Merc Release 1.0
Friday 18 December 1992

Kahn	michael@web.berkeley.edu
Hatchat	mitchell@ocf.berkeley.edu
Furey	mec@garnet.berkeley.edu



=== Merc Performance

All this measured on a Sun 4 with SunOS 4.1.2.

Boot time:    eight seconds (with one megabyte worlds).
Process size: four megabytes.
CPU usage:    about 30-40 cpu seconds per hour of operation.
Disk space:   five to ten megabytes.
IP packets:   about 10 per second with 20 people logged in.

Mean time between crashes: we routinely run 50 hours without crashing.



=== Merc Features

Read the news file inside the game for player-visible features.

We have a working "log" command for logging characters (test players
and troublesome players).

We don't have a players file or pcobj.obj file.  There is one file
per character in the "save" directory.  You can copy these files,
delete them, mung them with a binary editor, whatever you like.

We have a "deny" feature.  Create a file name "Foo.deny" to deny access
to a character named "Foo".  This doesn't harm their char file, but
locks them out until you remove Foo.deny.

We have no limit on saved items.  If you can carry it, you can save it.

Our tinyworld file format has mutated a little, and we're just going to
make this release without documenting very much.  In particular, the social
messages take a NAME instead of a # in the file format (read the file to
see what it's like).  We have included syntax_check, use it!  The Merc
server also detects and reports some tinyworlds errors that crash other
muds, so track down strange messages if you get them when you add worlds.

We have compiled-in limits for MAX_ROOM, MAX_SHOP, and so on.  If you
add lots of new areas, just jack up these numbers.  Drop us some e-mail
so we can increase them in our next release.

Enjoy our mud.  May your visit here be ... Mercenary.