Tapestries MUCK: FAQ

There is no one on the administrative staff who questions your ability to cope with the 'adult content' here. It isn't to do with how capable or mature you are, or whether or not your friends are here, or whether it's really fair. No. It is our obligation as administrators of an adult service to uphold the laws of the country and state inside of which the service is hosted.

Help us out, and come back on your 18th birthday.

Can I join if I have a 'free web mail' email address?

Yes. But if you "forget" which email address you used to register your character - as often happens when people use anonymous and nearly-random email services - you will be unable to access that character again.

What if I lose my password?

Password recovery is handled through an automated system. See the link on this page called "Password Recovery".

This is the ONLY way to recover a password. There is no wizard that acts as a password administrator. No paged or page-mailed request will be honored. You must use this link. Please remember that passwords will not be sent to banned sites. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Yes, this is rather draconian, and means that sometimes you will not be able to recover an account. Unfortunatly, with over 17 thousand accounts, and so few wizards, we can't deal with this any other way.

If you experience any problems with the password recovery system, just email the full body of the error message to: tap-wizzes@fur.com

It's taking such a long time for my new character to be ready!

The character registration robot processes many requests each day. The requests are broken down into two pieces.

In the first piece you fill out the webform and provide a valid email address. (Hotmail and Yahoo style email accounts are not acceptable.) The moment you hit 'Submit' on that form, the registration robot creates your character here, effectively reserving your name instantly.

In the second part of the application process, the registration robot writes you some email asking for you to reply with a secret key, which it will provide. When the secret key is returned to the robot, it will set a special property on the character to mark it 'validated'.

Coupled with the administrative review by the wizards of individual character requests, this last stage can take up to 72 hours. i.e. If you validate your character on Friday afternoon, it may be Monday evening before you can log in. The registration robot will send you email telling you it has finished the work.

Be careful to save your password, having to wait an additional two days to recover it would really suck.

What if I want to delete myself?

Type '@toadme #help' and learn all about it.

What if I wish to update my email address?

To see what email address we have for you right now, type: @email #show

To change your email address to something current/accessible, type: @email #update <your email address> Do not include the <>'s.

If you receive a reminder message and would like to clear it, type: @email #verify

If the address you see is correct, type: @email #verify YES

If it's not correct, use '@email #update <your email address>' to change it.

Why is it important for me to update my email address?

If you ever lose your password, you MUST have an up to date email address to recover it. If you do not have one, you will LOSE ACCESS TO THE ACCOUNT FOREVER!

I see that character X hasn't logged in for 52 weeks! Can I have their name?

You may not claim another character's name unless that character is deleted in a MUCK-wide character purge. Wizards will not purge inactive accounts on a per-request basis.

You may notice some people seem to have been inactive for very, very long periods of time. Why aren't they purged? The purge script checks to see if anything the character owns is in use. It checks the timestamps of the character's rooms and objects. If a character who hasn't logged in for 2 years owns a room that was last used two weeks ago, that character will not be purged.

Can I have more than one acount/character?

Yes. There is no current offical limit on the number of accounts you may have.

However, frivolous creation of characters will result administrative action. For example, your access will be denied if we find you: creating extra characters just to get quota, or to get around the building policy, or to get extra C-Mice from the auction vending machine, etc.

Can I change my name?

The '@name' command is locked and can not be used. That means your current name is your *forever-name*.

The fail message for '@name' says 'Only wizards can rename players.' This may give everyone the impression they can request or petition wizards to change their name. LIES. Wizards will not go into the business of name-changes.

Please just go back to the webpage and generate a new character, if you absolutely must do so. Otherwise, please tell all your friends that the ability to rename yourself is currently suspended until further notice.

To manage your 'names':

1. Learn @toadme to delete names/alts
--- As with most commands, use #help for help, as in '@toadme #help'
2. Learn to use the registration form to create new names/alts
--- http://www.fur.com/tapestries/registration
3. Make sure your spam filter does not hinder our email validation
--- To validate, click link in email, and then click 'Verify' on the page itself
4. Complain to all your friends that you have to wait for our automated script! ohnoes!
-- If validation went wrong, your alt will be recycled and you must re-register

How do I change my password?

@password old_password=new_password

The old password is required to make sure someone didn't just sit down at your computer when you were not looking and steal your account.

There is no wizard that acts as a password administrator. No paged or page-mailed request will be honored. You must use this URL. Please remember that passwords will not be sent to banned sites. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

http://www.fur.com/tapestries/registration/password_recovery.html

If you experience any problems with this URL, you must email the full body of the error message to: tap-wizzes@fur.com

What is the difference between being 'toaded' and being 'banned'?

Toading is the process of removing a specific character and all the objects it owns from the MUCK. This can either be done volentarily (with @toadme), or as a punitive measure by the wizards.

When done punitively, it is meant to punish the individual by removing all objects and works they have created. It however does not mean they may not make a new character, and start from scratch.

Banning is an administrative action taken by the wizards when they feel an individual is too disruptive to continue to exist on the muck in any form. It involves removing (toading) all their characters, and informing them that they are not welcome to return.

Individuals who are banned are breaking the law if they do return, and their accounts are removed whenever they are discovered.

Bannings can either be for a period of time (for example, until the subject reaches the age of 18), or permanent in some rare cases.

