Introduction to CrystalMUSH

Questions, comments, and flames should go to Samira who in RL is vicki@kiwi.foodsci.purdue.edu but is much, much more than an address.
CREDIT goes to Amberyl@PernMUSH for her permission to use her guide as template for this one.

Contents

I. What's CrystalMUSH?

II. How do I get started?

A. How do I get a home?

B. Help! I don't understand MUSH!

III. What's going on?

A. Some common terms

B. Etiquette

C. Problems with the game

IV. How do I become...

A. A citizen of a planet?

B. A planetary leader?

C. A FSP functionary?

D. A guild member?

E. A singer?

V. Who's in charge?

A. IC

1. The GuildMaster's council
2. The FSP hierarchy (Planetary governor's council)

B. OOC

1. The wizard council

I. What's CrystalMUSH?

Familiarity with Anne McCaffrey's books will enhance your experience and definitely lessen any confusion you might feel; they aren't necessary reading but they certainly are recommended! Anne McCaffrey suggested that players read the first one. The books are:

1. Crystal Singer
2. Killashandra
3. Crystal Line

You may also read these books which fill out the galaxy of which Ballybran inhabits.

1. The Ship Who Sang
2. The Ship Who Searched
3. Partner Ship
4. The City Who Fought

II. How do I get started?

A. How do I get a home?

Telnetting to moink.nmsu.edu 6886 or 128.123.1.46 6886 will show you the login screen. You may create a character, login as guest, or connect to your existing character.

Upon connecting to CrystalMUSH for the first time, you will be in a "Space Liner enroute to Shankill" which functions as CM's "Birthplace". From there, you can set your description, your sex, and lock yourself. You can also determine where you were born (see citizens). Accessing the computer (+computer) will allow you to read about the planets available. You may also choose to be a native of a planet not listed; just let Samira or another wizard know so that she may add it to the planet list. The news contains helpful guidelines and information.

New characters will live in the equivalent of dormitories on Shankill with many people sharing a common room. Since CM has a working economy, you can, for a fee, live in the "hotel" of Shankill Station rather than for free in the dorms. If you decide to join the guild or live on a planet, you'll have permanent, private quarters.

Getting an official "position" on CrystalMUSH also generally gives you a private room. See the information below on joining the various CrystalMUSH organizations.

B. Help! I don't understand MUSH!

MUSH is the generic name for the language you use to communicate with the game. Programs written in MUSH are ugly to look at, but it's easy for non-programmers to learn and use.

The first obvious resource for learning MUSH is the "help" file. Reading through parts of the help file should help you get started. If you're not into learning stuff by inhaling bits and pieces of information, and you have access to anonymous FTP, you can FTP to caisr2.caisr.cwru.edu (IP numbers 129.22.24.22), and look in the directory /pub/mush. There are various files there, including a MUSH manual; get the highest version of "mushman" that you find. A copy in plain text format is available on our web site.

Reading through the MUSH manual is probably the easiest way to learn MUSH. If you have problems, you can generally ask other players for help. The people with "STAFF" as their "Doing" in the WHO list are players who have volunteered to help people with any problems they might be experiencing; feel free to ask them any questions you might have about CrystalMUSH, the MUSH, programming, or anything else. If you encounter an extremely serious problem that a Staff member can't help you with, page a wizard; there are usually several lurking about.

There are two USENET newsgroups which have postings related to CrystalMUSH. Two are rec.games.mud.misc or rec.games.mud.tiny, which are the general newsgroup for MUDs, of which CrystalMUSH is one. Information related to the technical aspects of MUSHes can often be found here, as well as news of general interest to players. The other newsgroup is alt.fan.pern, which is a newsgroup where discussions of McCaffrey's writings takes place. It is considered polite to put "CrystalMUSH" in the subject line if you are posting about CrystalMUSH.

There are also two mailing lists that may of be of interest to CrystalMUSH players. One is tinymush-programmers@cygnus.com, which contains technical discussion of MUSH programming. The mailings usually require a fair amount of competence with MUSH; this is a great place to find out various programming tricks and techniques. The other mailing list is mushhacks@caisr2.caisr.cwru.edu. This is a mailing list for people who do programming work on the server itself, in C. This list is probably of interest to you only if you're a C programmer with time to burn and an interest in extending the capabilities of MUSH.

III. What's going on?

A. Some common terms

A fairly unique culture has grown up around the MUDs. There are a plethora of terms that are specific to the MUD community and are used freely in speech on CrystalMUSH. Players on CrystalMUSH are assumed to have at least minimal familiarity with Anne McCaffrey's work; players are also expected to pick up the minimum technical vocabulary of MUSH from the manual, and thus only "social" terms will be discussed here.

