An earlier version of this document is also available in PDF format, which preserves the orginal formatting of the handout.
Use your web browser (i.e. Netscape or IE) to go to our Web Gateway at http://www.vroma.org:7878; there
is also a link to the Gateway on the main VRoma page.
Go to the Login Form and type your VRoma character name and password in the
corresponding boxes. Then click on the Connect button. After a minute or
so, you will be logged into VRoma. If you have trouble connecting to the MOO,
read Hardware and Software Requirements and Troubleshooting tips for VRoma
(http://www.vroma.org/help/requirements.html).
Note that the window in the bottom of your screen is where you will see the
"chat" part of the MOO (the Output Window). At the very bottom
is a smaller window (only about one line of text tall) where you can type (the
Input Window).
The upper window of VRoma looks and works like a web page: it has links (or buttons) that you can click on to get more information or explore something more closely. It may also contain images and other embedded multimedia. It is thus called the Web Window. Along the right edge of the Web Window you will see the Tool Bar. This is a series of links to some of the more commonly used functions of the MOO; these links allow you to move to certain important areas of the MOO, read MOO news, find out who else is logged on (and "join" them), and to edit your own MOO objects (including yourself!). See the section on the Tool Bar for more details about each of these functions.
The main part of the Web Window contains a description of the room you are currently in followed by a list of other objects in the room with you. Like any web page, it may also include images and links to other web pages. To explore an object further, click on the link (just as in any web page). To get back to the main description of the room after exploring, click on the Look again button in the Tool Bar, which will refresh (i.e. reload) your view of the room.
Following the room's description and the list of objects in the room is a list of other VRomans who are in the room. People in this list are not necessarily logged into the MOO--if they set their MOO home to this room, they are listed whether they are logged in or not. If they are not logged in, the MOO will indicate that they are "asleep." If you are unsure whether an object is a real logged in person, use the Who's online button in the Tool Bar to see if they are in the list of logged in people. Notice that both objects and people may have small icons associated with them.
| TIP: If you know the URL of an online image, you can use it as the icon for your character. Do this with the Customize Yourself button in the Tool Bar. |
Below the list of people in the Web Window is a list of Exits out of
the room, along with the names of the rooms to which these exits lead. To move
through an exit, just click on its name. If you get lost at any time, you can
always get back to one of the main rooms (Prima Porta, Rome or Officina) by
clicking on its name in the Tool Bar. If you have built a room of your own and
made it your VRoma MOO "home," you can also get back there by
clicking on the Home button in the Tool Bar. You may notice that the
Output Window also contains some of the same information that you see in the
Web Window, e.g., the description of the room and list of objects and people in
it. This is so people without a web browser can also log into VRoma to chat,
though they will not have access to its multimedia functions.
Even though the VRoma MOO is really a piece of software, the metaphor upon which its user interface is based is topographical: it tries to act like a place (Rome) that is divided into many discrete areas. These areas are called "rooms." These divisions are important to bear in mind, since you can only "hear" and "talk to" people who are in the room with you (though it is possible to "page" people from another room in the MOO).
To determine who else is logged into the MOO, use the Who's online button on the Tool Bar. This list will also tell you what room each person is in. If you want to join someone (move into the room that they are in), you can click on the room name in this listing.
To talk, you type what you want to say in the narrow window at the very bottom of the screen (called the Input Window or command line). Preface what you type with the word say, for example, to say "Hi!" you would place your cursor in the Input Window, type say Hi! and press Enter. You will see the results of this in the window just above the Input Window (the bigger Output Window), along with what others say to you in return. Things that you say will appear in the second person (e.g. You say "Hi!"). Things that others say will be in the third person, prefaced with the speaker's character name (e.g. Scintilla says "Hi yourself!").
| TIP: A quotation mark can be substituted for the word say, saving you a couple of keystrokes (e.g., type "Hi! without closing the quotation). |
You can also make it appear as though your character is "doing" things in VRoma. To do this type a colon (:) followed by whatever you want to do expressed in the third person (do not use a space after the colon). The colon will be replaced by your character name. So, if you are Camilla and want others to see "Camilla waves", type :waves.
| TIP: If you prefer not to use the command line, you can also say and do things using the form in the lower part of the Web Window, by typing in the rectangular box to the right of the Do Command button. Notice that the say option can also be changed to various actions. After typing what you want to say or selecting an action, click on Do Command. |
Look again This button will "refresh" your view of the room you are in. This is especially useful if you have been examining objects in more detail, or if someone tells you to look at something or someone new in a room and you don't see it on the page.
Prima Porta, Rome, Officina Clicking on one of these 3 buttons will move you to one of the 3 main areas in the VRoma MOO. The Prima Porta is the VRoma MOO starting point (where you are when you log in, unless you have set another MOO home for yourself). The Officina is where classrooms and other "non-historical" rooms are located.
Home Takes you to your "home" room in VRoma. If you have not set one (with the @sethome command), this takes you to the Prima Porta.
Basic info Brings up a smaller window with some basic information about the VRoma MOO interface and navigation (much of the same information that is contained in this handout, always available while you are logged into the MOO!).
Who's online? This button will take you to a listing of everyone currently logged into the MOO. The four columns in this listing tell you each person's character name, length of time they have been logged in, length of time they have been "idle" (not typing anything) and the room they are in. The room names are links--you can click on them to move to the room and join the person there. To get back to the page for the room you are in, click on the Return to Viewer link just above the listing.
Show/Hide inventory If you are holding any MOO objects, Show inventory will list all the things you are holding in the Web Window, below the listing of exit names. If you want something to appear in a room, you will need to go to the room and type drop [name-of-object] in the Input Window.
Customize web options allows you to change the appearance of the Web Window.
Customize yourself allows you to add or change your character's description, gender and icon.
Customize rooms and objects allows you to describe (and re-describe) your rooms and other MOO objects, as well as add web links and images and customize other object features (for more details, see Using the Object Editor at http://www.vroma.org/help/handouts/building.html).
News allows you to read News about the MOO. Click on a news item's title, then on read to read it. Use the Look again button when you are finished reading.
Mail allows you to read internal MOO mail that has been sent to you by other Vromans. For information about sending MOO mail, see MOOmail Commands at http://www.vroma.org/help/mail_commands.html.
VRML view replaces the Web Window with a VRML (virtual reality modeling language) window that allows you to navigate through the MOO more graphically. You need to have a VRML plug-in installed in your web browser to use this. If you don't have experience with VRML, be warned that it takes some getting used to!
Help allows you to access the extensive MOO help system. Note that many of these help articles describe typed commands that have been superseded by "point and click" alternatives, though the typed commands still function as documented here.
| TIP: You are now ready to read the table of Basic MOO Commands, including more detailed information on characters, communication, navigation and object manipulation, and building and object creation. The URL is http://www.vroma.org/help/basic_commands.html. |