MUME Game News

Searchable Archive

This is the news I have collected since I returned to MUME in 2000, with a few of the most important archived news posts at the start.  It's simply 'news next' from in game, all in one page, in the way I collected it at the time.  Viil on the MUME Discord server asked, 'Has anyone scraped together all news posts into a searchable document?' so this is an answer.  I also have similar old news files, but this page will probably be big enough!  I have combined, edited together those old news files now and you can view that older archive here: MUME Old Game News Archive 

Archived Message 2478 : Level Power Re-balance (Rogon)

Written on Fri Mar  6 19:27:05 2015


The amount of power a character gains when it levels has changed.


It used to be that at level 1-25 you got 100% of a level, and at level 26-100

you got 10% of a level.


Instead, at level 1-25 you now get 110% of a level, and at level 26-100 you get

6.67% of a level.


This means that a level 100 is the same as before this change, while everyone

below 100 gained some power. Also, the difference between legends is reduced.


Spell-save and spell-attack effects are still expressed in legend levels: if

you have a +10 spell-attack ring, it will still give you 10 extra legend levels

when casting.


We realise that mobiles become weaker, relatively, when players become

stronger. Fear not! We have some upcoming changes that will help restore our

mobiles to glory and ensure that the number of mobdeaths will not drop.

###################################

Archived Message 2479 : Perception and Natural Armour (Rogon)

Written on Fri Mar  6 19:27:31 2015


Perception:

-----------


Perception is now a more attractive stat to have whilst playing MUME.


Your perception and your weapon skill combined will allow you to strike at a

gap or weakness in your opponent's armour. The two parameters are multiplied by

each other, so that having more of one makes the other more valuable.


The chance to strike a gap/weakness further increases if you are using a

piercing, stabbing, or missile weapon. Cleaving and slashing weapons get a

smaller bonus. Crush, pound, and unarmed attacks receive only a base chance.


When striking a gap in an opponent's armour, you bypass it fully. When striking

a weakness, you bypass half of it. The chance to get either is 50/50, unless

you attack with a crushing or pounding weapon, or unarmed, in which case you

can only strike a weakness.


Magical armour is unaffected by these changes.


A word of caution; the same feature is in effect on mobiles.



Natural armour:

---------------

Various mobiles on Arda now sport natural armour that works the same way as

what PC trolls have.


You can expect to find that trolls, wolves, wargs, bears, and similar creatures

have tough hides. Ents and huorns have bark, reptiles and wyrms have scales,

and spiders have chitinous armour and so on.


When striking a creature (or PC troll) protected by its hide, you will only be

able to strike for a weakness. Other types of natural armour have gaps.


Just as with natural armour on PC trolls, the natural armour on mobiles reduces

spell damage.


We advice caution when engaging in combat; some mobiles might be more

challenging than before.

############

Archived Message 2480 : Re: Perception and Natural Armour (Waba)

Written on Tue Mar 10 19:20:18 2015


Follow-up on last weekend's changes:


1. Bears and smiters will now find gaps and weaknesses in their opponents'

   armour like everyone else. 'Weapon skill' of NEWS 2479 should read 'general

   warrior knowledge' for Bears.


2. I fixed a long-standing rounding error in 'consider', which now behaves as

   you would expect regarding level comparison.


Lastly, when hitting with a hybrid weapon like the halberd (part stabbing, part

cleaving), its properties are averaged.

####################################


...

###################################

Message 2602 : Recent Changes (score report, Maelton, thieves, snigger, money

    handling) (Dáin)

Written on Sun Nov 15 14:48:03 2020


 * You can now out-of-character report your health, mana, and moves to the room using

   score report. (Jahara)


 * Maelton in the Tower Hills now has a quest to direct players to other quests. (Jahara)


 * Aggressive thief NPCs are now better differentiated as muggers. (Jahara)


 * There is now a snigger social. (Finwë's idea)


 * You can now put money in all kinds of containers: put 12 silver sack.


 * You can also pick up a specific amount of money: get 2 copper.

############################

Message 2603 : Updates to "reply" (Dáin)

Written on Mon Nov 16 20:04:28 2020


You can now use reply to reply to the most recent tell or whisper or similar:


  Bilbo tells you 'bring the pipeweed'

  > reply I won't forget

  You tell Bilbo.


This doesn't work if you're standing at a bulletin board.

###############################

Message 2604 : Yet another new start (Dáin)

Written on Thu Nov 19 12:56:03 2020


The Third Age of the Sun is over: the War of the Ring was fought; the One Ring was been

destroyed; the Ring-Bearers and the last of the Noldor have departed from Middle-earth.


For the eleventh time in the history of MUME, the clock starts over.


Again, it is the year 2850 of the Third Age. Gandalf has just obtained the key of Erebor

from Thrain in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. The events told in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord

of the Rings" are ready to happen.


- Dáin

####################################

Message 2605 : Recent Changes (Strength herblore, Shop "show" improvements,

    Evil Free People, Identify) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Nov 29 02:22:58 2020


 1. Herbalists report that the Strength herblore is slightly more effective.


 2. In a store, you can now show lockpicks or show herbal-kit to see the details of

    any enhancements before you buy them. (As per Tílran's suggestion.) (Dáin)


 3. Círdan has warned that the grey-cloaked elven huntsman will now hunt evil Free

    People in his realm. He also has started revoking citizenship.


 4. The horse of the Rohirrim now chose to not bear evil Free People.


 5. Aldereon's golden elven bracelet can now only be sold to jewellers of ill repute.


 6. Identified amulets will now show how many charges they have left. (Dáin)


 7. The health of the icy ring and root ring is now shown when identified.


 8. Crystal phials will now reveal their magical affect when identified.

######################################

Message 2606 : Recent Changes (Promotion, Memorial, Gruksh, Dol Guldur, Shout,

    and Quaff) (Jahara)

Written on Thu Dec 24 23:46:05 2020


 1. We congratulate Elemir on his promotion to Ms.


 2. A memorial to Ugurz the Forsaken has been erected north of Grobb.


 3. Gruksh the orkish butcher now accepts more jewels as payment from snagas.


 4. The orcs guarding Dol Guldur will now listen to requests to open and close the

    barricade.


 5. shout is now an alias for narrate. (Dáin)


 6. You can now use drink <potion> even if you aren't thirsty. (Dáin)


 7. quaff is now an alias for drink. (Dáin)

#######################################

Message 2607 : Recent Changes (The Wolf Gate, Freúf, Filatior, Travelling,

    Warrens, wooden ring) (Jahara)

Written on Fri Jan  1 22:44:08 2021


 1. The chieftain at the wolfgate in Goblin Town has received instructions that he

    is not only to block enemies from going west into the interior, but also from

    going up or south. In addition, the lock on the inside of the wolfgate is now a

    latch instead of a lock. (Rogon)


 2. Freúf now rewards all eligible questers who helped fix the Old Hobbit Mill.


 3. Filatior's quest can now be completed in a more intuitive manner.


 4. The Dúnadan ranger's quest is now shown in trusted Free People's Quest Logs.


 5. The ragged-looking hobbit quest is now shown in Free People's Quest Logs.


 6. Wooden rings will now teleport off of a troll's finger instead of possibly

    bringing them into the sun.

####################################

Message 2608 : Recent changes (autoexits, ropes, NOC rock, metamorphs, combs)

    (Dáin)

Written on Sun Jan 17 11:32:31 2021


 * change autoexits now lets you change different situations to enable/disable

   autoexits.


   If you had "old" autoexits, the default is all situations on.


   This is a bit of a convoluted change. Use bug to report any misbehavior.


 * Evil races can now comb "borrowed" Dwarven beards using the Dwarven beard-comb.

   (Jahara)


 * Tied ropes will now decay unless they are used or recovered. (Jahara)


 * NOC rock has been renamed to rockdoor and became pickable once again. (Rogon)


 * Istari now retain their followers and groups as they metamorph and return to

   their regular shape.


 * change now supports more fields for metamorphosed characters.

##################################

Message 2609 : Re: Encrypted connection to MUME (Dáin)

Written on Sun Jan 17 11:45:13 2021


Character passwords changed after the most recent reboot will now be stored in a

more secure way (using SHA-256 hashes rather than MD5).


Thus, we recommend that you change your password(s) for improved security.

###########################

Message 2610 : Passwords (Dáin)

Written on Fri Jan 22 12:37:15 2021


(As of the next reboot.)


If you have any character passwords set, these will be automatically removed the

next time your character logs in.


Account passwords are now the only passwords supported. The change password command

now changes your account password.

###########################

Message 2611 : Recent Changes (Bash, Spells, Ecthelion, Kits, Sage, Milking,

    Bandits) (Jahara)

Edited on Wed Jan 27 04:10:07 2021


 * Beorn, ents, scaly beast, and other mobiles are now unable to stack their custom

   bashes with the standard warrior bash.


 * Spells that cause damage now display their essences in the help files.


 * Ecthelion now accepts the star charm as proof of fighting against evil.


 * Newcomer kits are now automatically worn when they are received.


 * An evergreen shrub is now consistent with other shrubs. Thanks to Allium for reporting

   this. (Frór)


 * Milking is now an achievement and the more you milk the better you get.


 * Sheep are now milkable.


 * Various assassins, bandits, smugglers, and thugs have received a rework to be more

   lore friendly. (Ryalnos)

##############################

Message 2612 : Change wimpy (Dáin)

Written on Sun Jan 31 16:03:02 2021


 * You can now set wimpy as a percentage of your max hitpoints: change wimpy 35%. Thanks

   Tórwë for the idea.

##############################

Message 2613 : Promotions, ignore, and plain-text connections (Dáin)

Written on Thu Feb  4 08:23:23 2021


 * We congratulate Ellessar and Imatin on their promotions to Mb.


 * The people on your ignore list will now be saved when you rent.


 * You will now be warned (at login and in info) if you are playing over a non-encrypted

   (plain-text) connection. info used to do the opposite: say encrypted when your

   connection was encrypted.

##############################

Message 2614 : Recent Changes (Black field, Gates, Shrubbery, Brigands, Reroll) (Jahara)

Edited on Thu Mar  4 03:04:02 2021


 * The black field in Moria is now of similar power to its previous incarnation.


 * Gates across Arda have become more standardized and will react to a knock, call, or

   say command.


 * The sweetly-smelling shrub, tall shrub with strong-smelling foliage, and bright green

   shrub are more in line with other shrubberies.


 * Brigands have started to steal from players again.


 * Practices are now retained between character rerolls in retirement.

##############################

Message 2615 : Downtime on Sun 7 Mar (Dáin)

Written on Fri Mar  5 08:37:20 2021


The game will be shut down for maintenance around 8 am UTC on Sunday Mar 7 (that's

9 am CET, 3 am EST).


