that they've played MUD2 all this time". Hawumph the warrior says "Well I know lots have played longer than me - and still play - its a small but till vibrant community". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Did you side-step my last question, or miss it?". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. In the distance, you hear the clear tones of a mighty hunting horn. In the distance, you hear the cacophonic din of a badly-tuned hunting horn. Hawumph the warrior asks "which question?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "the one about why are you still playing this mud, when you said the site this one orginated from wasn't your scene". Hawumph the warrior asks "You never asked that you asked about RIVAL mud - or I was deaf dumb and blind at the time?". Hawumph the warrior says "But I will answer that question". Hawumph the warrior says "The site this one ORIGINATED from was as uncontrolled as a thing out of control with no head". Hawumph the warrior says "And to be honest I assumed this one was too". Hawumph the warrior says "Obviously you have losers like Fruitbat, Turrican and Azrael here, but the upper echelons are actually really together and quite fun". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "God I hope one of them develops a sense of humour before print date!". Hawumph the warrior gulps. (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Bloke the snake-stuffing swordsman shouts "12 in 6". Hawumph the warrior says "Since playing here - well - its not as bad as I assumed". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "I see a lot of cross over - players playing both sites - I have to admit to the heresy of wishing both were busier though!". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "I have to ask, ever since I've been playing at mud2.com which is for a few years now, it has never been what I'd consider busy. Has it ever been?". Hawumph the warrior says "Yes - but Wireplay killed that - free is a hard thing to fight". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Wireplay only turned free as of April/May-ish 1999, I've been playing mud2.com since before then". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "10 left, pick it up folks... need to clear that pagoda and complete keep now". Hawumph the warrior says "Thats about right - 2 years ago it got slow - damn I wish I had waited my wizrun would have been SO much easier". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior says "Actually scrub that - back to earlier - you're as good as your peers - you need feisty wizzes to - um - oversee and - obviously - as wizmorts DO NOT exist - be watchful". (Karya the melancholy witch) chuckles. Auto-reset initiated, you have 520 seconds to finish up. No further warnings will be issued! reset Time-stamp: 22:44:46 on 7-MAR-2002. This is reset 4784, using slot 0. A reset is due in 516 seconds. sv 9 alive, 278 dead. Hawumph the warrior says "Its one of the things I worry about - you can laugh at a high mage death - but with less people its possible to get UP THERE and suddenly you are effectively executed because you have no idea whats going on". Stealth the warlock shouts "golam is dead isn't he?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "YES". Stealth the warlock shouts "ok". Hobnoblin the dragon-slaying bee-batting necromancer shouts "aquiense is a thief". Stealth the warlock shouts "she tried to pk me at keep fighting griff". Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "I also mugged 3 old ladys today and they didnt complain as much as you.". Stealth the warlock shouts "you talking to me?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "old folks dont....". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "is pony in about in this game? cant find it...". Hawumph the warrior says "Ah the joys of co-operation". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "you always get one". For your information: there are 5 mobiles still alive. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "what worries you about the game the most?". Hawumph the warrior says "That I'll get closed down on again". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "4 left!!!". Hawumph the warrior says "actually no - scrub that". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "you worry that mud2.com will get closed down?". Hawumph the warrior says "I think both here and .com will stay open as long as they can - but I hate the quiet times". Hawumph the warrior says "I doubt.com will close - Viktor is the game's champion - I worry about the viability of 2 games though". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "3 left!". Severina the firefly-flattening prelate shouts "Where are they?". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "In Pagoda!". Stealth the warlock shouts "all seelife done?". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "seems so". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "You've already mentioned that we share players ...". