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Old 02-06-2010, 12:33 PM   #20
ArchPrime
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Join Date: Aug 2008
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Re: Needing direction on starting a MUD

Fevenis:

Looks like you've started quite an active thread here! At any rate, here is some additional advice based on my experience as a software developer ( over and above just building a MUD/Client)

1). Don't be afraid to re-invent the wheel. People do it all the time, and many times, we get better wheels in the process. Considering your interests in the commercial side of things, building everything from scratch might be your best bet from a licensing perspective.

2). If you do use someone elses code base, I would strongly urge having a lawyer read the license and provide you proper advice as to how that license will affect your ability to legally use said code. This might sound like a crazy and expensive step, but if you have any intentions of making money from your project, you'll want to ensure your interests are protected. You can find no end to the licensing flame wars on any given MUD related forum. ;-)

3). Go to Google and search for MUD codebases. I am sure you will find plenty to download that you can start taking a look at and drawing inspiration from.

4). Don't get bogged down worrying about optimization yet (IE: will the server handle the connection load? What do I have to do to make it faster?). The more you try to dig into those aspects, the less you'll be producing something that provides tangible results -- and tangible results will make you and your team happy. And -- keep in mind that even if you d/l someone's supposedly decent server, a programming mistake or two can bring it to a crawl. Instead of worrying about optimizing code, optimize your programmer's time and efforts ... if they(you) are programming in a way that is already proper for the chosen platform, you'll see bigger payoffs than trying to analyze server load. ;-) Managing server load is a science unto itself...

5). I feel that Dranor hit the nail on the head when he said surround yourself with positive people. It's all too easy to bogged down with the grumblings of the naysayers. Not everyone is going to like what you've done and many will tell you where you've gone wrong and how much feature X sucks. Don't fall for it. ;-)
Also, it's quite easy to come to the sudden realization that building and running a MUD is a LOT of work -- more work than the payoff, even. Again, this is where positive folks can help you stay strong and true to your vision.

-A/P
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