If all goes well, it should be back up within 6 hours.


- Dáin

##############################

Message 2616 : MUME X: Battle Royale (Jahara)

Written on Thu Apr  1 00:00:24 2021


MUME is proud to enter the AAA gaming scene with the upcoming release of MUME X: Battle

Royale, a fast-paced 3D version of your familiar MUME, with modern last-hobbit-standing

core gameplay mechanics.


This free-to-play game mode will be funded by the sale of loot box keys, which will be

purchased exclusively using MUMEcoin, our new foray into the exciting world of digital

currency.


Early pre-alpha testing begins today at the Sign of the Prancing Pony Inn where you can

enter coach to play.


Minimum client requirements: Any MUD client. 2400 baud modem.


Recommended client: AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3995WX (128 threads), NVidia GeForce 3090

or Radeon RX 6900 XT, at least 1 TB of ECC RAM, and a 10 Gbps up/down fiber link. Flight

to Europe strongly recommended for optimal link.

##################

Message 2617 : Re: MUME X: Battle Royale (Jahara)

Edited on Fri Apr  2 02:23:53 2021


We hope you had an amazing April Fool's Day! No, MUME is not going to be entering the

Battle Royale scene and funding it all through the MUMEcoin cryptocurrency and loot box

keys. Many of you will be happy to know that we will be extending the MUME X: Battle

Royale event to run over the weekend in order to allow everyone to enjoy it.


Credits

=======


Mudlle: Jahara


Misc help: Pilois, Ryalnos, Orlanth, Elemir, Force, Imago

####################################

Message 2618 : Recent Changes (Account practice, Big John, Morgundul orcs, Pick,

    Dwarves) (Jahara)

Written on Wed Apr  7 15:35:19 2021


 * You can now view skills for your characters from the account menu (using practice

   <character>), or using account practice <character> in the game. Thanks Finwë for the

   idea. (Dáin)


 * Big John has started to loot the corpses of those who fall into his canyon.


 * Orcs of the Morgundul tribe are now more keen to assist others of the tribe. (Rogon)


 * Picking chests now reveals you unless it is in your inventory.


 * Dwarves are now particularly skilled at using two-handed axes when they're standing

   with their feet firm on the ground.

###################################

Message 2619 : Recent Changes (Promotion, Durbûk-hai, Festivals, Climb, Help, Trees)

    (Jahara)

Written on Fri May 14 21:09:46 2021


 * We congratulate Silvos on his promotion to Mb.


 * The flasks of the Durbûk-hai have been improved and the black, corrupted flowers that

   they are made from are now easier to find. (Ryalnos)


 * Hobbits in the Shire celebrate on Highday a post-noon holiday and time for evening

   feasts. (Naga)


 * Certain inconsistent climbs across Arda are now bidirectionally consistent.


 * help essence is now available. (Arfang)


 * Trolls can now shake down people from more climbable trees across Arda.

##################################

Message 2620 : The Unseen Servants of the Necromancer (Jahara)

Written on Tue May 18 17:46:19 2021


There is a Shadow in the east that lures evil things toward it with promises of power and

knowledge. These terrible servants now gather before the fortress of Dol Guldur,

competing to curry favor and rise within the Necromancer's ranks and gain access to his

gifts.


And yet, these gifts are not given away freely, for the cost of such knowledge requires

succumbing to the Dark Lord's will; an act that breaks those of frail mind and strains

those of intellect. Nor are such gifts easily handled, for solely the Black Numenoreans

have shown the strength of will to master this dark oath and wrap themselves in the Dark

Lord's power to walk amongst their enemies unseen.


Credits

-------

  Ideas:    Almarian, Elemir, Orlanth

  Design:   Pilois, Rogon, Jahara

  Testing:  Elemir, Pilois, Orlanth

  Code:     Jahara

  Reviews:  Frór, Waba, Dáin, Imago

######################################

Message 2621 : Recent Changes (Protect, Weathertop, Darkness, map rooms, shields)

    (Jahara)

Written on Sun May 30 22:26:16 2021


 * You can now protect <someone> on|off to avoid accidentally toggling the protected

   state. Thanks Zapp for the idea. (Dáin)


 * A new cave has been discovered exiting from the tunnels underneath Weathertop.


 * The Necromancer's darkness has been strengthened.


 * Evil sorcerers can now cooperate with the Necromancer to consistently make darkness

   reach Bree.


 * The map rooms command has been enhanced along with help map rooms.


 * The ancient dwarven shield, defiled dwarven shield, and smelly piece of worm hide have

   been rebalanced.

###################################

Message 2622 : Recent Changes (Venom, Shire, Roots, Quest, Archers) (Jahara)

Written on Mon Jun  7 20:57:11 2021


- Venom and other poisons will now not steal kills when a player is engaged.


- Ancient-aged hobbits can now enjoy cheaper rent in the Shire.


- The roots near Forlond have been changed to a small tangle of roots.


- Gruksh now provides a quest entry for snagas who want learn how to mix orkish draught.


- The orkish loremaster also has a quest entry now.


- A quest entry now shows up regarding Thorin's bones.


- Certain mobiles will now try winching their crossbows before firing

#################################

Message 2623 : Re: Disk full... (Dáin)

Edited on Wed Jun 16 17:51:39 2021


The game ran out of disk space (again!) so we unfortunately had to restore from a several

hours old backup (from 1:30 pm CEST).

#################################

Message 2624 : Recent Changes (Altar, Roots, Plants, Tasteless) (Jahara)

Written on Fri Jul  2 15:48:57 2021


 * An ancient black altar has been rumored to be found near Tharbad.


 * Some hidden roots now sprout plants with flowers during the warmer months.


 * Fixed some plants to wilt in accordance to the seasons.


 * A few new tasteless items can be butchered from hobbits and bears. (Dawnborn)


 * The grotesque necklace can now be strung with more objects.

##################################

Message 2625 : Backstab (Jahara)

Written on Wed Jul 14 04:01:35 2021


As of next reboot, sleeping opponents will be easier to "backstab" because their vision

will become correctly impaired. Thanks to Mees, Magog, Relhir, and many other bug

reporters for raising this.

#################################

Message 2626 : Recent Changes (Quest, Charm, Moneybag, Dark oath) (Jahara)

Written on Thu Jul 22 12:33:13 2021


 * Theddin's mines now has a quest entry.


 * Gruksh the butcher now grunts at those who haven't learned his secret recipe.


 * Common grey and black wolves are now charmable.


 * Charmies who are flushing won't hit their sneaking masters anymore.


 * Moneybags are now standard containers that can only contain money or gems.


 * Dark oath will now not make mana regeneration go negative anymore.

#################################

Message 2627 : Recent changes (ride, info) (Dáin)

Written on Thu Jul 29 12:09:53 2021


 * "train status" will now also show if you are neglecting to train any skills or spells


 * If you have more than one mount, "ride" without an argument will now prefer your first

   mount instead of the last


 * "mount" is now an automatic label for your mounts (ridden or led), so you can

   "unsaddle mount" and similar


 * "info <format>" now supports specifying field width; see "help info format"


 * You can now use info formats when listing characters in your accounts; e.g., "account

   -- %-16M str: %2S"

#################################

Message 2628 : Recent Changes (info, unsaddle, telnet, protect, metamorphs) (Jahara)

Edited on Tue Aug 10 01:30:59 2021


 * You can now use "%u" in "info format" to show when a player can unretire, prac reset,

   etc. Example: "account -- %-15M %u." (Dáin)


 * You can now "unsaddle horse <_what_>" where <_what_> can be "all", "sack", and

   similar. See "help unsaddle" for more information. Thanks to Araval for the idea.

   (Dáin)


 * MUME now supports the MCCP2 compression protocol to reduce the amount of bandwidth

   used by 70% to 85%. (Dáin)


 * "Protect" won't intercept attacks from group members. Thanks to Itzît and Sudo for

   raising this.


 * Metamorphs will now be captured by roots and other snares. Please use the "bug"

   command to report any incorrect behavior.

################################

Message 2629 : Recent changes (shovels, prompts, Kormock, etc.) (Dáin)

Written on Fri Aug 27 17:47:33 2021


 * Kormock has begun to purchase arrows and bolts. Thanks to One for raising this

   discrepancy. (Jahara)


 * We congratulate Brandish and Dawnborn on their promotions to Mb.


 * You can now only "put" plants in pipes for smoking. (J)


 * The huge shovel has been fixed to only allocate its rooms if a "dig" was successful.

   Thanks for Beefcake for reporting this. (J)


 * Entering the tunnels of the huge shovel results in an achievement. (J)


 * Prompts will now auto-update as they change. For example if you go from _Hurt_ to

   _Wounded_, your prompt will be re-emitted.


 * A new "change prompt redraw" option has been added that lets you specify whether

   prompts can be redrawn in-place rather than emit a newline and a new prompt. This does

   not work with all that many clients so by default it's off.

################################

Message 2630 : Recent changes (Balrog, decapitate) (Jahara)

Written on Sat Sep  4 19:04:21 2021


 * The mithril within the Black Hold of Durin's Bane will now not be lost if the game

   crashes.


 * The "decapitate" command is now used to retrieve heads from certain mobiles like

   Vurgl.

################################

Message 2631 : Recent changes (Hobbits, prompts) (Dáin)

Written on Sun Sep  5 10:49:51 2021


 * The furry and leathery feet of hobbits now match the same armour absorb and movement

   cost as end-game leather boots. Thanks to Jolly, Veladan, and many others for raising

   this discrepancy. (Jahara)


 * You can now inhibit the output of prompts when you have commands pretyped using

   "change prompt pretype". This may cause some mappers to not work correctly. If the

   prompt _changes_ it will still be output.


 * The XML mode ("help xml") the "<room>" tag will now include a "terrain" attribute.

   This could cause some clients to misbehave. Let us know if it causes problems.

################################

Message 2632 : Recent changes (padded boots, Durin's Bane, history) (Dáin)

Written on Tue Sep 14 10:15:31 2021


 * A _shard of black ice_ is now rentable. (Jahara)


 * The _soft pair of padded boots_ of the Chief of Tharbad are now unique. (Jahara)


 * The guardians of the Great Halls of Durin's Bane won't return until all adventurers

   have left. (Jahara)


 * Fewer cases will now show up as "in the dark" in your history, showing room names

   instead. Old entries will not change.

################################

Message 2633 : Recent changes (word wrap, smoking, snow shoes, Beorn, recover, GMCP,

    prompts) (Dáin)

Written on Sat Sep 25 17:44:06 2021


 * Word wrap (line breaks for long messages) is no longer automatically disabled in XML

   mode. You can disable it using "change wordwrap".


