For those of you who like MUDs - coremud.org

[Aindriahhn]

This is one of the few muds (telnet based) that I have actually stuck with. The controls are pretty simple, and it's not bad as MUDs go.

The idea behind it, from the page:

Core 2652 is a real-time multi-player text game. Players can communicate with each other over public chat lines, or privately. They can also explore Core's world and participate in Core's ongoing storyline. This page deals with that storyline.

The world, known as Core, is set in the year 2652 AD on a remote planet far from Earth. The inhabitants of this world (you and the other players) came to Core as employees of The Company. The Company obtained exclusive rights to mine the rich metal and mineral deposits found on Core. Core's primary settlement, as a result, is the mining colony established by The Company.

Core has a true economy... the player's primary job is to work in the mines. The Company, then, pays the player a certain amount in return for his/her services. This allows the player-owned shops to purchase the mined metals so valuable technology, weapons, and armour can be manufactured and sold to the players (refineries purchase unrefined ore from the Company, refine it, and sell it to the other shops to make into weapons, armour, etc). The Company exports the majority of the mined metals to Earth and other worlds for a sizable profit.

Core's environment is harsh. Players live inside domes that protect them from the poisonous atmosphere outside. Outside the safety of the domes, life can only be sustained by wearing an environment suit. Without a suit, it is not possible to survive for much more than a minute.