Instructions for Romantic Circles MOO

Systems: The MOO works best with a PC using Netscape Communicator 4.08 or later, or Internet Explorer 4.0 (4.5 on Macs) or later. Cookies,  Java, and Javascript must be enabled. 

Getting there:

1. Go to http://www.rc.umd.edu/  At this site, click on the Villa Diodati button from the menu options.  This will take you to the log in screen. 

2. You will log in as a Guest.  Do not enter anything in the ID or password boxes. The ID box should say "Guest" and the password box should be left blank. Simply click the gray "Enter the Villa D" button on the left hand side of the screen. 

3. A split screen will pop up.  Give it time to load.  On the top are helpful buttons.  On the left is the conversation going on.  You can type what you want to say in the box at the bottom left corner.  At the right is what you see in the room.  Objects will have a blocky icon.  Doors to other rooms will have a door icon. 

To avoid being bumped off of the MOO as a guest, once you are logged in as a guest, sign up for a character identity. Here's how: 

1) Log on as a guest. This will take you to a guest room. Read the description of the room which will explain that to get a character in the MOO type @request in the dialogue box at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. 

2) Once you've typed the request command, the MOO will prompt you to type @request <userid> for <email address>Place the user ID you want for the MOO (ususually your first name and last initial or something reasonable) and use your email address. 

3) The password will be generated and emailed to your address. After a minute or two, check your email and log on as your character. 
 
 

Commands: (important commands have an asterisk) 

1. *To talk, make sure your cursor is at the bottom left hand corner of the screen in the blank box.  You must use quotation marks before and after what you want to say.  For example, to say hi, type "hi" Then hit return. 

2. *To look around at the room, type look  To examine an object type examine <object name>  For example, to examine a lake type: examine lake For an easy way to look and examine, see number six below. 

3. To emote, that is to show an expression or action, use a colon before the words expressing your action.  For example, if I want to smile, I type :smiles. 

4. If you see an object and want to take it, type take <object name>  For example take flower  This allows me to pluck a flower.  To drop and object, type drop <object name> such as drop flower. 

5. All you have to do is look and talk.  Anything else is extra.

6. *The right hand side of the screen has several features.  It gives you a description of what you are looking at.  You can click on an object and this will allow you to examine the object.  Objects are denoted with an icon looking like a generic blocky object.  Tolook at the whole room type look or use the look button at the top of the screen.  To move to another room, click the room name next to the street sign icon. 

A Detailed MOO Primar can be found at the Romantic Circles site. 

What I want you to do in the MOO:

1. When you arrive, you will be placed in a guest room.  If you don't see the room or the browser doesn't load in the room, click the "Look" button at the top of your screen. 

2. Each group will explore a different area of the MOO.  To get to the area type @go <room number>

Group 1 @go #3055 The Grazing Pasture (milk cow, get paid, visit a fair and then keep exploring the spaces from there)
Group 2 @go #1922 Romantic Valley (explore the valley, the Point, get to know an old man and then retire in a Cabin)
Group 3 @go #705 MOOzymandius (first read the poem and background on the mysterious Ozymandious at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/explore/ramses.html then visit the MOO rooms) This is a work in progress.
Group 4 @go #2871 Forest where Frankenstein's monster learns to distinguish reality.  (The room is based on the novel Frankenstein and you can travel the monster's path just after he is created as he learns to distinguish objects and how to navigate through places.)
Group 5 @go #184 Steve's Office.  How does he create a space that mimes real life?  Contrast this with Ron's office @go #1599

After you've explored your areas, feel free to check out the areas that other groups have explored.  You may want to visit the hub of the MOO, the Villa @go #169 Villa Diodati.  Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein after a night of ghost tales at Byron's Villa.

3. Contrast the types of spaces you encountered.  How did the text and object create another way of thinking and exploring space in this non-physical space?  Do you act differently based on the textual descriptions in each room? Also, discuss the ackward movement between your physical space in real life and the computer characters actions and your mental reactions to the MOO space.

 When you are done be sure to return any objects you have picked up back to their original locations.  Then, click the quite button at the top of the browser.