MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth: Difference between revisions

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{{video game infobox
{{video game infobox
| image=None
| image=[[File:MUME-rooms.png|250px]]
| name=MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth
| name=MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth
| developer=Unknown
| developer=Unknown
| publisher=Unknown
| publisher=Unknown
| platform=Online (Telnet)
| platform=Online (Telnet)
| releasedate=[[1992]]<ref>[http://www.mume.org/history.php Official Site], History, Valaquenta (retrieved 7 February 2011)</ref>
| releasedate=[[1992]]<ref name="MUME History">{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.mume.org/history.php|articlename=A MUME History|website=[https://mume.org MUME]|accessed=15 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="tolkien-games">{{webcite|articleurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304011923/https://www.lysator.liu.se/tolkien-games/entry/mume.html|articlename=MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth|website=[https://www.lysator.liu.se/tolkien-games Tolkien Games]|accessed=15 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="robb-simpson">Robb, Brian J.; Simpson, Paul, ''Middle-earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: On Screen, On Stage, and Beyond'', pp. 488</ref>
| genre=[[wikipedia:MUD|MUD]]
| genre=[[wikipedia:MUD|MUD]], [[wikipedia:Role-playing game#Electronic media|RPG]]
|}}
}}
'''''Multi-Users in Middle-earth''''' ('''MUME''') is a free and unlicensed [[wikipedia:MUD#Player versus player MUDs|player versus player]] text-based online role-playing game, set in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s fictional world of [[Middle-earth]], as described in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name="netgames">Maloni, Kelly; Baker, Derek; Wice, Nathaniel, ''Net Games'', [https://archive.org/details/netgamesyourguid00malo/page/78 pp. 78 78–79]</ref><ref name="netgames2">Greenman, Ben; Maloni, Kelly; Spivey, Donna, ''Net Games 2'', pp. 247</ref><ref name="pramod-nayar">Nayar, Pramod K., ''An Introduction to New Media and Cybercultures'', [https://www.google.com/books/edition/An_Introduction_to_New_Media_and_Cybercu/lRlGrA5joxIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=multi+users+in+middle+earth&pg=PA143&printsec=frontcover pp. 143]</ref> The game was released in 1992<ref name="robb-simpson" /> and has been continually enhanced since its inception in the fall of [[1991]].<ref name="MUME About">{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.mume.org/mume.php|articlename=About MUME|website=[https://mume.org MUME]|accessed=6 February 2011}}</ref>


'''MUME: Multi users in Middle Earth''' ''(sic)'' is an unlicensed [[MUDs|MUD]] based on the works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. It has been continually enhanced since its inception in the fall of [[1991]].<ref name="official">[http://www.mume.org/mume.php MUME, About MUME] (retrieved 6 February 2011)</ref>
==Game characteristics==
The game is set during [[Middle-earth]]'s late Third Age, taking place nearly 100 years prior to ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and running through the entire events narrated within ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name="netgames2" /><ref name="tolkien-games" /> In ''MUME'' players can explore and live in [[Middle-earth]], and choose to join the epic war between the forces of [[Sauron]] and the armies of the [[Free peoples]].<ref name="MUME About"/> The action takes place between {{TA|2850}} (when [[Gandalf]] finds the key to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] right before ''[[The Hobbit]]'') and {{TA|3019}} (just after to the events of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'').<ref name="tolkien-games"/> The world includes many locations across Middle-earth such as [[Eriador]], the [[Blue Mountains]], the [[Grey Havens]], the [[Shire]], [[Bree]], [[Fornost]], [[Tharbad]], [[Rivendell]],<ref name="mark-wolf" /> [[Goblin-town]], and the [[Mines of Moria]]<ref name="motm" /> The world design is based on maps from ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'' using a gridding process<ref name="motm" /> to accurately follow the scale of Tolkien's maps.<ref name="tolkien-games" />