Central to life on CrystalMUSH are the terms VR, RL, IC, and OOC. They stand for "virtual reality", "real life", "in character", and "out of character", respectively. VR is the world of MUDs, and, more spefically, CrystalMUSH. RL has the obvious meaning. IC means that you are acting as your character would, with that character's beliefs, social status, etc. OOC means that you are speaking as you-as-you - what the RL you feels and believes.

You can generally assume conversations in public places like the Lobby of Shankill Station (#0) to be IC, or at least mostly IC. Thus, people may express opinions or perform actions that you may find surprising -- a outworlder may call a singer a monster that preys on the galaxy, a recruit might perform many jobs as he/she waits for the symbiont to adapt, a sorter might argue with a singer, or the cutter technician might berate a singer for carelessness.

Extended IC situations with a developing storyline, which involve many people, are usually referred to as "tinyplots". These range from intrigues between lovers to the hunt for a murderer; don't be surprised if you're standing around talking in the Commons and suddenly some drama erupts around you. People tend to "react" in somewhat exaggerated ways; this phenomenon is occasionally referred to as "tiny-over-emoting". Participating in a plot is a great way to get to know people and to establish your character; it makes life on CrystalMUSH much more interesting.

Several words are related to game and network performance. The game occasionally may "crash" -- something went wrong and it's no longer running. This situation is temporary; see section C below. Players will also often speak of "lag". This may either be slowness caused by the game itself (someone is doing something that's computationally expensive) or by "netlag" -- problems with the Internet connections. There are also occasionally "netburps", when the game drops connections for a large number of people. Generally, people will say, "I got booted", if the net has dropped their connection. Wizards also have the power of the "@boot" command, which tells the game to drop a player's connection; if a wizard has done this to you, you will be informed. The term is used generically for any lost connection.

The word "spam" refers to large amounts of text scrolling quickly down one's screen. "Spam" is the text itself, "getting spammed" is the act of becoming overloaded with too much text in too little time.

The following is a list of abbreviations which are in common usage:

• afp: alt.fan.pern
• db: Database
• tf: TinyFugue, a program which replaces telnet
• rgm: rec.games.mud
• wiz: wizard, one of the administrators of the game
• tinyplot, TP: one of possibly several events happening

• Guild: the Heptite Guild of Ballybran
• Ballybran, BB: The homeworld of the Heptite Guild and source of crystal
• Singer: The cutters of crystal
• Sorter: One who sorts and evaluates cut crystal
• GuildMaster: Big cheeze of the guild
• Chiefs of control, marketing, and research: Departments of the Guild
• JPF: The Joslin Plateau Facility on the biggest continent of Ballybran
• WWSF: The western white sea facility (Lars Dahl's home port)
• Ranges: The inverted "ranges" of Ballybran from which crystal is mined.
• Cutter: a crystal singer's official title or the device used to excise crystal
• Sled: the workhorse of a singer
• Shuttle: the transportation between worlds
• Shankill: The largest of Ballybran's moons(3, Shilmore, Shanganagh)

• SO: Significant Other
• BBL: Be Back Later
• BRB: Be Right Back
• FYI: For Your Information
• IMHO: In My Humble (Holy) Opinion
• LOL: Laughs Out Loud.
• ROTFL: Rolls On The Floor Laughing
• WRT: With Regard To

B. Etiquette

CrystalMUSH, in many respects, is more like a community than a game. It has a set of social customs and generally accepted mores; people who play CrystalMUSH tend to bond quite tightly and take what they are doing fairly seriously. People who are overly flippant or make continual nuisances of themselves can find themselves shunned very quickly.

CrystalMUSH's golden rule is BE POLITE. If something is rude in real life, it is almost certainly rude on CrystalMUSH. Don't swear at people; don't make nasty personal remarks about people; don't argue personal issues in public. Use common sense. Explicit sexual innuendos in public are always frowned upon; also, the normal rules of "contact" between people in RL also apply to VR. Don't violate someone's personal space. Also, don't reveal the RL identities of people; some players don't want them known.

Programming in public is often frowned upon, since a misprogrammed object can interrupt conversations. Also, don't ask people you don't know to test stuff out for you; this is comparable to walking up to a total stranger on the street and asking him to please come look at the nifty swingset you just built for your little brother.

Whining is also frowned upon. Like in RL, you will have your disappointments on CrystalMUSH. Maybe the symbiont only adapted partly, or one of your objects broke, or your tinySO (the person who is role-playing your VR significant other) just yelled at you. It's okay to complain and moan; CrystalMUSH players are generally sympathetic and friendly. Doing this in public, however, especially for extended periods of time, tends to brand you a whiner.

The "kill" command is off-limits. If you want to role-play a death, make sure that the person dying has agreed to do so! No permanent damage is done, but it is considered rude in the extreme. In fact, before drawing anybody into a tinyplot, make sure that they want to be in it; this is especially true when role-playing a scene at a party or similar public event which is privately controlled.

