FurryMUCK NEWS

This is FurryMUCK, the very first anthropomorphic MUCK. For news on a subject, type 'news [subject]'.
FurryMUCK NEWS

This is FurryMUCK, the very first anthropomorphic MUCK. For news on a
subject, type 'news [subject]'.

Current Subjects

aup             toading
wizards         changes         motd            configuration
muckers         policies        getcharacter    zombies
staff           glossary        mpi             principles

Return to the News/Policy Page.
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FurryMUCK Acceptable Use Policy

Last Revision 7 July 1994 FurryMuck is provided as a place where users may
gather for the purposes of Role Playing and exploring Virtual Reality. By
using your character login, you agree to the following Acceptable Use
Policy:

Access to FurryMuck, and the computing resources required to operate
FurryMuck, is granted on a revokable basis, and at no time is this access
guaranteed.

FurryMuck services may be used only for lawful purposes. Transmission or
solicitation for reception of material which violates US Federal or
Wisconsin State Law, any Policy of the site where the Muck operates, or
state or local law of the area in which you reside is prohibited. This
includes, but is not limited to, material that is threatening, legally
obscene, libelous, or violates trade-secret, patent, or copyright
protections.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless FurryMuck, its Administrators
(aka. Wizards), the owners/operators of the computing resources, and all
other parties connected with the administration of FurryMuck from all
claims which are a result of your usage, without limitation. You agree that
any traffic which originates from your character or connection is your
legal responsibility.

Notwithstanding the above, you agree that should we be found liable in a
court of law for any action or lack of action related to your use of
FurryMuck our liability is limited to $0.00.

ECPA NOTICE: We reserve the right to monitor any and all communications
through or with FurryMuck computing facilities. You agree that FurryMuck
facilities are NOT to be considered a secure communications medium for the
purposes of the ECPA, and that no expectation of privacy is afforded.

Access to FurryMuck may be denied for any reason deemed appropriate by the
Administrators (aka. Wizards), including but not limited to: Using the
system to transmit Real Life threats of harm to another player; Harassment
of another player or character; attempting to crash or corrupt the database
or computing resources of the Muck.

Violation of any of the terms and conditions of service may result in any
or all of the following:

   * Suspension of access to the Muck and its computing resources for a
     time to be determined by the administrators.
   * Removal of your character and termination of access to the Muck and
     its computing resources without prior notice.
   * Notification of your site and/or system administrators
   * Notification of civil and/or law enforcement authorities.


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Toading

Toading - Leaving the Game - Recycling your character

Furrymuck characters can be removed from the database on your request by
the process known as Toading. (Tribbling,Nukeing, etc..) Of course, you
must be listed in the records as owning the characters that are going to be
removed.

The process to get your character removed is this: Page or page #Mail only
ONE wizard. (if you deal with too many wizards at one time things can get
confused!) Request that the character be noted for toading.

** You must do this from each character that is requesting it. ** Then we
wait 24 hours. MANY folks change their minds and decide not to be toaded.
After 24 hours if you still wish to have the character toaded, contact the
same Wizard again and make the request. The Character will be erased from
the database and all objects/exits/rooms will be recycled as well. If you
wish to leave your belongings to another character, make sure you make this
clear to the wizard. Once the Character is toaded from the database it is
GONE and cannot be retrieved.


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Wizards

The current wizards are:

Centaur
     Janitor (recycling)
Mishael
     Asst. Janitor wizard/ MUF Asst.
Drew
     Secretary
Lynx
     Server Problems and Restarts
Riss
     MUF Wizard/ Asst. Character Create/ Zombies
Shaterri
     Player Relations
Tugrik
     Builder Wizard/ Quota
S'a'alis
     Char. Create/ Site Adminstration (Site/Network questions only)
Kimi
     Player Relations/ HELP Staff/ MUF Asst.
O'nara
     Assistant to S'a'alis (Site/Network questions only)
Revar
     Official Server Coder NON-wizard (Meanevilnastybikerbabebatbat)

For general assistance (command questions, linking problems, etc) almost
any wizard connected can help you. However, if you need detailed
information, or have suggestions/problems/questions that pertain
specifically to one of the areas listed above, please talk to the wizard
responsible for that function.

