Mordor Frequently Asked Questions

See also the Troubleshooting Guide.
  1. What is Mordor?

    Mordor is a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon), programmed by Brooke Paul and is based upon Quest for Mordor by Brett Vickers.

  2. Where can I get Mordor?

    Mordor can be gotten from it's home site here . Also archived there are a number of utilites for use with Mordor as well as the Mordor client, Muddle. It is also available from ftp.cdrom.com and sunsite.unc.edu in the pub/Linux/games area.

  3. Setting up Mordor

    How do I start the game?

    You can start the Mordor server by typing 'mordor' in the directory where it resides. This is usually in the src/ or bin/ directory.

    How can I bring up the game on another port?

    You can do this three ways. The easiest is to give the port number on the command line (i.e. mordor portnum). The second is to edit the mordor.cf file and set the port to the desired vaule. You can also recompile the server with PORTNUM in io.c set to the port you want to use.

    What is a port?

    The port is where Mordor listens for incoming connections. This is 4040 by default. As a comparison, port 23 is reserved for telnet connections and port 25 for mail connections.

    Should I run mordor as root?

    This is not recommended. It is not necessary and may pose some security risks.

    Where can I get more info on Mordor?

    It's home site is at Mordor. Most updates and information are posted there. You can also post questions to this web site, to rec.games.mud.admin, or you can join a low volume list-server for Mordor administrators. You can get more information by sending email to mordor_admins@gnt.net.

    How many simultaneous players can I have on Mordor?

    This depends upon your particular system. On an Intel system you should be able to have up to 256. DEC Alpha will support up to 1024.

    How do I make caretakers?

    You must create the character and then set their class to Caretaker (12). You can do this using the *set c command or through the offline editor.

    How do I make DMs?

    DMs can be compiled into the server, or added to the mordor.cf file. To compile in the names, set them in the src/mtype.h file and then compile the server. The resulting version of mordor will have the new DM names. Alterntively (with version 4.0+) you can set them in the mordor.cf file found in the bin/ direcitory.

    What is compiling and how do I do it?

    Compiling is the process of taking the text C code that makes up Mordor and turning it into a binary file that your computer can run. This is done by using a C compiler. It is invoked by typing 'make' in the src/ directory under UNIX.

    How do I make the user mordor?

    Set up your own system and create the user 'mordor', or contact your local sysadmin and ask that you be given this account.

    System Considerations

    See also the system requirements page.

    How much HD space do I need to run Mordor?

    This depends upon a number of factors, including the number of players you will have and the size of the world you wish to create. To start you will need around 10-12 megabytes.

    How much RAM do I need to run Mordor?

    The more you have, the better. You can get by with about 8 megabytes, and this will vary with the operating system you are using.

    What operating system (OS) do I need to run Mordor?

    Mordor will run on any OS that supports ANSI C and BSD style stream sockets. These operating systems are usually of the UNIX variety. This includes SunOS, HPUX, IRIX, Linux, FreeBSD, NeXT, ULTRIX and many others. Mordor will also run on your Microsoft WinNT PC as well. See our Win32 FAQ for information specific to the Microsoft platform.


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