FurryMUCK Quick-start FAQ

 

What is FurryMUCK?

FurryMUCK is one of the largest MU*s in the world. (In case you don't already know, a MU* is an interactive role-playing game). FurryMUCK (or FM for short), is primarily social. It was created for furry fans; on FM, humans are the minority.  On FurryMUCK, you can create a character, and use it to interact with others.

The FurryMUCK History Page (historical information only)


How do I get to FurryMUCK?

First, you will need a Telnet program. Look here for a list of MUD client programs. I personally prefer SimpleMU. It's a powerful, yet simple to use program.  It's free, but if you register (just $15), you get access to a few extra features.

Once you have a program installed, you simply tell it to use muck.furry.com as the address, and to use port 8888. If your browser is configured to launch your Telnet program automatically, clicking here will connect you. You should soon see the FurryMUCK start-up screen:

Welcome to

The first 99 & 44/100% anthropomorphic/Furry TinyMu*

 

If you do not get the above screen, or if you get a login: screen, make sure that you specified port 8888. 


I'm connected to FurryMUCK, now what?

Now you need to log on. If you do not already have a character, you will need to log on as a Guest. Type connect guest guest to log on. You will find yourself in the Guest Room. Next, you will need to page a Wizard in order to be let out of the Guest Room. To do this, first type wizzes to get a list of Wizards currently on-duty. Then you will need to send your message to one of the on-duty Wizards by typing page <wizardsname> = <message> (For instance, if Lynx is on duty, you would type something like, page Lynx = Would you please let me out of the Guest Room? ) It may take a little while for them to get back to you, so be patient. Once you are let out of the Guest Room, you will find yourself in the West Corner of the Park, the center of FurryMUCK. You can stay and chat with the furs gathered there, or set out to explore the MUCK.


What is a Guest, and what are a Guest's limitations?

The Guest account is provided as a courtesy for people who want to try out FurryMUCK before deciding to join, and for use while a character request is awaiting approval.

The Guest account has many limitations.  Guests can only page Wizards; they cannot page anyone else.  Guests cannot shout, spoof, send mail, or summon.  Guests cannot create objects, rooms, or programs, and cannot possess such objects.  Guests are automatically assumed to be underage, and cannot access age-locked areas.  Guests who disconnect, either accidentally or intentionally, are immediately swept back to the Guest Room.  Guests can be swept by anybody.  There is a limitation of 9 Guests at any one time.  A Guest's IP address is visible to all Wizards, so if a Wizard receives a complaint about a Guest, the Wizard can choose to block that Guest from leaving the Guest Room, or kick him off the MUCK entirely.

A Guest CAN speak, pose, mumble and whisper normally.  They also have normal usage of tport, taxi, the JumpRoom, and stepdisks.  They have normal access to all non-locked areas of the MUCK.


What are some commands I can use?

say <message> or " <message> lets you say things. For instance, say hello will display, You say, "Hello".

pose <message> or : <message> lets you do things. For instance, pose sits down on the grass will display, Guest1 sits down on the grass. FM will automatically add your characters name to the beginning of the sentence.

whisper <character> = <message> lets you whisper a private message to someone. For instance, whisper Captain = Hello there will display Hello there only to the character Captain, and only if he is in the same room.

page <character> = <message> lets you send a private message to someone in another room. For instance, page Captain = Hello there will send the message Hello there to Captain, regardless of where he is on the MUCK (unless he is asleep). Guests can only page Wizards, permanent characters can page anyone.

spoof <message> lets you say or pose something anonymously, without your name attached.  For instance, spoof The box explodes! will display <The box explodes!> on a separate line, without your name.  You can see who made the last few spoofs by typing spoof #recent, so it isn't entirely anonymous.

look <object> allows you to look at something or someone. For instance, look Captain will display Captain's physical description.

lookat <character>'s <object> allows you to look at something a character is carrying. For instance, lookat Captain's Pilots License will let you look at Captain's pilots license.

smell <object> allows you to smell someone or something. For instance, smell Captain will display what Captain smells like.

pinfo <character> displays a list of background information about a character, if they have created a pinfo. For instance, pinfo Captain would tell a bit about Captain's background, personality, interests, TinyPlot preferences, etc.

ws displays a list of all the characters in a room, and their gender and species.

who displays a short list of the characters in a room, without their gender or species.