Major building must be okayed by Tugrik (for dbase control). Major building
is considered to be 20 rooms or more, 100 objects or more, or both.

Any problems with connections, lag times, etc should be reported to
S'a'alis. (But kindly do NOT spam him about network problems outside the
control of the Furry site.)


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Changes

See the files listed under the INFO command.


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Message of the Day

Enter just MOTD for the Message of the day, and @bulletin for Bulletins.


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Version

Use the @version command to see the current version of FuzzBall MUCK. Other
information can be found in the files listed in INFO.


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Furry Mucker Policy

version 2.3

How can I be a MUCKER?
     We welcome both experienced and neophyte MUCKERs! We ask only that
        o you help the general Furry public, not just yourself, by writing
          useful programs of some social benefit or aid to building, and
        o that you abide by the spirit and letter of our MUCKER policy.
     If a program you would like to write or use falls into a "gray area"
     of these guidelines, please ask us for clarification! We may be able
     to suggest ways to accomodate your needs.
What does a MUCKER do?
     Learning to Program
          Start by reading the MUF tutorial and the MUF manual, also the
          CHANGES files. Find them with the INFO command. If you need more
          help than this, we may be able to put you in touch with a MUCKER
          willing to tutor you.
          If you write small programs to test something, or no longer need
          a program, please remember to clean up after yourself! FurryMUCK
          is low on available space, so save where you can.
     Differences in FurryMUCK Programming
          On Furry, "home" is used to abort programs that are waiting for
          your input. So if you think you may be trapped in a program, try
          "home" first, not "@Q" as it is defined on many MUCKs. Many more
          differences are listed in the CHANGES files found in the INFO
          section of FurryMuck.
     "The Big Time" -- Public Programming
          Whenever you write a program, and especially when a program is
          publicly accessible (link_ok), please make sure it adheres to our
          guidelines:
            1. It should be useful in some way, social or building.
            2. It should not violate guidelines of privacy, respect, or
               honesty. (see section 3.0 of this policy)
            3. It should not be wasteful-- do not use more space or CPU
               time than is reasonable, or duplicate things that already
               exist.
          If one of your programs meets the guidelines above, you may ask
          to have it made publicly available. Such a program must be set
          link_ok in order for other people to use it.
          A program that would be useful as a command for everyone may be
          installed as a global. Type 'globals' to see some commands
          available.
          Many programs are already publicly available; type 'programs' for
          a list, then list these programs for more information, or go to
          the Anastasia Programming Library and look through their files.
          If you are looking for a program that would be a modification of
          an existing one, you might find it more convenient to ask the
          programmer to change it appropiately.
Guidelines to Proper Programming Etiquette
     Privacy
          Players of Furry are entitled to privacy. If you couldn't find
          something out by normal means or without the permission of the
          users involved, you should not find it out with a program.
          Normal means does NOT include abuse of the powerful MPI command
          language. That means one does not use MPI to violate the Privacy
          of others, or attempt to manipulate or look at things or rooms
          you do not own. Please see NEWS MPI for more information.
          However, when you use certain programs, it is understood that the
          program may store, relay, or use reasonable information for
          reasonable purposes.
          If you aren't sure a program would fit this guideline, please
          ask!
            1. Bugs relay information to another person, room, or stores it
               for later reading, without your implicit consent. Examples
               of legal programs:
                 1. Public programs such as page and spoof, which only use
                    information for administrative purposes, and are
                    documented as to this use.
                 2. Programs that broadcast messages for the purposes of
                    "virtual reality" such as a program to let you be heard
                    from a stage. However it is possible to disguise the
                    use of such programs. This is unethical.
                 3. Bulletin boards, mailing systems, and other programs
                    meant to record and display messages for the public,
                    with the user's explicit consent.
               Examples of illegal programs:
                 1. Programs that duplicate "page", "whisper", "say", or
                    "pose" in order to record or relay information without
                    the player's knowledge.
            2. Scanners find information about other players, their
               properties, or belongings, that would not normally be
               available, and which the player does not wish revealed. This
               includes programs written in MPI. Examples of legal
               programs:
                 1. A program that only shows you messages or properties
                    which are set specifically for that program. E.G. a
                    smell program might show you people's smell messages,
                    but it would be unethical to write programs to read
                    people's smell messages at a distance, without their
                    consent.
                 2. Programs that show you information which you could
                    obtain another way, e.g. a program to tell you which of
                    a selected group of people are on the WHO list, or a
                    program to tell you what exits go from rooms that you
                    own. Owners can always examine anything they own.
                 3. In reasonable circumstances, programs may show you
                    information such as which players are in another room
                    if it is known to the people in this room that they may
                    be observed. E.G. a transparent exit description for
                    windows.
               Examples of illegal programs (in MUF or MPI):
                 1. Programs that show you properties or messages on
                    players, objects, and so forth that you do not own and
                    could not normally find out.
                 2. Programs that reveal private exits in rooms without the
                    permission of the room's owner. (similarly, programs to
                    locate players without their permission)
     Respect
          Certain programs may, while not invading a player's privacy,
          harass that player, or make it possible to do so in a way that is
          undetectable. Players are entitled to respect and dignity.
             + Spoofers allow a player to simulate another player's
               actions. This would allow players to forge incriminating or
               insulting messages under that player's name. Messages that
               could potentially be spoofed should be made apparent in some
               plain manner or changed to remove this danger.
             + Markers are programs that change, add to, or remove player
               properties without their implicit permission.
          Examples of legal programs:
            1. Programs may set temporary properties, or properties that
               obviously belong to the program, and do not interfere with
               other programs or the user's convenience. E.G. the page
               program sets a number of properties for records keeping.
            2. Programs that explicitly give the user full knowledge of
               what changes are about to be made. E.G. role-playing systems
               and shape-shifting programs that modify your description.
            3. Programs for building assistance, which change your
               properties and/or objects in an approved way.
          Examples of illegal programs (in MUF or MPI):
            1. Programs to overwrite another player's descriptions,
               messages, etc. without their consent.
            2. Programs meant to harass them by insulting, annoying, or
               otherwise inconveniencing them, e.g. programs to send a
               spoof message directly to a player without the player's
               permission, or to whisper to all but one player.