An important note about death and dying on CrystalMush. Death is possible during adaptation (generally this is done with consent of theplayer or by inactivity), by mach storm, in the ranges, or by misuse of the tools. Older guild members who are inactive for quite a while (generally found when we periodically sweep the DB), are placed inactive and in long term care in the infirmary. Sometime later they are @wiped from the DB and their names placed in the Guild membership name list. Please set you &vacation attribute or tell a wizard to set your @comment if you'll be inactive for any length of time.

All you have to remember is, just because you're sitting behind a keyboard and have probably never met any of the people you're talking to, doesn't give you license to be a jerk and throw away two decades of socialization.

C. Problems with the game

Occasionally, something goes wrong, and you won't be able to connect to CrystalMUSH. Don't panic; the game is usually up within a few hours, or, if it's late at night, the next morning. Also, be careful of false alarms.

A "Connection Refused" message means that CrystalMUSH is down. Try back again in fifteen minutes, or in a few hours. Don't send mail and don't post to USENET; just relax and wait.

A "Network Unreachable" message means that there's something messed up someplace along the Internet, and you're not able to connect to CrystalMUSH. These problems seldom last for long; keep trying and hoping.

Sometimes, you'll be on CrystalMUSH, and the game will freeze suddenly. Wait a couple of minutes; if a wizard is doing something like searching through the database for a lost object, there may be a delay as long as twenty minutes or half an hour. From a UNIX machine, you might try to use the "ping" command (usually found in /usr/etc) to test the network. If there's no problem with "ping" responses, you can usually assume that something's making the game very slow. If not, then it's the network, and you'll just have to wait it out.

Don't whine to wizards about not being able to connect to CrystalMUSH; they're trying their hardest to keep the game running and, if there was anything they could have done to prevent the problems, don't you think they would have done it?

IV. How do I become...

A. A planetary citizen

There are many players, especially those without a lot of time to play, who choose to be planetary citizens. All the planets have themes attributed to them. If you're new to CrystalMUSH and feeling very lost, may wish to settle down on a planet for a few weeks, look around, and then decide if you wish to try the Heptite Guild.

Why be a citizen in the first place when the object for some is to be a crystal_singer? Well, being a citizen gives you a sense of identity. You have an official position on CrystalMUSH, and a solid background to role-play around. Your first friends on CrystalMUSH are likely to be fellow citizens. If you're later planning on applying to the Heptite Guild, a solid record on a planet is a plus. Otherwise, you have a goal; your projects receive publicity from being "planet approved", and you can earn rank and responsibility.

Don't make any hasty decisions when joining a planet; shop around a bit and make sure you like what you're joining. Also, don't assume that the bigger planets are necessarily the best; many of the smaller planets have excellent govenors.

You can also be a citizen from ANY planet you choose even if we don't have it here on CrystalMUSH. You can keep quarters on Shankill until you apply and are accepted by the guild. Please remember, though, that we have an economy, and you need to "work" to earn your keep. If you choose this option, let the wizards know, and we'll put it in the computer (+computer); soon CrystalMUSH will have a galaxy.

B. A planetary governor?

Some people choose to continue to live on a planet. Those people who enjoy role-playing having families and settling down to a stable life are generally attracted to planets; this is also the best choice if you're interested in large-scale construction of parts of CrystalMUSH.

Being a planetary governor of any major place, like Shoralynn, requires some effort put into planet management -- getting players to live in the planet, having events to attract tourists (like the Optherian Organ Festival), building an attractive place to live, and participating in the FSP council. A governor often has a second-in-command to help him/her, and are responsible for organizing the daily affairs on the planet. If you enjoy role-playing management, being a governor or in a related position may be perfect for you.

To sign up to build one of these, please submit a proposal (via +mail if you already have access or by email to crystal-wiz@moink.nmsu.edu) of what you desire to build to the Wizards. The proposal should consist of the following items:

• Approximate size (Number of rooms)
• Type
• Name
• Brief description and purpose (theme) of the Planet/Moon/Space Station

C. A FSP functionary?

Currently, we do not have a framework for the FSP. CrystalMUSH is based on the Crystal_Singer books. The FSP, brainships (shell people), high families, and other creations are really only mentioned in passing. If there is an conflict that has not been settled by your respective leader, then it is possible to request mediation from the Governor's Council of the FSP.

D. A guild member?

The first step is to apply at Shankill Moonstation then take the required tests; full diclosure will follow and then transport to Ballybran. Once exposed to Ballybran, the symbiont will begin to invade cellular nuclei, and you will adapt to the symbiont.