 * The effects of smoking certain herbs now shows up in your special conditions. (Jahara)


 * Wearing snowshoes will now allow easier passage through the Redhorn Pass. Thanks to

   Switch for noticing this discrepancy. (Jahara)


 * Beorn's huge black bear fur has been tweaked to be more useful. (Jahara)


 * The "recover" command will now work if you are wearing multiple quivers.


 * MUME now has (initial) support for the GMCP protocol. See "help gmcp". (Jahara, Imago)


 * New prompt fields were added to make them align with GMCP.

################################

Message 2634 : Only port 4242 available (Dáin)

Written on Wed Oct 13 21:11:41 2021


You can (for now at least) only connect to the game using port 4242.


The telnet port (23) does not work anymore.


Cf. "help port".

################################

Message 2637 : Recent changes (beds, remove poison, and sunny exits) (Dáin)

Written on Sun Nov 21 23:43:07 2021


 * Trolls and Orcs can now change the colour of "sunny" exits using "change colour

   sunny". If you don't want a special colour, use "change colour sunny none". Thanks to

   Thumpr for the idea.


   Trolls can also "change colour outdoors".


 * Benches, beds, straw pallets, and other surfaces that players can "rest" and "sleep"

   will now provide a minor regeneration boost. Thanks to Quak for the idea! (Jahara)


 * Envenomed weapons can now be cleaned by casting _remove poison_ on them. (Jahara)

################################

Message 2638 : Recent Changes (Communication, Interviews, Dispel, Mudlet, Promotion)

    (Jahara)

Written on Thu Nov 25 16:46:34 2021


 * "narrate", "song", and "tell group" have been tweaked to become more competitive

   against virtual labbing alternatives while still encouraging public channels.


 * "narrate" and "song" don't cost movement points anymore.


 * "tell group" isn't delayed anymore, but it now costs movement points.


 * Morbeth is now the common tongue for Black Numenorean allies.


 * Any orc of the Uruk-Tarkhnarb tribe is now able to achieve Morbeth fluency.


 * A series of MUME interviews have been made available on our website at

   "https://mume.org/community/interviews/" (Antti)


 * We congratulate Pilois on his promotion to Ms.


 * Casting _dispel magic_ and _magic blast_ will now attempt to dispel more magical

   affects. (Dáin)


 * Masters of the magical arts are now able to dispel enchants from arrows.


 * MUME is now officially listed in _Mudlet_ and provides a basic UI and map for

   newcomers.

################################

Message 2639 : Character color and markup (Dáin)

Written on Sun Nov 28 16:19:31 2021


(As of the next reboot.)


You can now use "change colour character <_something_>" to add color to character names.


There is also a "<character>" XML tag; see "help xml".


The "enemy" color is _added_ to the character color, so if your "character" color is

"bold", and "enemy" is "red", an enemy will be colored "bold red".


Those settings are, incidentally, now the default for newly created players. However, as

this can be somewhat jarring, the default for old characters is that the "character"

color is disabled ("none").


It is not unlikely this caused several bugs in how characters show up. Please report them

as you find them :)


Thanks Fearmor for the idea.

################################

Message 2640 : Recent changes (Harle, linkless, GMCP, underlines, etc.) (Dáin)

Written on Mon Dec 13 14:58:37 2021


 * Harle will now assist slower and is less kind to those that blind or charm him.

   (Jahara)


 * We congratulate Silvos on his promotion to Mw.


 * Metamorphs will now show up like bears to the Free People: "-a White Eagle-" (Jahara)


 * Allied players who are not compatible ("-Troll-", "-Orc-", "-Bear-", etc.) with each

   other can now see "(Idle)" or "(Linkless)" next to their allies' names. (Jahara)


 * MUME now supports the GMCP "Room.Chars" module. See "help gmcp".


 * If your terminal supports it (_which is rare_), you can now set colour and style of

   underlines. The following specifies curly red underlines:


     > change colour header red ul:curly


   See "help change colour" for more information.


   Thanks Lonewülf for the idea.

#################################

Message 2641 : Recent changes (specifying objects, affect names) (Dáin)

Written on Sat Dec 18 11:05:18 2021


 * You can now specify objects (or characters) counting "from behind" using negative

   numbers:


     > wield -1.sword    wield your last sword

     > wield last.sword  "last" is the same thing as "-1"

     > drop -2.sack      drop your second to last sack


   Thanks Murahornargh for the idea!


 * The names of some affects (as shown in "stat" and such) were changed a bit; e.g.,

   "noquit" is now "unable to quit".

#################################

Message 2642 : Happy 30th Birthday! (Jahara)

Written on Sat Jan 15 18:59:52 2022


Come celebrate MUME's 30th birthday with us in-game! Join an xp group, start a raid, or

just kick back and enjoy some nostalgia at the Prancing Pony Inn!


Let's try and get as many as we can to login on this day and wish MUME a proper birthday!


In order to facilitate this very special birthday weekend we will be giving a rent

holiday to all who log.

#################################

Message 2643 : Recent Changes (Birthday Stats, Promotions, GMCP, Quests) (Jahara)

Written on Thu Jan 20 16:48:03 2022


 * We would like to thank everyone (over 175+ different accounts!) that logged to

   celebrate MUME's 30th birthday. Over _100_ player kills were recorded, _500_ war

   points distributed, and _100_ plus players were seen on "who" during the event.


 * We congratulate Aloonion and Katje on their promotion to Mb.


 * MUME now supports the GMCP "Comm.Channel" module. See "help gmcp". (Dáin)


 * The book of Kormanolë, Mystical Ring, Libram of Curaen, and Black Dagger Guild

   adventures now have a "quest" and "achievement" entry.


 * Fetching dye for an ancient weaver does not have a time limit anymore.

#################################

Message 2644 : Newcomers to Middle-earth (Jahara)

Edited on Mon Jan 24 06:13:17 2022


Newcomers to Middle-earth will find themselves guided along their journey by a familiar

face.


  Credits    

  -------------------------------------------------------------

  Building:  Jahara, Silvos

  Design:    Jahara, Ellessar

  Testing:   Elemir, Ryalnos, Silvos, Orlanth, Brandish, Pilois

  Code:      Jahara

  Reviews:   Frór, Waba, Rogon

#################################

Message 2645 : Recent changes (GMCP, Achievements, Casserole, Consider, Charm) (Jahara)

Edited on Sun Jan 30 18:24:18 2022


 * The GMCP Room.UpdateExits message was added to update information as exits change

   state. See help gmcp for more information. (Dáin)


 * The achievements command can now filter its output based on its arguments; e.g.,

   achievements spell. Thanks Baca for the idea. (Dáin)


 * Cooking vegetarian or vegan meals with the casserole now works as expected. Thanks to

   Cuantar for catching the inconsistency.


 * Using consider and compare on armours, shields, and boots now shows more information.

   This was Aloonion's first mudlle after being promoted to Mw the day before. (Aloonion)


 * As of next reboot, the magic that protects Rivendell will behave more like Lothlórien

   in guarding against unwelcome charmed followers.

#################################

Message 2646 : Grouping (Jahara)

Edited on Fri Feb 18 06:10:34 2022


As of next reboot, players who are not enemies will be able to group each other in the

same room.


A few notes:


 * Orcs will now be able to group Trolls and vice versa without the aid of a Black

   Numenorean.


 * Bears will be able to group with any other Free People race without having to return

   to human form.


 * This change reverts the decision initially set 29 years ago when Trolls were

   introduced.


 * Do expect that this change will be reverted in the future once the playerbase grows to

   previous levels.

#################################

Message 2648 : Morgul blade (Arfang)

Written on Fri Feb 18 11:28:22 2022


The Witch-king stabbed Frodo Baggins using a Morgul-knife at Amon Sûl. The

knife's attack deeply wounded Frodo and left a fragment of the blade in the

wound which poisoned him. Strider was able to mix an herblore involving

Kingsfoil to slow the poison of the wound although true healing was necessary

to cure Frodo and prevent him from turning into a wraith.


OOC: The Morgul Blade was reinvented to better follow lore.

#################################

Message 2649 : Recent changes (Mobs, Tunics) (Jahara)

Written on Tue Mar  1 20:29:03 2022


 * Certain mobs who tended to disappear in the middle-of-action will now stick around

   until its more calm. (Arfang)


 * Wearers of the elven tunic from Khazâd-dûm will now have a chance to elude combat when

   additional opponents assist their victims.

#################################

Message 2650 : Recent changes (Account sorting, Promotion, Quest, Void) (Jahara)

Written on Mon Mar 14 00:45:09 2022


 * You can now list your account characters by their deletion or rent expiry dates using

   account deletion and account rent. Thanks Cuantar and Finwë for the ideas. (Dáin)


 * We congratulate Llywarch on his promotion to Mb.


 * A new quest teaching newcomers how to use mounts can be found in Black Hill Village.

   (Aloonion)


 * Players will now not receive repeated hunger and thirst spam when voided.

#################################

Message 2651 : Recent Minor Changes (Promotion, Thrakghash, Eagles, Clocks, Retirement)

    (Imago)

Written on Wed May 18 01:53:22 2022


- We congratulate Llywarch on his promotion to Mw. (Rogon)


- Thrakghash of the Mordor Flame now destroys more items of the Free People. (Jahara)


- It is now only possible to call eagles and fell beasts in ridable rooms. (Jahara)


- Trolls can now drag clocks back to their burrows. (Jahara)


- A few of the Inns across Arda have procured clocks for their guests. Patrons

  of The Fishnet Inn, Seagull Inn, The Ivy Bush Inn, The Prancing Pony Inn,

  and the Dining Hall of the Crown will find it easier to tell the time. (Imago)


- Clocks will now chime at sunrise and sunset. (Imago)


- Players can now leave their Halls of Retirement without any minimum wait.

  However, they will not be reimbursed if they unretire early, and if they

  unretire prior to 30 days they will be returned to the Inn from which they

  retired. (Imago)

#################################

Message 2653 : Corpse Decay (Jahara)

Edited on Wed May 25 02:13:22 2022


The time taken for a player corpse to decay has been increased from thirty minutes to 60

minutes.


Arda has gotten considerably larger in the last 20 years and it was becoming increasingly

difficult for players to recover their corpses. Likewise, it has also become easier for

tasteless deeds to be done by the Dark Lord's minions.

#################################

Message 2654 : Carrying messages (Dáin)

Written on Fri May 27 08:49:57 2022


You will now get a message as your "carrying status" changes (as seen by info %F). For

example:


  > drop barrel

  You drop a small barrel.

  Your burden is no longer all that heavy.


A carrying field was added to the GMCP Char.Vitals message, corresponding to the above.


Thanks Jahara for the idea.

#################################

Message 2655 : Recent changes (Artefacts, Quests) (Jahara)

Written on Sat Jun  4 20:01:41 2022


 * Artefacts now have a minor cooldown period to prevent the previous owner from having

   an unfair advantage in reacquiring it. Thanks to Dain for building the backend for

   this.