Other Prohibited Programs (MUF or MPI)
     Furry prohibits general teleporter programs that would allow players
to invade private rooms or that are intended to violate virtual reality,
e.g. encouraging people to teleport directly to a room, ignoring
intervening areas.
Teleporters may be allowed in limited cases, but only for very specific
reasons and purposes. They must follow these restrictions:

  1. Players must agree explicitly, or implicitly by entering a vehicle,
     following another player, being picked up by that player, etc. to be
     moved.
  2. Programs to move players can only move players from or to rooms for
     which they have permission, and under such circumstances as are
     appropiate, e.g. a taxi might have stops in different rooms with the
     permissions of these rooms' owners.
  3. Such programs must be appropiate to the circumstances, the "virtual
     reality" of the situation in question, etc.

What Happens If I Make A Mistake?
     There are three steps, depending on seriousness of the offense.
Accidents and oversights happen; on the other hand, a deliberate infraction
may well lose you your MUCKER bit immediately. You will be informed of the
reasons for any actions we take as regards you or your programs. If you
misuse MPI, your BUILDER bit will be removed.

  1. If you write a program considered abusive or forbidden, you will be
     talked to about why you need such a program.
       1. If the reasons are acceptable, the program may be allowed as is,
          or we may suggest how it can be modified to make it fit the
          guidelines.
       2. If the reasons are unacceptable or inadequate, you may be warned
          to remove the program, or else modify it so that it will be
          acceptable.
  2. If you don't comply with requests to modify or remove a program that
     is particularly abusive, then the program may be removed. Programs
     that may crash the server may also be confiscated or removed. You will
     be told how and why the program crashes the server
  3. If you repeatedly upload programs that were removed as abusive, or
     crash the server, or otherwise abuse your MUCKER bit, then you may be
     deMUCKERed and offending programs will be removed. Violations with MPI
     will result in the loss of your BUILDER bit as well.
  4. Appeals will be allowed under extenuating circumstances.

