Examples of server output and the example player's responses are highlighted by the absence of boldness.
[Step One: Connecting to Myrradel]
To connect to Myrradel in various flavours of Unix, type the following at your kernel prompt:
In Windows, a new window will pop up, connect to Myrradel's server and display the greeting screen. In Unix, the screen will simply scroll down to display the greeting screen. From this point on, the instructions for Windows and Unix users become identical.
Myrradel's main greeting screen looks like this:
You are now connected to Myrradel. Congratulations!
[Step Two: Choosing A Character Name And Password]
Time to make your first decision.
In Myrradel, like any other MUD of its kind, your character's name is very important. This is the name other people will refer to you as in the game, and on your quest to the highest level on Myrradel, you'll probably be spending between two weeks and twelve months under this moniker. Here are some general suggestions for picking a name:
1) Don't use your real first name as your character name. Myrradel is a fantasy world where people gather the mystical energies of their being to invoke spells of incredible destruction upon others, or execute complex moves during combat to render their opponent unconscious. Try to pick a name that is equally fantastical.
2) Don't pick a name that is a combination of two or more words. Would your (medieval) mother name you "FistsOfFury"?
3) Try not to pick a name or nickname straight off of a television show. While certainly allowed, in a game taken seriously by many players, a name like "Stimpy" may not get you the respect you might deserve.
Character name changes are available in-game (contact your local implementor) for a fairly exorbitant fee, but the hassle of this change can be easily avoided by taking a few minutes to consider an appropriate name for your character at creation.
When you have come to a decision about the name of your character, type it in and press the 'Enter' key. If the name is acceptable (it is not already used or otherwise found illegal), the next line you should see would be:
Obviously, for the purposes of this guide our character's name shall be Vansen. If you are sure this is the name of the character you wish to start, type 'y' and press the 'Enter' key. The next lines you will recieve will say:
The game recognizes you are starting a new character. Now, it's time to make another decision, only this time you don't have to worry about making it look good for other to see. Myrradel requires you to enter a password as least five characters long. Do *not* use your character's name as your password. If a person was to ever try to use your character without your consent, this is one of the first things they would try.
When you've thought of a password that is not easy to guess but easy enough for you to remember, type it in and press the 'Enter' key.
You're just being asked to enter the password a second time in order to make sure a typing error doesn't cause you to be barred from logging into your character at a later time. Enter your password again and press 'Enter'. The next you will see will read:
Here, Myrradel is checking to see what keystroke code is being used for your 'Enter' key (also known as the 'Return' key). But you don't have to worry about that. Press 'Enter' to continue.
[Step Three: Picking Your Character's Stats]
In all cases, you want to start out with the highest stats possible. The closer the numbers are to the starting maximum of 18, the better. Right off, you are given a choice between five sets of character stats to choose.
The sets of statistics are listed vertically - columns 1 to 5. You might note that the sets of statistics above are uncommonly low and should be passed upon. As a general rule of thumb, shoot for a set of stats that add up to 75 at minimum.
If you don't like any of the five sets of stats presented to you initially, press your 'Enter' key and you will be shown five new sets of statistics to choose from. Myrradel allows you to reroll your character like this for an unlimited amount of time until you come to a set of statistics to your liking, so take your time! Type in the column number of the set of stats and press the 'Enter' key when you've found them.
If you've got a character class in mind already that you'd like to play, you may want to browse through the Classes page to see what statistics are important to various classes. Additional information on statistics can be found on the Statistics help page.
[Step Four: Your Character's Race]
Your race serves to determine three important things about your character: 1) the special racial abilities your character recieves, 2) the opposing racial weaknesses of your character, and 3) the attribute bonuses awarded to your character.
The general belief of player in Myrradel is that in picking a race, pay more attention to the race's special abilities and weaknesses than the attribute bonuses awarded, though those are not to be ignored completely. As a wise man once said, "You can improve your character's attributes/statistics at any time, but your racial skills are with you for life."
The next screen relating to character races will appear, showing:
The above outlines the thirteen races a player on Myrradel can choose between. As already stated, different races have their own pros and cons. You can select any number between 1 and 13 for information about that race, but slightly more detailed information on races is available for viewing on the Races page on this site.
Again, with respect to race attribute/statistic bonuses, remember that your statistics determine your choice of classes you may pick, so be cautious in heightening and lowering various stats by picking a race. To select a race and move on to the next step of character setup, select that race to see more info about it, and at the prompt:
Type 'y' and press the 'Enter' key for yes, or 'n' to go and look at another race.
[Step Five: Choosing Your Character's Sex]
'M' for male, 'F' for female. 'Yes Please' is not acceptable as input.
[Step Six: Your Character's Class]
As you can see, our character in this above example is being steered towards a life in magic (Mage), healing (Cleric) or nature (Forester). Selecting '1', '2' or '3' in this example will present you with further information on that class. Again, slightly more detailed information on each class can be read up upon on the Classes page.
To pick a class to play, select that class from the above menu, and at the prompt:
Type 'y' and press 'Enter' for yes, or 'n' to choose another class.
[Step Six: Setting Up Colour, The MOTD]
ANSI colour is now almost universally supported, so you should be quite safe in typing 'y' and pressing the 'Enter' key. Next you'll see a colourful image of a castle along with credits to the makers of Myrradel's codebase and DikuMud founders. Don't worry about any of this, just press 'Enter' again at the prompt.
After that, you will view the Message Of The Day, or MOTD in short form. The MOTD tells players about events and developments in the world of Myrradel, and is closely mirrored by the MUD News page on this website. At this point there's not much you need to know from the MOTD, so just scan it over and press 'Enter' as needed. You may want to remember that at any point in the game later on you can read the MOTD by typing 'help MOTD'.
