Immortal (MUD)
Encyclopedia
An immortal, in MUD
s and particularly DikuMUD
s, is an administrator and/or developer of the game, often a player who has achieved "immortal" status by achievements within the game world. It is frequently abbreviated "imm" or "immort". Some MUDs have an option for players who have become immortals to "remort", returning to mortal status with advantages.
Other commonly used terms with the same or related meanings are developer ("dev"), administrator ("admin"), wizard
("wiz"), God
, and implementer
("imp"); the last two most often refer to the system's owner or owners. "Coder" is often found as a position distinct from both immortal and implementor, with responsibilities centered on development of the virtual world
server software, as opposed to the content creation
that is typical of immortals who perform development at all. Immortals dedicated to content development may be called "builders", especially in a project that uses the "coder" role.
If used in a MUD as a noun rather than an adjective, "immortal" almost always refers to this usage. The main exceptions would be in MUDs based on the Highlander franchise, as that setting has its own noun usage of "immortal"
, and in incidental adjectival noun
formations (as with a class of ageless NPC
gods for whom the primary term is "the gods", but who may be called "the immortals" when the speaker wishes to call attention to their deathlessness).
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s and particularly DikuMUD
DikuMUD
DikuMUD is a multiplayer text-based role-playing game, which is a type of MUD. It was written in 1990 and 1991 by Sebastian Hammer, Tom Madsen, Katja Nyboe, Michael Seifert, and Hans Henrik Staerfeldt at DIKU —the department of computer science at the University of Copenhagen in Copenhagen,...
s, is an administrator and/or developer of the game, often a player who has achieved "immortal" status by achievements within the game world. It is frequently abbreviated "imm" or "immort". Some MUDs have an option for players who have become immortals to "remort", returning to mortal status with advantages.
Other commonly used terms with the same or related meanings are developer ("dev"), administrator ("admin"), wizard
Wizard (MUD)
Wizard is commonly used in MUDs, particularly LPMuds, AberMUDs and MU*, as a term for the MUD's developers and administrators. The usage originates with Richard Bartle's original MUD1 and MUD2. It is frequently abbreviated "wiz", which is sometimes used as a verb; to wiz is to become a wizard...
("wiz"), God
God (MUD)
God or Goddess, in MUDs, often refers to an administrator of a MUD server, most typically the owner. Sometimes multiple individuals with the title of God are present, or the term may even be applied to all administrative and development staff, but it is usual for the term to refer to the most...
, and implementer
Implementer
Implementer was originally the self-given name of the creators of the Infocom text adventure series Zork. Implementor, often shortened to Imp, became the title given to game designers and programmers at Infocom. Implementers were inserted as minor characters in several Infocom games...
("imp"); the last two most often refer to the system's owner or owners. "Coder" is often found as a position distinct from both immortal and implementor, with responsibilities centered on development of the virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
server software, as opposed to the content creation
Online creation
Online Creation, also referred to as OLC, Online Coding, Online Building, and online editing, is a software feature of MUDs that allows users to edit a virtual world from within the game itself...
that is typical of immortals who perform development at all. Immortals dedicated to content development may be called "builders", especially in a project that uses the "coder" role.
If used in a MUD as a noun rather than an adjective, "immortal" almost always refers to this usage. The main exceptions would be in MUDs based on the Highlander franchise, as that setting has its own noun usage of "immortal"
Immortal (Highlander)
Immortals are a group of fictional characters seen in the movies and series of the Highlander franchise. Since they are immune to disease and stop aging after becoming Immortal, they can live forever and they only die when they are beheaded....
, and in incidental adjectival noun
Adjectival noun (noun)
An adjectival noun refers to an adjective that functions as a noun. English examples include "the other", "the True", "the Irish", and "the rich and the poor".- Related concepts :...
formations (as with a class of ageless NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
gods for whom the primary term is "the gods", but who may be called "the immortals" when the speaker wishes to call attention to their deathlessness).