Program Libraries and Macros

Documentation
     Please document your programs where possible, so that those who are
     meant to use them can do so.
        o If programs are link_ok, therefore publicly usable, you should
          put comments at the top, or else provide some obvious way of
          getting help. For instance, the page program allows you to type
          'page #help' for instructions.
        o We suggest that programs have comment headers describing the
          basic code (two or three lines to synopsize the program's
          purpose, how it should be used, and unusual things that users
          should know), naming the owner, and providing any copyrights you
          wish to include.
        o Please don't complicate your code more than MUF normally reads;
          deliberately obfuscating your code beyond a capable MUCKER's
          ability to read is considered impolite.
        o Macros should be commented, or else obvious from name or
          definition as to what they are intended to do.
Information Ownership
     Many programs are set link_ok so that they can be readily used. This
     does not mean that you are free to copy them to other systems, or for
     your own uses. Please ask the permission of the creator before you
     copy programs!

The Final Word
     If you have any questions about this policy, MUCKing, or other related
issues, please ask a knowledgeable player, MUCKER, or wizard. They may be
able to offer you answers, suggest where you can look quickly and
conveniently for information, or suggest how MUCKER policy applies to your
question.
In all disputes related to MUCKER policy and programming on Furry, the
judgement of the Furry MUF wizard is final and supercedes the guidelines of
this policy.
Mucker bit levels and getting your mucker bit.
     There are 3 Mucker levels.

   * M1 - Starter
   * M2 - Standard
   * M3 - Special

When you ask for a Mucker bit on FurryMuck, you will be set M1. This is
where all Muckers will start. This gives you access to the @prog command
and allows 75% of most MUF functions. This is a safety feature to allow you
to learn MUF without fear of damaging anything.
To get to Level M2, you should have written, tested, and debugged some
useful programs and then ask the MUF Wizard or Assistant MUF Wizards to
look at them for programming style and usefulness. The Wizards may then
grant you the M2 level. This allows 95% of MUF features to work.
Level M3 is needed only in very special programs that must directly
manipulate sensitive data from the database. This level can only be granted
by the MUF Wizard. We do not normally give these out.
TO GET A MUCKER BIT: Page #Mail a request for your MUCKER bit to RISS, the
current MUF Wizard, include in this #mail a statement agreeing to the terms
and conditions of the MUCKERS policy, and include your RL NAME and EMAIL
address. The MUF Wizard will then process your request.
Credits
     Adapted from the original CROSSROADS Muckers policy. Original draft
v1.0 written 2/4/91 by Tygryss (Insane Mucker in Residence). Revised v1.1
3/12/91 by Lynx (Lynxiwynxipooflemuffins). Revised v1.2 3/29/91 by
Cinnibar. Revised v2.0 2/28/92 by Lynx. Revised v2.1 3/ 8/92 by Lynx.
Revised v2.2 3/15/92 by Lynx. Revised v2.3 6/11/94 by Riss to include MPI
and Mucker Levels.

These policies have been established by the wizards. They will enforce them
fully. See also: news principles and news aup


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FurryMUCK Policies

Sexual Activities in Public Areas:
     Sex in public areas (West Corner of the Park, etc) is frowned on.
     Please keep sexual activities to private areas.

     The West Corner of the Park is the central meeting area for Furry, and
     also the point of first contact for newbie Furrys, and therefor
     activity in West Corner of the Park must be kept to the PG-13 level.
     The Wizards will ask anyone acting in a manner deemed in an excess of
     this level to cool it, or take it to a private area. Continued
     violation could result in banning from the area or character
     suspention.
Major Building Requires Approval:
     Any area over 20 rooms or 100 objects, or both, should be approved by
     the builder wizard (type 'news wizards'). Please keep database bloat
     down and use the minimum of rooms in your buildings!
Harassment
     Harassment is defined as repeated offensive behavior towards someone
     despite their explicit wishes that the harasser desist. This includes
     such things as sexual behavior or offers, violence, attempt to provoke
     violence, or attempt to violate privacy or personal space (i.e.
     constantly following someone despite their clear requests for the
     stalker to stop).
        o If you feel you are being harassed, tell the person to stop
          first!
        o Complain to a wizard (type 'wizzes' to find wizards on-line) if
          the offense continues, or page #mail wizzes with your complaint.
          Include all the details: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
          Keep log files if you can.
        o If the claim is found valid, the harasser may be formally warned,
          and possibly suspended for a certain amount of time (i.e. a week)
          or removed from the system with all further character requests
          denied.
        o Remember, ask them to stop first, and tell them you will complain
          formally.
     Proven harassment of malicious intent i.e. intended to cause mental
     harm such as rape, threats of RL harm, severe emotional manipulation,
     will NOT be tolerated. Malicious harassment may result in immediate
     suspension.
Multiple Character accounts
     We reserve the right to limit the number of accounts issued or
     provided to specific players or email addresses. This limit is
     generally no more then 3 accounts. Wizards may adjust or make
     exception in special cases.


