MOOniversity Lite
==========================
MOONIVERSITY LITE
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MOOING
==========================
MOO (Multi-User Domain Object Oriented) is a computer program that allows multiple
users to connect via the Internet to a shared database of rooms and other objects
and interact with each other and the database in synchronous time.
This guide is designed to get you started with MOOing. Some of the basic MOO
commands are explained two different ways because some users will be using TELNET
programs to access the MOO, and some users will be using the new enCore Xpress
MOO client. We have written the guide to benefit all users.
Once you have connected type 'help' to get an index of help topics, or click
on the HELP button on your Xpress toolbar. To get specific help on communication,
for example, you can type 'help communication' or select the topic you want
in the Xpress Help Browser search box. Also, if you are in a room or looking
at an object and you see the light bulb icon, you can click on this icon for
specific help with that object. You are also encouraged to print the one
page MOOing QuickStart cheat sheet:
A FEW BASIC COMMANDS
--------------------
To see how the room you're in looks like, just type 'look'. To get information
about the objects around you, including yourself and other users, you can type:
look object
Example: look news - to see the description of that object
examine object
Example: examine news - to see the description, and additional information,
like the owner of the object, and some commands on how to use it.
If you are using Xpress, simply click on the object link in the right-hand window
to see the description or graphic image of the object if it has one, then click
on the LOOK button to return (or right-click your mouse and select BACK).
If you have a player account (i.e., you are not a guest), one of the first things
you should do after you connect is to set your personal preferences such as
gender, description and so on. To do this simply type:
@preferences
If you are using Xpress, click on the Options button. Fill in the information
as desired. If you have questions about the fields to fill in, click on the
lightbulb for HELP.
COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER PEOPLE
-------------------------------
To talk to someone in the same room as you are, you type a quotation mark '"'
followed by what you want to say, like this:
"Hello there!
You see: You say, "Hello there!"
Everyone else in the room sees: Ann says "Hello there!"
You can use body language, also known as emoting, by typing a colon followed
by text like this:
:smiles
You see: Ann smiles.
Everyone else in the room sees: Ann smiles
Often, when several people are in the same room, you may want to address a particular
person. To do that type 'to' followed by the name of the person you want to
talk to, and then what you want to say.
to John Good to see you again :-).
John, you, and everyone else sees: Ann [to John]: Good to see you again
To communicate with people who are not in the same place you are, you can 'page'
them:
page John Do you have time for a question?
The 'page' command can be shortened to '-' like this:
-john Hi, may I come over?
You can also 'remote emote' by typing:
+john smiles and waves
MOVING AROUND
-------------
In every room exits or entrances are listed either at the bottom of your screen,
or if there is a map, perhaps marked by a letter code on the map itself, or
directional words like in, out, up, down. To move in a given direction simply
type the name of the direction or exit. For example, if you see an exit named
'west', you type 'west' to go there. If a code on the map says 'LIB', you type
LIB to go there. If you are using Xpress, the exits or entrances will appear
as links in the right-hand part of the screen, so you simply click on the link.
If you get lost you can always get back to where you started by typing 'home'.
A fast and convenient way to move around is to '@join' other users. To see who
is in the MOO type
@who
If you are using Xpress, click on the WHO button.
If you see another user online named John, you can join him by typing:
@join John
Or click on the link in the location column of the Xpress Who window.
Another way to move quickly between locations in the MOO is to use the '@go'
command if you know the name of the place. If, for example, you want to go to
a place called 'Classroom', you type:
@go Classroom
People come to the MOO for many different reasons, some come to work, others
to hang out or visit with friends. Out of courtesy, you should always ask before
you join someone. For example, if you want to talk to John, you should type
@knock John
If he wants to talk to you he can reply with
@invite person
Depending on the configuration of the MOO, real names and email addresses of
users may be available. For more information about a given user you can type:
@whois name
Or, if you are using Xpress, click on the WHO button, then the persons name
link.
REQUESTING
A CHARACTER
-------------------
If you are a guest in the MOO and not yet a member, you can get your
own character by requesting one. Either you can click the REQUEST icon
in the Xpress bar and fill in the form, or email your wizard for a character.
PRIVACY AND SAFETY
------------------
An occasional problem on MOOs is harassment from anonymous guests or other users.
To deal with this problem there are certain commands that you can use.
@gag person - This will effectively filter out anything the person says or pages
until you type @ungag person.
@eject! person - Use this command to expell someone from a room you own.
@lock here with me - Will lock the room so nobody can come in. @unlock here
will unlock your room.
You can also contact the wizards and ask them for help
@wizards - Will tell you the name or names of wizards who are online.
MOO CLIENTS
-----------
If you are using telnet to connect to the MOO, the text you type in may get
disrupted and broken up by the output from the MOO. This can be very confusing
and frustrating, and the best way to deal with it is to use the enCore Xpress
client. There are also many other MOO clients available, see for example http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~tari/connections/client-info.html.
If, for various reasons, you cannot use a MOO client, you can still use the
built-in output control system to prevent your input from being broken up by
the output from the MOO. Just type a quotation mark '"' and hit enter.
You will be prompted to enter your text, and you can now type your input without
interruptions. The MOO's output will be suspended until you hit enter again.
In addition you can use an 'output delimiter' to separate your output from others
output. Type '@delimiter on' to activate the output delimiter system. @delimiter
off' de-activates it.
If you don't have a client program, and are having trouble with text scrolling
off your screen, or if you receive only the beginning of the lines, you might
try the following commands:
@linelen 40 - Set desired linelength to 40 characters
@wrap on - to make the MOO wrap long lines at 40 characters
@pagelength 24 - to set page length to 24 lines
To log out type: @quit (or click on the QUIT button in Xpress)
Finally, remember that one of the most useful help commands in MOO is this one:
say Hi, I'm new here. Do you have a minute for a question?
Good luck and happy MOOing.
Cynthia Haynes and Jan Rune Holmevik
For more in-depth information about use of educational MOOs we refer you to our books _High Wired: On the Design, Use, and Theory of Educational MOOs_ (http://www.press.umich.edu/titles/09665.html) and _MOOniversity: A Students Guide to Online Learning Environments_ (http://vig.abacon.com/catalog/abbooks/0,2371,0205271146,00.html).
This document was adapted for general use as a part of the EnCore MOO Open Source Documentation Project by Lennie Irvin.