In ''MUME'' players can explore and live in [[Middle-earth]], and choose to join the epic war between the forces of [[Sauron]] and the armies of the [[free peoples]].<ref name="official"/> The action takes place between {{TA|2850}} (when [[Gandalf]] finds the key to [[Erebor]]) and {{TA|2950}} (just prior to the events of ''[[The Hobbit]]'').<Ref>[http://www.lysator.liu.se/tolkien-games/entry/mume.html MUME: Multi-Users in Middle Earth] at Tolkien Games (retrieved 7 February 2011)</ref>
''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' is known for its [[wikipedia:MUD#Player versus player MUDs|player versus player]]<ref name="robb-simpson" /><ref name="raph-koster" /><ref name="totalbiscuit-youtube" /> where players choose avatars to role-play the conflict and war between the armies of the [[Free peoples]] and the forces of the [[Sauron|Dark Lord]].<ref name="netgames" /> Players are able to play as an [[elf]], [[dwarf]], [[human]], [[hobbit]], [[orc]], or [[troll]] to fight both players and non-player characters.<ref name="netgames" /> These adventures reward players with the experience and travel points necessary to level their character and attain additional power.<ref name="netgames" />


==Development==
''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' was started in 1991<ref name="mark-wolf">Wolf, Mark J. P., ''The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds'', [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Routledge_Companion_to_Imaginary_Wor/BHE3DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=multi+users+in+middle+earth&pg=PT204&printsec=frontcover pp. 145]</ref> by Philippe Rochat at the [[wikipedia:Swiss Federal Institute of Technology|Swiss Federal Institute of Technology]] in Lausanne, who was soon joined by Claude Indermitte, Pier Donini, and David Gay.<ref name="motm">{{webcite|articleurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980429122847/http://www.mudconnect.com/motm/motm-0498.html|articlename=April '98 Mud of the Month|website=[http://www.mudconnect.com/motm/motm-0498.html The Mud Connector]|accessed=15 November 2020}}</ref>
''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' uses the engine of ''[[wikipedia:DikuMUD|DikuMUD]]''<ref name="netgames" /><ref name="last-outpost">{{webcite |articleurl=http://www.last-outpost.com/LO/historicallist.html|articlename=A Historical DikuMUD List|website=[http://www.last-outpost.com The Last Outpost]|accessed=15 November 2020}}</ref> while the mudlib is Mudlle, a custom scripting language developed by David Gay and Gustav Hållberg.<ref name="motm" />
==Reception==
In April 1998, ''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' was selected as The Mud Connector's Mud of the Month.<ref name="motm" /> In a September 2000 interview with [[wikipedia::Raph Koster|Raph Koster]]<ref name="raph-koster">{{webcite
| articleurl=https://www.raphkoster.com/games/interviews-and-panels/vaultnetwork-designer-dragon-interview/
| articlename=Raph Koster Interview
| website=[http://www.vaultnetwork.com/ VaultNetwork]
| accessed=12 Aug 2020
}}</ref>, the lead designer of ''[[wikipedia:Ultima Online|Ultima Online]]'' and the chief creative officer of ''[[wikipedia:EverQuest II|EverQuest II]]'', lists ''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' as one of the games that influenced him as a game designer by "doing such interesting things with player conflict". ''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' was regarded by [[wikipedia:TotalBiscuit|TotalBiscuit]] as his favorite MUD<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=https://twitter.com/Totalbiscuit/status/237565359731904512|articlename=@djWHEAT favourite MUD was MUME, Multi-Users in Middle Earth. I played a troll. If a Troll got caught in sunlight it deleted your character|accessed=Aug 20, 2012|website=[https://www.twitter.com Twitter]}}</ref> and harder than ''[[wikipedia:Dark Souls|Dark Souls]]'' with "crazy [...] Absolutely insane" PvP.
<ref name="totalbiscuit-youtube">{{webcite
| articleurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y9bS5cqLaM&feature=youtu.be&t=6m2s
| articlename=BBC 3 interviews TotalBiscuit about online harassment and gaming
| website=YT
| accessed=12 Aug 2020
}}</ref> In November 2017, ''Multi-Users in Middle-earth'' creator Pier Donini was selected by the podcast ''Roguelike Radio'' to join the discussion panel on MUDs.<ref>{{webcite
| articleurl=http://www.roguelikeradio.com/2017/11/episode-141-muds.html
| articlename=Episode 141: MUDs
| website=[http://www.roguelikeradio.com Roguelike Radio]
| accessed=August 16, 2020
}}</ref>
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.mume.org Official website]
* [https://mume.org/ Official website]
* [http://www.mudconnect.com/reviews/muds/MUME.html MudConnect, review]
* [https://github.com/MUME/mudlle Mudlle website]
* [http://www.elvenrunes.com Community website]
* [http://www.mudconnect.com/reviews/muds/MUME.html The Mud Connector Reviews]
* [http://www.topmudsites.com/cgi-bin/reviews/robboard.cgi?action=dbsearch&keywords=MUME+-+Multi+Users+in+Middle+Earth Top Mud Sites Reviews]


