~ Early Web Links ~

IFComp is the longest-running annual competition for interactive fiction, celebrating text-driven digital games and stories from independent creators since 1995. Now in its 31st year, the site hosts entry registration, prize pools through the Colossal Fund, past competition results, and extensive resources for both authors and judges.

Xyllomer is a long-running fantasy MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) with a richly detailed world featuring guilds, player-owned houses and ships, horses, trading, and a strong emphasis on roleplay over combat. Players can explore a complex alternate reality where good battles evil, gnomes live alongside centaurs, and the world is governed by player-elected judges.

Tharsis Gate is the official home of a fantasy-themed MUD featuring elves, dragons, guilds, and medieval adventure in a richly imagined world. Visitors can connect via Telnet or Java, browse getting-started guides, view guild information, and access an archived copy of the Imaginary Realities MUD e-zine.

A legacy archive preserving the history of Majik 3D MMORPG, a volunteer-driven open-source online roleplaying game active from 1995 to 2002 that evolved from a text-based MUD through a 2D roguelike into a full 3D world. Maintained by the original developer namhas, the site hosts over 3,300 files including source code on GitHub, archived mailing lists, forums, screenshots, and design documents chronicling one of the early indie MMORPGs with player-controlled economies and ecosystems.

Textfire.de hosts a detailed review and technical breakdown of TxA, a text adventure authoring system by Viktor Krammer designed for MS-DOS and Linux. The site covers TxA's compiler/interpreter architecture, its scripting language syntax, block structures like [INIT], [ROOM], and [INVENTORY], and serves as part of a broader German-language resource hub for interactive fiction enthusiasts.

EmpireMUD is a map-based multiplayer online text game derived from CircleMUD and the DikuMUD family, where players build empires, claim territory, and compete for dominance in a persistent world. Originally developed by Paul Clarke starting in 2000, the game is actively maintained and accessible via Telnet or MUD clients, with features supporting both sighted and visually impaired players.

Icesus is a free multiplayer text-based MUD set on the frozen planet of Aegic, running continuously since 1995 and maintained by a non-profit community. With 40+ guilds, deep combat systems, a richly detailed world, and a brand-new browser client requiring no downloads, it offers an impressive old-school online RPG experience still actively developed today.