Frequently Asked Questions about Running CircleMUD, with Answers
================================================================
jelson@jhu.edu


Last updated Feb 28 1995.


1.  Getting started
    1.1.   I've never played a MUD before.  What should I do?

2.  Compiling
    2.1  Why do I get many syntax errors with Sun's 'cc' compiler?
    2.2  Why do I get all sorts of errors with 'crypt' functions and
         header files?

3.  Running
    3.1  I typed 'autorun' but then my terminal just froze.
    3.2  I typed 'bin/circle' and got lots of boot messages, but then it said
         'Entering game loop' and froze.
    3.3  Okay, I think the MUD is running but why don't I get a login prompt?
    3.4  When I run Circle under Linux, it tells me 'connection refused' when
         the MUD boots, and then dies.  Why?

4.  Playing
    4.1   How do I access Online Creation?
    4.1a  When will the production release of Circle 3.0 be????
    4.2   If someone logs in and just sits at the password prompt, the
          MUD hangs.

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[1.1] I've never played a MUD before.  What should I do?
A.  Don't try to use your own copy of CircleMUD!  There are two levels of MUD
    users: players and administrators.  Administrators do what you're trying
    to do now -- get a copy of a MUD's source code, compile it, and run it.
    Players use MUDs that are being administred by someone else.  If you try
    to actually run a MUD before you've ever played one, you'll get very
    confused indeed!  Your best bet for now is to play someone else's MUD
    first.  There are a large number of excellent MUDs out there already,
    some of which are based on CircleMUD code.  A good place to start looking
    is Axl's DikuMUD list, which you can find via Mosaic or another WWW
    browser at http://oz.plymouth.edu/~j_herlih/mudlist.  There's a list of
    CircleMUD sites at http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~jelson/circle/sites.html.


[2.1]  Why do I get many syntax errors when I compile with Sun's 'cc' compiler?
A.  Because Circle is written in ANSI C, and Sun's standard 'cc' compiler
    isn't capable of compiling ANSI C code.  You can try 'acc', Sun's ANSI
    C compiler, but it costs extra money to get it from Sun so your sysadmin
    may not have installed it.  Most don't.  The best solution is to get the
    GCC compiler from ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu and install it, if you have enough
    time and space.


[2.2]   Why do I get all sorts of errors with 'crypt' functions and header
        files?
A.  Because of export restrictions imposed by the U.S., some systems do not
    have the capability of encrypting data using the normal UNIX crypt()
    functions.  You can defeat the problem by adding the line:
#define NOCRYPT
    as the first line of your utils.h file.  Be warned, however, that doing
    this causes the MUD to store players' passwords in plaintext rather than
    as encrypted strings.  Also, if you move from a system which has crypt
    to one that doesn't, players won't be able to log in until you manually
    set their passwords under the new, unencrypted system.


[3.1]  I typed 'autorun' but then my terminal just froze.
A.  autorun is a script which automatically runs, logs, and reboots the
    game for long-term runs.  You should run 'autorun' in the background
    by typing 'autorun &'.  The game will then run unattended until you
    explicitly shut it down.


[3.2]  I typed 'bin/circle' and got lots of boot messages, but then it said
       'Entering game loop' or 'Going to sleep' and froze.
A.  It is not frozen, it is just waiting for people to connect.  You have
    to run the MUD in the background by typing 'bin/circle &' and then use
    telnet to connect to the game.


[3.3]  Okay, I think the MUD is running but why don't I get a login prompt?
A.  In order to play the MUD, you must connect to it using the telnet
    command, i.e. 'telnet localhost 4000'.


[3.4]  When I run Circle under Linux, it tells me 'connection refused' when
    the MUD boots, and then dies.  Why?
A.  Because you must install the Linux networking package before running
    Circle, even if you plan to only play on the local machine.  If you're
    using Slackware, the networking package is on the 'N' series of disks.


[4.1]  How do I access Online Creation?
A.  Online Creation is not yet part of the Circle beta release.  When it
    does become part of the release, it'll be accessed through a command
    called 'olc'.


[4.1a] When will the production release of Circle 3.0 be????
A.  I don't know.  Don't ask again.


[4.2]  If someone logs in and just sits at the password prompt, the MUD hangs
    (i.e., no one else can connect or do anything) until the person enters
    their password.
A.  Your system's POSIX non-blocking I/O is broken.  To compensate, add the
    following line at the very beginning of comm.c:
#define POSIX_NONBLOCK_BROKEN
    Then recompile the MUD and try again.  Also, write mail to jelson@jhu.edu
    telling me _exactly_ what type of machine and operating system you
    experienced this problem on.