Practicum Project: Post 6

Well, after my tragic death the last time I've played, I've realized something. Once you get the hang of playing in DiscWorld, getting back to the level of your decease is actually quite simple. Comments such as "you've been here before" and the option of "repeat last time" make the decision making process much easier. I'd say it took me about 9 total hours to get to this same level the first time, and only about 2 to get to the same spot now.

Yeah, I'm getting pretty damn good. I'll put it on my resume.

I still have a lot of the same conversations with a lot of the same people. I'm really starting to wonder about Gabriella and if she has any sort of life outside of playing MOO World games. To each their own I guess. But it really makes me feel like I'm part of a community, even now more so than before. Here I had died the last time I played, but everyone else in the World welcome me back and let me know that they will be more than happy to help me with any questions I may have. One guy even offered me a cheat code. I tried it, but it didn't work. Bummer.

I'm starting to enjoy this "game" quite a bit. And with only about 1 more required hour of play, I'm determined to get to the end of the Disc-shaped world. I'll keep you posted, and wish me luck.

And sorry about the lack of screen shots, but if you remember from my presentation, it'd be nothing but the purple screen with some tiny, unreadable text for everyone. So just take my word for it.

Practicum Project: Post 3

Well, I'm still alive and kicking in my DiscWorld, I think. So far, I've travelled through two enchanted forests, chatted with some really interesting people and even burnt myself on a lantern. The interesting thing about this "world" I've learned is its sense of a community.

In discussion, we were talking about online chat rooms being the on-ramp for sexual predators, pedophiles, etc. People can go to a site like Yahoo! Games or something, but just because they visit the site, doesn't mean they want to actually play the game. They may want to...do...different things, To Catch a Predator type things.

However, DiscWorld and the MOO community seems to be 100-percent about the gaming going on. Any people I talk to will make small talk, but it's soon right back to business. They ask what to do when they get to certain buildings, where not to go, who to avoid, etc. Having only played this game for about 6 hours, I kindly tell them that I really have no idea. And instead of doing a screen shot of exactly what it's like on here with the game, I thought I'd copy and paste in some text. Ivan has the luxury of putting awesome pictures up; I really don't. Just picture this game as a regular video game, but instead of moving the characters, you type and tell them what to do--never seeing them at all.

So here's some transcripts from my journey:

The air is fresh, the noise here is low, and this pretty park seems
a perfect place to sit and contemplate in peace. A pine bench has
been provided for just that purpose.
It is a very warm spindlewinter's morning with almost no wind and
packed cloud cover.
There are two obvious exits: north and west.
A pumpkin lantern is dangling from a post.
You close the north door.


You open the north door.
A swift glance around this cosy hut reveals a small cot and an open
window, looking out over a welcoming village. A very large and
informative sign has been hung on the wall.
Type read sign to read it.
When you are done here (and have read the help file!), you can
start the introduction by typing south.
There are two obvious exits: south and climb through window.
A large sign is hanging on a wall.
You close the south door.

Another weird thing I've noticed about the sense of "community" in MOO land is that a lot of people seem to remember me each time I'm on here. It truly makes it feel like a social community. That's all for now. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Wish me luck...

Practicum Project: Post 2

So I just played in DiscWorld for a little over an hour. I’m officially in Pumpkin World. I know…super awesome. Thus far, It has literally been exactly like playing a video game, except when I would originally hit a button on my controller to move to the left, I have to type “left” into the game. Or sometimes “west” or “east.” Or if I want to look in a doorway, I have to type “look in doorway.” They like the commands to be short, so I'm finding myself to sound a lot like Tarzan in my commands.

Another asset to the game that I think is pretty cool is its interactivity. As you can see from my screenshot, I was having a nice conversation with Gabriella, a (I'm assuming) girl who plays this and knows everyone else who does. Right away, she knew I was new. My player, given the name "Honesty," (yeah, I don't know why either), is the newest member to the game, and therefore does not have the capability to do certain things. Like open doors, go out windows and take lanterns off of trees. I haven't registered enough hours of playtime for that I guess.

This is really a new experience for me, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I'll keep you updated on Pumpkin World. I don't even want to know what the names of the other worlds are...

Wish me luck.

Practicum Project: Post 1

So...I just started my practicum project and this is sort of a "holy s***, what did I just get myself into?" post.

I've been selected to create a MOO account and enter this virtual world over the course of the semester. I had to download a program (Savitar) just to be able to use it. And once I entered DiscWorld (the MOO world I chose for my endeavors), wow, did it bring me back. Remember those old computers with the green screens and green text? Yeah, that's what it looks like. Pretty much what it is: an online game, except besides PLAYING the game, you type in what you want to do, what you want others to do, etc. My first time on it, there were 13 other people worldwide on it. It should be quite the experience for me; I'm not a gamer by any means, so this is definitely a new experience. I'm actually quite excited.

DiscWorld is based on an English comic book, in which a flat world is balanced on the backs of four elephants. I know, it sounds pretty normal.

Wish me luck in DiscWorld.