----

JadeWizard's answer, just for variety:

Toaded users experience 'punishment' by having their character and possessions deleted. Everything revolving around their name and/or dbref breaks. All code, buildings, objects, exits, etc are gone. Unless they have continuously backed up their "stuff" to a file off the MUCK, it's all toast. <i>But they aren't banned.</i> They can turn right around, go back to the <a href="http://www.fur.com/tapestries/registration" target="_blank">registration page</a> and create themselves again.

Banning, on the other hand, means that the user is not welcome to recreate themselves. The wizards will prevent the user from returning. Sometimes this is accompanied by a sitewide banning, which means any user with a matching IP address and/or email address can not return to the MUCK. All attempts to get around bans are carefully logged to keep the ban as permanent and consistent as possible given our resources. However, bans are not always permanent.

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Some one changed my password on me... Is there anything I can do?

This is a good reason to never give out your account information to anyone. It is in fact a violation of your agreement with the MUCK to do so.

Should this happen, however, you can persue it with the Password Recovery system as long as your original email address is still active (the program mails both the original and current email addresses.)

I made a mistake on the registration form, but already submitted it! What do I do?

If you entered the character name incorrectly, submit a new request for the correct character name, and don't verify the original one. The incorrect character name account will eventually time out and be deleted.

If you submitted your RL name incorrectly, email tap-wizzes@fur.com with your correct full name.

If you submitted your email address incorrectly, you're screwed. You will have to wait for the original request to time out, which it will do in about a week. Alternately, you can submit a request for a different name, and then change to the name you wanted when the request times out (the character will be removed when it does).

Is it okay if I share my account with a friend?

No.

You may not share your account, or give your accounts away. We do not make exceptions for this.

I was once toaded off the MUCK for an offense, but I don't remember hearing I was banned. Can I just... come back?

First of all, we usually make it quite clear, either on the MUCK or in email, typically both, if you are banned.

However, if you are not sure, for whatever reason, email tap-wizzes@fur.com and ask for clarification.

Banning means that the user is not welcome to recreate themselves. The wizards will prevent the user from returning. Sometimes this is accompanied by a sitewide banning, which means any user with a matching IP address and/or email address can not return to the MUCK. All attempts to get around bans are carefully logged to keep the ban as permanent and consistent as possible given our resources. However, bans are not always permanent.

I submitted a character request, but never got the email with the registration key code. What should I do?

Assume you made an error when you entered your email address or that your spam software ate your email, etc. I don't mean to throw it back at you, but in my years of experience it's %99.999 the user's error in this scenario.

Your flubbed character generation will eventually time out. This takes 2-3 days. The character will then be automatically recycled to free the name again. At that point you can send in another registration request. If you don't want to wait that long, pick a new name and try again.

You can write to us at tap-wizzes@fur.com if and only if you have tried registering at least twice, okay? Usually someone flubs their data entry on the form. We need you to try twice before coming to us. (We get a LOT of inquiries like this!)

How can a person requesting an account determine whether their desired name is available?

Try submitting the form. If the name isn't available, it will let you know instantly.

Is it within the policies to use two separate accounts at the same time? I don't see anything against it and would like to try.

In our jargon, "alts" (alternate characters) are just fine. You may have as many character accounts as you like. You may also use one account and @name yourself as many times as you like, although you may risk losing a name once you switch away from it. To register more character accounts, go to http://www.fur.com/tapestries and fill out the form again.

I have just completed the several steps involved for registering an account with this service. I am now waiting 48 hours for the wizards to review and approve. Why is there so much security for this game? I feel like I'm applying for a building permit.

You are waiting 48 hours for your submitted request to be processed automatically by batch scripts that run every 2-3 days (sending and processing multiple validation emails) and for the wizards to receive a log (also produced by this script) of all account requests in progress for record-keeping and technical support purposes. This "slowness" is part of the price we pay for having character creation highly automated and robust, but yet open to intervention by the administration if needed, which is almost never.

That being said, the "security" of Tapestries is what we can provide given that the service is free to its user base, and the head administration and technical support helpstaff consists of volunteers. Depending upon who you ask, there's either 1) an absurd amount of "security" attempts going on, or 2) there's absurdly little being done to ensure security. It seems the person asking this question falls in camp #1.

I have registered a name and password, and was approved, but when i log in, it says invalid password and name combination?

The most common cause of this is attempting to log into the Muck's website instead of the Muck itself. The MUCK is a chat service that requires a client program, much like IRC. See: <a href=http://www.fur.com/tapestries/wiki/Connecting>Connecting</a>

Forum/Wiki accounts must be registered separately through the Muck forums (they will work for both.)

Are there any registration charges or other fees?

No. It's all free.

I created an account 113 weeks ago according to my brother's last log query. I have since then forgotten my e-mail address and password. Is there any way that I can get the character deleted so I can create it again?

You can retrieve your password, but only if you have the original email address. Other than that, you have to wait for an idle-purge, which happens once every 2-3 years. The short answer is: No, register again.

Technical

What if I have someone linked to one of my rooms, but I don't want them there?

Usage: @breaklink <object|exit|player>

@breaklink is used to break the link of an object, player, or exit which is linked to you (or, in the case of a player, a room which is owned by you), but is not owned by you. If the target object is of type thing, it is relinked to its owner's home. If it is an exit, it is simply unlinked. If it is a player, it is relinked to a default location and sent there.

What is a 'MUCK client' and why is it so important?