 * Adventurers report that many artefacts are easier to find.


 * Several quests in the lands east of Lórien near the Anduin River were tweaked and/or

   formalized.


 * Brolg's battle-standard now has a formal quest and achievement.

#################################

Message 2656 : Darkness (Jahara)

Written on Wed Jun  8 15:45:33 2022


Minions of the Dark Lord are now able to refresh and prolong spells that cast

an unnatural darkness.


Rumors have it that keeping the hidden valley of Rivendell shrouded in darkness

will slow down any Free People who wish to quickly seek a path leading inside.

#################################

Message 2657 : Recent Changes (Rahku, Dunland, Spears, Storytellers) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Jun 26 18:51:45 2022


 * Rahku will now permanently teach trolls how to climb after they fed him.


 * The dwarven statue of Dunland has had its fight slightly tweaked.


 * Spear wielders will see a new message to help differentiate between their

   counter-attack missing and their opponent bypassing their keep-at-bay.

   (Pilois)


 * Storytellers will now speak slightly faster. (Dáin)

#################################

Message 2658 : Recent changes (Herblores, poisons, guilds and shops) (Dáin)

Written on Fri Jul  1 19:19:08 2022


 * The number of avaiable herblores to mix is now more accessible. (Jahara)


 * You can now type mix <herblore> if you have an empty herbal kit. (Jahara)


 * Poisons and diseases will now do a better job of healing when you are

   rented.


 * Recovering from the plague will actually make you immune for a while (fixing

   a bug from Sep 1995)


 * Adventures will note that many (not all) guilds across Arda that once

   limited their time have expanded their operating hours. (Imago)


 * Shops in major towns across Arda have expanded their operating hours.

   (Imago)


   Please report any conflicts (quests, interactions, etc) that may pop up to

   the bug board. :)

#################################

Message 2659 : New Aratar (Dáin)

Written on Fri Jul  1 19:19:57 2022


Rogon has been promoted to Arata of Building and Jahara to Arata of Users.


They are responsible for growing the (MUME) world and player base,

respectively.


Yay!

#################################

Message 2660 : Corruption (Jahara)

Written on Sat Jul  9 02:02:40 2022


 * An elven ranger reports that a goblin shaman was recently caught with a

   magical pitch-black robe that stank of corruption. The same goblin was seen

   previously venturing out of Khazâd-dûm carrying a white robe from its

   depths.


 * The elves of the Galadhrim have heard of familiar grey hoods and cloaks that

   were been deeply tainted by the Shadow.

#################################

Message 2661 : New Subrace Features for Beornings (Rogon)

Written on Thu Jul 28 15:53:24 2022


Today, we introduce several features for Beorning players.


* Beornings have a new command; Forage. When a Beorning forages, he/she will

  search the surrounding area for anything edible or drinkable water. Foraging

  is only possible when metamorphed into a Bear.


* Beornings start the game with a bonus in the Wilderness skill. This bonus

  does not make practicing Wilderness less effective.


* Beornings are empowered by the presence of powerful, friendly bears.



Coding: Aloonion, Jahara, Dain

Testing: Pilois, Orlanth



OOC: We hope to introduce more subrace features in the coming months.

###########

2022/08/09 15:51, Lingura: edited 1x  New 

Need to be in same room with bears that are higher level than you and/or legend. From what i tested -> 1 bears +3ob, 2 bears +5ob, 3+ bear +6ob. Unfortunately it does not affect mobiles, so kinda useless in most scenarios and for a legend bear, only beorn in bear form is bonus :( 

#################################

Message 2662 : New Subrace Features for the Rohirrim (Rogon)

Written on Fri Aug 12 13:19:53 2022


Today, we introduce several features for Rohir players.


* Rohirrim who possess enough skill in Riding will never be thrown off by their

  mounts.


* Rohirrim share a special bond with their mounts and will find them to be

  less stubborn.


* Rohirrim are particularly skilled with spears while riding.


* Rohirrim start the game with a bonus in the Riding skill. This bonus does not

  make practicing less effective.


Coding: Jahara

Testing: Pilois, Aloonion, Imago

#################################

Message 2663 : New Subrace Features for Eriadorians (Jahara)

Written on Fri Aug 19 15:47:44 2022


Today, we introduce several features for Eriadorian players.


 * Friendly inns throughout Arda treat them as locals when they rent.


 * They start the game with five bonus practice points.


 * It is easier for them to obtain Tharbad citizenship.


Coding: Aloonion, Jahara

Testing: Pilois

#################################

Message 2664 : Re: Disk full... (Dáin)

Written on Thu Aug 25 06:21:59 2022


Again, the game ran out of disk space (sigh) so the game was down for ~5 hours.

Apologies!


Few bits were harmed in the process. We restored from a backup from

Thu Aug 25 01:30:32 2022 UTC. The disk got full at 01:31:47.

#################################

Message 2665 : New Subrace Features for Stoors (Jahara)

Written on Fri Aug 26 18:09:57 2022


Today, we introduce several new features for Stoor Hobbits.


 * Stoor Hobbits have a natural affinity for swimming. This bonus does not make

   practicing swim less effective.


 * Their stoutness grant them a bonus in the endurance skill. This bonus does not make

   practicing endurance less effective.


 * Their feet are especially leathery, making them more resilient to physical damage.


Coding: Jahara

Testing: Aloonion

#################################

Message 2666 : Recent Changes (Reroll, Mercs, Cirdan, Recover, GMCP) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Aug 28 00:59:38 2022


 * The rules that govern rerolls have been tweaked to not punish players for not playing.

   See help reroll and help agereset for more details. Players are strongly suggested to

   wait for all the subrace features to launch before using their rerolls.


 * Mercenaries now respond to their leader saying just 'lead', 'stand', 'flee', or

   'ride'. Existing behavior of mercenaries remains the same. (Aloonion)


 * Círdan, having been officially crowned Arda's Hide-and-Seek Champion, has retired from

   this game and will now respond if he hears his name. (Imago)


 * The time taken to recover missiles has been cut in half.


 * The GMCP Comm.Channel messages now support tells, says, emotes, and socials in

   addition to the initial support for tales (narrates), songs, and prayers. (Thanks

   Ciltor for nagging about it.) (Dáin)

#################################

Message 2667 : Changes to Rent (Rogon)

Written on Sun Aug 28 17:02:06 2022


We have made some changes to how rent is calculated.


Rent cost is now greatly reduced for equipped items.


Items in inventory or containers (even if the container itself is worn)

have the same rent cost as before. 


This change will only apply to future rentals, i.e. characters will need to

log on and rent to take advantage of the new lower rates. Characters that were

rented prior to this change will continue paying the old rates until they next

log on.


Coding: Imago

#################################

#################################

Message 2682 : Recent Changes (Promotion, Decapitate, Account, Align, and more) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Dec  4 18:50:04 2022


 * We congratulate Orlanth on his promotion to Vala Architect and welcome him to MUME's management.


 * Black Númenóreans can decapitate now when wielding an appropriate knife.


 * You can now list your characters sorted by subrace using account subrace.

   The character subrace is also included in the listing.

   (Thanks One for the idea.) (Dáin)


 * The base alignment of the Free People defaults to their racial maximum.


 * The height and weight of a subrace is no longer the same across a race. Existing characters have been rescaled to match lore with many becoming

   much taller.


 * Previously charmed characters will stop trying to protect against attacks.


 * The command history as seen using !? now contains commands before alias expansion. Recalling a command from history (e.g., !3) will now expand

   aliases. (Dáin)


 * If you reconnect (without renting), your command history is now preserved. (Dáin)


 * A charred staff has been updated to be more useful.

#################################

Message 2683 : MUME IX (Antti)

Written on Sun Dec  4 19:23:54 2022


WELCOME TO MUME IX!

===================


Today we, MUME's management and everyone who has worked on all the related

projects to make this happen, are proud to present _MUME IX_.


This update includes several new features as well as new areas to explore.

Individual newsposts that dive into more detail will follow.


 * The _Bree-land_ zones from the town of Bree all the way to Fornost have been

   rebuilt. New quests and challenges suitable for new and low level

   adventurers await.


 * The second half of the _Ancient Broken Road_ rebuild opens today, around

   fifteen years late. The redesigned areas include new perils to test even the

   most seasoned adventurers and enticing rewards for the most cunning

   explorers.


 * The sturdy Dwarves are taking one more step towards their august destiny

   with the introduction of three Dwarven Houses. The _Longbeards_, the

   _Firebeards_ and the _Broadbeams_.


 * The Uruk-Tarkhnarb are joined by the _Uruk-Morruhk_ as a playable Orkish

   tribe in the service of Sauron.


 * Players of the noble _Dúnedain_ have been granted a tiny fragment of the

   powers that are rightfully theirs.


 * An old spell, _Energy Drain_, has been reworked into a unique healing spell

   for Shamans.


An astonishing number of changes were brought to MUME in the long years since

MUME VIII launched in January 2002. You can read a summary and some history

here: https://www.mume.org/about/m9

#################################

Message 2684 : Bree-land and the wilds of the North (Antti)

Written on Sun Dec  4 19:29:59 2022


Bree-land and the wilds of the North



At the ancient cross-road where the Old East Road meets the Greenway, rises the

Bree-hill. It is the most prominent point in the Bree-land and the villages of

Bree and Staddle can be found upon its slopes, populated by a curious mix of

Men and Hobbits. Further northeast grows the broad woodland of Chetwood where

the settlements Archet and Combe lie, populated primarily by Men.


The lands beyond Bree-land are lawless and wild where the memory of the

fallen kings of Arnor have nearly faded into the grass. The easily corrupted

hearts of Men are tempted in these untamed lands resulting in bandits who prey

upon the weak. "Watchers" protect the wilderness, although their secretiveness

causes the Bree-folk to consider them dangerous and distrustful.


OOC:

Huge thanks to all those who were involved in this massive project. The

Bree-land was badly in need of a refresh, with antiquated room descriptions,

and missing rooms on the map. We added a bunch of interesting content, quests

and low- to mid-level xp spots for new and experienced adventurers alike. This

is the first phase of an overall Bree-land rebuild, which addresses the zones

between Bree and Fornost, and a few adjacent zones as well.




Credits:

========

Building:           Aloonion, Brandish, Elemir, Katje, Llywarch, Silvos

                    Imatin, Caldan, Björn, Cuantar, Hoosier, Rindell, Tavares

Testzone building:  Aloonion, Cath, Katje, Rindell, Lamia

Supervising:        Elemir, Rogon

Proofreading:       Elemir

Mudlle:             Aloonion, Imago, Jahara

Mudlle reviews:     Imago

Mob/Obj reviews:    Frór

Az reviews:         Antti

Misc help:          Ellessar, Pilois

####################################

Message 2685 : Legend Homes in New Bree (Antti)

Written on Sun Dec  4 19:33:02 2022


Due to the recent construction, some homes in the city of Bree are now

inaccessible. The Mayor of Bree has decreed that the town's construction crew

will clear the way to the home of any citizen who requests it.


