MUD2 News

               Angelina the Dangerously Sane

By  the  time this issue of SynTax reaches you,  MUD2  will  have 
ceased to exist. It will close down on the 11th March at 7.55 am. 
MUD2  runs on DEC VAX computers owned by British Telecom and  has 
done so ever since they went on-line in 1985.  Since then, BT has 
had  a number of reorganisations,  one of the results being  that 
the division responsible for dealing with MUD2 no longer owns the 
computers it runs on.  The division which now owns the  computers 
has been exerting pressure for their return and MUSE (who own the 
game) were informed,  at very short notice,  that MUD2 would have 
to stop.  Due to the very short notice, MUSE have had very little 
time  to make other arrangements,  but they have several  options 
and they are trying to find a new home for MUD2.

It  seems to me like the end of an era.  The original MUD ran  on 
Essex  University's  JANET computer and then was  transferred  as 
MUD2 to BT as a commercial proposition,  with Richard Bartle  and 
others forming MUSE (Multi-User Entertainment Ltd.) to handle it. 
This  was the first multi-user game and even although  I  haven't 
played much in recent years,  it was my introduction to MUGs  and 
I'm  very sad to think that the Land has gone.  I still  remember 
the  excitement/terror of my first log-in and I hope Richard  can 
find another home for it soon.

@~MUD2 was the first MUG I played too, in fact Angie and  I used to
@~log  on together  in the  old days  of its  beta-testing.  I  can
@~vividly remember finding the crown once and overshooting it  many
@~times  in my  inexperience  at  moving  about - and then the game
@~crashed before I could swamp it! Oh happy days.....