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Getting a Character

In order to get a character on FurryMuck, you will need to send this info
in: the name that you want (should be a single word, not more than 16
characters long, and can be changed afterwards), and your password. (also a
single word and can also be changed by you later)

You should also give E-mail addresses where you can be reached, should this
be necessary. This will be kept private.

If your name matches that of a person already existing on FurryMuck, you
will have to choose another one. If you want to check this before you send
in your application, simply log in as guest (connect guest guest) and type
'page (name)'. If it replies that there is no such person, then the name is
free. (example: PAGE MUDSKIPPER)

If you do not check your name, then you can send in one or two alternates
in case the name you request is in use.

Do NOT send in character descriptions, sex, abilities, etc. As these are
things you set up after you have started on line. Email your request to:
fmadmin@sncils.snc.edu Requests usually take 24 hours to process during the
week, and if on a weekend, till monday.

For more information on MUCKs in general, please FTP muck documents from
avatar.snc.edu. For more information on Furry, once you have your
character, you can find help information around the bulletin board in the
West corner of the park. This is the central starting area for Furry. (In
West corner of the park type AROUND to go around to the other side of the
bulletin board, and there you can look at the help for new user
information.)


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Zombies and Puppets and Pets, oh my!

General rules and operation of Zombie objects on Furrymuck:

Zombies are objects that can be created by a player and remotely controlled
to act like they are alive. The owner of the Zombie object can force the
object to move and speak and do things as if it was a real player. The
Zombie object will report back to the owner what it sees and hears.

Guidelines: A player should create no more than 2 Zombies. Each thing will
count against the "things" quota. We wish to limit Zombies to 2 or less so
as to not spam the database, and not use more computer power up and cause
lag. If you have special need for more then 2 Zombies, check with the
Zombie Wizard.

Anyone found using a Zombie to violate any of the standard rules for a
player (PG language in the park, no harassment, etc.) will be BANNED from
using Zombies.

Zombies can not be used as bugs, a Zombie object set Dark will not
function. Zombies named the same as a Player can not function.

Building a Zombie by hand: You create an object, and set it's Z and X flag.
You then create an action on yourself that will allow you to force the
Zombie to do what you want. Here is an example:

1)   @create Feep        (Creates an object called Feep)
          Object Feep created with Dbref #12345  (remember number)
2)   @set Feep=z         (makes it a Zombie)
3)   @set Feep=x         (make it xForceable)
4)   @flock Feep=me      (Set the ForceLock so You can use it)
5)   @action zom=me      (you can call the action anything you like)
6)   @lock zom=me&!me    (this action must always fail, me&!me is false)
7)   @set zom=h          (the action must be set h to allow MPI to work)
8)   @fail zom={force:#12345,{&arg}}
          (This uses the fail section of the action to run the MPI
           program that sends your commands to the Zombie. The #12345 of
           course would be replaced with the # of your Zombie.)
9) @lock Feep=me         (optional - so no one runs off with it)

Now, drop Feep, so its in the room with you.

Ok, you have created the Zombie object, and you have put an action on
yourself that allows you to control it. Now what do you do with it? Well,

     zom say hello

Should make your Zombie say hello.

     zom look

Would make your Zombie look at the room its in and it would display back to
you something like:

Feep> You are standing in a wide field.... (or whatever)
     zom west

Would make your Zombie move through an exit to the west. Just about
anything a player can do, a Zombie can do.