{{references}}
{{references}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Multi-User Dungeons]]
[[Category:Multi-User Dungeons]]
[[Category:Role playing games]]

Latest revision as of 21:09, 19 January 2021

MUME-rooms.png
MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth
Video game
DeveloperUnknown
PublisherUnknown
PlatformOnline (Telnet)
Release date1992[1][2][3]
GenreMUD, RPG

Multi-Users in Middle-earth (MUME) is a free and unlicensed player versus player text-based online role-playing game, set in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, as described in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[4][5][6] The game was released in 1992[3] and has been continually enhanced since its inception in the fall of 1991.[7]

Game characteristics[edit | edit source]

The game is set during Middle-earth's late Third Age, taking place nearly 100 years prior to The Hobbit and running through the entire events narrated within The Lord of the Rings.[5][2] In MUME players can explore and live in Middle-earth, and choose to join the epic war between the forces of Sauron and the armies of the Free peoples.[7] The action takes place between T.A. 2850 (when Gandalf finds the key to Erebor right before The Hobbit) and T.A. 3019 (just after to the events of The Lord of the Rings).[2] The world includes many locations across Middle-earth such as Eriador, the Blue Mountains, the Grey Havens, the Shire, Bree, Fornost, Tharbad, Rivendell,[8] Goblin-town, and the Mines of Moria[9] The world design is based on maps from Middle-earth Role Playing using a gridding process[9] to accurately follow the scale of Tolkien's maps.[2]

Multi-Users in Middle-earth is known for its player versus player[3][10][11] where players choose avatars to role-play the conflict and war between the armies of the Free peoples and the forces of the Dark Lord.[4] Players are able to play as an elf, dwarf, human, hobbit, orc, or troll to fight both players and non-player characters.[4] These adventures reward players with the experience and travel points necessary to level their character and attain additional power.[4]

Development[edit | edit source]

Multi-Users in Middle-earth was started in 1991[8] by Philippe Rochat at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, who was soon joined by Claude Indermitte, Pier Donini, and David Gay.[9]

Multi-Users in Middle-earth uses the engine of DikuMUD[4][12] while the mudlib is Mudlle, a custom scripting language developed by David Gay and Gustav Hållberg.[9]

Reception[edit | edit source]

In April 1998, Multi-Users in Middle-earth was selected as The Mud Connector's Mud of the Month.[9] In a September 2000 interview with Raph Koster[10], the lead designer of Ultima Online and the chief creative officer of EverQuest II, lists Multi-Users in Middle-earth as one of the games that influenced him as a game designer by "doing such interesting things with player conflict". Multi-Users in Middle-earth was regarded by TotalBiscuit as his favorite MUD[13] and harder than Dark Souls with "crazy [...] Absolutely insane" PvP. [11] In November 2017, Multi-Users in Middle-earth creator Pier Donini was selected by the podcast Roguelike Radio to join the discussion panel on MUDs.[14]

External links[edit | edit source]

References

  1. ↑ "A MUME History", MUME (accessed 15 November 2020)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth", Tolkien Games (accessed 15 November 2020)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Robb, Brian J.; Simpson, Paul, Middle-earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: On Screen, On Stage, and Beyond, pp. 488
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Maloni, Kelly; Baker, Derek; Wice, Nathaniel, Net Games, pp. 78 78–79
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Greenman, Ben; Maloni, Kelly; Spivey, Donna, Net Games 2, pp. 247
  6. ↑ Nayar, Pramod K., An Introduction to New Media and Cybercultures, pp. 143
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "About MUME", MUME (accessed 6 February 2011)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wolf, Mark J. P., The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds, pp. 145
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "April '98 Mud of the Month", The Mud Connector (accessed 15 November 2020)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Raph Koster Interview", VaultNetwork (accessed 12 August 2020)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "BBC 3 interviews TotalBiscuit about online harassment and gaming", YouTube (accessed 12 August 2020)
  12. ↑ "A Historical DikuMUD List", The Last Outpost (accessed 15 November 2020)
  13. ↑ "@djWHEAT favourite MUD was MUME, Multi-Users in Middle Earth. I played a troll. If a Troll got caught in sunlight it deleted your character", Twitter (accessed 20 August 2012)
  14. ↑ "Episode 141: MUDs", Roguelike Radio (accessed 16 August 2020)
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