A modern client for Ancient Anguish — the text-based multiplayer fantasy world that's been running continuously since 1991 — built for iPhone and iPad.
If you've played AA before, welcome home. If you haven't: a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) is a text-driven online game where words do the work pictures do in most games. You read a room, decide what to do, and type a command. It's theatre of the mind, with thousands of other players writing the scenes with you.
This client is a purpose-built front end for AA — a cockpit that knows how its prompt works, how its areas sound, and how its culture plays.
WHAT'S INSIDE
• A real terminal — Full telnet with automatic negotiation (NAWS, TTYPE, SGA, ECHO). GMCP- and MCCP-aware. ANSI 16/256/truecolor rendering with bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, inverse. 5,000-line scrollback with drag-to-select auto-copy and clickable URLs. Snaps to the bottom on every command you send.
• Tap-to-send links — Data-driven text link rules turn matched MUD output into tappable shortcuts. "The dark door is closed." becomes a tap that sends "open dark door". Edit rules in Settings with a live preview. Display only: nothing fires until you tap.
• Game-state HUD — 30+ configurable elements across vitals, combat (aim, attack, defend, wimpy), experience (lifetime and session XP-per-minute), character, wealth, world (game time, reboot countdown), and survival (hunger, thirst, drunk, poison, alignment, followers, and more). The client rebuilds your prompt and syncs it to the MUD.
• Mobile-first input — Eight-direction D-Pad with a door action, customizable Quick Commands with an icon catalog, and a history chip that re-sends any of your last five commands plus smart counterparts (enter ↔ leave, open ↔ close). Star up to three aliases for one-tap mobile slots; long-press a slot to edit.
• Triggers (Immersions) — Pattern-matched rules that highlight, gag, or play sounds on matching text. Display only — never auto-send. Respects Ancient Anguish's no-bots rule by design.
• Aliases — Short keywords that expand into full commands with $0/$1/$2 variable substitution and ; chaining. Ships with sensible defaults. Recursion-safe.
• Area-based ambient music — The client detects your location from coordinates or room descriptions and crossfades between tracks. Pick area tracks and battle themes from your native Apple Music library, or load your own files.
• Chat, Tells, Party, and Notes — Floating, dockable, resizable social panels. Tabs or independent windows. Autocomplete for recipients. Optionally hidden from the main log so your adventure keeps its thread.
• Themes & accessibility — RPG Dark (the default), Classic Dark, and High Contrast (built for low-vision players). Scalable fonts (8–32 pt), input-line wrap slider, and native VoiceOver support.
PRIVACY
No analytics. No tracking. No ads. No third-party SDKs. Credentials, aliases, triggers, and settings stay on your device. The only network traffic is your single connection to the MUD server — you control the host.
NEW PLAYERS
The MUD is free to play. Create a character, follow the newbie area, and type `newbie hello!` to say hi. The community is famously welcoming.
This is an independent third-party client, developed in coordination with the AA team and promoted on the official Connect page at https://anguish.org/connect.php. The game has been continuously operated by its own team since 1991.
SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
Optional Support tiers are auto-renewable monthly subscriptions (Small $1.99, Medium $3.99, Large $5.99 USD). Purely cosmetic — nothing is gated. Charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Auto-renews unless cancelled 24h before period end. Manage anytime in Apple ID settings.
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://ancient-anguish.duckdns.org/privacy.html
Adventure awaits. See you in the realms.
Show more