Locks and lockouts:

   * Any exit locked against a player, will be locked against that player's
     Zombies.
   * Any exit set Z will be unusable by a Zombie object.
   * Any room set Z will prevent a Zombie from transmitting back to the
     owner what it sees or hears in that room, and they will be prevented
     from entering by being bounced back.
   * Z locking only works against Zombie objects. @Lock against any or all
     players will work against the Things they may try to Force around.
   * Any Zombie set Dark will prevent it from transmitting back as well.
   * Any Thing named the same as a player cannot be Forced.

Note: Any "THING" you own can be "forced" with the MPI Force function, it
does not have to be set "Z" to allow this. The "Z" flag enables the
transmission back to you of what the Zombie sees and hears. Anyone found
using the MPI Force function to annoy, spoof, or otherwise cause trouble
will be BANNED from using these functions. If you are going to use Force on
an object that is NOT going to be set Zombie, include _puppet?:yes on the
object so it will display in WhoSpecies and who.

Version 2.2fb5.27 of the server includes the Xforce-flag and the @flock
function to better control security of the MPI FORCE command.

The latest version of WhoSpecies will show a Zombie's name and sex enclosed
in [square brackets]. It will also show the Species then the name of the
Owner and [asleep] if the owner is not on line.

"who" will also list Zombies as puppets.

Other useful programs: see pet #help - will make objects follow you

4/15/94 -Riss
6/18/94 -Riss 2.2fb5.27


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Staff

What is a Wizard?

We are: A small bunch of folks who have taken on the task of trying to
maintain the system known as FurryMuck. Most, if not all of the wizard's
work is grunt work. Creating player logins, writing and checking MUF
programs, fixing bugs, cleaning up the database, servicing requests for
help, and other mundane chores.

What we are not: The cops, or omnipotent beings, or here to make anyone
nervous. We are also not all-knowing, that is you can't always page us for
something and expect an immediate, or for that matter, a knowledgeable
answer. Why? Because there are thousands of rooms, objects, programs, and
other little details. Its hard to keep up with the flow even for wizards.
We have abilities that aid us in repairing database foulups or errors and
this means that for the most part, that if it exists in Furry, we have
access to it. This does NOT mean we use this access to upset the normal
flow of VR.

Helpstaff A nice group of players that have volunteered their time and
knowledge to assist folks with questions and general help. Furry is not
always the easiest place to get started in for a newbie, but between the
Helpstaff and Wizards, we try. Talk to Kimi if you would like to be on the
helpstaff, but PLEASE do not spam her with requests.

The last word: As in all things, we try to cover all the bases as best we
can, but as in RL, VR has as many unforseen problems. So, in this game, the
Wizards reserve the final say on all subjects to themselves. These
documents undergo revision when the need arises. And by no means should be
looked at as the be all and end all. The best gauge is your own common
sense. In the end, the only rule is for everyone to have FUN!


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Glossary

A quick meaning of common terms on FurryMuck. Compiled by Riss. :)

CHARACTER
     The Virtual Reality being.
HELPSTAFF
     Volunteers who like to help characters with things.
IC
     In character.
LYNXISM
     Anythyng that ys so syckenyng KYOOT and knows yt!
MAV
     An 'oops' misdirection of a Say or Page, usually embarrassing.
MPI
     Programming/Description language on FurryMuck.
MUCK
     Multi User (something or other, we don't know!)
MUCKER
     See MUFFER.
MUF
     Multi User Forth. The programming language on FurryMuck.
MUFFER
     One who writes programs for use on the Muck.
NEWBIE
     A new or novice character or player. (Not a bad term.)
OOC
     Out Of Character. You are talking to or being your player.
PLAYER
     The real life person at the terminal.
SPAM
     Any large amount of useless drivvel scrolling across your screen.
TS
     TinySex - Historical name for on line sex.
WCOP
     West Corner Of Park - Furry's central meeting place.
WIZARD
     Grunt Workers who try to keep the place running.


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MPI

Use of MPI programming/command language:

The MPI language is a powerful tool that is fairly new to the Fuzzball
server. While the Wizards and Revar (InsaneservercoderbikerbabeBATBATBAT)
make every attempt to keep things within the privacy and consent
guidelines, you must realize that any computer program that is hacked on
long enough will show up with something unforseen. So, we wish to state
clearly: You should NOT use or abuse MPI (or any command or MUF program) to
attempt to snoop, look-behind-the-scenes, or otherwize violate privacy or
examine things or room you do not own.