OOC:

All Legend Homes from old Bree have been archived. Old homes will only be moved

to new Bree if requested.  If you wish to have your home moved and reopened,

you must make a post on the legend home board (3w3s1w of SPPI) with the

character who owns the home. Your post should include a requested location,

along with several alternative locations. Homes will be moved on a first-come,

first-served basis, and no spots are guaranteed. There may be some delay

as we work through the queue, please be patient.


In addition, homes in new Bree are restricted to the three legend home areas.


These are:


         -- The Westhill (the area north of the Hill Road Passage)

         -- The Southern Bluffs (South Mason road and beyond)

         -- The Oak Hill  (the area past the Stone Passage)


If you have a multi-character home you would like moved, please first request

the home that will connect to the street. Once that has been opened, you may

contact Pilois to get the other homes added to it.


Finally, there is a valet in the same room as the legend home Board. This valet

will allow characters with a legend home in old Bree to rent in the same manner

as if they had access to their home.

################################

Message 2686 : Southern Ancient Broken Road rebuild (Antti)

Written on Sun Dec  4 19:51:36 2022


Southern Ancient Broken Road rebuild


Long long ago ere the World was made, all the Ainur were called together by

Eru Ilúvatar to make a Great Music. But Melkor, in his pride, wove into the

harmonies matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme

of Ilúvatar, seeking therein to increase his own power and glory.


Then Eru caused all that had been sung to be made visible before them, a World

that began to unfold its history, living and growing. Yet still the discord of

Melkor remained a part of the music and in time it manifested itself in lands

that were quite out of key with the song of the lands about them. Seeing this,

Manwë Súlimo called upon the Valar, and bade them to renew their song and to

bring harmony once more to those dissonant lands.


After long months of toil, the lands between the Inn on the Way to Moria and

the northern borders of Hollin have finally been reshaped, and rest now at last

in harmony with the rest of Arda. The Valar caution all to beware, for even

that which may at first seem familiar might yet turn out to offer surprises or

perils.


OOC:

The project to rebuild the southern half of ABR was begun in 2004 but never

opened. After lying abandoned and gathering dust for 15 years, it was picked

up again in 2020. It was rebuilt yet again, and expanded upon. In total, an

astonishing number of people has been involved in this project over the 18

years that has passed since it was begun. A big thank you to everyone who

were involved now and then.



Credits:

========

2020-2022 rebuild:


Building:          Aloonion, Azan, Brandish, Ciltor, Dawnborn, Ellessar,

                   Indigo, Jahara, Raid, Ryalnos, Xellia

Testzone building: Brandish

Supervising:       Orlanth, Rogon

Proofreading:      Cosmos, Llywarch, Lamia

Mudlle:            Jahara, Aloonion

Mudlle reviews:    Imago, Jahara

Mob/obj reviews:   Frór

Az reviews:        Rogon

Misc help:         Elemir


2004 rebuild:


Builders:

Alysia, Ausir, Déor, Mandor, Naga, Quillis, Yavanna, and Zarhuk.


Supervisors:

Ausir, Frór (Arata mobs/objs), Nienor (Aratie mudlle), Námo (Arata zones),

and Yavanna


Mudlle:

Arla, Mandor, Mint, Nienor, Scar, Thor, and Vivriel


Proofreading:

Ausir, Déor, Naga, Squiffy, Tirmenel, and Yavanna


Other invaluable assistance:

Mandor and Námo


Former builders:

Aielë and Mujahid


Special thanks for original inspiration:

Darthang, Emcas, Kal and Sadet

####################################

Message 2687 : Introducing the Dwarven Houses (Antti)

Written on Sun Dec  4 20:05:05 2022


Introducing the Dwarven Houses


For long years, the Dwarves of MUME have been denied their birthright and the honor of their great Houses.


This changes now. No longer shall the noble Dwarves' origin be unknown. From this day onwards, the Dwarves will be of the House of the Longbeards,

the Firebeards, or the Broadbeams.


New Dwarves will choose their House during character creation, but existing Dwarves have to visit King Thorin II Oakenshield and declare their

House.


The Dwarven Houses have these features:


Longbeards


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * A Longbeard is hard to faze and they will recover quicker from stuns.


 * They have a sixth sense when it comes to finding hidden riches.


 * They have an average bonus towards bashing exits.


 * They have a bonus towards mining.


Firebeards


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * They are of an unforgiving temper and will receive an OB bonus when dealing or receiving a critical strike.


 * They have a natural bonus to the bash skill. This does not make practicing the skill less effective.


 * They also receive a small bonus towards bashing exits.h


 * The firebeards are experts at keeping their weapons sharp and ready and will sharpen a blade faster than anyone else.


Broadbeams


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * They have an increased chance to not panic after a flee.


 * Their armour will wear out at a greatly reduced rate.


 * They have a greatly increased bonus towards bashing exits.


 * A Broadbeam does not scare easily. They are less likely to be affected by fear in any way.


 * They are calm under fire and will receive an increasing parry bonus as their health drops low.


Helpfiles:

LONGBEARDS

Longbeards are the Dwarves of Durins' Folk, oldest and wisest of the clans. They originally inhabited Khazad-dum and the Lonely Mountain but were

forced to leave their homes and became a wandering people. They seek to reclaim their former glory and riches.


MUME's Longbeards


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * A Longbeard is hard to faze and they will recover quicker from stuns.


 * They have a sixth sense when it comes to finding hidden riches.


 * They have an average bonus towards bashing exits.


 * They have a bonus towards mining.


See also: BLUE MOUNTAINS, DWARF, DWARVES


FIREBEARDS

Firebeards are master weaponsmiths, known for their unforgiving tempers. They are relatively slim and athletic among dwarves. They excel at taking

care of weapons, especially at sharpening them, and are able to do so in record time.


MUME's Firebeards


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * They are of an unforgiving temper and will receive an OB bonus when dealing or receiving a critical strike.


 * They have a natural bonus to the bash skill. This does not make practicing the skill less effective.


 * They also receive a small bonus towards bashing exits.


 * The firebeards are experts at keeping their weapons sharp and ready and will sharpen a blade faster than anyone else.


See also: BLUE MOUNTAINS, DWARF, DWARVES


BROADBEAMS

Broadbeams are great armourers, cool-headed and deliberate in battle. They are heavy-set even for dwarven standards but take excellent care of

their armour. They are calm under fire and get better at defending themselves under extreme peril.


MUME's Broadbeams


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * They have an increased chance to not panic after a flee.


 * Their armour will wear out at a greatly reduced rate.


 * They have a greatly increased bonus towards bashing exits.


 * A Broadbeam does not scare easily. They are less likely to be affected by fear in any way.


 * They are calm under fire and will receive an increasing parry bonus as their health drops low.


See also: BLUE MOUNTAINS, DWARF, DWARVES

###################################

Message 2688 : New subrace features for the Dúnedain (Jahara)

Written on Sun Dec  4 20:15:34 2022


Today, we introduce several features for Dúnedain players.


 * Dúnedain have a natural sensitivity to evil, and have a natural passive ability like the Detect Evil spell.


 * Dúnedain are friends of the Elves. They can pray to Rivendell without previously visiting it and will be welcomed in Lórien with considerably

   less effort than other men.


 * Dúnedain are master swordsmen, and are able to defend themselves better with bladed weapons.


 * Dúnedain have a natural affinity for Leadership. This does not affect practising the skill.


 * Dúnedain are natural teachers. They will share a portion of their knowledge in ranger skills with their followers who are not as proficient as

   they are.


 * Dúnedain are excellent trackers. They will get a bonus to their ability to track as they become more well-rounded rangers. This does not affect

   practising the skill.

#######################################

Message 2689 : Introducing the Morruhk-hai (Jahara)

Written on Sun Dec  4 20:21:21 2022


In the deep pits and narrow crawlways beneath the Misty Mountains there are rumours that the Morruhk tribe are conspiring with the Tarkhnarb to

join forces against the Zaugurz.


For long years the smaller Morruhk tribe have suffered at the hands of the bloodthirsty Zaugurz, and this is their time to strike back!


The Morruhk-hai are a new playable Orkish tribe on Sauron's side. They are renowned for their control of Wargs, both as companions in combat, and

to use as mounts.


Features of the Morruhk-hai:

 * Uruk sun protection at level 21 (Identical to the Tarkhnarb).


 * +OB in groups (Identical to the Tarkhnarb)


 * Wargriders; If they achieve a superb riding skill, they are less likely to fall from their mounts, and their mounts are less likely to refuse.


 * Snufflers; They have a greatly increased track skill when on foot.


 * Bloodlust: Encountering and fighting the Free People will temporarily increase their tracking skill.


 * It is rumoured that the Morruhk-hai have a special breed of wargs they ride into battle that will not carry any other Orc.


 * Certain wargs will come when called by a Morruhk-hai.


Building Credits:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Some building also took place as part of this project.

Building: Brandish, Elemir, Pilois, Orlanth

Supervising: Rogon

Coding: Aloonion, Jahara

############################################

Message 2690 : Energy Drain Rework (Jahara)

Written on Sun Dec  4 20:21:37 2022


The energy drain spell has been redesigned into a shaman only spell. Characters of the Free Peoples, as well as Black Númenóreans, have had their

practices refunded.


Casting energy drain will now start a channeled ability against the target. If the target dies during the channel, the caster will drain some of

the energy from their victim to heal their group. Shamans who wish to practice energy drain should venture to the Ancient Broken Road.


Credits:

Coding: Jahara

Testing: Orlanth

Design: Rogon, Jahara, Pilois

#############################################

![ 2[0:2]>news next

Message 2691 : Recent changes: BN GMs, Old Ford, Quests, Saddlin' Slaverins', herbal kits, etc. (Dáin)

Written on Sat Dec 17 12:59:35 2022


 * The black sorcerer and dark-robed man have been spotted along the Ancient Broken Road. (Jahara)


 * The woodengate at the Concealed Camp along the Anduin is now latched from the inside. (Jahara)


 * The small village near the Old Ford of the Anduin now remembers traitorous Free People that attack it. (Jahara)


 * q is now an abbreviation of quests instead of qui. (Thanks Rogdorf for the idea.)


 * Saddles and saddlecloths can now be used on slavering wargs. (Imago)


 * The wear across back position for quivers, bows, etc. is now called across rather than quiver (which continues to work as an alias):


   > wear bow across


   (Thanks Andor for the suggestion.)