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "Last 3 are in Pagoda!". Stealth the warlock shouts "how about the ape?". Stealth the warlock shouts "giant snake?". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "1 left!". Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard shouts "52 seconds!". Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "dooooooooooomed". Stealth the warlock shouts "what is it?". For your information: there are no mobiles still alive. You feel as if a tremendous evil has been rid from The Land! No pawns of darkness sully it with their presence. The relief of generations of souls floods through your being! (+3,000). Arseangel the superhero cheers. Fruitbat the slaughtering wizard cheers. Isileth the bash-general sorcerer cheers. Bloke the snake-stuffing hero cheers. Severina the firefly-flattening prelate cheers. Hawumph the warrior says "My ideal would be to see a merger - whether or not it could be done remains to be seen". Isileth the bash-general sorcerer shouts "who got it andwhat was it.". Something magical is happening. Next reset ... Beneath ring of stones. The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light, near your feet. qw (Karya the melancholy witch) Isileth the sorcerer Bloke the hero Hawumph the warrior Crazy the hero Severina the prelate Hmmmmm the protector Hobnoblin the necromancer Stealth the warlock Arseangel the superhero Heiachi the guest Hawumph the warrior has just arrived. (Karya the melancholy witch) waves. Hawumph the warrior asks "Heres a thought - how many people actually KNOW whats down here - and dont just do it all on autopilot cos they were told how?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "a lot I imagine". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "Where were we?". Hawumph the warrior asks "Wondering about shared players?". (Karya the melancholy witch) nods. Hawumph the warrior says "But if it comes down to it - you can keep Stealth". (Karya the melancholy witch) laughs. Isileth the sorcerer shouts "Thanks Fruity for your attendence and any assisstance you rendered! Cheers Turrican for being visible and all!". Stealth the warlock cheers. Isileth the sorcerer cheers. Hawumph the warrior says "My god - archangel appeared". Hawumph the warrior says "Lost his mage but lived - he'll go far is my prediction". Hobnoblin the necromancer bids everyone night. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "How do you see the future of MUD2?". Hawumph the warrior says "Its a game that has absolutely no Graphics - it only has sounds if you use a special client like Clio - it is reminiscent of Zork but the parser is vastly superior and the players are mad ......". Hawumph the warrior says "It is the only game I could envisage playing for that many years - and Pugsley for one has a good few years on me". Hawumph the warrior says "So it will continue - but the divide needs to be addressed". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "The divide?". Hawumph the warrior says "Two systems - same player base - its an oddity in mud2's history - WP was laterly free so doesn't count". In the distance, you hear the clear tones of a mighty hunting horn. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "What do you suggest is the solution?". Hawumph the warrior says "Bringing both under one umbrella would be nice - though full of problems - imagine a whole bunch of wizzes you only heard of as on THE OTHER SYSTEM but it's easy there - appearing". Hawumph the warrior says "Though as you say - you have first hand knowledge :-)". Hawumph the warrior says "I would mostly like to see one word reappear in the mortal dictionary - mystique". Hawumph the warrior says "The wizzes were a far off thing once - I rarely saw them and I damn sure NEVER answererd back". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "when do you feel that the mystique was lost?". Aquiense the spellbinder screams "propaganda, thats all it is... keeping the small man down.... CRIPPLING HIM!". Aquiense the spellbinder shouts "SAY NO.". Hawumph the warrior says "I think in the Wireplay days - I get the feeling some younger players shared secrets they should not have - I am sure I have seen wiz stuff talked about openly - its a crying shame". Hawumph the warrior says "Its still the only game I never saw an FAQ for - I did find one so called secret guide - it was so misinformed as to be funny". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "You don't think that ICQ, people talking about what they're watching on TV in the tearoom and mudmeets might have contributed to the lack of mystique also?". Hawumph the warrior says "We have always had a tearoom - ICQ etc is a real pain - I lived in fear of the UHOH noise when I was wiz running - it disturbed my concentration". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I meant more of people sitting in the tearoom apparently AFK when they were really communicating on ICQ". Hawumph the warrior says "And at mudmeets - we talk about mud and wizzes act mysterious - thats the MOST mystique bit". Hawumph the warrior says "No ICQ just means theres a new way to looby - its always been there - you can phone - use walky talky - be in same room - all the same". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Ok, we've covered some of the less good bits of the game, what about your favourite aspects of the game?". Hawumph the warrior says "Mud players are incredibly inventive - if you can BEAT the system - they will". For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 20,784 points if killed. Hawumph the warrior says "Oh I love to chat - which is a pain for the readership cos this will go on ad infenitum - I like the fact I can be me, or anonymous, or my complete opposite". Hawumph the warrior asks "I like particularly that I can role play - and if I do it well it can be known to be me but the persona is what is seen not the person - thats done far too rarely - did you know Foddy is a master of that by the way?". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "is he?". Hawumph the warrior says "Certainly used to be". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "on mud2.com?". Hawumph the warrior says "I think trying to interview Deafmute would be a waste of time - but Daktulos was fun". Severina the prelate bids everyone adios. (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior says "I never had to sign before except to Deafmute - was weird". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "Never came out of character! an expert!". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. In the distance, you hear a piercing scream. Eleven the necromancess cheers. Hawumph the warrior asks "One point I would like to ask - who's the scariest - Sep or Turrican - it would interest .commers?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think that probably depends on whether you've played on mud2.com or here, and during which era". Hawumph the warrior says "Beautifully sidestepped". Hawumph the warrior bows. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "and how does Kyric fit into the equation?". Hawumph the warrior says "He was the scariest damn player I ever knew/heard of /saw". (Karya the melancholy witch) exclaims "I think I would agree with that!". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "he certainly taught me a thing or two about fighting". Hawumph the warrior exclaims "The good news re mud is I am heading towards 10th anniversary of playing, many are still here for even longer, its still deveolping and whilst maybe past its WP heyday for now - its had a history of ups and downs - but it won't go away!". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "If you had total control over MUD2, what would you do to change it?". Hawumph the warrior says "Implement the plan a few of us had at a minimeet several years ago". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "what was that?". Hawumph the warrior says "Those of us that could afford it - buy the licence - and run it free but under control". Hawumph the warrior says "Sort of what you do here and Vik does at .com - but under one banner". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "but neither site runs for free". Hawumph the warrior says "In retrospect it is better to charge for it - you get a core of players who WANT to make something of themselves in the game". Hawumph the warrior says "But it's a shame the ones who can't aford it have to be put off". Hawumph the warrior says "I have no answers for that". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "I think it's a shame it has to cost so much. I agree with a lot of people that 12 pounds a month is a bit too much". Hawumph the warrior says "except 6 to 7 pm UK time here (advert)". Hawumph the warrior says "Costs never were an issue to me - so I cannot comment - not that I didn't sweat for the payments - it just seemed worth it". For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 21,584 points if killed. (Karya the melancholy witch) says "A younger generation are used to paying less for more". Hawumph the warrior says "A younger generation IMHO (and I never was all that humble) seem to expect a lot for nothing - its a great game it costs to run in equipment connections and licencing, its under development all the time... oops soap box time". For your information: Stealth the warlock is worth 21,198 points if killed. Hawumph the warrior says "What carries the game is enthusiasm - a hard core of players have been around for so long they are an institution - some of the newer ones are so violent or so much fun they are part of the history - it is ongoing". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "Is there anything else you'd like to add before we round this up?". (Karya the melancholy witch) says "perhaps we'll have Hawumph - The Interview, Part II at a later date". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior asks "My god this one wasn't long enough?". