3D Mud Client

The following is the overall architecture of the mud client in relation to the mud.

The mud client is a windows application that uses OpenGL to render scenes in 3D. The mud client includes all 3D models, textures and sounds in a distribution. The mud client connects to a mud using the telnet protocol. A mud is typically runs on a Linux machine. The mud client can interpret 3d mud tags mixed in with the normal telnet text and display the state of the mud to the user. A player can also control the mud client and use it to move around the mud.

Configuration of the mud client is specified in an XML/XSLT config file that has information about the host mud, paths for models and what to do when performing actions and showing statistics. The config file can be downloaded from a website every time the mud client is executed thus the configuration of the mud client is not fixed. By specifying things in the config file you can save bandwidth. For example the 'facecameradistance' attribute of object can give the illusion that a monster has turned and faced you when you get up close to the monster though in reality it is the mud client that has done it and was not specified by the mud.

Multiple users can connect to the mud and interact with eachother. Most muds have persistance therefore when a player obtains skills and objects and money this is remembered when the player plays again.

Typically a player wanting to play your game will download the mud client distribution from a website (eg http://mmorpg.shattered.org/download), install it and then play it.