Nuclear War MUD

Nuclear War MUD
Developer(s)	Project community
Engine	MudOS
Platform(s)	Platform independent
Release date(s)	1992
Genre(s)	Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk MUD
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Media/distribution	Online
System requirements Telnet client or MUD client, Internet access

Nuclear War MUD, abbreviated Nuke, is a MUD, a text-based online role-playing game, founded in 1992.^[1]

Game characteristics

A screenshot of Nuclear War MUD's login screen

The MUD is set in a post-apocalyptic world with cyberpunk elements. Civilization has been destroyed by a nuclear holocaust — hence the name of the MUD. The only effective remaining organizations are street gangs and megacorporations.^[2][3]

Street gangs are the most important affiliation that player characters have, and provide both objectives and special abilities with which to carry them out. Examples of gangs are the Hackers, who carry personal computer "totems", and the Inquisitors, who believe that the nuclear apocalypse was a "cleansing".^[2]

Nuclear War has been noted for implementing the "chat channel" mechanic, a common convention in MUDs, through a thematically justified piece of equipment, a radio which must be tuned to the frequency of the channel one wishes to access.^[4] Similarly, where the term for staff on many MUDs is "wizard", a term Nuclear War went live with, a change made a few months after release subverted the convention by calling staff "scientists", with the "Gods" becoming "Administrators".

Reception

Nuclear War has received critical praise, particularly for providing an alternative to the medieval fantasy settings otherwise pervasive in the MUD genre and for providing strong support for new players.^[2]

Technical infrastructure

Nuclear War MUD is an LPMud running on the MudOS game driver and a custom mudlib once based on the LPMud 2.4.5 lib.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Nuclear War". The Mud Connector. 2007-08-02. http://www.mudconnect.com/mud-bin/simple_search.cgi?Mode=MUD&mud=Nuclear+War. Retrieved 2010-09-14. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Towers, J. Tarin; Badertscher, Ken; Cunningham, Wayne; Buskirk, Laura (1996). Yahoo! Wild Web Rides. IDG Books Worldwide Inc.. pp. 168. ISBN 0-7645-7003-X. "Nuclear War [...] LP, All ¶ [icon representing 4 out of 4 rating] Prepare yourself for a dark and dismal 180-degree turn from your regular MUD. This awesome game is set in a dim and filthy post-apocalyptic world, after a nuclear holocaust has destroyed society as we know it. [...] If you've ever played TSR's old Gamma World game, you'll appreciate the bizarre and colorful street gangs that you can join. They each have their own twisted agendas and weird ways, as well as special skills — take your pick. The Hackers, with a personal computer as their totem, are one example. [...] Another band is the Inquisitors, a touched bunch of people that believes the nuclear holocaust that occurred was simply a purification. They feel that in order to avoid the final holocaust, they have to cleanse the streets of the evil megacorporations and, of course, other gangs. This list is by no means exhaustive. [...] Nuclear War has excellent support for newbies. [...] But if you're a little sick of happy elves and dwarves, try out Nuclear War for a breath of foul air." 
3. ^ Carton, Sean (1995). Internet Virtual Worlds Quick Tour. Ventana Press. pp. 155. ISBN 1566042224. "Nuclearwar [...] If you feel like kicking some mutant butt, or you harbor some secret wish to belong to an outlaw gang, then Nuclearwar might be the place to visit. Here, in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of the future, you're free from all those bothersome laws that restrict your real life, so you can live out all those anti-social fantasies without worrying about all the real-life gore and dirt. The world of Nuclearwar is pure anarchy — megacorps and gangs rule the earth in a free-wheeling fight to the finish. If death and pain sound like things you'd rather avoid, go play somehere else, you pansy!" 
4. ^ Shefski, William J. (1995). Interactive Internet: The Insider's Guide to MUDs, MOOs, and IRC. Prima Publishing. pp. 96. ISBN 1-55958-748-2. "But often, internal MUD chat channels (sometimes called chats or channels) are theme-oriented. For instance, on a cyberpunk-themed MUD like Nuclear War, there are "radio" channels available which are named according to frequencies to which a player can tune his or her character's radio." 

External links

• Official website