This page will cover in fine detail what the prospective player will need to do in order to connect to, and then create a player identity, on Rise From Chaos MUSH. If you already have a proper MUSHing Client and have experience with visiting and playing on MUSHes or MUXes, then you can probably bypass these instructions completely.
MUSHING 101: First, you need a good client. :) Something other than Telnet. However, if you have a low-end system (under Pentium level), you might have to use it. Let's assume for now that this is the case. You can use the link on the main page of this site to activate your Telnet program, with the address loaded in automatically. Otherwise, when using Telnet, select "Connect', then "Remote System', then fill in this Host name:
rfc.mushpark.com
and then this Port number:
1314
Clicking 'Connect' after this should let you into the MUSH, to see our splash screen. There should be a large ASCII design spelling out the word RIFTS, some poetry and disclaimers, and then some instructions on entering the game. Type this:
create Name password
...where 'Name' is a character name of your own devising, and 'password' is simply a keyword for security's sake that you should write down or remember. If there is already a character on the MUSH by that name, you will be asked to try again with a different name. Otherwise, you should be whisked into our New Players' Introductory Room, where you should read all the text presented to you, because you might possibly be very confused if you don't. ;) Follow the instructions listed there:
look foreword
...which looks at the first object in the list of 'Contents' in the room. Proceed to read this, and the other objects, and become informed. You can also try this:
pub Hello. :)
...which will broadcast a message <[Public] Yourname says, "Hello." :)> to the other people currently online. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
Other than that, feel free to try out commands, like look, WHO, +who, +help, and +news, among others. Raw Telnet is a bit of a pain.. you have to set your Preferences (click 'Terminal' in the titlebar) so that you have like 500 buffer space so you won't automatically lose everything that scrolls up past the top of your screen... and at least in my version of it, you can't see what you're typing unless you also choose the option 'Local Echo'.
And so, if you have a mid-range or high-end computer (Pentium or higher), I do believe you can handle SimpleMU or MUSHclient. You can download this free Shareware program (and register it later if you really like to use it) by using your web browser and going to:
www.onlineroleplay.com/simplemu
or
Use the Tucows search engine to type in 'SimpleMU' (or MUSHclient) and follow the download instructions. Tucows is a pretty safe site to download from, so you needn't worry about viruses or the like. After downloading, you need to install the program and run it. You'll then see how much more versatile these types of programs are, in comparison with Windows Telnet.
Now let's assume you've downloaded and installed SimpleMU. Click 'FILE' on the top toolbar, and then click New Connection. You'll be presented with a screen that you can enter the site information supplied earlier on, HOST and PORT, and whether the site is a MUSH/MUX, or a Talker (choose the MUSH/MUX option). The game name you fill in would be 'Rise From Chaos', 'RFC', 'Rifts', whatever you want to call it. If it doesn't attempt connection right away when you're done, click the icon called 'Connect', and select the site name. From there, you should see the start screen described earlier in the page, and can follow the instructions the same way as with Telnet.
Some format considerations: For Fonts, use Courier or Courier New in order to see diagrams and tables properly on an 80 column screen. You can alter the colors of the program's background and text, but our advice is to use a dark-colored background with light-colored text for Rise From Chaos, since we use light blue, pure white, and sometimes light red highlights, when we would like to draw your attention to keywords in the text.
For a shortcut to the details on our Character Creation process, you can go here.
