ExpMUD's World Wide Web Page

Updated 6-6-1997 at 5:05pm PST

This project has been discontinued. This page is kept as a testimony to the past

   Programmed by:       ,######; ,#,   .#; ,#####,      Special Thanks to:
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      :#'""""   '#, .#'  :#'"""#;     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Joshua Cantrell      :#         '#.#'   :#    #;     Les Radke
   Shane Cantrell       :###;       :#;    :#####'
                        :#'"       .#'#,   :#'"""  
                        :#        .#' '#,  :#  
                        :######; :#'   '#, :#                    __  ___
                        '""""""  '"     "' '"                   /_|  _
                                                               // |
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   `(>---------<)'    []).  .([]  []    []  []___ ),      ,< ________\
     \  O O O  /      []`)..('[]  []    []  []   `()     / ,|        [ >,
      [=======]       [] `)(' []  []    []  []    []    <| O|~~~~~~~~[ > >
      | o o o |       []      []  []    []  []    []     \ `|________[ >'
      | o o o |       []      []  [].__.[]  []___,()      `<_________/
      | o o o |       []      []  `(____)'  []____)'          \\  |
      | o o o |                                                \\_|  _
      |_______|               Version 1e-10a                    \_|  ___
    .<`-------'>.
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I have many plans for ExpMUD at the moment and hopefully I can integrate them all together in the end:

Graphical, VT100, and ANSI clients for use in playing.
3D tiles with realtime lighting (simple of course).
Ability to move in all directions (n, ne, e, se, s, sw, w, nw, up, down).
Futuristic setting and theme.
Many different size objects (including animals).
Vehicles that can be ridden and used.
Interaction through command parsing, and point and click.
Complex short range and long range weapons.
Interactive conversation capability with NPCs.
Many types of manipulatable objects to add challenge and realism.
Similar to Ultima 7 with an isometric view. (I'm not good with graphics. Maybe it will be simpler.)

Help Wanted!!!

Do you have what it takes to program clearly and powerfully in C/C++? Do you hate bug infested code and want to make something that is stable and enjoyable? Are you tired of MUDs that insist that they are new, yet reek of borrowed code and additions through patches? Do you want to help me write a Graphical MUD that has more elements than any other you have seen yet? Do you believe in the GNU Public License? See More...

What's been done so far:

A lot of thinking and previous attempts.
Collision detection between flat polygon surfaces (uses double precision). [4-15-96] (I'm not sure how I'll use this anymore.)

What's being worked on:

An interpreter based on MIT Scheme . This would be used as a script language for the MUD. (On hold at the moment as it may be more fruitful to first use a simpler scripting language.)
X Windows C++ classes for the graphical client. (Well enough to do simple graphics.)
Plans on how to make everything co-exist.
Making a shaded 3D ellipsoid quickly. Has it been done before without using multiple polygons?
I'm working on how to draw other shapes that are described by second order equations. This would include cones, toroid, and maybe paraboloid. I'm finding out that drawing these shapes may be expensive as far as time, so I might have to find a way to minimize the unnecessary drawing and calculation overlap.
I'm playing with 3D texture mapping since I worked on a class project that used texture mapping onto 3D polygons.

Problems at a technical level:

I think I'm starting to think reasonably about this project. There is no way I can finish something of this magnitude without help. I do not know of anyone who is capable or would help.

Problems of a graphical nature:

How will I implement paper dolling without drawing everything? There isn't enough people who can devote enough time to draw complex animation for whatever engine I make. I'm looking into real time 3D rendering techniques for drawing the moving objects. (Maybe I'll just do it like Furcadia and spend less time on the graphics?)
I really want to use ellipses and other cylindrical surfaces without having to draw millions of triangles... can it be done? Has it been done?
My mind was stormed with all sorts of new ideas, although I haven't been able to proceed very far with them. I was thinking about the possibility of making motion with moving a wire representation of an object and moving the surrounding shapes with them. In November I saw that they do this in movies, but I'm looking more for a realtime method.

If only I could write something that could draw something like this quickly in real time. :-)

joshuacantrell@yahoo.com

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