 * You can now remove <something> <position> or (AS OF NEXT REBOOT) remove from <position> to remove items only from that wear position:


     > remove from feet       removes your boots (BROKEN UNTIL NEXT REBOOT)

     > remove black finger    removes something black from a finger

     > remove all.pouch belt  removes all pouches from your belt


   Thanks Fasted for the idea.


 * Herbal kits now behave much more like normal containers. For example, you can now take ingredients out after putting them in.


   Note: herbs that decay will also (soon) start to decay inside herbal kits. Stay tuned for details.

#############################################

Message 2692 : Recent changes (Sheaths, Prompts, Elrond, Energy Drain) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Dec 25 16:24:57 2022


 * You can now put items in sheaths using put like any other container. (Dáin)


 * When in a fight, your prompt will now show your enemy in colours using the character and enemy

   settings (if applicable).

   Thanks Porien for pointing out that this stopped working some time ago. (Dáin)


 * Elrond should no longer walk through the legendhome area in Rivendell. (Imago)


 * As of next reboot, energy drain requires less practice sessions to master.

#############################################

Message 2693 : Recent changes (instant commands and object colors) (Dáin)

Written on Sat Dec 31 13:52:14 2022


(As of the next reboot.)


 * The commands alias, change, info, label, sneak, and stat may now be executed on the same game heartbeat as other commands (up to four instant

   commands followed by any command).


   For example sneak on followed by east can now run in on heartbeat. (Jahara)


   One quirk that may show up is that change mood <new mood> followed by stat will show OB etc. using the old mood, but it will say

   Mood: <new mood>.


 * You can now use change colour object <something> to add color to object names. The default is no color.


   There is also an <object> XML tag; see help xml.


   It is not unlikely this caused several bugs in how objects show up. Please report them as you find them :)

######################################

Message 2694 : Multi-command aliases (Dáin)

Written on Mon Jan  2 15:20:27 2023


Aliases can now expand to multiple commands. Use semicolon (;) to separate them in the expansion.


Ampersand (&) can be used multiple times for argument expansion. If used zero times in a multi-command alias, no argument expansion is done.


For single-commmand aliases, any arguments are added last as before if there are no ampersands in the expansion.


Backslash (\) is now an escape character to prevent ;, &, and \ from being treated specially.


Old aliases are automatically updated to the new format; i.e., they have extra backslashes added to them as needed.


Any "empty" command will not cancel delayed actions.


Alias expansions are now printed inside square brackets (similar to history expansions).

###########################################

Message 2695 : Something New for Hill Trolls (Jahara)

Written on Fri Jan  6 21:41:09 2023


A rather grimy hill troll has taken up residence in the Warrens. Rumour has it that he might be willing to teach other hill trolls a new ability--

for a price.


  Coding   Aloonion, Jahara

  Testing  Pilois, Elemir

##########################################

Message 2696 : Happy 31st Birthday! (Jahara)

Edited on Sat Jan 14 00:46:05 2023


Come celebrate MUME's 31st birthday all weekend long! This very special birthday weekend we will be giving a rent holiday to all who log and allow

you to keep your gear if you have expired rent!


The birthday event is being live streamed on Twitch by several players who will be chatting about the game, its development and live commentating

the many large battles that will erupt on this day, as over a hundred players descend upon the MUD to take part in the exciting three way war for

Middle-earth. Tune in to catch some of the action and see why MUME still has so many fans and active players!


Live Stream begins on Saturday the 14th at 2PM EST, 7PM GMT: https://www.twitch.tv/radagast_1

#########################################

Message 2697 : Recent changes (evil Free People, ARB camp, hold, UPPERCASE) (Dáin)

Edited on Sat Jan 14 10:53:16 2023


 * Many strongholds and peoples across Arda have become less forgiving to any Free People that have turned to evil. (Jahara)


 * Rumours tell that Dúnedain have built a watchtower in their camp on the side of the Ancient Broken Road. (Jahara)


 * The hold command will now prefer to hold items in the not-wield (i.e., shield or hold) position.


   For example, hold staff will now use it as a shield. Use wield otherwise.


   Thanks Wench for the idea.


 * If you wield something while holding something in your "wield hand", you will automatically move that item to your "shield" hand if possible.

   This is useful if you are holding a torch while trying to wield your sword.


   This does not happen if you are wielding something two-handed that can be held one-handed (like a staff).


 * If you are a fan of UPPERCASE LETTERS, there is now an uppercase flag that you can enable using change color.


     > change color enemy uppercase red


   For fun/masochism you can try change color normal uppercase (use ... normal none) to go back to normal.


   "Thanks" Belsnickel for the idea.

#########################################

Message 2698 : Restored from backup (Dáin)

Written on Sat Jan 14 13:02:47 2023


We unfortunately had to restore the game state from a backup from 90 minutes ago.

#########################################

Message 2699 : Recent changes (BNs, Help files, Searching mobs, Ebon Wraith, and more)

    (Orlanth)

Written on Fri Feb 10 16:43:11 2023


 * BNs now get a bonus to mixing antidotes in addition to poisons. (Jahara)

 * The load percent of the ebony tunic was slightly changed.

 * Several mobs that were inordinately vigilant in their search for hidden enemies have

   been adjusted to be less obsessive. (Pilois)

 * The ebon wraith will hunt those who took his sceptre much further than before.

   (Jahara)

 * Zone reset i.e. repop has a new helpfile available. Thank you Endo for suggestion!

 * New helpfile for belts is available now, thank you Endo for the idea!

#######################################

Message 2700 : Recent Changes (Autoride, Spam, Ñoldor Elves, Trolls) (Jahara)

Edited on Sun Feb 12 05:45:22 2023


 * With change autoride you can set whether to automatically ride or lead when your

   leader decides to.


 * Leading or riding is now slower for larger groups, following the same principles of

   large group movement.


 * Players can hide their alias substitutions with change spam alias.


 * Use account import <player> spam to quickly import spam settings.


 * Ñoldor elves have a natural sensitivity to magic, and have a natural passive ability

   like the Detect Magic spell.


 * Cave- and Mountain-troll mobiles now use the multi-bash and multi-hit ability

   respectively.

##########################################

Message 2701 : Recent changes (GH shops, GMCP, Rangers, etc.) (Dáin)

Written on Sat Feb 18 11:58:13 2023


 * Grey Havens shops and harbours have visible signs or notes now. The signs show players

   the open hours, and some tips how to use shop commands. (Orlanth)


 * You can now show your "position" in the prompt as P1-P8 for "dying" through

   "standing". Use change prompt position to change the setting.


   See help prompt for details.


 * New fields were added to the GMCP Char.Vitals messages: mount-moves, opponent-hits,

   buffer-hits, and position.


   These reflect what you can see in the regular play prompt.


   See help gmcp for more information.


 * Rangers will now be able to view the inventory of the newcomers with examine.


 * A great black warg has been slightly adjusted to be appropriate for its level. (Rogon)


 * Timetables for the coach are now more visible. (Imago)

#########################################

Message 2702 : Recent changes (hyphenated keywords, magic objects, who options) (Dáin)

Edited on Tue Feb 21 21:21:49 2023


 * The method for how object/character keywords are matched have changed.


   If you type a keyword with a hyphen (-) in it, the parts are matched individually. All

   parts must match.


   This means that shining-shirt will match any object that has keywords shining and

   shirt.


   Similarly, guard-uruk will match any character with keywords guard and uruk.


   This may be slighty confusing but will make it easier to select the correct

   object/character.


 * Black candles will now decay after a successful use. (Imago)


 * The description of the obsidian eye now changes slightly depending on its charge

   level. It will also decay once its magic is used up. (Imago)


 * There are two new options to the who command:

     who novices    lists anyone below level 13

     who champions  lists anyone between level 13 and 20 (inclusive)


   These only list those with change incognito level off.

#####################################

Message 2703 : Recent changes (Promotion, Backstab, Trolls, Harle, GMCP)

    (Jahara)

Written on Mon Mar  6 04:11:09 2023


 * We congratulate Rana on his promotion to Mb. Congratulations!


 * backstab will once again work against unengaged casters that are casting

   offensive spells. (Thanks Eolo for finding this 20 year old bug!)


 * Two fixes were done to the Mountain Troll ability wild swing.

    + You will now do wild swings even if blinded. With reduced OB of course.

    + The damage has in most cases been increased. This due to a bugfix.


   These fixes also apply to mobiles who swing wildly - be warned! (Rogon)


 * Hill trolls enjoy storming into battle and get a higher offensive bonus when

   aggressive or berserk.


 * Harle will now ride appropriate sized mounts.


 * Some additions to GMCP were added (thanks Ulyruyn for the ideas): (Dain)


    + Messages you send (using say, tell, etc.) will now also be sent as GMCP

      Comm.Channel.Text messages. See help gmcp for more information.


    + GMCP Core.Vitals now also contains the name of your opponent (in the

      opponent field) and the one they are fighting (in the buffer field).


    + GMCP Room.Chars character fields now have an "opponent" flag on your

      current fight opponent.

#####################################

Message 2704 : Recent Minor Changes (Moon, Camp, Urughash Chieftain, Dismantle)

    (Imago)

Edited on Sun Mar 26 21:38:37 2023


- The Moon was given a nudge and will now rise/set on a slighty different

  schedule. See also help moon. (Dáin)


- Campfires now provide a minor regeneration boost. Thanks to Nurwë for the

  idea! (Jahara)


- The Urughásh chieftain in Dunland has received a gift from an anonymous

  benefactor. (Jahara)


- Dismantle has changed to be more costly and help dismantle has been

  updated. (Rogon)

########################################

Message 2706 : Recent Minor Changes (Tiger's Eye, Ancient Metal Helmet) (Imago)

Edited on Thu Mar 30 20:34:13 2023


 * Tiger's eye gems embedded into the ancient metal helmet now provides the

   same effect as it does when embedded into staves. (Rogon)


 * Dismantle has been updated to work on the ancient metal helmet. (Rogon)

###############################

Message 2707 : Recent changes (Portal, XML exits) (Dáin)

Written on Fri Mar 31 17:54:13 2023


 * Portals no longer appear "over" other exits and no longer shows in any way

   in exits or autoexits output.


   The portal spell now only takes a magical key argument and longer takes a

   direction argument.


 * It is now an error to specify multiple (redundant) arguments to spells that

   only take a single word argument.


   This applies to teleport, summon, transfer and portal.


 * In XML mode, there is a new <exit> tag that surrounds the text of a given

   direction's exit. See help xml for details.

####################################

Message 2708 : Notice to Fornost Citizens (the Commandant)

Written on Fri Mar 31 22:33:47 2023


After a steep decline in its investments in the pipeweed sector, the Bank

of Arnor has run out of capital. To stave off an Arda-wide bank run, the

Elves of the Grey Havens have graciously agreed to bail out the BoA.