MUCKs are accessed via the standard telnet protocol. The protocol is not very user-friendly. The administration does not recommend trying to use 'raw telnet' to access Tapestries. Please investigate a client program for your particular operating system. The wizards recommend that you select a client that works well with MUCK (or MUSH, which is similar enough) and which includes ignore/gag features.

See the link on this page for a website that gives a nice list of clients.

Is there a comprehensive list of all the commands available? (Such as wixxx, cinfo, leash, etc.)

MUCKs are a little bit odd in how they handle commands, thus, there are two sources for command listings.

The "help" command lists in server commands. These are (more or less) the same on every MUCK.

On Tapestries, there are "globals" commands that list what additional software we have loaded:

globals - General stuff. iglobals - Information gathering stuff. bglobals - Building and other technical stuff.

-WhiteWizard

Why does Tapestries not have a 'hug' command?

Hug, and it's ilk (eat, nuzzle, etc. etc.) don't exist on Tapestries MUCK for several reasons:

They are spammy. They tend to encorage people to walk into a room and start a macro-hug-fest that, in busy rooms, can make the place unusuable.

They are inflexible. People on Tapestries MUCK are expected to learn how to pose, and anything that can be done with "hug" can be done with a ":".

And, really, if the difference between "hug" and ":hugs so-and-so." means some one does not do it, they probably didn't really mean it in the first place.

What do I do if something doesn't work as documented?

Work with helpstaff to create a work-around and/or to improve the documentation. The wizards may edit the existing documentation or make the work-around more readily available.

What do I do if a MUF program doesn't work? What do I do if a MUF program has a bug?

page #mail the wizards about it, and ask the helpstaff if there is a workaround for the problem.

If it is con-announce(#960FWLM3), just ignore it. It's known buggy, and being replaced soon.

Why does Tapestries only have an MSUMMON command and not an MJOIN command like other MUCKs?

The main reason is it can be used to spam and harass people, as has been proven in the past.

Also, it's better for the person IN the room make the invite, this way they feel responsible for making sure it is "ok" that you be there, which is important for private rooms.

How do I know if someone looked at me?

If you wish to be notified when someone looks at your description, you can use the following command:

@set me=_look/notify:yes

If you wish to know if someone sees you looking at them, you can do so with this command:

@set me=_look/notify-looker:yes

If you wish to know if someone is looking at objects you are carrying, this command will do it:

@set me=_look/notify-contents:yes

For more information, you can review:

look #help notify

What is different about MPI on Tapestries compared to other MUCKs?

In "standard" MPI implementations, you can read properties, check flags, and otherwise manipulate objects that are "close by" or are in places you own.

This, with the exception of {name:}, simply does not work on Tapestries. The reasons are many and varied, but lets just say if you walked into someone's room, or looked at them, they could, say, read your page #mail, before this change was made.

That is just plain not acceptable.

There are a few things you ARE allowed to find out about people, these are granted through special macros that are global to the system:

{sex:} Returns someone's gender. {species:} Returns someone's species.

Again, the context that you are allowed to look at these is fairly limited.

Someone stole/removed something I made and I can't find it, what do I do?

You can use @own to get a list of items you own, and then @tel #number=me to return the object to yourself. The number is the "dbref" of an object, for example, if you see My Thing(#4034J), you would type:

@tel #4034=me

Whats a zombie? Why don't they work on Tapestries?

Zombies aka Puppets are a way of having a "light weight" character. It allows an object to act, in most ways, as a character.

After observations of other MU*s and the problems they have created there, and beacuse of the lack of a lot of MUF software support for them, they are not allowed on Tapestries MUCK.

Can anyone tell my alt is me?

No. Not unless they're good at sleuthing based on your writing style and personality. Only the wizards can identify alts.

How do I delete stuff?

To delete objects, exits, and rooms you must use the @recycle command. If you need help with this command, please contact a member of helpstaff. You might also try 'help @recycle' for information.

How do I get help? Technical support? Documentation? A clue?

To get help on all standard-to-any-MUCK command, type:

To get help on Tapestries-specific-commands, type the command name followed by '#help':

say #help whisper #help page #help look #help leash #help wixxx #help cinfo #help

To learn about MUCK policy, type the 'policy' command (to list the policy index) and then 'policy [policy]' to read the body of the text.

For example:

policy wizzes policy registration

To get help from a live person, type 'helpstaff' or 'wizzes' and look for someone listed as 'On Duty'.

How do I make my desc longer than what is allowed by @desc?

The simplest way is to use editplayer. Alternatively, you can use lsedit to create a list (example: lsedit me=clotheddesc). Typing .h during lsedit will give you help during that if needed. When done, @desc me={list:clotheddesc} or whatever your list name happens to be will make that list your desc and bypass the @desc limit. --Cherise, helpstaffer

How do I make morphs?

First things first. Type morph #add and fill out the name and morph command for what you are right now, and create a morph for yourself before you start. The process then follows as such: Rewrite your @desc, scent, species, gender, and such to suit what you wish this new form to be like. Once you have everything just the way you want it, THEN use morph #add again to create the second morph. A lot of newbies don't realize that morph #add takes a snapshot of what you are right now and makes the morph out of that. Once you've created the second, new morph, try to morph between them and verify that they work the way you expect them to. -- Cherise, helpstaffer

How do I see who is where?

