Ares Web Portal

AresMUSH isn’t the only new MU* server in development, and it’s been great to share ideas with some of the other developers and interested players. Everyone comes at it with a different perspective based on their gaming experience and goals.

There was a lot of discussion on the Evennia thread on MUSoapbox.net about playing a MU* through a web client.

My initial reaction was that you can have my MUSH client when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. :) I couldn’t imagine playing through a web browser, with a tab open for every game. Nor could I imagine anyone wanting to code a custom web UI on top of the regular game code.

But there were some valid points in there. A graphical interface would make some things easier.

• Imagine being able to check out a game without installing a client and adding the site to your address book.
• Imagine a chargen where you just filled in forms and clicked buttons on a web page.
• Imagine editing the connect screen from a web UI instead of telnetting into the server.
• Imagine logging into a web page to respond to in-game jobs.

I’m not sure how practical all of this will be in the long run, but it was too intriguing to dismiss out of hand. I became a convert, and started working on adding a web portal to AresMUSH. The initial version will be kind of limited, but it’s a start.

While I still can’t imagine myself routinely playing through a web client, I have to admit I got a little thrill connecting to my test server for the first time from a web page.

Here are a few early prototype screenshots:

Playing Through the Web Console

Viewing the Game Management Dashboard

Viewing the Status Configuration Settings

Editing the Status Configuration Settings