''BatMUD'' is a
medieval fantasy
Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those ...
MUD
A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...
, established in 1990.
''BatMUD'' is Finland-based and operated and owned by a non-profit organization, Balanced Alternative Techniques ry ("B.A.T. ry"), officially registered 1994 in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland.
By 2006, over 100,000 players had frequented the game, making it one of the largest text-based multiplayer games on the Internet. In the beginning of 2008, it had over 30,000 subscriptions. At the end of 2011, number of subscriptions was similarly over 30,000 giving BatMUD a flat growth (number of new players equal those who no longer frequent the game). It has been called a "very popular and complex game".
History, Legal and Development
''BatMUD'' was one of the first
LPMud
LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö (hence the LP in LPMud). LPMud was innovative in its separation of the MUD infrastructure into a ...
s
and has been online with only a few, if any minor breaks since 14 April 1990.
The game was initially set-up by a
wizard who named himself Jaf, followed by many volunteer coders, all becoming
wizards in the process.
The MUD's name comes from the name of the server the game was first hosted on, batman.cs.hut.fi. Since then, BatMUD has relocated several times, at one point residing in Oulu, Finland.
Between November 2007 and August 2021, the main ''BatMUD'' servers were co-located in the two data centers of Nebula in Helsinki, Finland. BatMUD moved to a new data center, Ficolo's The Air in Vantaa, Finland, in August 2021 and is running on dedicated servers with redundant connectivity.
Despite its phenomenal age as an Internet community, the MUD is constantly evolving which makes it both challenging and entertaining to new and old players alike.
Due to the rich set of features, ''BatMUD'' may be a bit overwhelming for a newcomer.
Notable (external) events, timeline
In September 1994, the organization Balanced Alternative Techniques ry was officially registered in the "Joint corporate information system of the National Board of Patents and Registration and the Tax Administration" of Finland.
The game was also previewed in
Pelit
''Pelit'' ("Games") is a Finnish video games magazine published in Helsinki, Finland.
History
''Pelit'' dates back to 1987, as an annual extra games-only issue of '' MikroBitti'' and '' C-lehti''. Another annual issue was published in 1988, and in ...
-magazine and was highly praised from its rich set of features while scoring over 90/100 points.
In 2004, B.A.T. ry applied for the ''BatMUD''
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
and "BatMUD" was registered as a trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 5, 2005.
Also, a 91-page Pro graduation
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
emerges from the
University of Lapland
The University of Lapland is located in the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. It was founded in 1979. While UiT The Arctic University of Norway is the northernmost university in the world, the University of Lapland is the most northern university in t ...
, themed "Artificial Intelligence in text-based computer games' dramaturgy.
Study subjects:
Nethack
''NetHack'' is an open source single-player roguelike video game, first released in 1987 and maintained by the NetHack DevTeam. The game is a fork of the 1982 game ''Hack'', itself inspired by the 1980 game '' Rogue''. The player takes the role a ...
and BatMUD", Audiovisual Mediaculture written by Jussi Huhtala (in Finnish).
In February 2007, a 100-page Pro graduation master's thesis with the topic "
Virtual gift - Trading gifts in BatMUD virtual community" in
cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The portma ...
for the
University of Jyväskylä
The University of Jyväskylä ( fi, Jyväskylän yliopisto) is a research university in Jyväskylä, Finland. It has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary), founded in 1863. Ar ...
was published, written by a non-player in Finnish.
''BatMUD'' has a wide variety of
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
s.
Player killing
Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are mo ...
is lightly moderated.
Virtual community and Playerbase
It is arguable that ''BatMUD'' formed one of the earliest virtual communities of gamers on the Internet.
What marks the community significant, is the active operation and participation of the individuals within the
virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who connect through specific social media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual communi ...
. Several conventions and events are being held across the world, with one of the most notable probably being the Indiana, U.S. based Campcon, being held for the 11th consecutive year in June, 2009 — a
real life
Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...
gathering of active participants of the ''BatMUD'' community. Similar events are held in Europe and
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
every year.
''BatMUD'' provides a range of interplayer communication methods, allowing the players to talk and chat. Though the majority (about 2/3) of the players reside in Finland, the game itself is wholly in English, enabling it to host a large player base from several countries, including many European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia. Together with
roleplay
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...
not being strictly enforced, the common language of English allows debates to flourish.
With about one hundred players simultaneously online, it is also one of the largest traditional MUDs. However, with the rise of
massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent world, persistent open world, alt ...
s its popularity has fallen off in recent years with fewer new players joining. Aggressive efforts have been made to make the MUD more newbie friendly
but most players continue to be well established players who have invested months or years into the game. As with many other popular online games,
addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...
is not unknown.
''BatMUD'' employs a
virtual economy
A virtual economy (or sometimes synthetic economy) is an emergent economy existing in a virtual world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an online game, particularly in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). People enter th ...
, with players selling rare items and favours to each other in the game's internal currency. Sale of characters or equipment for real life money is forbidden.
Official BatMUD help file on 'trading'
/ref> If it has occurred, it has not been a major problem.
Influence
''BatMUD'' was the first MUD played by Matt "Sarapis" Mihaly, founder of Iron Realms Entertainment
Iron Realms Entertainment (formerly known as Achaea LLC) is a computer game development company that has created the MUDs ''Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands''; ''Aetolia, The Midnight Age''; ''Imperian, the Sundered Heavens''; ''Lusternia, Age of ...
. Mihaly became a wizard on ''BatMUD'', but was banned for making a room that trapped and disabled other wizards.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batmud
1990 video games
MUD games
Fantasy video games
Video games developed in Finland