TDome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ThunderDome is a MUD ("Multi-User Domain" or "Multi-User Dungeon") first established in 1993. Unlike most fantasy-oriented MUDs of its time, ThunderDome is set in a post-apocalypse, somewhat cyberpunk-ish, gritty genre all of its own, with plenty of references to sci-fi and action movies and modern pop culture.
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[edit] Overview
ThunderDome (or 'TDome', its more popular name), has always been primarly a "hack-and-slash" type MUD, but with an emphasis on player skills and reputation, rather than on simple equipment gathering. TDome has traditionally had a somewhat less-than-serious feel to it, with a variety of characters and settings. In recent years, newer version of TDome have had a more 'serious' tone (and more "realistic"-feeling environments). The intended audience has always been the more advanced mudder, although many efforts have been made to make the total newbie feel more at home.
[edit] Historical Features
ThunderDome has always contained some unique features that set it apart from other MUDs:
Integrated world map: Areas on TDome were designed to fit together in a logical fashion. Unlike most MUDs where players adventure out from the main city to areas which are attached like branches on a tree, TDome was always intended to have a more 'realistic' layout. Due to limitations implied by the MUD server system, computer resources, and developer laziness, a true "XY" world map system was not fully realized until the advent of TDome XXX (see below).
Post-apocalyptic mayhem: TDome is set in the future, sometime after global thermonuclear war has laid waste to the entire world. Civilization has begun to form again, and technological progress has resumed - but much of the world still lies in chaos.
Technology items: Rather than rely on the tried-and-true fantasy formula of swords and magic spells, TDome has added special areas of technology such as drugs, guns, cybernetic implants, and drivable vehicles.
Player-owned economies: Although player-owned shops, crafting, houses, and other dynamic game elements are basic staples of modern MMORPGs, these advanced features were fresh and exciting to MUD players in the early 90's.
[edit] History
TDome started running in early 1993, on a DEC Ultrix server at umt.edu. The MUD started out with 3500 original rooms and 6 character classes. TDome's call to fame was the "ThunderDome" itself, a high-level area where players could battle high-level mobs such as Mad Max, Master Blaster, and other famous movie characters.
In March 1994, ThunderDome was moved to a dedicated server on the montana.com domain. With more computing resources available, the game expanded greatly over the next 2 years. Many additional areas and player classes were constantly added.
In 1995, the next 'version' of ThunderDome, "TDome 2", was released. This update was evolutionary in nature, although at least one new class and several new features were added at that time.
In fall 1996, TDome2 was replaced with TDome 3. This was perhaps a mistake on the part of the developers, as the new MUD was not quite complete and contained many features which were not popular with many of the existing players. The changes in TDome 3 were vast in scope: many exciting new gameplay features were introduced incorporating a rewritten codebase and totally new structure for player characters. The major talking points of TDome 3 were: a new classless player character system, a complex skill tree (somewhat similar to the research tree used in games such as Master of Orion), a new, more dynamic economy, and a new combat structure.
In early 1997, TDome 3 was temporarily discontinued due to server problems. TDome 2 was reinstated (as "TDome 2+"), and has remained operational ever since. As TDome 2 continued to progress, administration of the MUD began to change as Fender and Ratchet (the original implementors) shifted more reponsibilities to Techno, the MUD's leading 'immortal'.
In 2000, the TDome 3 codebase was resurrected by Fender as "TDome X : Zone Runner", and run concurrently with TDome 2. TDome X was a more complete MUD than TDome 3 had been, but was still based on the TDome 2 environment. Both muds were now running on the dedicated 'tdome.net' domain.
In 2005, work was begun on a new MUD, tentatively named "Zone Bandits". This MUD is scheduled for release in 2007 - although that release date is flexible, as it is not intended for release until completion (unlike TDome 3 and TDome X, which still has plenty of bugs and unimplemented features). Zone Bandits will introduce an all-new dynamic world system (with over 200,000 rooms) and a wealth of new features.
In the meantime, TDome 2 is still in operation. Techno is actively managing the MUD, which has seen a new growth of both features and playerbase in 2006. TDome 2 still maintains the crazy, post-apocalyptic feel of the original ThunderDome, while slowly evolving to challenge a new generation of mudders.
