DeviousMUD

This article originally came from Runescape Wiki, For a list of all contributers see here 

DeviousMUD was a game that eventually became RuneScape Classic. It was created in 1998 by Andrew Gower.

History
DeviousMUD started out in 1998 as a game written solely by Andrew Gower in his home in Cambridge. "MUD" stands for multi-user dungeon. The game had isometric graphics.

A new version of DeviousMUD was released in 1999. Although it was completely rewritten, it kept the same name and remained similar to the original. It was released as a public beta for 1 week. Because of the limited release time, there are only a few screenshots in existence.

In October 1999, he started another rewrite, this time with his brothers Paul and Ian Gower. A number of changes were made, and the game was renamed to RuneScape approximately during the alpha private release between February and April 2000. Only a couple of Andrew's friends ever played the Alpha of RuneScape, like Rob Law. Work on the public Beta of RuneScape was first recorded in August 2000 and a handful of testers (many of whom were the first RuneScape players) tested the game before public Beta release. RuneScape publicly released on January 4th, 2001, the version that is now referred to as RuneScape Classic. Presumably the game left the beta period when Membership was first released.

Most of the places on the maps are currently on the real Runescape map.

The First period
DeviousMud had isometric graphics and was never shown to the public. Only Andrew played this version. According to some sources, this game was written at the University of Cambridge.

The Second period
A newer version came out in 1999. However, this game was much better, but the name of the game was the same: DeviousMUD. The beta version was only released to the public for one week. Because this was such a short period, people did not take that many screenshots of it. However, it was a downloadable client.



Game Mechanics
The information below is original site material (word for word), but has since been removed (Do not edit) :


 * 1) The whole game is written in Java, which means no waiting for downloads or installing software. You'll be able to just go straight to the webpage and play!
 * 2) Multiplayer! - You will be automatically connected to the main server, and your character will appear in the multiplayer game world, and vanish when you leave.
 * 3) Superfast isometric style engine, very optimised code with smooth 8 way scrolling.
 * 4) Detailed 3-dimensional map with hills, valleys, multi-levelled buildings, underground cellars and lots of variety.
 * 5) Efficient network code using lots of nice tricks to increase performance, and decrease lag. Only requires a bandwidth of 0.3k/sec for very smooth gameplay!
 * 6) Your game is automatically saved when you quit, so when you come back you can just resume where you left off, even if you are playing from a completely different computer!
 * 7) Minimal load times. I'm keeping the program as small as possible without decreasing the quality. Additional graphics and information are loaded as needed for plenty of variety.
 * 8) Graphical adventure style quest system gives you lots to do, and should ensure quests are easy to find and understand.
 * 9) A whole range of skills your character can try, which will improve with practice.
 * 10) Lots of different monsters and characters with different attributes.
 * 11) A variety of objects and weapons. What you are holding changes your appearance!
 * 12) Communicate with other players! Organise parties of characters with a range of skills to explore the dangerous areas. etc...
 * 13) Trading system, used to buy objects in shops, or trade with other characters.
 * 14) I'm writing the game in a very expandable way using script files, so once I've got the basic work finished I'll be able to make it huge very quickly.
 * 15) Multiple choice conversation system for talking to computer controlled characters
 * 16) Loads and loads of other cool features, far too many to list!

Updates in the second period
Andrew Gower listed updates that he had made :


 * 12 March|12th March, Fixed some nasty duplicate login bugs, and various other bugs...
 * 13 March|13th March, Started work on a player-2-npc multiple choice style conversation system.
 * 14 March|14th March, Continue work on conversation system
 * 15 March|15th March, Finished player-2-npc conversation system.
 * 15 March|15th March, Important background scenary can now be named, and manipulated by the player!
 * 16 March|16th March, Improved player-2-player conversation system.
 * 16 March|16th March, Started writing quest compiler. This is amazing, it runs everything from magic, to professions, to quests!
 * 17 March|17th March, Finished quest compiler! Although it doesn't support many commands yet.
 * 18 March|18th March, Spent ages debugging game - Fixed 11 (fairly minor) bugs!
 * 18 March|18th March, Wrote auto bug reporting system for client
 * 19 March|19th March, Started updating player 'Identikit' system.
 * 22 March|22th March, Finish identikit system. You can now choose your player's appearance! System can also be used for human NPCs
 * 25 March|25th March, Finished designing a wood/forest to the left of the starting zone
 * 28 March|28th March, Fixed some more bugs. I've not got as much done as I would have liked but I'm putting it online anyway...

To do after the second period

 * 1) Level/skill advancment.
 * 2) Player variables, so extra information about what the player has done can be saved
 * 3) Projectiles system
 * 4) Player-2-player trading
 * 5) Fix it so certain NPCs can cross zone boundaries.
 * 6) A really big map with lots of quests!
 * 7) Health regeneration
 * 8) Add lots and lots more features to quest system

The server
DeviousMUD's server could hold more people than the current servers in RuneScape. 2500 players could play on this server, but only 97 people played.

