Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
General Info
What is Gateway?
- GATEWAY - The MU* Community tentatively opened in June 1998 as Online Gaming Resource, primarily for game embassies and a place to advertise MU* games and had its grand opening for other services on December 18, 1998. Over the years, it has grown to be a place where people can come to share ideas and knowledge about MU* gaming in a positive environment. Gateway's resources have grown in number, and the number of people who logon to use the resources has equally increased. We strive daily to keep the Gateway space as friendly and open as possible.
So, is Gateway a game?
- Sort of. Gateway does offer some RP (roleplaying) opportunities. However, it is more than a game: it is a "meta-mush" -- a resource center for MU* players and staffers alike. Gateway offers many resources to the MU* community, and if we don't offer it, we attempt to point people in the right direction to other resource centers that do.
What kind of resources does Gateway provide?
- We've already mentioned one resource: Embassies. Other resources we provide are: housing; gaming opportunities (mini-MUs, table-top, and freestyle gaming); classes, discussions and other events; MU Consulting; and Google Group; and much more!
Can games (MU*s) be advertised on Gateway?
- Yes, of course! This is one of Gateway's main (and original) functions.
Can someone post a review about a game on Gateway?
- No. There are plenty of forums out there for posting reviews, but Gateway is not one of them.
Will Gateway allow a blacklist of 'bad games'?
- No. Gateway does not allow blacklisting in Gateway spaces, nor do we support sites which do.
- Why not?
- The Gateway Team feels that blacklisting is counter-productive to the friendly atmosphere we are trying to cultivate and nurture. We focus more on positive information exchanges.
- Why not?
Will Gateway help me build my MU*?
- I'm afraid not. This isn't a service we provide. you can, however, use Gateay to network to find people who will help you build your game. We may even be able to provide advice from personal experiences.
Will Gateway give me code that I need for my MU*?
- Not generally. Individuals may have some code lying about; there may be such code in the free code room; or we might offer code classes from time to time. However, we don't generally generate code for people's games.
Will Gateway build my game's website?
- No, that's not a service we provide. Individuals may give advice, build pages, or even teach web design classes, but Gateway itself does not. Sorry.
I need a place for my game. Will Gateway host it?
- No. Gateway is not a MU* hosting service. There are other sites that will do this, either for free or for a fee. We will see about providing some links to these services on our site down the road. With that said, we do offer Gaming@Gateway spaces for table top games and mini-mu*s (useful as a trial-run for game themes). See the Gaming section for more details on this.
The name I want is taken. Is there any way I can get this name if the person hasn't logged on in a while?
- It really depends on the name and the situation involved with the person who has the name. Your best bet is to contact staff on Gateway, explaining that you'd like to take the name in question, but it's held by another. It will be up to Gateway staff as to whether or not they can release the name to you, as several factors must be reviewed before the decision can be made.
- If we cannot give you the name you want, or if the person has logged on fairly frequently, we would suggest a spelling variation on that name (i.e. Shelley vs Shelly, Jonathan or Johnothan vs Johnathan, etc.).
Embassies
What is an Embassy?
- An embassy on Gateway is a room set aside for other games. Some games use it as a place of refuge during downtime. Many use it as an advertising tool and 'first contact' location to meet prospective new players for their games.
Can anyone apply for an embassy?
- Technically, yes. It is expected that the applicant is either the Head Wizard for that MU* or that they have the Head Wizard's permission to run an Embassy. This is confirmed before an Embassy is granted.
I understand I'm asked for my email address, as well as the Head Wizard(s)'s email address during the application process. Is this mandatory? What is it used for?
- All e-mail addresses are kept private. If there is ever a problem with the Embassy and we can't logon to your game for whatever reason, we will often send e-mail to try to find a resolution to the problem. Sometimes game addresses change and e-mail is our only way of contacting the Ambassador or Head Wizard for said information.
How many rooms can I put in my Embassy?
- A maximum of three rooms is used to define an Embassy. Anything larger than that falls into a mini-MU or housing category and could possibly be relocated out of the Embassy Nexus. If you own an Embassy (or are thinking of applying for one) and you feel you'll need more than three rooms, please discuss your reasons why with the Embassy Wizard, who will evaluate how Gateway may best suit your needs.
That game's staff members are unethical or the game is up illegally! Will you deny their embassy application or remove their Embassy?
- No. Gateway tries to be as neutral as possible in as many situations as we can. If the staff breaks rules on Gateway, however, they may find themselves losing their embassy. If a game gets closed due to such unethical or illegal situations, the Embassy would of course be closed as the game no longer exists.
Gaming
What gaming opportunities are available at Gateway?
- There are three strains of gaming provided for on Gateway: mini-MU, table-top and freestyle gaming. Some gaming opportunities are open to the public, while others are closed and considered private. Please check with game leads before attempting to enter a specific game.
What is a mini-MU?
- Imagine a full-blown MU*, then shrink it down to about 10-20 rooms and then stick it into our gaming space; this will give you an idea of what a mini-MU on Gateway is like. Most are handled like freestyle spaces, but game leads are encouraged to provide what custom code they require. Gateway does provide a basic dice rolling command as a global.
How many rooms can I have for my mini-MU?
- New mini-mus generally start with about 10 rooms, although other players may certainly link private rooms to this grid, with the game lead's permission. If more rooms are needed, please explain why in a @mail to *gamingstaff.
How many rooms can I have for my table-top game?
- Generally one, but speak to Gaming Staff (you can @mail *gamingstaff) if more are needed.
What are the freestyle gaming areas for?
- These areas have been set up for spontaneous RP scenes. They lend well to freestyle gaming and offer a variety of settings. All are welcome to use them providing they are not already in use at the time.
Housing
What is the purpose of Housing?