3who displays a list of everyone online at the moment, regardless of their location.  Usually very spammy.

wa displays a list of all public rooms with more than 2 people in them.  wa #dir includes directions on how to get there.

ns displays how long it will be until the next save.

hug <character> lets you hug someone. For instance, hug Captain will let you hug Captain (Captain loves hugs, BTW)

north or n
south
or s
east
or e
west
or w
up
or u
down
or d
in
out
These commands allow you to move around. You can sometimes also use northwest, nw, southeast, se, etc.

tport <location> allows you to teleport from one area to another very quickly. For instance, tport air will instantly teleport you to Larsen Airfield.

taxi allows you to call for a taxi. Once on board, type look sign to see a list of places you can travel to.

QUIT lets you log off. (It must be typed in all caps)

Complete list of all available globals  

Complete list of all public teleport and taxi destinations (note that FurryMUCK is constantly changing.  Locations may be added or removed without notice.)


Help! It stopped responding!

Most likely one of the following happened.

  1. Your output display is paused.  Many MU* clients have an option to pause the display to allow you to read it easier.  Usually, it will display something like ***Output Paused*** or MORE.   If this is the case, just un-pause the display.

  2. You are in the middle of a database save. A database save allows the information in the database to be backed up. This way, if the MUCK crashes, everyone's characters and possessions can be restored. A save occurs every 6 hours. There are two kinds of saves, Alpha and Delta. An Alpha save backs up the entire database, all 100+ Megabytes. This typically can take from 1 to 5 minutes, and only occurs once per day. The rest of the saves are Delta saves. These only backup objects that have been changed since the last save. Delta saves normally last less than one minute.

  3. You are lagging. Sometimes, when the network is running slow, or there's a heavy load on FurryMUCK's host computer, it may take a while for a command to be processed. The only thing you can do is be patient. On occasion, when the system load is very heavy, the lag may be as bad as 5 minutes. If you haven't received a response in that amount of time, there is a chance your connection has been lost. You can either keep waiting, or try reconnecting.  If your client supports it, you can open another window and try connecting in that window.  If you can reach the FurryMUCK welcome screen and nothing has happened in the original window, you were disconnected.  If the welcome screen does not appear, there is either a VERY bad lag, or the server is unreachable.

  4. You may have been disconnected.  There are several reasons why this may happen:  the server software or host computer may have crashed, a router may have gone down, your ISP may be having an internal problem, or your modem may have disconnected. 


The Alpha Save used to be at Midnight, but now it's at 6 p.m., Why did it change?

An Alpha Save occurs every 24 hours starting from when the MUCK was last restarted.  If the time an Alpha Save occurs suddenly changes, that's usually because the MUCK has either crashed or was shut down intentionally for repair or maintenance.   The new time for the save will be 24 hours after the time the server is restarted, with Delta saves occurring every 6 hours.


Help! I got lost!

FurryMUCK is a HUGE place. I've been there since March 1996, and I've seen only about 1/4 of the MUCK. It's very easy to get lost. If you do lose your way, you can type goband to return to the bandstand in the West Corner of the Park. If your permanent character has a home, gohome will take you to your home. 


What is a TinyPlot?
What is TinySex?

A TinyPlot (or TP for short) is an in-character role-playing game within FurryMUCK, for instance a space battle or a treasure hunt. Participation in a TinyPlot is voluntary.

TinySex (or TS for short) is a TinyPlot involving sex. Again, it's up to you whether you want to participate. TSing in public areas is generally not accepted.


How do I get a permanent character?

