The best way to get to know and understand a MOO is to play in the MOO. DaMOO has a web interface which allows you to view all objects through your WWW browser. While most MOO folks do most of their work and play inMOO, some people find the web more "user friendly," especially if they are very new to the internet.

Most standard introductions to MOO define MOO through its acronym: Multi-User Dungeon/Domain/Dimension, Object Oriented. This does little to explain MOO. But it helps to know that MOO is a virtual place where many people can connect, through their computer, to other people, locally and around the world. The object oriented bit means that the MOO allows folks to program playful, and often useful, objects in order to share virtual experience, share work, share play. MOO "commands" strikingly similar to simple English language syntax. MOO commands are, therefore, "intuitive," for people who understand the simple English sentence with Subject/Verb/Direct Object/Indirect Object. While most definitions of MOO do not foreground this feature of MOO, it is important in that people do not have to learn a whole programming language in order to manipulate a powerful data base. And MOO is a grand data base in and of itself. Learning to use a MOO is a fun way to really get to understand computer systems as "environments."

Many people also try to explain MOO by foregrounding its gaming origins: there are excellent online articles on the history, origin and development of MOO. MOO is, perhaps most importantly, an online community of users, whether the MOO itself is "social," in that people connect to the MOO mainly for chatting and socializing, "professional," in that people connect to collaborate for their job or hold meetings, or "educational," in that people connect to hold classes, maintain an "online writing lab" (OWL), work on a paper with others, and so on.

MOO is only as useful as its members. A MOO *is* a community. The more "clued in" the community is, the more useful and exciting projects one will find (and be able to create) on a given MOO. In general, MOO folks tend to be helpful and share ideas freely. The MOO community is one of your best resources for assistance. However, there is an expectation that "newbies," or "MOObies," those new to the MOO community, will make an effort to read help files and try things out before asking for help. A simple rule of thumb is, "the MOO helps those who help themselves." Get to know the MOO, its capabilities, by reading the help files, reading 'help theme,' 'help manners,' and learn your way around the MOO topography. PLAY with MOO, and you will be rewarded with a rich community of peers who will help you when you get stuck.

With all this in mind, your mission is to spend some time looking around and fiddling with some of the objects and special types of rooms on DaMOO. You will need them for your web project. Where are they? What do they look like? What can they do? See if you can draw your own map of the MOO as you go. HINT: #11 is usually the starting place on all MOOs. In DaMOO, #11 is Galileo's HangOut.

Some things you might run across --

• shoe box
• DaMOO's Klok
• The Pub
• Help Cabinet
• Planet Renaissance
• Public Bathroom
• Vinnie
• DaMOO's Librarian
• Tutorial
• Schnerzerville
• Testus
• Chess board or Scrabble rooms

Your "todo" list of things you must accomplish:

DaMOO's Library has rooms with help cabinets, help on using MOO objects, specialized rooms and policy statements. Before you do much else, it's wise to read policy and help files -- at least know where to find the help for later when you will need it.

We have two wonderful tutors Schnerzer and Thayet who can help you if you get lost. You may MOOmail Thayet or email her at muddernut@hotmail.com. Schnerzer (AKA MO) may also be reached by MOOmail or at schnerzer@hotmail.com.

• Read manners (located in both Galileo's Hang Out and the help cabinet in the library).

• Read help privacy

• Find the "programmitorium" in the library and get a "prog bit."

• Locate the following rooms (they are connected to the four seasons rooms):
  • Who Wants to be a MOOlinaire
  • The Giant's Drink
  • MOO Central
  • DaMOO Cable
  • DaMOO Mall
  • 7-11
  • Other areas built by 1A students at Moorpark Look at the rooms both inside the MOO and from the web. Many of the projects have maps in their main room. Try out some of the links on the web. Find the paper cabinets and try to find the papers from past classes. Try "mapping out" the areas as you go to help visualize the spatial relationships of written textual space.
• Add at least one "feature object" to your character. HINT help features

Eng 1A-7 Eng 1A-8

Inet Resources Office Hours Policies Online Journal

Janet Cross Jai

MOO-Help Web Projects MOO Rooms MOO *Lists