- Everyone wants a space of their own, so housing accommodates this. Some people use their spaces to socialize in a more private setting, while others use it for closed RP sessions. What you use your space for is generally up to you (so long as you're not breaking any of our rules).
How can I apply for my own housing project?
- Just logon to Gateway, read "news housing" and submit a +request with your housing request (based on the requirements listed in the news files). Include how many rooms it will be and whether it will have a public or private theme to it (i.e. an apartment or house is private-themed, but a nightclub is public-themed). Someone on staff will contact you about your project with any further questions they might have, and/or as to where it has been opened & linked for you.
How many rooms may I have for my personal housing project?
- Generally, as many as you can create with the quota you have (all players start with enough quota to create 3 rooms with exits). If you require more, please @mail *staff explaining how much more quota you need and why. If it's a significant amount of a request, the Gateway Team may review your request and see if your housing project should be relocated to a different section of the grid to reflect the purpose behind it (i.e. if it's a large complex of RP rooms, it might be better in the gaming section of the grid).
What happens if I just create a floating room or an object to be my 'home'?
- We actually prefer that you don't create floating rooms or objects just for a 'room' to sleep in. Floating rooms are difficult to keep track of, and we prefer to keep all rooms connected to the grid one way or another. As for objects as rooms, we don't like this either because the objects tend to end up cluttering up a public room on the grid (setting the objects DARK doesn't help with this, as sometimes Wizards need to examine public rooms to look at and update code, roomformats, etc., and DARK objects clutter our screens).
- We prefer to keep clutter down to a minimum, so we'd prefer to just give you a room for those purposes. If you feel you must have a room asap and there are no staff members online at the time, then create a floating room and immediately submit a +request for the room to be linked to the grid, the nature of it, etc. Once more, read over "news housing" and include the appropriate information about your building project.
Events
What kind of events happen on Gateway?
- A variety of events have been scheduled on Gateway, ranging from coding classes to round-table discussions about story arcs. Our Full Moon MU* Rants have been fairly popular, covering a wide range of MU*-related topics in a round-table discussion format. Other larger events such as our Open House have gone over very well and we are planning more of these large-scale events for the future. New event code has been created recently to allow patrons to not only sign-up for events, but also to suggest topics and to volunteer to run them.
What is a Full Moon MU* Rant?
- Despite what the name might suggest, it is not a "ranting" session. Think of a round-table discussion session, but on a grander scale. More than one topic is covered in such sessions, which is where the real difference lies between a Rant and a round-table discussion. (Note: These are no longer held.)
What classifies as a round-table discussion?
- Any session where a group of people discuss a topic so that all have a chance to speak is generally considered to be a round-table discussion. Usually one broad topic is discussed. This is not to be confused with a class or seminar where one person does most of the talking in a "teaching" fashion.
What is the difference between a class and a workshop?
- Although very similar, there is a difference between a class and a workshop. A class is much like a seminar with one speaker giving information on a topic to the "class" or audience. Questions are usually encouraged at some point in both of these. However, a workshop provides more of a hands-on approach (i.e. in code workshops, you may be required to code an object to do something during the workshop).
Can we have discussions/debates on the public channels?
- Yes, however, if such a debate is carried on for too long and appears to be monopolizing the use of the channel, we ask that it be moved off-channel to pages or to a discussion room on the grid. Don't be surprised if staff do ask you to move the discussion off-channel or to a more appropriate channel. (i.e. you've been talking about softcode for at least 20 minutes on the Public channel, a staff member may ask you to move the discussion to the CodeChan.) Also keep in mind that all such discussions/debates must follow our forums AUP and all other Gateay rules. Arguments are not considered debates or discussions and will be called to cease.
Code
What platform software does Gateway run on?
- TinyMUX 2
Why does Gateway run on TinyMUX instead of TinyMUSH, MOO, MUCK, PennMUSH etc?
- Believe it or not, we've been asked this a lot. The main reason is because it's the codebase that was closest to what Siobhan was familiar with that was still being developed/maintained and was capable of handling our code needs.
Why does Gateway use ansi colour?
- Some of the staff actually really likes it, in truth. If someone logs on who doesn't like ansi colour, they can simply type: @set me=!ansi
Contributions
I've written a MU*-related article and would like it posted on the web. Would Gateway do this for me?
- We have posted articles submitted on our website in the past. If you are interested, please logon to GATEWAY and submit a +request asking where to send it. The email address is not published here due to spam-avoidance.
- Providing there is nothing objectionable, we would be happy to post your articles. Full credit would be given to the author, of course. GATEWAY reserves the right to refuse articles, however, if it contains offensive/objectionable material.
- All future articles (from Jan 08 and on) will need to be published under the same Creative Commons license that the Gateway website uses.
I have an article I've written about a MU*-related topic that I've posted elsewhere on the web. Will GATEWAY be willing to have a link to it?
- Again, providing that there's no questionable material within it, sure, we'd love to. See the guidelines in the previous question.
What kind of articles are you accepting?
- MU*-related articles which are constructive/productive. Building and staffing tips, roleplaying guides and MU* advertising strategies are all welcome (just to name a few). Game reviews are not accepted. We reserve the right to decline articles, and credit will always be given to the authors of articles we do post.
Other
Are you on MudNet?
- No, we are not. Instead we've opted to join MudTape
- Why not?
- The previous OGR Team decided not to hook up with MudNet due to initial problems we faced when we first tried to set it up. Not all worlds hooked up with MudNet share a similar mandate to ours, so we have no way of keeping the MudNet channels (and what occurs on them) in synch with our philosophies.
- Why not?
Will Gateway ever hook up to MudNet?
- At this point in time, the answer will have to be 'no', but who knows? We might change our minds down the road.