However, in order to recoup their investment, they have demanded steep

austerity measures.


Therefore, I regret to inform you that from now on, until the Elves are

repaid in full, citizens of Fornost will be subject to a number of new taxes

such as a water tax for use of the well, a mince-pie tax, and a surcharge

for loitering at the inn.


Tax collectors will soon be dispatched to collect the monies due.


Should you wish to make additional contributions towards my villa on Lake

Evendim... er, sorry, towards early repayment of the debt, you can find

me in my office.


/Signed

the Commandant of Fornost (and BoA chairman)

######################

Message 2709 : Carbon-neutral Darkness (the Witch-king)

Written on Fri Mar 31 22:48:50 2023


After increasing pressure from the Haradrim to take a firm stance on climate

change, our Master has decided to move toward carbon-neutral darkness. 

Orcs or Black Numenoreans wishing to call upon Sauron's Darkness will first 

be required to purchase clean energy credits from an approved vendor. 

Each credit represents the energy gained from burning one year's worth of 

Oliphaunt droppings.

######################

Message 2710 : Retirement (a steward)

Written on Fri Mar 31 22:51:40 2023


The Valar have decreed that, from now on, mortals must have reached the

seventh age bracket (see HELP AGE) before they are allowed to retire

(see HELP RETIREMENT). They must also pay a contribution of at least

1000 gold coins (3000 for Elves; 2000 for Half-elves, Dwarves, Orcs

and Trolls).


This is because of the significant investments required to renovate

the Halls of Awaiting, and to prevent overcrowding.

#####################

Message 2711 : Re: Retirement (the storyteller)

Written on Fri Mar 31 22:55:42 2023


Protests have erupted in the major cities of the West against the latest

decree of the Valar, with some calling the measure an "ill-advised power

grab by a bunch of out of touch loons".


One Hobbit even vowed to march on Valinor, though it appears Círdan the

Shipwright has ceased letting any venture West, preferring not to get

involved in politics.

##############################

Message 2712 : Jobs Program in Tharbad (Jahara)

Written on Sat Apr  1 00:00:00 2023


After hearing rumours about an upcoming increase in the retirement age, the

Mayor of Bree has decided to be a leader in job creation by providing gainful

employment for any who wish it. Applicants will be sent on a peacekeeping

mission to the city of Tharbad, where they are instructed to clean out all the

riff-raff plaguing the city.


By entering into the program, applicants agree to hold harmless the city of

Bree, the Mayor, the coachman, and all other associated parties. Applicant

further agrees to release any and all claims related to, but not limited to,

loss of limb, property, life, sanity, and/or consortium. Neither Bree nor its

Mayor make any pledges, promises, assurances, guarantees, oaths, bonds,

covenants, or compacts regarding the safe return of the applicant.


OOC: Battle Coach has returned. Take a level 1 character to the Sign at the

Prancing Pony to join in the fun.

#######################################

Message 2713 : Numbered Rooms (Gwaihir the Windlord)

Written on Sat Apr  1 01:23:45 2023


I and my fellow Eagles have for years struggled with navigating across Arda.


Our Life in the Fast Lane has never let us Take it Easy. Once we manage to find

our way to Hotel Calendardhon our patrons are Already Gone and we find that we

Wasted Time. Most of Us Are Sad :(


Thus, we have decided to enumerate the rooms of Arda and pass these numbers on

to everyone as a way to help navigation. You will have to search for them in

GMCP or XML.


The Best of My Love,

 Gwaihir

######################################

Message 2714 : Minor GMCP updates (Dáin)

Edited on Tue Apr 11 08:48:27 2023


 * There is a new GMCP module Event which, when enabled, will send a few

   commands:


    + Event.Moved is sent as you move, similar to the XML <movement> tags.


    + Event.Darkness, Event.Moon and Event.Sun are sent when you observe a

      change in the Necromancer's Darkness, the position of the Moon, or the

      Sun. The messages have a what field, describing what happened.


 * In GMCP Char.Vitals, there are new fields hp-string, mana-string, and

   mp-string that are set to strings such as "healthy" and "fine" to indicate

   that the corresponding value (in hp, mana, or mp) is approximate.


Thanks Grimwine for GMCP improvement ideas.

##############################################

Message 2715 : Recent Changes (Campfires, Dark Oath, Hobbits, Emyn) (Jahara)

Written on Sat Apr 15 22:20:19 2023


 * Certain beds or campfires can make you very comfortable if you sleep on them

   for a longer period of time.


 * Campfires now need to be lit in order to give the comfortable regeneration

   bonus.


 * Excess energy from Dark Oath kills now go into moves after health.


 * Hobbits can now get free citizenship in the Shire at Michel Delving.


 * The Durbûk-hai commanders in Emyn-nu-Fuin may load enchanted weapons.


##########################

Message 2716 : Recent changes (hidden exits, known rooms, prompt settings,

    minor shop changes) (Dáin)

Edited on Mon May  1 14:22:58 2023


 * You will now remember hidden exits you have found.


   Hidden exits you have already discovered will show up as regular doors in

   exits and such.


   You will gain a few travel points each time you discover a new hidden exit.


 * Rooms and trails leading through closed doors will now show = and - on

   autoexits/exits. For example:


     Exits: =[south]=.


 * The GMCP Room.Known module was added. It lets your client fetch information

   about which rooms your character is aware of.


   See help gmcp room.known for more information.


 * You can now use hyphenated keywords in shops, so list leather-fine will list

   all objects that have keywords leather and fine.


   As before, a word starting with a hyphen is a negative filter, so list

   shirt-leather -boots will list all objects that have keywords leather and

   fine but not boots.


   Thanks Tytje for the idea.


 * Enchanted weapons will be easier to identify as they are slightly more

   costly. (Jahara)


 * You can now disable fight information (opponents and buffers) from showing

   in your prompt using change prompt fight off.


   This is likely detrimental to your wellbeing unless your client uses GMCP to

   fetch and display this information in some other way.


   change prompt none now means that the (regular play) prompt never changes

   from a single greater-than sign (>).


   Thanks Grimwine for the idea.

##################

Mail 25 : Re: Recent changes (hidden exits, known rooms, prompt settings, minor

          shop changes) (from News board) @Dáin (Finwë)

Written on Mon May  1 15:44:08 2023


Dáin wrote (2716):

>  * You will now remember _hidden exits_ you have found.

>

>    Hidden exits you have already discovered will show up as regular doors in

>    "exits" and such.

>

>    You will gain a few travel points each time you discover a new hidden

>    exit.


Thank you!


>  * The GMCP "Room.Known" module was added. It lets your client fetch

>    information about which rooms your character is aware of.

>

>    See "help gmcp room.known" for more information.


Thank you!

But I've read "help gmcp room.known" and I don't understand why

Room.Known is added when you see a room in exits... Seeing a room in exits

shouldn't count the same as visiting it in terms of revealing the map or

discovering anything special about it (such as what exits it has, its terrain,

whether it has mobs in - unless one is scouting it of course).


- Finwë

############################################

Message 2717 : Recent changes (Map, Bree Tanner, Dark Oath, Mounts, Malardil)

    (Jahara)

Written on Sun May 14 02:23:29 2023


 * You can now view the areas you have travelled to by using the command

   map global travelled to know where to explore.


 * As part of the rattlesnake hunt, the Bree master tanner now provides a brown

   bottle sample. Credit goes to Veerappan for the suggestion.


 * Several additional ancient black altars have recently emerged throughout

   Arda, catering to practitioners of the Dark Oath. Thanks to Blackrose for

   the suggestion.


 * If their master has not abandoned them and is currently in the void, mounts

   will now refuse to be led or ridden. Many thanks to Ebbinghaus for the novel

   idea.


 * The female companion of Malardil has undergone an update to better align

   with Tolkien's mythos. Thanks to Iminyë for suggesting an improvement.

######################################

Message 2718 : Recent changes (Weathertop, Misty Mountains, Fangorn, Bree)

    (Jahara)

Edited on Mon May 29 03:05:35 2023


 * The story involving Barbaras, Gahruuk, and Karôlck has been turned into a

   quest.


 * Eoghha's semi-hidden speeches have been turned into a quest.


 * Treebeard's semi-hidden speeches have been turned into a quest.


 * Harle's quest now requires adventurers to explore Fangorn and solve the

   prerequisite hints first.


 * Bree's city guards in the jail now follow the Chief Guard of Bree.

#####################################

Message 2719 : Recent changes (Fortress, Gandalf, Consider, Sheathes) (Jahara)

Written on Mon Jun  5 01:10:20 2023


 * The Fortress Conquerors' Hall of Fame is now available to view conquerors


 * The denizens of fortresses will now pay homage to the heroes who helped in

   the fortress' conquering.


 * Gandalf has become much better at saving newcomers in the Tower Hills. OOC:

   The Free People tutorial has been significantly improved with feedback from

   the community!


 * The algorithm for consider has been changed to compare your level with that

   character's level, your ability to attack through their defense, and their

   ability to attack through your defense.


 * The messages for consider have been made more politically correct. Thanks to

   Calimehtar for pushing to have this changed.


 * Sheaths now show their contents, similar to keyrings.

###################################

Message 2720 : Recent changes (Promotion, Fortress, Achievement, Fangorn)

    (Jahara)

Written on Sat Jun 10 21:42:44 2023


 * We congratulate Viil on his promotion to Maia builder.


 * If left unguarded, the tower near the Warrens will be claimed by a band of

   criminals.


 * If no faction controls it, Broghha will dispatch his Dunlendings to seize

   the nearby tower.


 * Abandoning the Hidden Camp to the wilds will result in its loss to an

   outlaw.


 * There is a new language achievement that tracks fluency.


 * Adventurers have reported that their language knowledge in Entish has

   improved as they assisted the Ents of Fangorn Forest.

###################################

Message 2721 : Recent changes (Promotion, Shire, Explorers, Fortress) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Jun 18 02:32:50 2023


 * We congratulate Lamia upon being promoted to Maia (builder).


 * The Mayor of the Shire now has a quest for the Shire wolfpack.


 * The Explorers Hall of Fame is now available to view explorers


 * A new Lieutenant is now leading the Beorning faction in the Vale Tower.


 * The strength of the Vale Tower garrisons has been adjusted to better match

   across the factions.


 * The mighty Zaugurz have started garrisoning more fortresses for the glory of

   the Tribe.


 * The Marchwardens of Lothlórien now garrison fortresses under their careful

   watch.


 * The Lórien Outpost on the bank of the River Anduin is now a

   fortress, and the faction that holds it gains strategic access to the ferry.

##################

(17:27:47) ![ NN NS 2[0:2]>help explor

EXPLORERS


Explorers are intrepid adventurers who seek to uncover the hidden secrets of

the world and expand their knowledge of Arda. Their fame is determined by their

activity, how well they know the world, and the number of hidden secrets they

have uncovered.


