TrekVerse Mud's FAQ 20 December 1995 --------------------------------- Attempts to maintain this FAQ are done by Zortek, Chief Admin. Questions, comments, or corrections should be mailed to: zortek@neosoft.com The following list has most of the frequently asked questions people new to TrekVerse have. Please be sure you have read this whole document and know that your question is unanswered before you go asking someone else. Everyone here is happy to help you, but you must understand that answering the same question over and over again when it is well documented is a bit frustrating. That is why we have this faq document. Throughout this document you will see the words ALPHA: and BETA: These reference the answer that applies to the current release state of the mud. You can assume that we are in ALPHA unless you have insight greater than the development staff. The BETA comments are used as goal setting devices and will provide everyone with a sense of direction and context. ********************** FAQ TRANSMISSION BEGIN **************************** Table of Questions: Q1) What is the first thing I should do here as a newbie? Q2) How do I send and read mail in TrekVerse? Q3) Have you seen player X? Q4) When I tell to player X, or they tell to me, why do I get a garbled message? Q5) IC...OOC ??? What do these terms mean? Q6) What do the symbols in front of player's names in the "who" list mean? Q7) What does the number (1m, 1h, 28m, etc) after some names on the list mean? Q8) What is an organization (org)? What orgs are available? Q9) Is Player Killing (PK) allowed? Q10) What is oppression and why does the Q take an interest in it? Q11) How many quests do I have to do? Q12) How do I know my stats and skills? Q13) What do the stats mean? Q14) How do I raise my skills and stats? Q15) Can I re-roll my stats? Q16) What is legal here? Q17) I have an idea for something new here, who do I tell? Q18) What do some of the acronyms mean that I often see? Q19) Does TrekVerse support color? How do I see in color? (a.k.a. colour) Q20) How do I know what commands exist? Q!!) How do I learn more about this mud? --- Q1) What is the first thing I should do here as a newbie? A1) ALPHA: READ ALL THE FILES IN THE HELP SYSTEM and ON-LINE LIBRARY. BETA: Go to Newbie School. Just wander around a little bit till you find it. Most activities are unavailable to you until you receive a Newbie Diploma, so the sooner you start, the sooner you can explore the rest of the universe. (Hint: From the Gateway entrance, go f, f, f) --- Q2) How do I send and read mail in TrekVerse? A2) ALPHA: Currently, all users have access to the Immortal Mailer. Therefore, you may use the command to initiate the mailer. Just type a question mark within the mailer to access its help. BETA: Scattered about the universe, usually in convient locations, you will find computer terminals that have access to the sub-space postal transmission system. Look at the terminal, if it is mail capable and you are english literate, you will know what to do. For the newbies, the first terminal you will know about is located on the Habitation Deck of Gateway Station. --- Q3) Have you seen player X? A3) Type and you will get all of the information you need. You are politely requested not to spam the communication channels with such dribble. --- Q4) When I tell to player X, or they tell to me, why do I get a garbled message? A1) In general terms this means they don't speak your language or they are dead. Living and dead players cannot communicate across the barrier for obvious reasons and organizationally based languages help to minimize IC/OOC violations. --- Q5) IC...OOC ??? What do these terms mean? A5) In Character (IC) and Out Of Character (OOC) are states of personal condition. TrekVerse heavily emphasizes the role-playing aspect of activities that take place. Activities that are deemed IC are those that would be considered official, legal, and become part of TrekVerse history. A generalized list of activities that may be used as a guide for behavior may be found by typing: or . --- Q6) What do the symbols in front of player's names in the "who" list mean? A6) People with [*] or [E] in the who list have their next command going to input_to. In other words, they are either editing, posting on a bulletin board, or mailing (or something of that nature). It is considered polite to avoid bothering someone who is in one of these situations, unless it is really important, or you KNOW they won't mind. People with [B] are blocking all channels so they can code in peace and quiet. Use common sense in dealing with such people as well, it could save your life. --- Q7) What does the number (1m, 1h, 28m, etc) after some names on the list mean? A7) Anyone with a number after their name is idle. The number represents how long they have been idle (m for minutes, h for hours). --- Q8) What is an organization (org)? What orgs are available? A8) Type: help organizations This will help get you started thinking about where you would like for your destiny to lead you. This list is co-maintained by the various organizational 'Directors'. --- Q9) Is Player Killing (PK) allowed? A9) Yes, and since player death is taken very seriously by some, this can spark unbelievable passion in both the player and his friends, associates, comrades, and organization. Be very selective and prudent to