[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

Following last week's look at Ikariam, we look at another non-traditional browser-based MMO -- Urban Dead. Strongly based upon classic play-by-mail games, this online world is inhabited solely by players -- with not one single NPC -- as both humans and zombies in a city-wide battle for the streets.

Name: Urban Dead

Developer: Kevan Davis

Established: July 2005

How it Works: Urban Dead is browser based and runs in HTML. Navigation and gameplay are accomplished via mouse and keyboard input.

Overview: In Urban Dead, players create a character, either a zombie or a survivor (and if a survivor, from a number of classes, including consumers, firemen and army privates) and is dropped into the city of Malton either to cause as much destruction as possible (as a zombie) or to survive by an means possible -- most usually by banding together with other players in barricaded buildings (if a player.) Players have a limited number of action points each day, but are forewarned that even if they have run out of action points, the rest of the world goes on around them, while they "sleep".

Payment Method: Urban Dead is free to play, and earns revenue via banner advertising on the site.

Key Features:
- Massively multiplayer “always on” virtual world where every single inhabitant of the world is played by a real person
- Heavily based around player vs. player (or more accurately, survivor vs. zombie) combat
- Survivors who die becomes zombies
- Players can talk, use radios and join groups to “socialize”.

Useful Links:
Game Statistics
The Urban Dead Wiki - Official Wiki
UDToolbar – Firefox Extension