To add life to the worlds, Diku-based MUDs use something called special procedures. There are three major type of game objects which can use special procedures. These are mobiles (mobs), items (also called objects), and rooms (world objects). Examples of special procedures in the game are:

• Cityguards screaming 'PROTECT THE INNOCENT! BANZAI! CHARGE!', and assisting a player fighting an evil creature (a mob procedure),
• Bulletin boards which let players read and write messages (an item special procedure), and
• Dumps which remove objects from the game when dropped in them (a room special procedure).

These special procedures are written in C, and require a good understanding of the game code to write. Since many muds have a small coding staff and special procedures take time to write and debug, builders will be unable to get many of their great ideas for new special procedures implemented.

Scripts are the solution to these deficiencies of special procedures. The scripting language should be easy to learn, enabling every builder to implement his or her ideas. They support mobs, items, and rooms, and can be changed and added while the game is running, allowing more elaborate quests. Although it is impossible to do everything with scripts that you could with a special procedure, most of the builder's ideas can be expressed with them.