New Player Guide

This guide is to help new players with the on-boarding experience at Nodeka. It may seem a little daunting at first, but with this guide, wiki, and great community, you'll be up and running in no time.

Getting Started

Nodeka is a MUD founded by Justin Gottschlich (known in-game as Nijlo) in 1999. He has developed it since then with help from a number of implementors over the years. The game is written from scratch (not an existing MUD codebase) in C++. To connect to and play the game, it requires a client, just like most other games or MMORPGs out there. Instead of trawling Google or scouring outdated and defunct websites, a pack has been put together using various components you'll want (but not necessarily need) to make your experience the best.

Download the Nodeka Newbie Pack

The NNP is currently on version v0.1 and can be downloaded here!

Using the NNP

Contents

All you have to do is download and unzip.

Contained in the NNP:

• Client launcher for all systems (Windows 10, Linux, and macOS)
• Generic script core
• Basic, curated areas (for mortal players in v0.1)

...and more!

Here's what everything you see in there is for:

• Launchers - The client you'll need to launch the game (in the NNP, the client is UMC, the most widely used)
• Subfolders:
  • Areas - contains all the pathed area scripts for NemBot
  • Lib - game files, app framework, etc.
  • Logs - logs from the game communication window
  • Plugins - contains all of the current plugins, in their own folders
• Links:
  • [nodekawiki.net Nodeka Wiki]
  • Community Discord
• Readme Files - to help get started
• Example Scripts - just a small slice of what's possible

Connecting

Like other MUDS, you can connect to Nodeka in a variety of ways and with a variety of clients: a Linux terminal, telnet, or client, like the one packaged with the NNP. Nodeka is hosted on nodeka.com, ports 23, 6000, 7000, 8000, and 9000–you can use any of those.

Launching the client corresponding to your operating system, UMC will automatically connect to Nodeka on startup. Common connecting commands are: zap and connect. They do what you think they do!

• #zap - this kills the active connection
• #connect - this is used to connect to the MUD. Syntax is "#connect domain.com <port>"

Character Creation

• See main article: Character Generation

Character generation is the first thing you ever do on Nodeka. You can customize your character in thousands of different ways and combinations to fit your playstyle. In order to save space on this newbie guide page, please view the link above for more in-depth coverage of character creation. In short, what you'll do is as follows:

1. Connect - the first thing you to do play!
2. Create - this command will allow you to roll a new character as opposed to logging into an existing one
3. Name Entry - you can choose your own, or type "random" for a randomly generated one.
4. Password Setting - set your password. Must be 8+ characters, and contain at least one uppercase, lowercase, number, and symbol
5. Gender Selection - can be male, female, or neutral–there are certain class-gender restrictions, and neutral players suffer no class restrictions
6. Handedness - if your player is right-hand dominant, left-hand dominant, or ambidextrous–there are minor benefits and drawbacks for each
7. Roll Statistics - these determine your starting stats, and can be rolled endlessly
8. Choose Race - there are 26 base races to choose from, and choosing one will show you a preview first, including racials and bonuses
9. Choose Class - there are 18 base classes to choose from, and choosing one will show you a preview first
10. Review Character - you'll see your score sheet for the first time, and then confirm your selections
11. Confirm Character - if everything looks good, confirm to the next step!
12. Write Description - upon logging in, choose option 2, and write a description for your character
13. Start Playing - finally, your character is created! Enter the realm by choosing option 1

Note: at any point you disconnect, your character will not be saved; also, at the end when reviewing your choices, if you select "no," you'll be kicked back to the very beginning.

Step 1: Fields of Guidance

Fields of Guidance

The Fields of Guidance is the first area a player ever sees. It's around 400 rooms, roughly rectangular, and contains an introduction to the control of the game and basic mechanics. Using guides, the player will be prompted to follow them, read instruction, and then perform specific actions.

It's not required, but extremely recommended for first time players. Completion of all of the guides' quests will set you up for great success on the MUD, teaching you everything from what a settable prompt is, to basic movement commands. It'll teach you how to communicate, what affects are, how to barter and shop, and of course, combat!