whom you direct your attacks because you never know who might be in the wings waiting to pounce or willing to surprise you at a later time. Please Note: The Q take a relatively hands-off approach to IC events. --- Q10) What is oppression and why does the Q take an interest in it? A10) Oppression is defined, in the context of TrekVerse, as the following: The verifiable, deliberate, and premeditated actions on the part of one player, or group of players to restrict the ability of another to pursue activity on this mud in accord with the theme, role, or intent of its design. The Q intend for TrekVerse to be an enjoyable environment and to that end have established a document that attempts to outline their views. Type: for more details. --- Q11) How many quests do I have to do? A11) Currently no quests are 'required' by Q; however, permission has been issued to the Directors to implement such as would fit the theme of their organization. It is possible that some organizations may not even have any quests available. You are discouraged (but not forbidden) from following any quest clues you may find. Be warned: Curiosity has killed more than just the feline. --- Q12) How do I know my stats and skills? A12) Type: to get a general overview. to get your current status. to receive information about your stats. to receive information about your skills. --- Q13) What do the stats mean? A13) All of this is clearly explained when you go through the character creation process. However, since many may not have been paying attention this information is will be available when you type as soon as a cut and paste it from the source code. --- Q14) How do I raise my skills and stats? A14) To be honest I am tired and don't feel like typing the details at the moment, but I can tell you I computerized a version of I.C.E.'s SpaceMaster game as our gaming logic. --- Q15) Can I re-roll my stats? A15) NO. If you don't like your stats, your character and create another...perhaps luck will give you better roles. An alternative would be to not type at the end of the initial sequence, but type to restart the process. --- Q16) What is legal here? A16) The rules will be available in the Tourguide Office (TG) office. These rules are enforced at the org level. The player 'government' is responsible for this list and is officially composed of the org directors and up to one chosen org alternate. In addition, Q may award seats to any player on rare occasions for mysterious purposes of their own. You are encouraged to review the rules occasionally. Note: The player government serves an OOC function. --- Q17) I have an idea for something new here, who do I tell? A17) Mail your well thought out idea to your org director. For a simple idea for an area, use the command. For general mud ideas, use the command. Q reviews the 'idea' and 'mudidea' approximately once a century and while the idea may be accepted or rejected, please don't be offended if you never get mail reply concerning it. If you know of a non-threating bug report it with the command or if you find a typo, use the command. --- Q18) What do some of the acronyms mean that I often see? A18) Q - Mysterious Powers and Admins NPC- Non-Player Character (loosly includes immortals) MOB- MOBile Object - Monster OBject (usually AKA NPC) PK - Player killer, player killed, player killing. Vet- Veteran player, often confused with good player. HM - High Mortal, see Vet. wiz- A term often used to refer to immortals. org-Organization, see above. IC -In Character, see above. OOC-Out Of Character, see above. TG -Tour Guide, the people you can trust to help get you started. (I may be writing an acronym help file when I get some time) --- Q19) Does TrekVerse support color? How do I see in color? (a.k.a. colour) A19) YES! Since not all terminals are capable of seeing in color, TrekVerse has new players setup to be in black and white. But if you have a color terminal supporting ansi escape codes (like a vt100 emulation), then you will want to experience TrekVerse in color. All you need to do to toggle this feature on is type . To turn it off, type again. --- Q20) How do I know what commands exist and how do I know what they mean? A20) Type: -- Will give you a list of all the commands. -- Will give you help on the [command]. --- Q!!) How do I learn more about this mud? A!!) Five sub-answers follow...or is it four? 1. A VERY good source of info are the Newbie Notes which you can get in the Newbie Academy (you can get them more than once). 2. [This comment has been removed.] 3. Other newbies are the people you want to talk to. They are or have faced exactly the same problems you are, and are usually the most willing to help you. To find out how to use the newbie line, . 4. And finally one of the best sources for interactive information is from an Official Tour Guide. Type . 5. Do NOT ask Q questions about how to do things unless you have exhausted all other resources. The help files and documentation available at TrekVerse comprise over THREE megabytes of text files (all written by Q to minimize your distress). If Q tells you [he|she|it] is busy, don't be offended if [he|she|it] doesn't respond in a timely manner or ignores you...after all which would you rather have materialize before you? An angry god or a happy god? ************************ END OF TRANSMISSION *****************************