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior says "Good plan lets leave any more of my waffle to part II". Hawumph the warrior asks "except - could you provide me with a drink and show me the dragon - lets show them what i meant?". (Karya the melancholy witch) grins. Hawumph the warrior says "save a few deaths". (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "any drink in particular?". ql Beneath ring of stones. The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light, near your feet. Hawumph the warrior is here. Hawumph the warrior says "hmm - a balthazar (what you dont know how to get one people?)". Balthazar given to Hawumph. ql Beneath ring of stones. The slate slab looks too heavy for you to move. A charming locket catches the light, near your feet. Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar. Hawumph the warrior says "ladies first". Hawumph the warrior has given you the balthazar. Steep slope. A lone, red and white toadstool grows here. Fixed into the ground is a weatherworn signpost. Hawumph the warrior has just arrived. Balthazar given to Hawumph. You have started to snoop on Hawumph the warrior. ql Steep slope. A lone, red and white toadstool grows here. Fixed into the ground is a weatherworn signpost. Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar. Hawumph the warrior says "hmm". qn Looking northward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a wolfsbane1. Looking eastward, you see a place known as "thicket". It contains a tree root. Looking southward, you see a place known as "small bay". It appears to be empty. Looking westward, you see a place known as "arcane forest". It contains a tree root. Looking northeastward, you see a place known as "fairy ring". It appears to be empty. Looking southwestward, you see a place known as "arcane forest". It appears to be empty. Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a dragon and a bell0. |1|(Karya the melancholy witch) glances around. |1|drink bottle Hawumph the warrior has drunk some champagne. |1|Gulp gulp glug glug gulp glug SLURRRP! Down the hatch it goes! l nw Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a dragon and a bell0. |1|(Karya the melancholy witch) glances northwest. |1|*You see a large, pink elephant, smiling at you. |1|*l nw Hawumph the warrior glances northwest. |1|Looking northwestward, you see a place known as "steep slope". It contains a |1|dragon and a bell0. (Karya the melancholy witch) asks "ready?". |1|(Karya the melancholy witch) asks "ready?". |1|*now |1|I don't know the word "now". |1|*You are feeling rather queasy. |1|(72/80). |1|*You feel really ill, you've done yourself a permanent injury... |1|*nw.pee f dragon Staggering wildly, Hawumph the warrior has just left. |1|Steep slope. |1|Beating its enormous wings above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A |1|magnificent golden bell lies by your feet. |1|*The dragon is put out, but unfortunately only in the sense of being aggrieved... |1|*The dragon is moving towards you ferociously. nw Steep slope. Beating its enormous wings above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A magnificent golden bell lies by your feet. Hawumph the warrior is here carrying a balthazar. The dragon is fighting Hawumph the warrior. |1|(Karya the melancholy witch) floats in. You hear a dull thud, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior. You hear a swishing sound, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon. |1|The dragon hits you (61/79). |1|You miss the dragon. |1|*Your stomach turns over and you feel giddy. You are VERY unwell! |1|(58/79). You hear a grinding noise, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior. You hear fast movement, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon. |1|The dragon hits you (47/79). |1|You miss the dragon. |1|You don't feel able to speak any more. |1|*"told you - put out |1|You can't utter a word, you're dumb. You hear a grinding noise, as the dragon hits Hawumph the warrior. You hear a swish, as Hawumph the warrior misses the dragon. |1|The dragon hits you (34/79). |1|You miss the dragon. |1|*There is a sudden burning sensation in your chest, which grows sharply in intensity |1|and seems to ignite your throat. Coughing and choking, you fall to your knees as it |1|worsens, and you feel wracking pains all through your body. Your eyesight grows |1|blurred, and you start to froth madly at the mouth. At once, your eyes roll upwards, |1|your tongue flops out, and you keel over backwards, dead... |1|(-32 = 1,240). |1|(-71 = 1,169). |1|Balthazar dropped. |1|Overall, you lost 103 points this game. Hawumph the warrior drops dead, poisoned... A balthazar sits before you, opened, and marked: "champagne". Hawumph the warrior has just passed on. You can no longer snoop on Hawumph the warrior. ql Steep slope. A balthazar sits before you, opened, and marked: "champagne". Beating its enormous wings above you is an immense, fire-breathing dragon! A magnificent golden bell lies by your feet. |
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This Web page copyright © 2002 Viktor T. Toth
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