- What about inside the game in 2003? -
The year 2003 saw the introduction of several mount-related guilds
(squires, cavaliers, beastmasters) as well as the Runemages and a
rewrite of the Templars guild. The rate of adding new areas decreased,
but instead the new additions were larger and more complex than old
traditional areas. Also new functionality was initially introduced
(for example, factions; player <> NPC group relations) for wizards to
be able to create "living" content even better.

The experience system was modified heavily in favor of personalized
exp rates based on the frequency of which a given player has killed
the monster before, and the glitches of this combined with the
traditional exp system as still being hammered out. Other additions
to the MUD include the blog system, a re-write of the reincarnation
system, web-based newssystem, a complex stun system and many, many
other tweaks and changes.

- How about the coming year 2004? -
The new ship code is in the game, and additional uses and features
for ship-based travel will be introduced throughout 2004, including
port trading and naturally; piracy (Arr!). Some guild changes and
additions will occur in the evil religious and magical backgrounds
at least, and there are some (preliminary) plans about more tweaks
for the Crimson brigade.

A clan-based system for organized Player vs. Player combat will be
introduced, allowing society owners to form waring factions and
take on other players in a competitionlike manner (this does not
remove the option of selected pkills of/by nonclaned players). Also,
as our combat code and party code is becoming more elaborate, we
should be able to introduce NPCs as limited party members for
player parties - the prototypes already function.

There's a whole lot of other changes planned and in the making, but
in order not to spoil the surprise entirely, those will be announced
as they make it into the game. The year 2004 looks like a busy year
tho, as we work our way towards BatMUD's 15th anniversary.


Simply put, things stand strong for BatMUD.

Yours,


Amarth Shadowstring
B.A.T. ry treasurer

Special thanks to Gore for helping filling up some of the parts.