Frequently Asked Questions
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2026 4:14 am
Why was this game created?
The original Mud was first built over 30 years ago, when game expectations online were very different. It had made many decisions along the way, and many core concepts have not been updated. A status quo mindset, along with policies that make contribution very difficult, has left it falling further behind. A new approach can address these things and bring the game into the modern era.
But really, why?
Before taking these steps, we first had a series of very difficult conversations over a year and a half with the administrators of the original game. These topics covered such things as:
The game has adult content, and there have been known cases of adults grooming children. Are you willing to put in protections to keep them safe?
What are your commitments to privacy protections? Will you follow all applicable laws when it comes to respecting people’s privacy?
The game resides in Sweden, are you GDPR compliant? Do you intend to be?
You have a volunteer work force, who are heavily restricted on enjoying the game as players. Do you have any plans to make it easier to contribute to the game? Are you willing to ensure that you provide them a safe working environment?
The answer for each one of these was no - they are not interested in the effort or self imposed restrictions that come with it.
A good game involves modern game play, adhering to laws as the digital frontier evolves, and ensuring its policies provide a safe environment for everyone. Genesis has failed on those fronts, and refuses to address these and other important challenges. I spent a year and a half trying to convince them to change their mind on these things, but nothing has changed. I have given up, and will take a different approach.
Will I get in trouble with the original game for playing here?
The administration has informed us that they will not punish players for playing both games. There is no information sharing agreement with them at this time.
Is this an authorized version of Genesis?
The code used by the original game has these license terms:
The copyright gives free copy and use permissions to all that were granted access, and all code used was acquired through access granted by the administrator.
That being said, the administrators did not give their blessing an alternative version of the game to exist outside their control.
This may upset some people. I am sorry if you do not agree with the decision. This license is very similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License
in terms of permissiveness, and I follow these terms as they are written. I personally wrote significant pieces of the combat and guild libraries, and also have no say over how my code is used by the original game admin, or anyone they grant access to. I hope that the original game owners continue to enjoy the fruits of my labors.
What was brought over from the original game?
All the game contributions by wizards, under the above license terms, were ported over. This includes all open domains.
There are many things that were not brought over:
No player files were ever accessed.
The original Mud was first built over 30 years ago, when game expectations online were very different. It had made many decisions along the way, and many core concepts have not been updated. A status quo mindset, along with policies that make contribution very difficult, has left it falling further behind. A new approach can address these things and bring the game into the modern era.
But really, why?
Before taking these steps, we first had a series of very difficult conversations over a year and a half with the administrators of the original game. These topics covered such things as:
The game has adult content, and there have been known cases of adults grooming children. Are you willing to put in protections to keep them safe?
What are your commitments to privacy protections? Will you follow all applicable laws when it comes to respecting people’s privacy?
The game resides in Sweden, are you GDPR compliant? Do you intend to be?
You have a volunteer work force, who are heavily restricted on enjoying the game as players. Do you have any plans to make it easier to contribute to the game? Are you willing to ensure that you provide them a safe working environment?
The answer for each one of these was no - they are not interested in the effort or self imposed restrictions that come with it.
A good game involves modern game play, adhering to laws as the digital frontier evolves, and ensuring its policies provide a safe environment for everyone. Genesis has failed on those fronts, and refuses to address these and other important challenges. I spent a year and a half trying to convince them to change their mind on these things, but nothing has changed. I have given up, and will take a different approach.
Will I get in trouble with the original game for playing here?
The administration has informed us that they will not punish players for playing both games. There is no information sharing agreement with them at this time.
Is this an authorized version of Genesis?
The code used by the original game has these license terms:
Code: Select all
Copyright license
1. Genesis is is the name of the LPMud world run by Genesis Interest Association (a non-profit organization, created for the sole purpose of maintaining this game), Goteborg, Sweden. The code making up the world is termed Genesis and the society is termed GIA in the following text.
2. All code that is produced in Genesis or imported to Genesis is subject to this license. If you have code that you for some reason can't or don't want to place under this license, don't import it.
3. All code in Genesis may be freely copied and used by anyone gaining access to it, with the exception that no code may for any reason be used for the purpose of making a monetary profit. This means that while you are allowed to run the mud, charging money from those who use it to cover the running costs, you may not make a profit from it.
4. All code in working order that is exported outside Genesis should contain this license, or a reference to it.
5. The copyright to all code that is not accompanied by an explicit copyright notice with the word Copyright, the year of creation and the name of the author is held by GIA.
6. Swedish law applies to this license. Among other things this means that all code is protected, even if it doesn't contain a copyright notice.
That being said, the administrators did not give their blessing an alternative version of the game to exist outside their control.
This may upset some people. I am sorry if you do not agree with the decision. This license is very similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License
in terms of permissiveness, and I follow these terms as they are written. I personally wrote significant pieces of the combat and guild libraries, and also have no say over how my code is used by the original game admin, or anyone they grant access to. I hope that the original game owners continue to enjoy the fruits of my labors.
What was brought over from the original game?
All the game contributions by wizards, under the above license terms, were ported over. This includes all open domains.
There are many things that were not brought over:
- Player data
- Player generated contents (boards, books, minstrel songs, etc.)
- Logs or anything that may contain PII
- Memorial Gardens, Museum, events, and other content tied to the player base of the original game.
No player files were ever accessed.