Due to privacy reasons you cannot see where a specific person is at a given moment, but typing lc will give you a list of how many people are in specific locations so you can see where the hotspots are. Additionally, tport #public will give you a list of all the public locations you can immediately teleport to. If a place looks interesting but nobody's there, hang around a while! There aren't many places that are totally abandoned, and somebody's got to be there first to get the party started. -- Cherise, helpstaffer

Addendum: 'wa' (whereare) also works.

How do I set objects so that other people can look at them?

@set <object>=_remote_desc:<desc> will create a separate desc that is seen if a person is not actually holding an object but looks at it. That step is optional. @set <object>=_remote_look?:yes will set it so that people CAN look at it from afar. -- Cherise, helpstaffer

How do 'Obvious Exits' work?

The @succ of the room should be set to '@9' -- and then your exits should be named thusly:

North [N];n;north South [S];s;south Dragonbone Chair [DC];dc Up the Ladder [UL];ul;up;ladder

Only the exit-name before the first semi-colon will show up in the Obvious Exits list.

If you do NOT want an exit to appear in the 'Obvious Exits' list, just set it DARK.

@set up=DARK

I changed my description to MPI format, but I hate it. How can I change it back to plain text? (I'm aware this may not make any sense...

Cut/paste it to Notepad or another external editor. Fix it. Paste it back in either to an lsedit list or with plain @desc me=...

How do I set a cinfo notify?

cinfo #set fieldName = {null:{tell:[{name:me} cinfo's you.],{owner:this}}} blah blah blah

Only do this for ONE field in your cinfo. Just once will notify you if anyone uses the cinfo command. However, misc fields must each be configured with look-notifies separately.

Am I allowed to make a "vehicle" object?

No.

Vehicles, like puppets and zombies, pose special challenges to both the MUCK server and MUF that they are not able to handle, such as recursively checking permissions for entry to an area, listing who is actually listening in an area, etc. etc.

As such, they are not allowed on Tapestries where such privacy is important.

How can I tell what exits are linked to my room, or what objects and people make it their home?

@entrances here

Is there a way to check who has me on there watchfor list?

No.

There any way to check for exits not listed as 'Obvius exits'?

If you own the room you are in, you can type "exits" to get a list, or ex here, which will give you more information.

If you do not, you are only allowed to know about the exits the room owner chooses to publicize.

How do I delete a room? @recycle and the room number doesn't seem to work.

You need to be in the room first, you can use @tel to get to it, as in @tel me=#room_dbref.

Then you can recycle the room, normaly by typing @recycle here.

How do I set my newly built room as my "home"?

You set a home for yourself (or a Thing) with @link. For example, if you are in the room, you could type @link me=here.

How do I make an entrance not show up?

@set exitname=_visible?:no

What information do I put in the client to connect?

The address for the MUCK is tapestries.fur.com 2069. The number tacked on the end is the 'port.'

Is there a way to retrieve page mails that have already been read?

No. Which is a pain in my butt, too. Sorry.

Can I make an exit 'transparent' so that looking into it actually shows you the description of the room beyond it?

@set exitname=_look_through?:yes will do the trick. You can get more information on how to fine tune it with:

look #help transparent

The exit may be locked and still be transparent, allowing you to have a "window" that people can not step through.

Can you customize your teleport messages?

You can't. You can, however, create @actions that link to JUMP_OK people and rooms, and put @osucc messages on those actions.

1. Find out your HOME dbref 2. @action gohome=me 3. @link gohome=#xxxx 4. @osucc gohome=yells, "BEAM ME UP!" and disappears in a swirl of sparkles. 5. @succ gohome=You yell, "BEAM ME UP!" and disappear in a swirl of sparkles.

Remember, wizards are not technical support. Helpstaff are technicall support. So for help on this FAQ, type 'helpstaff' and page one of 'em.

How do I use the new #request system?

To get technical support, you go to helpstaff. (Type 'helpstaff' to see the list.) But to get help with harassment and policy violations, you go to the wizards. And you use 'request #submit [text]' to create a trouble ticket, 'request #requests' to see a list of your existing tickets, and 'request #show [ticketnumber]' to review your ticket(s) later, to find out which wizard took it over, and how the issue was resolved, or how you can help to resolve it.

Sometimes, you'll do 'request #requests' and see that a ticket is old, and unclaimed. At that point, please feel free to submit a fresh ticket with a reference to the older one, reminding us that the issue still needs attention. Sometimes the ticket is so old that in fact the issue is no longer an issue. In that case, please let us know (submit another ticket; or page-mail) that ticket #xxxx can be safely closed out.

Sometimes you'll see your ticket has been claimed, but not resolved. Feel free to follow up with the claimant wizard for details.

Sometimes you'll see that the ticket is resolved, but the resolution doesn't make sense or isn't what you needed from the wizard. Follow up on those, too. We're trying to be more or less 'at your service' -- so don't sit and stew! Let us know if you need more attention.

If you feel in any way ignored, please understand you've probably been lost in spam (metaphorically) and that it isn't a statement on the part of any wizard (or helpstaffer, or zone administrator, etc) to brush you off. Just speak up and we'll do our best!

Watchfor says my friend is online, but my friend isn't online. WTF?

