r/MUD

vMUD - A Free MUD Client With Built-In Graphical Mapping For Any MUD

vMUD is a free MUD client with a real-time graphical map panel that works alongside the traditional terminal. It connects to any MUD and builds a map as you explore, no server-side setup required. If your MUD supports GMCP, the map gets even better.

Works On Any MUD

vMUD builds maps automatically as you move through rooms. It reads room.info data to track your position and constructs a local map using BFS pathfinding from your current location. No special server configuration needed.

Connect, explore, and the map fills in behind you.

Even Better With GMCP

If your MUD sends GMCP room data, the map lights up with terrain colors, mob markers, exit connections, and more. MUDs that send room.map GMCP data get a full overhead grid map with distinct visuals for every terrain type.

Custom Map Packs For Server Admins

Server admins can create custom map packs as simple JSON files and send them to vMUD via GMCP. One message, and every player using vMUD sees your custom map. No client updates needed. Players pick their preferred style and

the client handles the rest.

Three rendering modes are supported:

- Color - Colored squares for each terrain type. Minimal setup, just pick your colors.

- ASCII - Text characters with directional glyphs. Roads show as connected paths with turns and intersections. Terrain shows as symbols like trees, mountains, and waves.

- Sprite - Full pixel art tile images. Supports directional road variants that show proper turns, T-junctions, and intersections. Staircase overlays for rooms with up/down exits. Closed door indicators.

A full guide for creating your own map pack is included in the repository. Define your terrain types, assign colors or tile images, and your players get a custom graphical map without installing anything extra.

Map Features

- Automatic map building from room data on any MUD - Terrain-specific colors, characters, or tile images - Directional roads that show turns, curves, and intersections - Up/down staircase indicators that match each terrain's look - Closed door indicators on the map - Mob markers showing shopkeepers, teachers, guildmasters, bankers, and other special NPCs - Player markers for nearby allies - Mouse wheel zoom - Map markers for shops, banks, teachers, and custom waypoints - Herb, ore, and mana room detection with glowing borders

Client Features

- Full telnet and GMCP protocol support - Works with any MUD out of the box - Terminal panel with UTF-8 and block character rendering - Room info panel with current room name, area, and exits - Equipment and affects panels updated in real time via GMCP - Group member display - Built-in speedwalk and path recording - Clean dark UI

Get It

vMUD runs on Windows. Download the installer from the GitHub repository and connect to any MUD. Free to use.

If you run a MUD and want to create a custom map pack, check out the Map Pack Creation Guide in the repository. The JSON format is simple and documented. Your players just connect with vMUD and get your custom map automatically.

Download at https://github.com/mpvmud/Vmud

Hey all,

Nichademus from Rites of Passage MUD here... I got bored with the format from last month's update so I decided to take a different approach. This time it's in the form a fake Q&A session with a obviously made up media company. I do hope it is both informative and enjoyable.

Cheers, -Nichademus

Rites of Passage MUD: An (obviously fake) Q&A with The Telnet Times (also fake)

The Telnet Times sat down with the admin of Rites of Passage MUD to get the full picture on what the game is, who it's for, and whether it's worth your time.

TTT: How would you describe RoP's core identity compared to other MUDs?

RoP: RoP is built for players who enjoy both PvE and PvP. We have 18,000+ rooms across 80+ non-stock zones, to produce a constant team-based Good versus Evil conflict. Your alignment shapes everything about how you play and who you fight.

TTT: RoP is specifically a PK MUD. A lot of people have been burned by PK games in the past by griefing, spawn camping, high-level players hunting newbies. How do you handle that?

RoP: PK is team-based, so you can only attack opposing alignment players. That naturally builds camaraderie within your faction. We also have mechanics like player ignoring and same-alignment corpse loot protection to curb griefing. Since reopening in December 2025 after a 25-year hiatus, we haven't had issues.

RoP is full loot though. You can lose your gear in PK. To soften that some, you'll find mid-level gear is plentiful and easy to get. Every player gets a free 30-slot personal storage vault, and there's a 30-slot alignment vault that veterans regularly stock for newbies and PK deaths.

TTT: What kind of player is RoP NOT right for?

RoP: If you absolutely hate PK, stop here. If you're heavy into RP, our player base doesn't really engage with that. And if you want to be competitive within a few hours, look elsewhere. We do have catch-up mechanics like resting XP, quest tickets, and rotating double XP zones, but building a character here takes some amount of time. Also, this isn't PKMud or (some versions of) GodWars. If you're willing to invest some time, I think you'll find it worth it. That being said, I am always looking to add MORE content that is LESS grindy.

Also, if you want a purely solo experience, this isn't your game. You can do a lot of things solo, but eventually access to guilds, premier skills/spells or top-tier items require teamwork. We've tried to be realistic though... I've scaled things back so what took 5 or 6 people before should now only take 2 or 3.

