Connect to a MUD

You need the MUD's host name and port. Its website or welcome page normally lists both. If it says the connection is secure, also note that it uses TLS.

Smudgy stores two related records:

• A server holds the network address and connection options for one MUD.
• A profile holds the name and login steps for one character on that server.

Several profiles can use the same server. This keeps the address in one place and gives each character its own login details. Saved automations, modules, packages, and maps belong to the server and are shared by its profiles.

When there are no saved servers, the Connect window offers Add your first server. Otherwise, choose + New Server.

1. Enter a short Name for the MUD.
2. Enter its Host without telnet: or https:.
3. Enter the numeric Port.
4. Leave compression enabled unless the MUD tells you not to use it.
5. Enable Secure connection (TLS) only when the MUD supports it. Keep certificate verification enabled. Disabling verification makes the connection vulnerable to impersonation and should be reserved for a server whose administrators explicitly document a self-signed certificate.
6. Choose Save & add profile.

The encoding setting is for older MUDs that do not send UTF-8 and do not negotiate an encoding. Leave the default in place unless characters arrive garbled and the MUD documents another encoding.

1. Give the profile a name you will recognize. A character name is usually best.
2. Add a description if you need to distinguish characters with similar names.
3. Optionally enter commands to send after connecting. Put one command on each line.
4. To include a password, place $PASSWORD where it should be sent, then enter the password in the separate password field. Smudgy tries to store that value in the operating system's credential store and does not write it into profile.json. On a system without a usable credential store, it falls back to an obfuscated file inside the profile directory; obfuscation is not encryption.
5. Choose Create profile.

Do not automate a password unless you control the computer. Check the MUD's rules before automating any later login choices.

Choose Connect beside the new profile. The Connect window closes and the session begins receiving text from the MUD. Place the cursor in the command input at the bottom of the session, type a command such as look, and press Enter.

Choose Offline when you want that server's map or automations without making a network connection. An offline session cannot send commands to the MUD.

Check the host and port first. A timeout often means the address is wrong, the MUD is down, or a firewall is blocking the port. A TLS or certificate error usually means the Secure connection setting does not match the MUD's instructions; do not solve it by turning off certificate verification without confirming the reason.

See Connection problems for a fuller checklist.

Next: Find your way around.