Send e-mail to join@muck.furry.com. You will need to include the following information:

* free e-mail accounts (Geocities, HotMail, Juno, Yahoo, Deja-News, etc.) are not acceptable, nor are AOL accounts. If you submit a character request using a free e-mail account, or an AOL account, it will be rejected.  It must be a real e-mail account from a real ISP.  You can still join, however, by snail-mailing the above information to:

Furry Enterprises
101 1st St
PMB 554
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

** if any of these are not included, your character will be created, but will not be set as an adult.  Lying about your age can result in being permanently banned from the MUCK.

It usually takes about 24 hours to process a request; longer on weekends and holidays.   You will be e-mailed when your character is ready.

Type news join for the latest information.


How do I set up my character?

Go some place quiet (for instance, the bottom of the pond in the Park), then type editplayer to start up the Player Hammer program. You'll probably want to write up your character's description in advance so that all you have to do it type it in.


How do I get a home?

Once you have a permanent character, you will need a home. You can make your home at the Dancing Unicorn Inn for as long as you like. From the West Corner of the Park, go west, then south, then west again. Then type @link me = here

If you want to make your own home, go to BoingDragon's Bed and Breakfast by typing jr then west Inside you will find a copy of the Virtual Real-Estate Guide. Type look guide to view the Guide. It lists places that are available for building. The exact method of obtaining an empty lot depends on the location; instructions are usually given on a sign or directory located near the locations.

Once you have an empty area, you can use the Room Hammer to create new rooms, exits, and descriptions. The Room Hammer program is activated by typing editroom

Once you have your own place, you will want to link yourself to it by typing @link me = here

You are limited to a maximum of 20 rooms.


What are pennies, and how do I get more?

Pennies are used whenever you create a room or object, whenever you make a public shout, whenever you try to kill someone, and for voting in the annual mayoral elections.

To get more pennies, just visit the First Furry Bank, located 3 blocks South of the South Corner of the Park.  You can obtain up to 500 pennies per day, up to a maximum of 20,000, by typing withdraw.

They normally are not called "pennies".  The Mayor of FurryMUCK  is responsible for naming the currency, and it is not unusual for it to change names daily.  When the currency changes, all old currency you had is automatically converted to the new currency at a 1:1 ratio


What are Wizards and Helpstaff?

Wizards are responsible for the operation of the MUCK. They keep the server running, handle new character applications, set the MUCK's rules and policies, and handle complaints against other players.  Wizards have the ability to do almost anything, and thus are chosen VERY carefully.  Wizards are all volunteers, doing a demanding job out of the goodness of their hearts.  If you have a question or problem, it is best to ask the Helpstaff first.

The Helpstaff is a group of volunteers who answer questions, help troubleshoot problems, try to mediate disputes between players, and help council those whose problems are more personal.  The Helpstaff was created to take some of the load off the Wizards by handling the everyday simple questions, and referring people to the Wizard corps only when a problem is beyond their abilities.  Helpstaffers have no official powers, though some are permitted to release Guests.

Both Wizards and Helpstaff have a private channel by which they can communicate.   If one Helpstaffer receives a question that is beyond his/her abilities, he can instantly ask all other available Helpstaffers for assistance.

To see which Wizards are on duty, and what they specialize in, type wizards.  To see which Helpstaffers are on duty, and what they specialize in, type helpstaff.   Idling characters are on duty, but may be slow in responding.  Do not bother off duty Wizards or Helpstaff unless it is urgent and no one else is on duty.


I go by the name Captain on FurryMUCK, and I spend much of my time hanging around HoneyBadger's Burrow (tport vel, s, e, in), the Studio de l'Artiste (tport art, in), or the Purple Nurple (tport tpn, in). You can get to my home by typing tport capt Feel free to drop by at any time; I rarely ever lock my doors.  I am on the HelpStaff, so if you have any questions, feel free to page me.  I specialize in furry info (both FurryMUCK, and the furry fandom in general), Windows and networking, hugs, and questions about rodents.  : )

A Dictionary Of Common MUCK Abbreviations

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