CrystalMUSH has a coded adaptation by the symbiont that is modified slightly from the odds stated in the canon in order to fit the game world. You can request a position or take your chances, as you wish.

Access from the computer (+computer) on CrystalMUSH to get a listing of the various active departments. Pick one that interests you, and then contact the chief of that department. You may also wish to talk to in other members of that department and can certainly tell you more about it.

Departments have different requirements. RL knowledge of a department-related subject is a plus, but not necessary. Depending on the department's popularity, your interests, abilities, and personality, you may or may not be assigned. Once in a department, however, you may not join another without quitting the first department. This practice is generally frowned upon.

Criterion for promotion, such as it is, within a department varies. A programming project or some other major piece of work is often required for promotion; characters who spend more time on CrystalMUSH, even if just socializing, are also likely to be promoted faster. Promotions are also faster in smaller departments.

Certain departments tend to attract people with certain kinds of interests. There are some departments which have not officially been started yet. If you have the time, and are willing to put in a fair amount of administrative work, you can request to become a Chief. Requests are considered by the Guildmaster's Council at their regular meetings (see the later section of this document).

E. A singer?

CrystalMUSH has a coded adaptation by the symbiont that is modified slightly from the odds stated in the canon in order to fit the game world. When you join the guild, you go through the same thing as everyone else. General information is dispensed during the wait as the symbiont works it's way into the cellular DNA. If fate is kind, you'll be adapted in a manner which allows you to "sing crystal." Your training will then focus on those skills needed to keep you alive in the ranges and function normally when in-house. You will incur expenses as you collect the tools of your trade: cutter, sled, rations, and any luxuries. When you bring crystal back from the ranges (which are constructed with pitfalls that have the potential to injure you or kill you), you'll be credited and then you will be able to go off-planet.

More information is available on the specific "code" attributes of CrystalMUSH that make our world unique via Samira's Guide

V. Who's in charge?

Be aware that each wizard speaks with the full backing of his or her fellow wizards. Occasionally, you can appeal a decision to another wizard, but be very careful that you tell the whole story as the wizards talk regularly to one another about problems, concerns, and events. You'd hate to find yourself on the receiving end of TWO wizards' ire if you're just being twinkish.

One other note, more often than not, when a wizard is asked about some IC thing, they'll defer to the IC leader so it's generally a good idea to remember that this is a game, and we're supposed to be having fun.

A. IC

1. The Guildmaster's Council
   The Guildmaster's Council meets regularly to talk about issues which affect all the guild. The chiefs represents their department on the council; normally, only these chiefs participate in the discussion, although anyone is welcome to listen to the proceedings.
   The Guildmaster's Council is the only entity on CrystalMUSH which can create new departments and chiefs. Its role is purely administrative; at each meeting, the chiefs give a report of the status of their department, and bring up any concerns they might have.

2. The FSP hierarchy (Planetary Governors' Council)
   All governors are members of the FSP hierarchy (Planetary Governors' Council). This council generally has a rotating chair, with meetings held as necessary on different planets. Its purpose is to decide issues which affect the galaxy. They can recommend new planets and governors to the wizards, determine when events will occur (scheduling), and resolve conflicts.

   Meetings generally consist of planet status reports followed by discussion of any issues a governor wants to raise. These regular meetings are open to the public, although only concerned parties may speak and vote.

C. OOC

1. The Wizard Council
   CrystalMUSH is essentially a benign dictatorship. The Wizards are the final authority on all matters including the day to day running of the game.

   The wizards have commands available to them that aren't available to ordinary players; they exist to help players, administrate the game, and settle any conflicts which may arise.

   When "wizarding", a wizard is Out of Character, and has absolute authority in that situation; wizard decisions must be appealed through the council. CrystalMUSH has a fair number of rules. You might decide that you don't like some of them. Wizards will not, in general, be interested in arguing the fine philosophical points of these rules with you, nor will they be interested in, for example, your explanation of why you thought it morally necessary to spew four-letter words at a player on the moonbase. The wizards try to be fair, and will generally try to let situations resolve themselves. Wizards will not, however, hesitate to discipline players who are being intentionally disruptive.

   Wizards are also the final authority on whether or not something is allowable on CrystalMUSH. They decide whether or not something is canon, or is inappropriate behavior, or is against the rules of the MUSH. Wizards normally attempt to stay out of personal disputes or arguments internal to an organization; they exist to supervise the game as a whole.

   The CrystalMUSH Wizard Council consists of Kelson, Brandy, Samira, Elissa, Aria, Tate, and Rhianna. It holds regular meetings, open to the public, and discusses issues of interest to all of CrystalMUSH. Representatives from the guild and planets make summary reports to the wizards. These meetings are where all major policy gets discussed and voted upon. There is an open-forum question and answer session after every wiz meeting.