Furcadia

Furcadia is a furry massively multiplayer online social game, set in a fantasy world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. It is often considered a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, but this term is inaccurate because the game has no built-in RPG element. For example, Furcadia has no combat simulation system, a staple of traditional role-playing games.

Contents

1 History 2 Playing Furcadia 2.1 Characters 2.2 Dreams 3 The Beekins 4 Business Model 5 External links

History

Furcadia is one of the oldest multiplayer computer games with graphics. It was developed by Dragon's Eye Productions (DEP), which opened the game to the public on December 16, 1996. The original creators, who go by the pseudonyms Felorin and Talzhemir, first developed the core technology in 1995 in a preliminary project called DragonSpires, a graphical MUD with very simplistic real-time combat, that used a DOS-based client limited to the 16 EGA colors. One year later, peaceful Furcadia was opened featuring art with a 256 ("indexed" color or "VGA") palette.

Two additional people are now credited as Creators for their significant contributions over the next 8 years.

Emerald Flame developed (and coordinates) the Beekin help staff project. She has been the game's producer and community director for many years.

Sanctimonious, who created the game's editors, is heavily involved in coding the client and the server. There are numerous "behind the scenes" web interfaces and databases that he also creates and runs, such as the tracking system for which Beekins have attended which classes.

DEP makes continual improvements to Furcadia and the game is much more sophisticated than the original DragonSpires. As of 2004, the game is (and always has been) in alpha testing.

Playing Furcadia

Characters

A character on Furcadia is called a 'furre' (pronounced like the word fur), short for furry. Furres can be one of several species:

• Feline
• Canine
• Lapine
• Equine
• Musteline
• Squirrel
• Rodent

In the game, each furre appears as an avatar that can walk, stand, sit, and lie down. A furre can be one of three genders (male, female, and unspecified). Players can customize their avatars by choosing colors from a small palette. After they've created their characters, players can move around maps and join in a wide variety of discussion and roleplay.

As of 2004, Furcadia regularly sees between 1,000 and 3,600 players at peak times.

Dreams

The focus of Furcadia is user-created content. Every player automatically receives an art editor and a map creating program. Their creation, referred to as a Dream, is then uploaded to the game. It remains attached to the main areas so long as it is inhabited, and, if unoccupied, it eventually goes away. Dreams can include the use of MIDI (.MID) and .S3M format music files, and .WAV sound files.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of a Dream is Felorin's coding language, DragonSpeak, commonly referred to by players as "DS."

Dreams can use bots to accomplish things that DragonSpeak cannot.

The Beekins

The game is supported by a structured volunteer group called the Beekins, who assist players and, in some cases, enforce Furcadia's rules of conduct. The Beekin program is divided into several groups based on function:

• Bugge Hunters (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/bugges/), who discover, document, and eliminate bugs in Furcadia's client and server code.
• Dream Masons (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/masons/), who provide help with dream creation and DragonSpeak scripting.
• Guardians (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/guardians/), previously known as the Owsla, who enforce Furcadia's rules of conduct.
• Helpers (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/helpers/), who provide usability help with Furcadia's software.
• Pixels (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/pixels/), who provide help relating to custom graphics ("patches") in Furcadia.
• Scribes (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/scribes/), who maintain Furcadia's website.
• Welcomers (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/welcomers/), who provide help and information to completely new players.
• Mentors (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/mentors/), who counsel other Beekins and do one-on-one training.
• Teachers (http://www.furcadia.com/beekins/teachers/), who give training classes to new Beekins.

Players can apply to most (but not all) of these groups via Furcadia's website.

Business Model

Furcadia is free. Anyone who can access Furcadia's website can download the game client. Players do not need to purchase a subscription to log in and play. DEP has publically stated that Furcadia will always be free.

To cover the costs of running Furcadia, DEP sells several products to its players, known in the game as "Digos." Possession of the special product can last anywhere from one week to an indefinite amount of time, depending on the product and package one purchases:

• Wings

• Premium Avatars
  • Dragons
  • Phoenixes
  • Gryphons

• Custom In-Game Character Portraits

• Silver Sponsorship (monthly)
  • The ability to change their furre's color and species without disconnecting from the game
  • A special portrait that can be changed each month, but lasts as long as the player is a sponsor
  • Access to private listen-only channels
  • The opportunity to preview new software features

• Roses
  • A player can pay to give another player (or himself) a rose, with the option of an attached note. This is a small graphic that appears in a furre's description. Roses come in various colors and last for different periods of time.

External links

Furcadia's official homepage (http://www.furcadia.com)