The bandwidth you needed for playing DeviousMUD smoothly was 0.3k/sec.

The skills
There is very little information about the skills in DeviousMUD. In the beginning of DeviousMUD, players could not get levels up, but after some days this changed. The maximum combat level was 52. There was also a kind of Summoning - players could let a dog behind them them and let it fight, but it was very weak and died very often.

The skills known to be there, but not known to be implemented were:
 * Attack (you started out with 10)
 * Defense (you started out with 10)
 * Strength (you started out with 10)
 * Hits (you started out with 10)
 * Ranged
 * Thieving
 * Hiding
 * Prayers-Good
 * Prayers-Evil
 * Sorcery-Defence
 * Sorcery-Offence
 * Cooking
 * Fishing
 * Woodcutting
 * Firemaking
 * Fletching
 * Smithing
 * Mining

The equipment stats
There were equipment stats but there is no information on how they would benefit or affect the player.


 * Weight
 * Armour Class
 * Weapon Class
 * Weapon Power
 * Magic Class
 * Prayers Class
 * Hiding Class

Talk
On your screen were the options: Examine, Take, Drop, Use, Trade, Attack, and "TalkTo". You could talk with that option, just like public chat now.

Shops
Two shops and only about 10 objects existed.. Two of these shops were in the Starting Town. The first one, the female Shop-Keeper, sold large helmets, chainmail armour and arrows. The second one was located south of the first shop in the Starting Town. It is currently unknown what he sold.

Quests
There was only one, not fully made quest: Sheep Shearer.

Commands
Typing 'who' did something. Upon logging in, the game listed a couple of its in-chat commands. (cite Runescape Genesis video)

Players who've played this game

 * Andrew (Andrew Gower, Concept, programming, design )

Confirmed information/Questions
......by Andrew 03-Sep-2009......
 * Andrew Gower's Answers ****

Boboyobo asks:

Do ya'll still have devious mud somewhere?

Yes, I still have it - it still runs. Not anything like finished enough to put on our website but one day, I really should post a YouTube video of it running.

Gildroy7 asks:

How do you (Andrew) as one man think you have progressed since the days of Devious MUD in your Attick? Can we expect a Devious MUD Release on FunOrb? I understand it's old, but I am very interested in your early work.

DeviousMUD isn’t really playable; it was more of a tech test. It runs, but has barely any content. It certainly wouldn’t be possible to release on FunOrb. I keep meaning to post a video of it but haven’t got round to it yet!

......by Andrew 04-Feb-2010......
 * Andrew Gower's Answers ****

TzTok-Gas asks:

Before RuneScape, you made a game called DeviousMUD, if that's right? I'm not 100% confident on the name. Have you still got it anywhere? And if so, are you planning to upload it onto the RuneScape website for Members for a little while or anything? So we can get a look at how RuneScape was created?

Answer:

Yes it was called DeviousMUD. Yes I still have it. I can't really upload it because it isn't finished and doesn't work properly, and has no deployment mechanism, and would probably break if more than 10 people tried to play it at once. It would probably need more work than I put into it originally to get it back online. A youtube video I think is about the best I could manage. It was rubbish anyway

Dominator194 asks:

I'm interested in playing this early version of Runescape as well. I have a question for you. Would you be willing to let me be a beta tester for Mechscape? I don't just want to test it, but I want to help you develop it. I've been playing Runescape for years now and it's about time that I try the original in a new form. I've started self teaching myself c++ and soon enough I will design a stimulated reality one day. It will be so advanced that all man will inhabit it! Well, hopefully, sometime in the near future. First, I'm going to focus on programming a MUD or some really simple text based MMORPG, then I'll move onto a 2d MMORPG.

I have high ambitions and an innovative mind but I tend to get carried away at times. These are not just symbols and values of high achievement or climbing up the social class ladder. This is about keeping a promise to a friend that died from cancer and I will not let her down. Anyway, since I'm thinking of desgining a MUD, this would really be of help to me. The name is Tyler. Andrew, if you're reading this. One of these days, I'm going to design a MMORPG like yours. You've inspired me to do this and without you, I seriously would've lost all hope in my life. I never had many primary relationships in my life in which I was able to disclose these feelings and emotions inside of me until I met my friends on Runescape. It was probably all thanks to you that I formed a positive self-concept and I'm still alive today. One of these days, when I design a big 3d MMORPG, I will create a whole new society that surpasses all existing societies by a large extent. I dream of making a perfect life where all American values will turn into more important values that will make life better for everyone. At the current level of society, most individuals have acceptance. Maslow always said that one needs acceptance, but my theory is, those who lack acceptance can take the risks to make a change. They are the ones that have acceptance. Those who deny realism and deny the state of the world. It is indeed possible to accomplish all the possible so that only the impossible can exist. I will show this through my perspiration!

This new simulated reality will be known as, "Dove". That's the short name for the MMORPG.