I've seen many questions from prospective new Players about whether Ruler of Kings II or "ROK II" for short is comparable to a MUD or Text Game like ZORK. In this short Post I hope to address this.
My first introduction to Text Gaming or MUDs was when Infocom released its famous game called, "ZORK". It was such a hit decades ago that they ended up having Zork I, Zork II and Zork III. These made up part of what Text Based players like to refer to as MUDs or Multi-Dimensional Dungeons.
ZORK formed the basis for interactive fiction where you could read a short description and then make a choice based on what you read. For example, "Go Left" or "Take Gold". A lot of new mobile apps have followed suit with this format but standardized the choices for you so you do not have to guess the action to take.
ROK II is similar to both ZORK and the more modern approach of these apps but we have incorporated many things to make interactive fiction more special. Indeed, this is where ROK II blasts past conventional Text Role-play Gaming. For instance, in ZORK you were limited to where the story line took you and your connection to your character was limited. In ROK II, you are able to go where you want at anytime and change the story based on your choices. You are also not limited by the way you present your Character to the story. Example, in ZORK you were just an adventurer, but in ROK II you can be the Half-Elf Assassin with a bad attitude. Added to that is the feeling like you are around a tabletop playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, etc. Yes, you can interact with other Players in ROK II and that alone is something unheard of in any Text Role-playing Game.
MUDs by nature are totally text based but in ROK II we wanted to introduce some images not only because the game was more complex but to give that feeling like you are looking at a book telling a Medieval Fantasy story. In short, ROK II allows you to do all you can in a standard MUD with the added addition of a ton of features that allow you to craft the game more to the kind of Character you want to portray.
Unlike many MUDs and Text Games you do not have to download any software or connect to a particular server on a port. We wanted to make it easy to play by cutting out all of that. All you need is a browser on your PC or mobile phone and an internet connection.
To see a list of all features in ROK II start here: View Features
Create your Character: Play ROK II Text Adventure
See some other relevant information: ROK II FAQ
I have seen Zork and it was a good concept for back then but I couldn't play it now because it made me feel like I was playing a fame in the dark… literally blind. I prefer to play something that keeps me and my own character in the loop of the story. Good comparison, I agree totally with what you said.
I agree with the comparison. I want to add that more modern MUDs lack the kind of quality writing you got from the older the games. Most MUDs now give vague room descriptions and have a poor selection of choices. The story then becomes robotic and there is no connection from one scene to the next. This might be because of the software out there to create MUDs / text adventures but not everyone is a writer.