Like the page command, watchfor suffers from a string-matching problem. If you have 'Don' on watchfor, he will show up if 'Donkey' or 'Donald' or 'Donnie' logs in. Conversely, if you have 'BigBlackDog' on your watchfor, and plain old 'Big' logs in, it will appear as though 'BigBlackDog' is online. We don't have a fix for it. We can only suggest that you use 'WHO <string>' to double-check if you're having any trouble along these lines. You can also supplement your watchfor with 'pwho' (see 'pwho #help') which matches via dbref rather than name, and so is never confused. Just ask a friendly neighborhood helpstaffer for assistance.

When I page so-and-so, someone with a similar name gets the page! How do I fix it?

This is a known problem with our current page program. Please don't report it to anyone.

Here is the quick fix: Set up a page-alias for the person you want to page.

For example, if you're trying to page 'BigRedDog' you might be typing 'page bigred=Hi!'. To prevent your page from going to 'BigRedCat' or 'BigRedBird' or 'BigRed' plain, you will need to make a personal 'shortcut' to the name.

page #alias brd=BigRedDog

You can use any string you like as your 'shortcut' and you can point it to any person you like. Please check out 'page #help2' for details, and contact a technical support staff member (type 'helpstaff' for a list) for assistance.

What happened to my trouble ticket?

To see your tickets, their status, their notes at closure, etc:

req #requests

Why isn't there an SSL connection to Tapestries, particularly given its adult nature?

Tapestries MUCK is running software that is several years old. That software has been debugged over those years and is one of the few things that can run such a large system. The downside is that there are many features it lacks, and this is one of them.

An upgrade is eventually planned to fix this particular problem, but is not expected in the near future with all the other higher priority issues the Muck has.

Until then your options are limited. Unix users for example can make a secure connection to another machine on a trusted network and connect from there. Windows users would have to setup a secure proxy somewhere that makes an insecure connection to the Muck.

We do not suggest connecting to Tapestries MUCK from any work place where your network may be monitored. Even if the text of the conversation were encrypted, the fact that you are connecting to an obviously adult service would still be visible from the IP address and port.

How does the @action command work?

Your best bet for a walk-through of @action is to get in contact with our technical support helpstaff. On the MUCK, type 'helpstaff' and page someone from the list.

In brief, an @action is like an exit but is not required to be linked to and from rooms. You can link actions to anything at all.

Imagine you have an object called 'Couch' and you want people to be able to type 'sit' and get the message 'You sit on the couch.'

Couch has dbref #123 in this example.

@action sit=#123(creates 'sit' and associates it with the Couch so that if you pick up the couch and take it to another room, 'sit' goes with it)

@lock sit=me&!me (guarantees that everyone will see the @fail msg)

@fail sit=You sit on the couch. @ofail sit=sits on the couch.

There are other ways to use @action, of course. You can associate an action like 'goParty' to yourself, link it to the Party Room, and when you type 'goParty' the action will be like an exit, and you will arrive at the Party Room. You can also attach MPI and MUF programs to the action for added complexity.

Is there any way to connect behind a firewall?

You must discuss this with those who control your firewall.

Other Players

What if I find out someone is a minor RL?

When you have solid evidence that the wizards can research, such as they mentioned their RL age on the MUCK, or they referenced a website that gave their birthdate, or the like: Report them.

Our registration page is a legal document. Lying during registration is fraud. Fraudulent accounts (of any kind) will be deleted.

It is our obligation as administrators of an adult service to uphold the laws of the country and state inside of which the service is hosted.

What do I do if I am being harassed?

JadeWizard wrote a very good document/FAQ for this, and it is here.

Is there a way to check who has me on there watchfor list?

No.

How do I remove people from my "watchfor" list?

wft !playername

More information can be found with wft #help.

Use 'wft' and not 'wf'.

How can I find someone of a certain species on the MUCK?

You can do not a comprehensive search by species.

Other

How do I share my comment, complaint, suggestion, idea?

We use player's ideas all the times, and we'd love to hear from you as well.

The best way to give us feedback is to use the forums (see the link on this page), try and pick an apropriate place and post your thoughts and feelings, your ideas and suggestions.

However, if you want to give us feedback privately, just send email to 'tap-wizzes@fur.com' with the subject 'Feedback'.

Remember to identify your character name so we can credit you properly.

What is a 'MUCK client' and why is it so important?

See the link on this page for a website that gives a nice list of clients.

Who do I thank for this FAQ?

JadeWizard wrote most of the stuff that was submitted today (October 21st, 2003.) It was ripped off right out of her cinfo.

WhiteWizard installed the software and did a lot of cut and paste (and a bit of editing.)

Thanks also goes to the helpstaff who help fill this page out. They are brave, brave people. :)

Can I donate money or hardware to help you run the MUCK?

No. We can't allow the precedent. Once people start paying for something -- even if we all tell each other it's purely charity -- their attitude changes. We're also aware that a "pay service" has different legal obligations.

Why isn't there an SSL connection to Tapestries, particularly given its adult nature?

An upgrade is eventually planned to fix this particular problem, but is not expected in the near future with all the other higher priority issues the Muck has.

If by the laws of my state, I am legally able to give consent, would I be allowed to join Tapestries? For example, a person in Maine can legally give consent at 16 years old, and they are older than that. Would that be acceptable?

Tapestries is bound by the laws of California.

How do I use a sex toy when I find one?

This is just a name for Tapestries funny-money. When you create objects or rooms you are spending them. You can also give them to other players, but it's not very meaningful. It's just fun.

How long has Tapestries MUCK been around?

1992.