[Step Seven: Where To Go Now?]
The room you will appear in when entering Myrradel for the first time will be titled 'A Quiet Place of Reflection':
This is where this guide ends and the very capable in-game guide comes into play. To start you off, you should remember to 'read sign' or 'look sign' or 'look plaque' where it is indicated, as this is the form instructions will take inside the game.
Good luck to you, adventurer! With the incredible things you may come to see in Myrradel, you might one day need all the training you've got.
[Notes]
Type 'help rules' to find out what is and what is not acceptable behaviour in Myrradel. The rules take affect upon your entering the world whether or not you have read them.
Type 'help wizlist' to see a list of immortals on Myrradel. These are the people on Myrradel who are here to help you out wherever they can, but be courteous.
Typing 'help' alone gives you a list of topics you may receive information about.
A couple definitions and other general help pertaining to MUDs can be read up on in the Fairly Generalized MUD FAQ (FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions).
Guide written by Aelwyft on Mar. 14th, 2000.
This section of the website is for those people who would like to get started on a character in Myrradel but need some light coaching through to process. It is advised that you keep a browser window to this page open while you advance through character creation.
Most people who play on Myrradel use a version of Windows, Unix or MacOS as their operating system. In order to connect to Myrradel in Windows 95 or 98, open the 'Start menu', click on 'Run' and type the following:
telnet myrradel.com 4000
telnet myrradel.com 4000
Connected to host myrradel.com
Original Diku Authors - Katja Nyobe, Tom Madsen, Hans Staerfeldt,
Michael Seifert, Sebastian Hammer
;;, ,,,,;;;;;;;,,,,
,,;;;;;; ';;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,
,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,
,;''''';;;;;;;;;;;;;''''''';;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,
'';;;;;' ''';;;;;;;;;;,
';;; ,,;;;;;;,,,, ';;;;;;;;;
; ,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,, ';;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;';;;;;;;;;;;;'' ;;;;;;;;;
,;' ';;;;; ';;;;;;;;' :;;;;;::
x$;;;;; ;;;;; ;;;;;;;
#$$$;;; ;;;; $$;;;;;
###$$$; ;' #$$;;;;
d8####$$ ##$$$$;;
d88##### Myrradel ###$$$$$
d88888####, &##$$###
''88888888b, &&##$#&&&&
'''88888b x&&&#####&&&
''' x&&&####&&&
'&&##&&&&&
Founded by Raiden &&&&&'
&&&''
''
At the bottom of the greeting screen, you are asked to:
State thy name:
Did I get that right, Vansen (Y/N)?
New character.
Give me a password for Vansen:
Please retype password:
Press Return to continue:
Your character's stats (statistics), also known as character attributes, are very important in seeing how your character measures up to other players in Myrradel. The statistics you pick here will also help to narrow down the number of classes you may pick to play as to make the decision a little easier.
Choose one of the following sets of character stats:
<---S E T---> 1 2 3 4 5
Intelligence: 14 10 13 11 14
Wisdom......: 10 11 7 14 14
Strength....: 13 13 12 11 10
Dexterity...: 12 10 9 10 14
Constitution: 15 7 10 11 12
Select a set of statistics <1-5> or hit ENTER to reroll:
The next thing you will determine will be which race your character will play as. Like your character's class, the race you choose cannot be changed at a later date, so picking carefully is advisable.
**********************************************************************
* It is now time to pick the race of your character. Be cautious of *
* which you choose. Your race will make modifications to your stats *
* and may provide you with certain innate abilities. Additionally, *
* some races loath members of certain others, and may be aggressive. *
**********************************************************************
Myrradel races --
1 - Human
2 - Elf
3 - Halfelf
4 - Drow
5 - Dwarf
6 - Hobbit
7 - Gnome
8 - Giant
9 - Goblin
10 - Duergar
11 - Halforc
12 - Barbarian
13 - Pixie
Select a race to find out more info about it:
Are you sure you want this race?
The next step in character development reads:
What is your sex (M/F)?
Almost done now, folks! This is perhaps the singularly most important choice you will make in the creation of your character. The next screen will present you with the base classes which your previous decisions will allow you to select:
Myrradel base classes available with your stats --
* - Warrior
1 - Mage
2 - Cleric
* - Rogue
* - Monk
3 - Forester
Select a class:
Are you sure you want this class?
Relax, character setup is finished. Now it's time to enter the game. The next line you read should say:
Do you want ANSI colour (Y/N)?
You know you've actually entered Myrradel when you see the line:
Welcome to Myrradel. May your visit here be ... Fun.
A Quiet Place of Reflection
This room looks pleasent, as it should. It is one of the few places on
this world where you can relax without fear. The walls of this hall shine
with embrossed gold, and a magical light shines through the floor.
There is a SIGN here. (read sign)
There is a silver PLAQUE on the wall. (read plaque)
[Exits: south]
A rulebook lies here, ready to be read
(Glowing) A brochure floats about in the breeze
A nice smelling rack of ribs is on a table here.
(Glowing) A fountain made of gold and silver sits in the middle of the room.
Daryl, friend to all new adventurers, is here handing out maps.
surrounded by a glowing aura
surrounded by an electric shield
hovering above the ground
An Alhazi Guardian Mage serves and protects new players.
surrounded by a glowing aura
surrounded by flames
<20hp 100m 100mv>
All your work in creating your character will be lost if you do not attain level 2 before quitting the game! Get this done first and foremost, then type 'save' and go on.