TTT: You have a strict one-character-per-player rule. Why, and is it enforced?

RoP: Yes, it's enforced. A player's legacy and reputation matter here, and alts dilute that. It also prevents pstoring gear on alts, which was a problem in the past.

TTT: 24 races and 10 professions is a lot. How do you choose, and how much does the combo actually matter?

RoP: It matters quite a bit. Race stat caps directly affect profession performance, and we document suggested pairings in each race's helpfile. You can also browse everything on the website before creating a character. For new players, stick to single prime attribute professions: Warrior, Cleric, Mage, or Ninja. The others (Monk, Templar, Warlock, Alchemist, Thief, and Druid) all require multiple strong attributes and are harder to build effectively while learning the game. Those are better professions to switch to after a few remorts.

TTT: What does the remort system look like, and is there meaningful content at every level range?

RoP: Remorts let you permanently improve your attributes, damage, to-hit, saving throws, skill and spell slots, arcane damage, healing ability, and more. You're always working toward the next one, as it is a constant sense of progression. The real content comes from PvPvE. You are most vulnerable while XP grinding or hunting equipment loads.

Beyond that content consists of things like ingredient extraction for poisons and potions, quests rewarding XP tickets or unique gear, guilds to work toward, and a gold-funded remort respec option if you want to try a different build. I'm trying to add more and more content that doesn't necessarily require XP or killing mobs. For example, we have a series of 13 quests in A'daar (central city) that help teach players the areas around it. No mob kills required.

TTT: What's the gem and mana system about?

RoP: Every player has innate mana for casting spells. Holding gems in one or both hands expands that mana pool and allows the player to cast higher level elementally matched spells. Gems come in four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Most are single-element, but the rarer gems contain two or three. The gems you carry directly shape your spellcasting in combat.

TTT: How active is the player base? Is there usually someone to group with?

RoP: Roughly 20 players log in daily (roughly 30 uniques weekly), spread across Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America, so there's activity throughout the day. You can see the live data at https://ropmud.com/analytics. We are in DIRE need of more good alignment players. If you are up for the challenge please roll to the good alignment. Thanks :)

TTT: What's the learning curve like for a modern gamer?

RoP: Honestly, it takes a while to learn the ropes around here. I don't recommend RoP to someone who has never played a MUD. There's no in-game map yet (it's coming), but there's an interactive world map at https://ropmud.com/map in the meantime. It takes time to learn the mechanics, some of which are unique to RoP like tackle and groundfighting, find the best XP areas, and learn to avoid being tracked by the enemy alignment. That said, the player base is genuinely friendly. They're the nicest group of player-killers that I've been around. Everyone here knows new players are the lifeblood of the game.

TTT: How does RoP compare to other PK MUDs?

RoP: My knowledge of those games is secondhand, so take this with that in mind. The biggest differentiator is that we offer no way to opt out of PK. The closest comparison is probably MUME (Multi-Users of Middle Earth) with the Good vs Evil factions, largely unrestrained PK, full loot. We share some DNA with Duris, though we're considerably less brutal from what I understand.

TTT: Solo-run game — what does that mean for RoP's future?

RoP: I've been pushing updates nearly every day since reopening in Dec 2025. The process has been pretty straightforward... collect player feedback, prioritize, implement. You can find months of patch notes if you search my Reddit post history. On the roadmap are things like in-game map, GMCP output, new professions, and the ongoing balance of good VS evil.

I've also always told the player base this is OUR game, not MY game. Discord has active suggestion and bug channels, and I run polls on major decisions. If you want a voice in how a game evolves, RoP is a good place for that.

Also, if you just want to lurk and follow what we're up to just roll a character and log-in. I send out a weekly email to all the active players that is both fun (top5 categories, top10 pks, mob that killed the most players that week) and informational (contains the changelog for the week, upcoming events and future plans).

TTT: How do I connect?

RoP: Point your MUD client at play.ropmud.com 4443. Questions? Find us on Discord at https://discord.gg/CkYm9WRnyw.

Yo... I used to play Realms of Despair. My name was Xorzo, Xavion, Letorin... Yeah... I always used to think about how I could easily map visual and audio in my imagination to the text in the game... that was a huge part of the fun of MUDding, for me. But I also thought that the text could be used to map actual audio and video. Aren't we getting pretty close to that, now? What do you think? That would be pretty cool, especially with XR glasses LARPing.

Just noticed GoMud (an open-source Golang-based MUD server that's been discussed here before) just posted a new release on Github:

• Repo: https://github.com/GoMudEngine/GoMud

• Changelog: https://github.com/GoMudEngine/GoMud/releases/tag/v0.9.2

• Demo server: http://www.gomud.net/

sorry, played this decades ago on AOL and have a memory of something spawning in a room and only you could see it, but you'd need it to go up a rank?