POTM (July 1997): Florence

Florence is yet another oldtimer with east-west dyslexia. She's also one of the most deserving players and I am really glad to see that she was honoured by the POTM title.

A note of interest: if I'm not mistaken, Twin Kingdom Valley was also my very first encounter with the genre of text adventure games; and I enjoyed every bit of it!

The Boyfriend arrived back looking suspiciously cheerful, one sunny september afternoon, about two years ago.

“I’ve found it” he announced, “I’ve found it again, and I’ve played it.”
“found what?” asked I, innocently enough, not realising how much time, effort and money the reply would eventually take up.
“MUD2, you know the game I used to play years ago...” he said.

He told me tales of a distant land, filled with treasure, strange creatures, and most exciting of all, real players. He also muttered about huge phone bills. But he seemed so enthusiastic, and it couldn’t hurt to have a quick look at this game... could it?

Shortly after that conversation, I played my first game of MUD (at IPlay), and Florence was born. (The name has nothing to do with the magic roundabout by the way, and while we’re on the subject, my other character is not related to a fairy-bun either!) I made it to the dizzy heights of protector that reset, and was hooked. It reminded me of Twin Kingdom Valley (a text based adventure game I played on my little Acorn Electron many, many years ago), but it was a million times better, and with real people to talk to.

My first forays into the Land were somewhat hampered by my habit of confusing east and west. (It wouldn’t have been so bad if I had just got everything the wrong way round, but it was quite selective, so although I knew the general layout of the game, I thought for example that the mine went under the sea, and that the cave was somewhere in the cliff...) But with a few vague maps, and lots of helpful hints from the nice players there, I made it all the way up to necromancess before IPlay closed down. I’m rather ashamed to say that I still hadn’t plucked up the courage to face the fearsome lizard at this point!

After IPlay closed, I couldn’t play anymore. MUD still had some influence on my life though. It was one of a number of things which made me more interested in computers. Over the last year I took a course in computing (a total change from what I had done previously) and I start a new job in about 2 weeks time <g>.

But anyway, back to the Land... MUD2.COM opened and I was able to play again! Lots of old faces, and some new people too. I think that the players are one of the most important parts of the game. I guess that’s fairly obvious to anyone who knows me though. I seem to spend an innordinately large proportion of my time sitting in the tea room chatting <g>.

As well as chatting, I also like trying out new things (I’m still learning new stuff), and mucking about. Thanks are due here to Catfish and Tethys, without whom I would never have had the pleasure of killing the eagle with a daffodil, blowing the thief up, or fighting 47 crows in the Keep!

I do manage to play seriously sometimes <g>

Flo

Wonder what ever happened to that boyfriend.....? <cackle>