Yib's Guide to MOOing:

Getting the Most from Virtual Communities on the Internet



"The definitive how-to manual for the engaging virtual communities known as MOOs. Takes you from the basics of logging on through advanced material that even experienced MOOers will appreciate."




What is a MOO?

Many first-time visitors think that a MOO is a kind of chat room ­ and they are partly right. A MOO is like a chat room in that many users log on at the same time and communicate with one another. People become friends, enemies, even lovers! But that is only the beginning....

A MOO is like an adventure: It provides a sense of place. There are areas to explore and puzzles to solve.

A MOO is most especially a place whose users themselves can creatively extend the environment, from adding rooms and building objects to programming new commands.

The basics of MOOing are easy, and Yib presents them in an easy-to-learn sequence. The intricacies of MOOing are many and varied, as MOOers have expanded these environments extensively over the years. Yib teaches you how to use all the most popular enhancements, then shows you how to investigate and extend the environment yourself. A lively tutorial will have you programming before you know it!

Besides the fundamentals ­ enough to make you a confident user of any MOO ­ Yib provides an in-depth look at LambdaMOO, the original and largest MOO. She takes you on an armchair tour of its most interesting places, documents its most popular feature objects and player classes, and provides a thorough explanation of how to participate in its political system.

New MOOers will like this book because it is accessible. Experienced MOOers will appreciate its depth and comprehensiveness.

MOOing is fun! Yib makes it easy.




Now you can buy this book!
It is available for sale at http://www.trafford.com/robots/03-0659.html, or you may order it by telephone from Trafford Publishing by calling 250-383-6864 and asking to speak with someone at the order desk. (Trafford Publishing is in Victoria, B.C., Canada.)

This site was updated on November 2, 2003.

Anyone has my permission to print out all or any part of this work for his or her personal use.

My thanks to the many people who have assisted with this gargantuan project, directly and indirectly.


Unadvertised Special! Sneak Preview! Cover art by the author! (No words on it, yet.)




All of the links below are to .pdf files:


Yib's Guide to MOOing (The whole thing: 396 pages, 841K)


By Parts:

Front Matter (9 pages, 26K)
    Title Page
    Table of Contents
    Forward
    Acknowledgements
    Introduction

Part I
    Chapter 1 ­ The Basics (14 pages, 30K)
        Getting Started
        Basic Communications
        Requesting a Character and Getting Settled In
    Chapter 2 ­ How Do They Do That? (16 pages, 43K)
        Introduction
        A Very Brief Introduction to Objects
        Exploring an Object-Oriented World
        Moving Around in a MOO
        The Give and Take of a Multi-User Environment
    Chapter 3 ­ What's Going On, Here? (13 pages, 30K)
        Objects
        Moving Objects
        Feature Objects
        Player Classes
        Setting Messages
    Chapter 4 ­ Using the Mail System and the Editors (27 pages, 57K)
        Reading Mail
        Sending Mail (and getting a start on using the in-MOO editors)
        Mail Options
        Using the in-MOO Editors
    Chapter 5 ­ Extending the Virtual Reality: Building (22 pages, 47K)
        Overview
        Room Integration and Exit Messages
        Determining a Room or Object's Contents Definitively
    Chapter 6 ­ Programming (71 pages, 144K)
        A Brief Overview of What it Is and How it All Works (7 pages, 17K)
        Yib's Pet Rock: A Programming Tutorial for Beginners (48 pages, 101K)
        MOO Programming Reference (16 pages, 30K)

Part II
    LambdaMOO (1 page, 2K)
    Chapter 7 ­ Yib's Guide To Interesting Places (42 pages, 95K)
    Chapter 8 ­ LambdaMOO-Specific Reference Information (25 pages, 61K)
        A Short Compendium of LambdaMOO Feature Objects
        Popular LambdaMOO Player Classes
        An Overview of LambdaMOO's Political System, and How to Use It

Back Matter
    Glossary of Terms (16 pages, 44K)
    Appendix A ­ Summary of Commands (34 pages, 76K)
    Appendix B ­ Verbs in $Utils Packages (9 pages, 12K)
    Appendix C ­ Text of "LambdaMOO Takes a New Direction" (4 pages, 12K)
    Appendix D ­ Text of "LambdaMOO Takes Another Direction" (3 pages, 8K)
    Appendix E ­ A Compendium of LambdaMOO Ballots (74 pages, 135K)
    Bibliography (1 page, 3K)
    Index (15 pages, 43K)



About the Author:

Yib has been MOOing since 1993, served as a wizard on LambdaMOO from 1994-1999, and currently serves as a wizard on YibMOO, Babylon 6, and RuthMOO.

She lives in the United States.