Helpstaff

How can I volunteer to help out?

As a member of helpstaff, you need to be an expert in navigating the helpfiles, news files, info files, policy files, wizard cinfos, and website. You will be reading them so that the ordinary players don't have to. Someone who has only ever used 'editplayer' and has little to no familiarity with the help resources is not the best candidate for the position.

Please note, the role of helpstaff is to provide assistance with FAQs, building, programming, help resources, and other technical issues. It is not the responsibility of helpstaff members to participate in peacekeeping or arbitration. Period. Members of helpstaff are instructed to keep a "hands off" approach to user conflict, and to kindly direct the users to seek help from one of the wizard administrators.

If you have read and agree to these terms, please send your application to tap-wizzes@fur.com with subject line 'Volunteer'. Please include a brief description of your qualifications and the name of your character. Depending upon your qualifications, your may be given a brief entrance "quiz" before you are welcomed to the staff core.

Thank you!

I am having a problem with user X and can not get to a wizard right away! Can a member of helpstaff assist?

No.

Helpstaff have neither the authority, responsibility, or power to deal with peacekeeping or arbitration.

Please contact a wizard.

Can I be a wizard?

No.

We are not accepting applications for wizard positions at this time.

This may be confusing when it is commonly known that the MUCK is short-handed, but there are good reasons for this. TapestriesMUCK appeals to many people in part because of the nature of its wizcore, and how hands-off it is. Thus, the requirements to become a wizard are very difficult to meet, and in general, if you are not already very well-known to the head wizard, you're not going to make the cut.

Please, please, please, please consider 'helpstaff' as an alternative. We want you there. Badly.

How can I tell that someone is HelpStaff?

You can type the command 'helpstaff' on a line by itself, and hit return. This will display a list of helpstaff members that are currently online. You may want to check 'helpstaff #help' for more options, such as 'helpstaff #all' -- which will display members of helpstaff regardless of their online status.

What is helpstaff?

The 'helpstaff' command will list the uncommon individuals who have chosen to give something back to the Tapestries community by volunteering as technical support representatives for the MUCK environment. Please contact them, and not wizards, for any questions you have about commands, building, creating, help files, and so forth.

Helpstaff have no authority over roleplaying, player relations, conflict management, arbitration, policy enforcement, policy making, toading, banning, or any other policy-related issues. Only wizards can help you with these issues. If a member of helpstaff seems to be claiming to have "authority" please report them to JadeWizard immediately.

Wizards

Which wizard do I go to for what kind of problem? How long will it take

for them to respond? All wizards can be reached via email at tap-wizzes@fur.com. To address a particular wizard, put their name in the subject or body of your letter.

o WhiteWizard -- Head wizard. Owner of the MUCK. Primarly for escalation purposes, rarely useful to contact directly.

o BlackWizard -- Player relations, policy enforcement. Rarely, if ever, available to users.

o StyxWizard -- Building management. Ask 'helpstaff' your question *before* speaking to this busy wizard. See the building policy and the building bulletin board (tport BuildingPermits) for more information. Building approval turn-around time varies from weeks to months, depending on the crunch.

o GreyWizard -- Policy enforcement; also decision-maker regarding whether particular email addresses are considered valid or invalid for registration purposes. Available several times a month. Response time 7-10 days.

o JadeWizard -- Policy enforcement, conflict management, harassment, minors, password requests, MUCK information, and misc. Read 'cinfo JadeWizard' before asking questions. Technical questions must go to 'helpstaff'. Available daily. Response time 0-3 days. Email jade@night-sky.org if needed.

o BlueWizard -- Not available to users. This wizard is a programmer who assists in the implementation and maintenance of MUCK features. Comes online once or twice a quarter.

Check wizard status with the 'wizzes' command.

How do I contact a wizard?

Normally contact should be made through 'request #submit <text>' -- which will create a trackable 'ticket' with your message and the wizard's response. (Check your ticket status with 'request #req'.) Waiting for the wizard that you need to connect will often take forever, depending on your schedule when compared to theirs.

Alternatly, you can contact wizards by sending email to tap-wizzes@fur.com

Can I be a wizard?

No.

We are not accepting applications for wizard positions at this time.

Please, please, please, please consider 'helpstaff' as an alternative. We want you there. Badly.

How do I use the new #request system?

Sometimes you'll see your ticket has been claimed, but not resolved. Feel free to follow up with the claimant wizard for details.

Harassment

I am having a problem with user X and can not get to a wizard right away! Can a member of helpstaff assist?

No.

Helpstaff have neither the authority, responsibility, or power to deal with peacekeeping or arbitration.

Please contact a wizard.

Which wizard do I go to for what kind of problem? How long will it take

for them to respond? All wizards can be reached via email at tap-wizzes@fur.com. To address a particular wizard, put their name in the subject or body of your letter.

o WhiteWizard -- Head wizard. Owner of the MUCK. Primarly for escalation purposes, rarely useful to contact directly.

o BlackWizard -- Player relations, policy enforcement. Rarely, if ever, available to users.

o BlueWizard -- Not available to users. This wizard is a programmer who assists in the implementation and maintenance of MUCK features. Comes online once or twice a quarter.

Check wizard status with the 'wizzes' command.

What do I do if I am being harassed?

JadeWizard wrote a very good document/FAQ for this, and it is here.

What is an NCO? How do I get one? How is it enforced? What's the worst that can happen to either of us if we break it?

