3Kingdoms, abbreviated 3K, is a MUD, a text-based online role-playing game, founded in 1992.[1]

3Kingdoms
Developer(s)Project community
EngineLDMud
Release1992; 32 years ago (1992)
Genre(s)Cross-genre, MUD
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Game characteristics

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A screenshot of one of the many different initial login screens for 3K, as seen in MUSHclient

The MUD has a cross-genre setting; the eponymous three kingdoms are Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Chaos, the latter following an anything-goes satirical theme.[2][3][4] These settings connect through the MUD's central city of Pinnacle.[2][3]

A main point of player character differentiation is in the choice of "guild", which is an option resembling a character class, but which, on 3K, can only be chosen once the character has advanced through its first few levels.[2][3][5] The exception is the Adventurer guild, which new characters belong to by default.[6] The selection of guilds reflects the cross-genre setting, ranging from fantasy commonplaces such as knights, priests (formerly called clerics), mages, and necromancers to Jedi, cyborgs, Fremen and changelings (formerly called the animal guild).[2][3][4][6]

3K's Web site features ongoing news about the MUD; at one time this news feed was called the 3K New York Times.[2]

Reception

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The MUD has received positive critical response for its friendliness to and accommodation of new players,[2][3] and has been noted as "well-loved and full of life".[5]

Technical infrastructure

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3K is an LPMud running on the LDMud game driver with an unnamed custom mudlib.[1][2][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "3-Kingdoms". The Mud Connector. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Maloni, Kelly; Baker, Derek; Wice, Nathaniel (1994). Net Games. Random House / Michael Wolff & Company, Inc. pp. 90. ISBN 0-679-75592-6. 3 Kingdoms The town of Pinnacle in the center of 3K (as the MUD is commonly called) connects three separate realms: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Chaos. Fantasy features Dungeons & Dragons; in the Science Fiction realm you can travel by MegaTech train to parts of the United States or through outer space; and in Chaos you'll find anything but the ordinary. On a trip to the grocery store, you'll meet old commercial favorites like Toocan Sam, the Lucky Charm Rabbit, Mr. Clean, and Mr. Whipple. [...] Newbies are quite welcome here – there is even a special newbie land at the south end of the city to build a character's experience. [...] When an adventurer has passed the fifth level, he may choose to join a guild – clerics, witches, animals, necromancers, etc. [...] Server: LPMUD
  3. ^ a b c d e Greenman, Ben; Maloni, Kelly; Cohn, Deborah; Spivey, Donna (1996). Net Games 2. Michael Wolff & Company, Inc. p. 90. ISBN 0-679-77034-8. [...] head to the Website and read the 3K New York Times – all the news that's fit to cyberprint.
  4. ^ a b Olivetti, Justin (2011-04-19). "The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The games". Massively. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  5. ^ a b Hahn, Harley (1996). The Internet Complete Reference (2nd ed.). Osborne McGraw-Hill. pp. 727. ISBN 0-07-882138-X. Three Kingdoms Mud Three Kingdoms has a hierarchy based on a human monarchy, so it achieves variety through guild selection instead of races. This mud is well-loved and full of life as evidenced by not only the traffic, but the high-spirited shouting that seems to be routine. Newbie documents are available at this site via anonymous FTP.
  6. ^ a b "The Guilds". 3Kingdoms. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  7. ^ "Welcome to the Worlds of Marble!". 3Kingdoms. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
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