MUD Game Design

Character Systems

Stats/Attributes

The classic D&D-derived six-stat model dominates:

Derived stats: Hitroll, Damroll, Armor Class (or Resistances), Saving Throws, HP/Mana/Movement maximums.

Design choice: Fixed racial modifiers + trainable stats vs. point-buy vs. random roll. Aardwolf uses training cost modifiers per race — some stats are cheaper/harder to train depending on race.

Class Design

Common patterns:

• Holy trinity: Tank (Warrior), Healer (Cleric), DPS (Mage/Thief)
• Hybrid classes: Paladin (tank+healer), Ranger (fighter+nature), Psionicist (unusual flavor)
• Subclass specialization: 3-4 variants per class for distinct playstyles

Multiclassing approaches:

• DikuMUD: Single class, permanent choice
• Aardwolf remort: Gain additional classes sequentially; primary class stays strongest
• LPMud guild: Join/leave organizations that grant abilities
• Evennia: Fully customizable — whatever you code

Leveling & Progression

Linear model: Kill mobs → gain XP → level up → gain stats/skills

Aardwolf’s deep progression:

Level 1-200 → Superhero (201) → Remort (×7 classes) → Tier (×10) = theoretically 14,000+ "levels"

Progression currencies:

• XP for levels
• Trains for stats
• Practices for skills
• Quest Points for gear
• Trivia Points for housing

Key design principle: Multiple orthogonal progression axes keep players engaged longer than a single level track.

Prestige/Remort Systems

Why they work:

1. Reset creates a “new game” feeling with retained advantages
2. Each cycle is faster/more rewarding than the last
3. Completionist drive — collecting all classes/tiers
4. Social status — higher tier = visible achievement
5. Power curve — tier bonuses make each cycle more efficient

Combat Systems

Round-Based (Tick) Combat

The DikuMUD standard:

1. Player enters combat (kill goblin)
2. Combat begins — auto-attack each round
3. Each round: both sides swing, skills/spells can be used
4. Combat continues until one side dies, flees, or is rescued
5. Rounds fire on server ticks (typically 1-4 seconds)

Auto-attack + special ability model: Basic attacks happen automatically; players choose when to use special skills/spells for extra damage, healing, debuffs.

Mob AI and Difficulty

Simple patterns:

• Aggro mobs: attack on sight
• Assist mobs: help their companions
• Wander mobs: move between rooms
• Sentinel mobs: stay in one room
• Scavenger mobs: pick up items

Difficulty scaling: Level difference, stat multipliers, special abilities, group requirements

Aardwolf approach: Area level ranges, mob AI via Lua scripting for complex behaviors

PvP Systems

Approaches:

• Open PK: Anyone can attack anyone (hardcore, niche)
• Consensual PK: Both players must opt in
• Clan-based PK: PK clans can fight each other; NoPK clans are safe
• Arena PK: Designated areas for combat
• Flag-based: Actions (stealing, etc.) flag you as attackable

Aardwolf: Mixed — PK clans exist alongside NoPK clans. Thief subclass Bandit can create PK situations.

Death Penalties

Aardwolf: Corpse goes to clan morgue (if clanned), relatively gentle death penalty compared to classic MUDs.

World Design

Room-Based Geography

Rooms as graph nodes, exits as edges. Each room has:

• Unique ID (vnum)
• Name and description
• Sector/terrain type (city, forest, mountain, water, etc.)
• Exit links (N/S/E/W/U/D + custom)
• Contents (items, mobs, players)
• Properties (flags: dark, no-magic, indoors, etc.)

Scale is inconsistent by design: A “room” might be a closet or an entire forest. This is a feature, not a bug — it lets builders control pacing and atmosphere.

Area Design Principles

1. Theme cohesion: Each area tells a story through descriptions and mob placement
2. Difficulty gradient: Players should know what level range an area serves
3. Reward structure: Unique items, quest goals, XP efficiency appropriate to difficulty
4. Self-contained goals: Area quests should be completable within the area
5. Exploration rewards: Hidden rooms, secret exits, environmental storytelling
6. Non-linear layout: Avoid pure corridors; create interesting topology

Procedural vs. Hand-Crafted

Most successful MUDs use hand-crafted content — the text medium rewards quality writing over quantity.

Environmental Storytelling in Text

In a text MUD, the room description IS the world:

The Grand Library of Kelanthis

  Towering shelves of dark mahogany stretch from the marble floor to
  a vaulted ceiling lost in shadow. The scent of old parchment and
  candle wax hangs heavy in the air. Several shelves stand empty,
  their contents scattered across the floor — someone has been here
  before you, and they were not gentle about it.

  A heavy iron door stands ajar to the north. A spiral staircase
  winds upward to the east.

Every word does work: atmosphere, lore, hints about recent events, navigation cues.

