The FurryMUCK Maps

Introduction

by Tom Turrittin (Dronon Brassmane) May 26, 1994.

---

Why make these maps? FurryMuck is a great outlet for the creative writing of its users. Unfortunately a great deal of this creativity is ignored, partially due to the fact that people don't know how to reach remote areas to be able to see what people have created. When people jump from point A to point E; points B, C and D between them end up being missed. It is for this reason that I am producing these gif maps, because people should know alternate ways of getting around, seeing the sites, and enjoying the virtual landscape.

The area covered by these maps are the "central" area of FurryMuck, which does not automatically mean "popular". Because FurryMuck is so huge (currently with a database of over 90000 objects), I decided to limit my maps to places that were accessible purely by foot, without portals, without flying, without vehicles or other transport devices.

A few minor concessions have been made to this (the ferry, and the stepdisc to Pinnacle Weyr, which *used* to be accessible by foot, but currently isn't). This leaves out the taxi, shuttlebus, portals, BoingDragon's JumpRoom, the sky, and other ways of getting around quickly.

There are large regions of FurryMuck which are quite extensive and beautiful, which I have not mapped. Some of them, like Drachenswald or Acme Acres, cannot be reached by foot from the central area. Other regions, like the Savannah, have not been decidedly positioned yet in the geographical scheme of things. The dotted circle symbol for marking a geographical inconsistency could *also* mean either it is a large unmapped area and/or dubiously linked. There are many other places to go such as "pocket universes", or even outer space.

I have attempted to not mark people's houses, though I do map front yards. If the person's home seems to be trying to make itself noticeable (with the words 'estate', 'castle', 'tower', 'villa', etc.), I usually mention it in the location index. I apologize in advance if I've let people down or made other people jealous in my selection/elimination process of "mentionable" places, but it cannot be separated from a certain degree of subjectivity, and to mention every little glade, waterfall and magic tree is just too much work. It was also hard to tell if certain fields or caves were also people's homes which they slept in. To respect privacy, if I saw the character's owner was sleeping in an outdoor location which they owned, I did not list it. Probably the most dangerously judgemental act of mine was to use a '!' symbol to mark "interesting" places, although this in fact usually means that the organization of rooms there was too difficult to show neatly with circles and lines.

These maps are bound to get out of date. I doubt I'll ever undertake a large-scale mapping project like this again (it's a lot of work!), so I'm leaving the maps uncopyrighted so that future editors can clean them up if they want to. One nice thing is that maps I had on paper dating back two years ago were pretty much identical to these, as far as the main roads are concerned; it's the offshoots that change the most. While mapping I discovered much that was beautiful and new, and that many past places had been lost or erased. Things evolve and change, I guess.

While exploring, use the "nav" (navigate) command if you get stuck somewhere, and remember you can always "go home". Some room descriptions are out of date and might mention things which no longer exist, conversely, they might not mention new places to travel to.

Don't pick up objects you find and carry them with you, and respect people's houses. You can't tell if someone is for or against the curious passerby walking into their home, and it's not very polite to use someone else's pool or private rooms without having been invited or given permission. Use your common sense and discretion.

If I've offended anyone by including an area on my maps, well, you should have kept it locked against trespassers. :)

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Enjoy the maps, have fun, and keep things clean and beautiful! My great thanks to everyone who put up with my questions about their areas, and to Fringe and Cyberskunk for their greatly needed input and advice.

Tom Turrittin
(Dronon Brassmane)
May 26, 1994.