Multiplayer Online Games

Looking into MUDs and WoW

Intro

I looked into multiplayer games. Showing the contrast from text based MUDs (Multi-User

Dungeons) to WoW (World of Warcraft). Including the recent improvement of MUDs to

MMO (massively multiplayer online).

MUDs

• MUD or Multi-User Dungeon• Mainly text based games, introduced in 1975,First MUDs would be online

using a university internet. • 1978 - Roy Trubshaw, a student at Essex University, started to work on a

multi-user adventure game calling it MUD and setting the base for MUDs• MUD firstly being writing in MACRO-10 assembly language, was then

converted to BCPL (later turned to C) • Being text based games, the player types a selection of commands, such as

“Attack Dragon” or “South” • Different types of MUDs consist of :PvP, Role Playing, Hack and

Slash, Social, Educational and Graphical. • Early MUDs contain many features from D&D. • MUD developers as the gaming world expanded, went on to MMORPGs

WoW

• WoW or World of Warcraft• 3D graphic game, require a lot more that MUDs do to run. • Subscription based• Text used just to talk to other players • Around 10.3 million players, creating $1.44 billion yearly • WoW encourages multi tasking – using the mouse and all aspects of the keyboard. • Created in September 2001 • Taking around 4 – 5 years to make • Warcraft being the base of the game.• Due to the amount of money made the game is able to be expanded, and updated

constantly. • Requires a large amount of HD space (30GB) • Runs on a PvP or PvE aspect