Quest & Progression Systems

Quest Types

Auto-Quest Systems (Aardwolf Model)

Procedurally generated repeatable quests:

• Quest master assigns task (kill mob X in room Y)
• Timer counts down
• Complete for QP + gold + bonuses
• Cool-down before next quest available
• Available at every level — always something to do

Why it works: Guaranteed content at every stage of progression, no waiting for hand-crafted quests.

Campaign/Goal Systems

Campaigns: Chained quest sequences for bonus rewards Goals: Multi-step area achievements tracked across sessions

These add depth to the auto-quest loop and encourage exploration of specific areas.

Achievement Systems

Track player accomplishments:

• Areas explored
• Quests completed
• Mobs killed
• Items collected
• Tiers/remorts reached

Achievements serve as both personal milestones and social signaling.

Economy Design

Currency Hierarchy

Key principle: The highest-value currencies must be earned, not traded. This prevents inflation and ensures progression feels meaningful.

Gold Sinks

Without gold sinks, inflation destroys the economy:

• Equipment repair costs
• Transportation costs
• Superhero fee (500,000 gold)
• Manor fees (1,000,000 for public rooms)
• Clan bank deposits
• Shop purchases at high levels

Player Trading

• Direct trade/give
• Auction system (with tax per tier for inflation control)
• Shops (NPC vendors)
• Clan donation rooms

Social Systems

Communication Channels

Typical MUD channel structure:

• say/tell: Local room / private message
• gossip: Server-wide chat
• newbie: New player help channel
• clan: Clan-only chat
• group: Party chat
• auction: Item marketplace
• OOC: Out-of-character chat
• shout/yell: Area-wide communication

Clan/Guild Systems

Why clans are essential:

1. Social anchor: Players stay for their community
2. Shared goals: Clan achievements and wars
3. Resource pooling: Banks, equipment, facilities
4. Identity: Clan name/title as part of character identity
5. Content: Inter-clan politics, wars, alliances

New Player Retention

The “wall of text” problem: New MUD players face overwhelming complexity.

Solutions from successful MUDs:

1. Start in small, focused tutorial areas (not giant cities)
2. Limit initial choices to prevent decision paralysis
3. Show, don’t tell — let players learn by doing
4. Dedicated helper channel with trained volunteers
5. Simplified early quests that teach mechanics
6. GUI-friendly client with clickable elements
7. Visual indicators (color-coded difficulty, health bars)
8. Remove punishing mechanics from early game (no death penalty at low levels)
9. Gate progression naturally — delivery quests to introduce new areas

Player Housing

• Personal space and customization
• Item storage
• Social gathering spot
• Progression goal (save up for upgrades)
• Aardwolf model: manor rooms expandable with TP, rooms made public for gold

Content Creation & Longevity

The Builder Pipeline

1. Recruit volunteer builders from skilled players
2. Provide building tools (OLC, Lua scripting, area file editors)
3. Style guides for consistency in writing quality and theme
4. Review process before areas go live
5. Iterate based on player feedback

Sustaining Engagement Over Years

1. Deep progression: Remort/tier systems provide years of goals
2. New content: Regular area additions by volunteer builders
3. Seasonal events: Holiday events, global quests, competitions
4. System updates: New features, balance passes, quality of life
5. Social investment: Friendships, clan loyalty, reputation
6. Multiple playstyles: Solo questing, group content, PvP, building, roleplaying

The Immortal Hierarchy

MUD administrative structure:

• Implementor (IMP): Server owner, full access
• Coder: Modifies game engine code
• Builder: Creates areas and content
• Admin: Manages players and community
• Helper/Advisor: Assists new players (may or may not be staff)

Design Principles Worth Stealing

From Bartle’s “Designing Virtual Worlds”

1. Virtual worlds exist for players to explore themselves — the game is a vehicle for self-discovery
2. Immersion is psychological, not just sensory — players need to feel present
3. Balance all four player types — content for Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, and Killers
4. The designer’s role is to know what provides positive experience, not just what players say they want

From MUD Development Experience

1. Find the fun first, then build around it — prototype core gameplay before elaborate systems
2. Persistence as storytelling: Dropped items, changed environments, NPC memory — use game state to create narrative
3. Time systems should serve gameplay, not restrict it — don’t lock content behind real-world schedules
4. Players will organize outside the game — provide meta-communication tools rather than fighting external coordination
5. Consistency over realism — a consistent fantasy is more immersive than an inconsistent reality
6. Forgiving parsers — accommodate player intent, don’t punish typos

Sources

• MUD Cookbook - Andrew Zigler
• Gammon.com.au - MUD Retention
• Bartle: Command Parsers
• Bartle Taxonomy - Wikipedia
• Designing Virtual Worlds - Wikipedia
• Writing Games - MUD Styles