I was just wondering what sort of things you get insperation from. I have just started building, and I found that writing rooms and mobs is much easier if you work from something like a photo. Does anyone write rooms based on places they have actually been? Or mobs on people you really know?

Or do you just think things up in your head? Especially for fantasy, or futuristic worlds I guess that you would need to use a lot of your own imagination. For me the best way is to have a picture, like a photo, and then I can build on that and develope it. Also I find that little bits of text can sometimes inspire.

So, what inspires all of you guys?

Maraz

I use books, music, movies, and random thoughts for most of my areas. Sometimes I'll go hunting on the net for pictures of what I'm looking for, but usually I just create a mental picture of the area and work from there.

My best known and loved areas are based around a city I created, full of goths. So I draw a lot from teh goth subculture, but even that only goes to far. I have to create the city based on what I know, as it's hard to find buildings made of black and red rock, with ornate edging and all that. and even when I find photos, it's not always what I want.

I thought on this overnight, there's one more thing that inspires me. Dreams. I have really weird, vivid dreams, and they're great cannon fodder for areas and stories and the like. Sometimes one element is all it takes for me to flesh out an area.

Actually, I use a lot of obscure mythology. Old stories from various cultures that most people dont know about. I take an idea out of those stories then kind of run with it. Most of my zones have a lot of magickal references that most people wont get unless they know an awful lot about various pagan religions. So far only one person has actually caught them in thezones I've built.

Other than that, I actually think of the area that the zone is going into. If that area already has a theme, I build upon that, adding more detail and perhaps a sub-theme within it. Over all, i try very hard to stick with the theme of the MUD and try not to stray too far from what the other zones are like.

I have found when I get a general idea about what I want to do - (perhaps a storyline about a race or perhaps just the setting), that the best is to write down things that you can think off for that area that you defenitely want to do.  Then go research each of that things that you want to do and with this you will come up with soooo many new ideas.  Well works for me atleast.  The only problem that i found is that you get so many ideas sometimes that you are not sure what to do, go back then to what you initially defenitely wanted to do and see what will fit together and use that in the end.

well thinking of new area layout is easy. writing it is lot harder though. especialy when u aint native english lad :P

but then rooms alone dont make area. and its hard to make original items on mud with simple architecture. ofc items you DO make ARE original. and that rocks. especialy when enigma have alreayd made all best 'baits' in game :P