Recently, an innocent attempt to "see how things worked" caused the server
to crash, thus throwing over 100 people off line and causing some
annoyance. If you find ways of doing something using MPI that should not
normally be allowed, please report the bug to the MUF Wizards and Revar.

Any misuse of MPI if you should find such loopholes we have not patched yet
will result in your loss of your Builder bit, and other action as required
by the Wizzes.


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FurryMUCK Principles

FurryMuck Guidelines (See also: news policies) Drafted by Riss with initial
help from Lynx and the wizards.

Principles

  1. Privacy. If you couldn't find out normally, why should a program?
     There are exceptions of course for the sake of Role-play, but in
     general, things should be viewed as private. Also, the only way to
     guarantee that a secret stays a secret, is to tell no one. Sooner or
     later if one character finds out a secret, expect the entire muck to
     know. Furry is a large family, and family members talk.
  2. No harassment. Respect other people's privacy and dignity. A one time
     bothering of someone is not harassment. The continued upsetting,
     bothering, annoying, or acting in an unwanted way towards another
     character is.
        o Harassment is defined as repeated offensive behavior towards
          someone despite their explicit wishes that the harasser desist.
          This includes such things as sexual behavior or offers, violence,
          attempt to provoke violence, or attempt to violate privacy or
          personal space (i.e. constantly following someone despite their
          clear requests for the stalker to stop).
        o If you feel you are being harassed, tell the person to stop
          first!
        o Complain to a wizard (type 'wizzes' to find wizards on-line) if
          the offense continues, or page #mail wizzes with your complaint.
          Include all the details: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
          Keep log files if you can.
        o If the claim is found valid, the harasser may be formally warned,
          and possibly suspended for a certain amount of time (i.e. a week)
          or removed from the system with all further character requests
          denied.
        o Remember, ask them to stop first, and tell them you will complain
          formally.
        o Proven harassment of malicious intent i.e. intended to cause
          mental harm such as rape, threats of RL harm, severe emotional
          manipulation, will NOT be tolerated. Malicious harassment may
          result in immediate suspension.
  3. No unfair spoofing. Faking another player's actions is unethical. If
     you are not big enough to say it as yourself, why should anyone bother
     to listen to you?
  4. Permission. Can't do something without explicit or implicit
     permission. Refers to interaction between characters. If you kiss
     someone, and they kiss back, it is implied they accept the kiss. If
     you slug someone and they don't react like they got slugged, then they
     have not given you permission to play like that with them. This is not
     to say that if someone slugs you, and you react like you have been
     slugged, that you give them permission to continue. You have every
     right to tell them to stop, that they are violating the way you wish
     to play.
  5. Work it out with someone else before you complain to others. Use
     common sense and fair judgement. Talk out your problems. The wizards
     are not the cops, they prefer not to have to get involved in things
     that are better settled between the parties. The wizards are a last
     resort for repeated continued trouble.
  6. This is a game. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone
     regardless of race, creed, gender, or other properties set or not set.
     We are all here to have Fun. Those folks that consistently interfere
     with others enjoyment of the game will be asked to leave and possibly
     banned. Anyone who takes any of this seriously deserves to.
  7. Low maintenance. Don't force heavy server usage or constant wiz
     tweaking. The wizzes are just normal folks who have taken on the
     maintenance of the system. Don't make the job any harder than is all
     ready is.

Role-play

  1. Respect other people's feelings and rights. There are folks who play
     in VR much the same they would in RL, there are some that never cross
     VR with RL, and there are some that are midway between the two. You
     should respect the others player's right to play as they wish.
  2. If you don't want to do something, say so. Simple, if the other party
     can't accept that, then why are you playing with them anyway?
  3. If you feel yourself getting in to something that is not to your
     liking, pull the plug. You can you know; either bow out, or log off.
  4. Fair warning. Should be able to know what's going on. No blindsiding.
     Powergaming is frowned on unless you have permission from the
     characters your playing with. There are times of course where warning
     would give away the plot of something. The key question is if the
     action was meant maliciously.