NCO == No Contact Order, it is discussed in the Harassment policy.

You get one by using 'request #submit <TEXT>' to leave a ticket for the wizards, as mentioned in that policy.

It is enforced by complaint. If one party complains the other violated the NCO, this is researched.

The punishment for violating an NCO can range from time in the stocks all the way to banning, depending on prior history, and the nature of the contact.

From JadeWizard, 09-18-2004:

***Tip about alts: If you have reasonable evidence or knowledge that another character is played by someone with whom you have an NCO, then the NCO applies to that character. If you have no evidence or knowledge that the character is played by that person (i.e. they are deliberately incognito) then you can not be said to have broken the NCO. Keep this in mind.*** Thank you.

An NCO, or "No Contact Order," is a wizard-enforced conflict management tool. It forbids both parties from making any further contact with one another, essentially under pain of death. "Breaking an NCO" by communicating with the person -- whether via your main, your alt(s), or your friends, etc -- is typically an immediately toadable offense. NCOs are requested via the request system (req #submit <text>) and exist until one party petitions the wizards for it to be dissolved, and both parties agree to the dissolution. Detailed instructions on how to carry out an NCO are provided to both parties during the instatement.

How do I use the new #request system?

Sometimes you'll see your ticket has been claimed, but not resolved. Feel free to follow up with the claimant wizard for details.

The OOC people are spamming my IC play! (or, The IC people are spamming my OOC chat!)

Wizards review each 'trouble ticket' on a case-by-case basis. The policies (which are sometimes called the AUP, ROC, or even EULA) are authoritative guidelines, but are not designed to produce hard and fast, black and white, rules. However, because of the MUCK's stated mission -- http://www.fur.com/tapestries/policies/mission.php -- complaints regarding "spam" of any kind (i.e. "OOC spam") will typically be interpreted in favor of sexual and BDSM-related conversation, roleplaying, and/or sex.

Building

What if I have someone linked to one of my rooms, but I don't want them there?

Usage: @breaklink <object|exit|player>

What if I want my building to be public?

The TapestriesMUCK building wizard is StyxWizard.

Public building must be submitted via the bboard in the Town Hall 'building permits' room.

To go there, type: tport BuildingPermits

There is a very, very, very long line.

Remember, there are literally hundreds of people trying to build new spaces on the MUCK. The "turn-around time" for building approval can stretch into months. That's right, months.

In the meantime, learn the tport program (tport #help) to show individuals how to teleport directly to your space. In any event, do not hold your breath for quick evaluation and approval of building projects. Your project will be given the attention it deserves as soon as it's feasible.

For more information, read the bboard in game mentioned above.

I just built a new room, but how do I get into it?

You must own the room. You must know the dbref of the room. If you don't know the dbref of the room for any reason, you must at least know the name of the room. If you know the name of the room, you can '@find keyword' to bring up its dbref. For example, if the room is 'Big Blue Ballroom' you can '@find Blue'. Once you have the dbref, you can use this command:

@teleport me=#112233 (where the number is the dbref of the room - you must own the room for this to work)

See also (in game): help HOMES, help LINK_OK, help ABODE

How can I request an increase in my building quota?

Quota extensions are only given for public building projects, not private ones. See the building policy and visit the building office online for more information on this.

How can I tell what exits are linked to my room, or what objects and people make it their home?

@entrances here

How do I delete a room? @recycle and the room number doesn't seem to work.

You need to be in the room first, you can use @tel to get to it, as in @tel me=#room_dbref.

Then you can recycle the room, normaly by typing @recycle here.

How do I set my newly built room as my "home"?

You set a home for yourself (or a Thing) with @link. For example, if you are in the room, you could type @link me=here.

How do I make an entrance not show up?

@set exitname=_visible?:no

Can two of my characters "combine" quota by building a single space, half of which is owned by alt #1 and the other half owned by alt #2?

Be very careful here, guys. If we find out you're deliberately creating alts JUST to get around our quota limit, you are toast. Instant toast. On the other hand, if you have something modest in mind and/or good in character reasons for doing this sort of thing, we will take that into account. In general, a good policy would be: don't play around with the quota rules. They're there for the good of the MUCK and while we will interpret your building decisions as generously as we can, we just don't take kindly to ploys.

Can I make an exit 'transparent' so that looking into it actually shows you the description of the room beyond it?

@set exitname=_look_through?:yes will do the trick. You can get more information on how to fine tune it with:

look #help transparent

The exit may be locked and still be transparent, allowing you to have a "window" that people can not step through.

Is there a comprehensive directory that will tell me the themes and specialities of the public areas of the MUCK?

Well, there's "tport #public" - which is just a big huge list. You can usually tell by the name of the area what its speciality might be. Otherwise, there is no such directory at this time. Who wants to volunteer? ;)

I just created a character, how do I go about creating a home for it?

Your local technical support staff (type 'helpstaff' for a list) is there in part to help you establish your homestead. Just page one of 'em!

How do I allow others to set one of my rooms as their home?

Stand in the room you own and wish to allow others to link to as home.

@set here=ABODE

How do I allow other people to teleport to one of my rooms?

Stand in the room you'd like them to be able to teleport to...

@set here=LINK_OK

Give them the dbref of the room. For this example, the room is called 'Party Room' and the dbref is #123.