Example:

  > view explorers


See also: CONQUERORS, WARLORDS


(17:27:59) ![ NN NS 2[0:2]>help conq

CONQUERORS


Conquerors are highly skilled and strategic players who specialize in capturing

and controlling fortresses across Arda. These players are crucial in the

ongoing faction battles for territorial dominance. To become a fortress

conqueror, you need to be active and demonstrate exceptional prowess by

capturing and holding fortresses to rank among the top players.


Conquerors get cheaper rent at fortresses they captured and held.


Example:

  > view conquerors


See also: EXPLORERS, FORTRESS, WARLORDS

(17:28:21) ![ NN NS 2[0:2]>help fortress

FORTRESS


Factions can fight for territorial control across Arda by capturing and holding

fortresses in the war. Fortresses have garrisons that are periodically

replenished.


These fortresses have specific rules for faction control:


 * If all enemies are eliminated, the control of the fortress depends on the

   presence of players from different factions inside:

    + If both factions have players inside, the fortress remains under the

      control of the previous faction.

    + If only one faction has players inside, the control switches to that

      faction.

    + If there are no players inside, the fortress remains uncontrolled.

 * If no players are present, some fortresses have a chance to become abandoned

   over time.

 * Some fortresses can only be held by certain factions.


Note: Rumor has it that garrisons are replenished every 20 to 24 RL minutes.


See also: CONQUERORS, WARLORDS

######################

Message 2722 : Recent changes (Morgul, Darkness, Herblore, Fortress) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Jun 25 19:41:29 2023


 * The Morgul blade can now be used to call the fell beasts for help.


 * Lothlórien will no longer keep the Necromancer's Darkness at bay further than its magic can reach.


 * Typing herblore <lore name> now reveals your current stock of ingredients.


 * When the Last Bridge Fortress is abandoned, a pack of smugglers will use it as a staging point in their operation.


 * Fortresses that are uncontested and have only a single faction battling for control will now change hands faster.

 ########################

 Message 2723 : Changes in level XP limits (Dáin)

 Edited on Thu Jul  6 20:14:37 2023

 

  * Tweaks were made to the XP limits needed to reach different levels. (Jahara)

 

  * The XP needed to achieve hero or legend rank has been lowered by

    approximately three levels.

 

 * Only level limits below level 44 have been changed.

 ##############################

 Message 2724 : Recent changes (Promotion, Mobs, FoY, who, Skills, Backfire)

     (Jahara)

 Written on Fri Aug  4 21:48:15 2023

 

  * We congratulate Gamór upon his promotion to Maia (builder).

 

  * A handful of mobiles have had their descriptions or keywords updated to use

    venomous instead of poisonous where applicable. (Imago)

 

  * Players who sip from the fabled Fountain of Youth will always return to the

    fountain. (Imago)

 

  * Conquerors, explorers, and warlords on who will now have badges indicating

    <C>, <E>, and <W> respectively.

 

  * train all is no longer necessary, as skills will now only decay if you

    train off <skill>

 

  * Fixed a bug where Black Numenoreans could still backfire spells under

    Sauron's darkness.

 ###############################

 Message 2725 : A new start. Again. (Dáin)

 Written on Mon Oct  2 07:00:33 2023

 

 The Third Age of the Sun is over: the War of the Ring was fought; the One Ring was been

 destroyed; the Ring-Bearers and the last of the Noldor have departed from Middle-earth.

 

 For the twelfth time in the history of MUME, the clock starts over.

 

 Again, it is the year 2850 of the Third Age. Gandalf has just obtained the key of Erebor

 from Thrain in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. The events told in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of

the Rings" are ready to happen.

###############################

Message 2726 : MUME Questionnaire 2023 (Rogon)

Edited on Tue Nov  7 23:35:52 2023


One or two MUs* after the last one, we are sharing a new questionnaire titled MUME players 2023


This has been a community-led effort (see credits), but with Arata review.


The questionnaire is for new and old MUME players. To help with result analysis and questionnaire design, as well as enabling us to produce the questionnaire, we have used

Google Forms on this occasion, instead of the in-game questionnaire some of you will recall. It is anonymous. If you have taken the Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology, please

prepare the results or take the test beforehand (optional, link provided when you click through).


Link to the Questionnaire:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSem5OzwNKr0uyHTcZhmHakw6MrPMCdrAGnPWqWkA23eoJY1Wg/viewform


Shortened URL:

https://forms.gle/tXERDTqQJb9QMGGe7


Thank you for supporting MUME by completing this!


The questionnaire will close after the desired number of people have responded. Summary results will be shared with the community and the management.


Credits


  Design and implementation:       Freyja and Finwë, based on the last design by Manwë (we assume)

  Additional questions:            Finwë and Freyja

  Testing and reviews:             Baca/Endo, Relim, Jahara, Lamia, and others

  Keeping us motivated:            Baca/Endo and Freyja(! Finwë writing this), and others

  Starting the thread on Discord:  Relim

  Suggestions/ideas:               Baca/Endo, Jahara, and others


Mailing List


And if you'd like to join the mailing list for MUME-related news and announcements, join here:

https://groups.google.com/u/0/g/mume-announcements

or email Finwë (email address in my whois) if you don't have a Google account.


 * Manwë Units

####################################################

Message 2727 : Recent Changes (train, Master Assassin, Enchant, Lorien) (Jahara)

Edited on Wed Nov 22 20:01:37 2023


 * train all and train <skill> have been removed as they are obsolete.


 * The Master Assassin of Tharbad has become more clever. Adventurers beware!


 * Enchanters now see visible hints for their enchanted object's power during spellcasting.


 * Arrows will now be aimed at evil and wanted Free People near Lothlórien.


 * Ithildir the Noldo's wolfhounds will now follow his summons.


 * Dark Oath now provides more movement regeneration with a lower mana regeneration burden.

###########################################

Message 2728 : Re: Energy Drain Rework (Jahara)

Written on Sat Dec  9 16:57:53 2023


Energy Drain has undergone another balance change, making it a more potent ability. Now, it

not only draws more energy from the recently departed to heal your group, but it also

temporarily provides a boon to your group's overall health.

#######################################

Message 2729 : Players in colors, GMCP, and XML (Dáin)

Edited on Wed Dec 20 15:40:10 2023


 * There's a new player color field which is used for non-enemy players.


 * There is a new <player> XML tag which is used for non-enemy players, typically inside a <character> tag.


 * There's a new type key in GMCP Room.Chars <character> objects. If set, it is one of the strings npc, ally, neutral, or enemy.


 * There's a new talker-type key in GMCP Comm.Channel.Text messages using the same values as type above. (Thanks Mormeril for the idea.)


See the change color, xml, gmcp room.chars, and gmcp comm.channel help texts for more information.

#####################################

Message 2730 : New Character Generation (Jahara)

Edited on Fri Dec 22 21:12:23 2023 by Dáin


After nearly 25 years, we have once again overhauled the character generation process. This time, we drew inspiration from the community's ideas and added our own flair

to the process.


Please test and provide feedback on the idea board!


Highlights of the new process include:


 * It immediately introduces players to the concept of war, compelling them to choose a side.

 * It allows flexibility by enabling players to change their choices and explore character options more easily.

 * Different hometowns are assigned to each race, emphasizing their distinctiveness.

 * Racial features are displayed inline, accentuating the uniqueness of each choice.

 * The use of consistent numbers streamlines the process, making it faster compared to using different letters.

 * All characters now proceed through the same workflow, setting the baseline for experienced players to choose their own stats.

 * A concluding overview provides a clear result of the player's choices.


  Coding  Dáin, Jahara

  Design  Nazgúm

################################

Message 2731 : Recent changes (Beorn, Mining, Gukk, Beryl, Darkness, Kraksh) (Jahara)

Written on Thu Dec 28 17:12:48 2023


 * Beorn now hunts evil Free Peoples who have angered him.


 * You are now able to wear a pick axe on your belt.


 * The charred staff has been improved to have more ugprades by default.


 * Using a beryl gem now provides extra comfort to those who rest near a campfire.


 * map darkness will now tell you if the Necromancer's darkness is increasing or decreasing.


 * Kraksh's quest involving a spider fang has been moved to Gurgur the Blight in the Morgundul Encampment. It is rumored that the quest is somewhat easier to complete now

   as a thief.

#############################

Message 2732 : Recent change (search) (Dáin)

Edited on Tue Jan  2 20:51:06 2024


Searching for hidden objects and exits was changed so it always succeeds but the time it takes decreases with your search skill. You still need non-zero search knowledge

to search for exits.


It is now similar to how pick works.


If you discover a hidden exit, any group members in your room will also be made aware of that exit.


(Thanks Jahara, Rogon, and Orlanth for ideas and testing.)

#############################

Message 2733 : Recent changes (Raiding, Energy Drain, Magic Robes, Zaugurz, Hidden) (Jahara)

Written on Sun Jan 21 14:34:52 2024


 * Non-citizens wielding weapons in the town of the _Blue Mountains_ will no longer cause as much offense to the Dwarves.


 * Your group members will now be nourished by the enemy's blood when experiencing _energy drain_.


 * The pure white and pitch-black robes now include the _identify_ spell.


 * Navigating through the snow of the Redhorn Pass will now be less challenging for _Zaugurz Orcs_.


 * After the next reboot, it will be clearer whether your character is in a _hiding place_ or not. Prompts will display an "H", and GMCP Char will

   send a new "hidden" boolean.

#############################

Message 2734 : Recent changes (Foci, Embedding) (Jahara)

Written on Mon Jan 22 15:54:37 2024


 * There are now restrictions on wearing identical embedded gems in different items simultaneously. Any duplicates will become inactive. See "HELP

   EMBED" for more details.


 * Embedded objects are now housed within the carrier item and are accounted for in terms of weight and other characteristics.


 * A blue crystal has been reduced in weight.


 * It is now easier to distinguish between sapphire ring and pale blue stone variants. Some keywords have been adjusted accordingly.

 ##########################

 Message 2735 : New Subrace Features for Noldor Elves (Jahara)

 Written on Mon Jan 22 18:06:38 2024

 

 From Fëanor to Celebrimbor, the Noldo have a rich heritage in the craft and lore of jewelsmithing. Recently, a rumour has passed among the highborn

 that some of this ancient knowledge has been rediscovered. A Noldorin elf with the wit to find it might use these secrets from the past to further

 augment objects of power.

 

 OOC: Noldo have access to a new quest that will allow them to add a minor gem socket to a focus.

 

 Credits:

   Design:   Pilois

   Coding:   Jahara, Dáin

  Testing:  Aloonion, Orlanth, Rogon, Brandish