Connecting to a MOO

There are a number of computer systems on the Net which allow you to sign onto the system and interact inside a "virtual" world. Some of these virtual worlds seem like classic D&D adventure games, while others are virtual coffee bars or class rooms. Depending on how the virtual world is set up, you can move around from place to place, create or move objects, and interact with other players. These virtual worlds are called MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon), MOOs (Multi-user Object Oriented), MUSHs (Multi-User Shared Hallucination), MUVEs (Multi-User Visual Environment), and so forth. For more background information, you might want to check out the MU D FAQ - Part One.

There are two basic ways to use a MOO. The first is with your standard "telnet" program.  If you have a web browser and can read this, you are 99.99% certain to have a telnet program. It will provide you with a basic entry into a MOO.

The second way to use a MOO is with a special program designed to help organize all of the text involved in a MOO. These programs are usually called MUD clients. Yale does not include a MUD client in the standard network software package. If you wish to download a MUD client, here are some useful links to help you out.

The basic syntax for a MOO works like this: If you want to have the system do something, you often give a command that starts with the @ sign. For instance, @who tells you who is on the system, and @quit allows you to leave the system.  Some more basic commands, like LOOK or GO, operate without an @ sign.

If you want to emote (express a physical action), you put a colin in front of it.  So the command ":jumps up and down" means that all the other people in your space see "student jumps up and down." An open double-quotation mark can be used to say things. Ergo:

will return "student says hi" to all the other people in your space.

For more commands, please check basic moo commands or the quick moo commands page.  For information on how to behave, look at "Don't be a TinyJerk".

To get started on a MOO, I recommend you start at Diversity University.  Background information on DU can be found by clicking here.

Have fun!