Now have them create an action:

@action goPartyRoom=me @link goPartyRoom=#123 @succ goPartyRoom=You teleport to the Party Room! @osucc goPartyRoom=disappears to the Party Room! @odrop goPartyRoom=arrives in a poof of displaced air!

I have an error 'Exit lacks zone flag' popping up. What does that mean and how do I fix it?

What does it mean? -- 'Exit lacks zone flag' is a little bit misleading. The solution is not always to set a flag on the exit. This error message is telling you is that the destination room is not parented correctly. The code in 'zone' is checking to make sure all rooms are part of the zone's parent room. If your destination room is not, then the exit won't work.

How can I fix it? -- Add the destination room to the proper 'zone' parent. To do so, you @teleport the destination room (#aaa) into the parent room (#bbb). @teleport #aaa=#bbb -- In most circumstances, you must own both the destination room and the parent room to do this.

I believe exits that will cross zones must not only be parented correctly inside their own zone, but be set 'Z' to mark it as a cross-zone exit. The 'Z' flag can only be set by a wizard. In fact, since we lack a building admin, it can only be set by WhiteWizard. I've tried to keep helpstaff up to date on this stuff, so they'll be useful during this transition! :)

Policy

What if I find out someone is a minor RL?

When you have solid evidence that the wizards can research, such as they mentioned their RL age on the MUCK, or they referenced a website that gave their birthdate, or the like: Report them.

Our registration page is a legal document. Lying during registration is fraud. Fraudulent accounts (of any kind) will be deleted.

It is our obligation as administrators of an adult service to uphold the laws of the country and state inside of which the service is hosted.

What is 'too human' anyway?

1. Only a wizard can determine what is 'too' human. No other player, regardless of community status or membership to any group (helpstaff included), can tell you with any authority that you are 'too human.' However, I'd listen to your peers, if I were you. Evaluations of 'humanity' are typically triggered by complaints. If someone complains about you, then your description, cinfo, and other attributes will be critically evaluated by a wizard.

2. Using 'policy humans' as a guideline, a wizard will evaluate a character brought to their attention as 'too human.' Judgments are made on a case-by-case basis. Depending upon the wizard, you may be toaded on sight (for flagrant violation of a well-advertised policy) or you may be given an opportunity to revise your character's presentation.

3. Considering that being 'too human' CAN result in toading on sight, it is strongly recommended that you do not 'flirt with danger' by playing human-like characters. Why take the risk? Use your creative prowess to draw your reader's attention to non-human qualities. Put effort into NOT breaking the policy, and you will very likely be understood. If it looks like you're saying "Fuck you" to the 'no humans' policy, expect a complementary response from the administration.

I was once toaded off the MUCK for an offense, but I don't remember hearing I was banned. Can I just... come back?

First of all, we usually make it quite clear, either on the MUCK or in email, typically both, if you are banned.

However, if you are not sure, for whatever reason, email tap-wizzes@fur.com and ask for clarification.

Toaded users experience 'punishment' by having their character and possessions deleted. Everything revolving around their name and/or dbref breaks. All code, buildings, objects, exits, etc are gone. Unless they have continuously backed up their "stuff" to a file off the MUCK, it's all toast. But they aren't banned. They can turn right around, go back to the registration page and create themselves again.

What is an NCO? How do I get one? How is it enforced? What's the worst that can happen to either of us if we break it?

NCO == No Contact Order, it is discussed in the Harassment policy.

You get one by using 'request #submit <TEXT>' to leave a ticket for the wizards, as mentioned in that policy.

It is enforced by complaint. If one party complains the other violated the NCO, this is researched.

The punishment for violating an NCO can range from time in the stocks all the way to banning, depending on prior history, and the nature of the contact.

From JadeWizard, 09-18-2004:

It's not human, but it's not furry either! Is it okay?

answer: WhiteWizard sayeth: Our character policy is anti-human, but not necessarily constrained to 'fur' or 'furries.' Vehicles, zombies, machines, androids, robots, rocks, bits of mist, talking slime, animated cucumbers, non-human toons, and so forth, are all acceptable character choices. Human toons and human-looking androids, robots, etc, are NOT acceptable.

The OOC people are spamming my IC play! (or, The IC people are spamming my OOC chat!)

Is there any way for people besides Wizards to see any of my RL information?

You can make your RL information public by deliberately adding it to your cinfo, description, etc. But unless you do it yourself, there is absolutely no way for others to see your RL information.

Society and Etiquette

a/s/l?

a/s/l stands for Age/Sex/Location. It is a common thing to hear in AOL chat rooms, and some related services.

It's consider very poor taste on a MUCK, however, as is most "l33t" or "IRC" speech and abbreviations.

What is a "twink"?

1. [Berkeley] A clue-repellant user; the next step beyond a clueless one.

2. Also reported on the Usenet group soc.motss; may derive from gay slang for a cute young thing with nothing upstairs (compare mainstream `chick').

Mostly #2 on Tapestries MUCK, often used both with and with out the negative connotation.

"Cute" can also mean (cue www.m-w.com) ATTRACTIVE, PRETTY -- a generalized expression of approval sometimes suggesting daintiness, fine features, deftness, or delicacy <a cute kid with pigtails bound in red ribbons -- W.A.White> <young, dark and small, with pretty features as regular as if they had been cut by a die. "He's cute," I said -- Dashiell Hammett> <a cute little bungalow> <a cute wristwatch>