Instead of using a controller, Nodeka uses a keyboard. All commands are executed through your entry field, and sent to the game for execution. For example, in Super Mario Bros., you hold right on the D-Pad of your controller to move forward on the screen, but in Nodeka, you control your movement with the commands "north," "south," "east," "west," as well as "up" and "down".

Quest mobs, that is, an NPC who gives a quest, are noted on your minimap as a $.

⭐️ Before continuing to the next section, make sure you complete ALL the quests, and that there are no more question marks, that every mob is now an exclamation point, "!".

Step 2: Mejath

Mejath section

⭐️ Before continuing to the next section, make sure you complete ALL the quests from all the masters. It's an amazing way to learn about the different classes, skills, and spells in the game, and is a great introduction to a lot of mechanics.

Step 3: The World of Nodeka

As described on Nodeka's website: Nodeka is massive. With over 100,000 rooms, in over 90 areas, spanning five continents, you won't run out of places to explore. Below is a brief description of many of the areas across the Nodekian globe.

Nodeka is a massive world.

Nodeka's world consists of five continents, with areas and sub-areas contained within. There are geographical features such as mountain ranges, oceans, rivers, volcanoes, forests, deserts, and more. A real-time map is displayed as a feature of the MUD.

The five continents are:

• Gedaon
• The Isles of Drale
• Foldroth
• Tarsis
• Mhaldryn

Gedaon is likely the most familiar continent. The default home of Ruushi, as well as the starter quests in the Fields of Guidance and Mejath are located within. There are many low-level areas and early-game quests here as well. It's located fairly close to center within the world and can be considered as a main hub of travel and activity, mainly due to the Temple of Ruushi. To the west is Tarsis, southwest Mhaldryn, southeast Foldroth, and northeast are the Isles of Drale. Of those, the next most familiar continent in the world is likely Mhaldryn, which is home to Aur-Vindi, a common home for many players, with access to Foldroth to the east.

Every character will have two skills at the start: climb and swim, the must in overworld movement! As you start, practice each one once, and from now on, every time you walk over a water tile (dark blue tilde [~]) or mountain tile (brown [/\]), you'll have a chance of improving your climb or swim stat. Once they're at 100%, you'll always be able to move uninhibited across those tiles.

A good thing to do next would be to explore a little bit, and of course, grow your character! As you become more familiar with the world, your gameplay will improve, and vice versa. Just remember that any red "!" on the map denotes a mob that is aggro... you'll likely die as a new player.

As you're running and exploring, be sure to check out some other homes:

• Ruushi Temple, trainer Sylvia (on central Gedaon)
• Aur-Vindi, trainer Joline (on NE Mhaldryn)
• Illurien, trainer Nen (on central Tarsis)
• Chaparral Outpost, trainer Jennifer (NE in Isles of Drale)

Using the command areas, you'll see just how large the world is. Have fun exploring!

Step 4: Beyond

What's next:

• running
• growing
• groupies
• relationships
• exploration
• stats
• pracs
• etc.

AREAS

• NON REMORTAL:
• NaPali
• Shtera Graveyard
• Mazatzal
• Grunfeld Bogs
• Thinthan Forest
• Empire Ants
• Shtera Graveyard
• The Brigand's Noose
• Church of the Sun
• Oshigosh
• The Vestil Desert
• The Triage Encampment
• Meindahrin

AREAS

• MINOR REMORTAL:
• Aragnarack Mines
• Vl'lak Grounds
• Maglor Elensar
• Vunagi Jungle
• Telgoran Ruins
• Beehive Base
• The Dunari Valley
• The Duchy of Khan-Lith
• Dark Elves Homeland
• Dragon's Tower
• The Misty Hills

AREAS

• MAJOR REMORTAL:
• Island of Bayesh
• The Belkan Tundra
• Amras Calanor - Ocean Remnant
• Zan'golin
• Qellan Base
• Abyss
• Klieard'n Everglades
• The Kon-Taro Jungle
• The Bhalin Deeps
• Rogha Fen
• Hades Fissure
• Citadel of Paragon
• Camp of the White Lion

Glossary

• run
• level
• class
• race
• pop/repop
• load
• speedwalk
• group
• hit

more

To Work On

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