ThunderDome - Getting Started

Okay, you're interested in jumping into the world of ThunderDome, but you've never played a text-based mud. MUD stands for multi-user dungeon, originating from the heydays of mainframes and remote terminals. It's a completely text based interface, requiring you to connect to the game via either your TELNET application (known affectionately as "raw Telnet") or a mud client, of which several free versions are available (see below).

Here's how to get up and running. The easy part: The game is free, period. To enter the world using telnet, use the Command Prompt, usually located under your computer's accessories. You'll type "telnet", hit return, then "open", and hit return. You'll be prompted for where you want to telnet to. This is where you'll want to type tdome.net 5555, and hit return, whereupon you'll connect to ThunderDome and be given a series of prompts to create a character.

If you're going to play for any length of time, it's highly suggested that you download a client app, of which several different types (most free) are available. Some of the more popular are listed below, with help files for getting started. Raw Telnet doesn't have several basic functions, such as local echo, which lets you see words as you type them. Clients have a much larger array of functions that make playing the game easier and more enjoyable, letting you connect with the click of an icon and run multiple characters at the same time.

Once you're in the game, either wear your starting equipment (especially the chute) and jump from the starting area by typing commands "wear all" and "jump", or type "recall". Look around, get a feel for the game, read the character class help files, and ask players for any general knowledge (what's fun for starters, how food and drink work). After getting an idea about your options, you can stick with what you've created, or come up with something new. No limits exist on the number of characters you can create, but only three may be logged in at any one time.

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