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Iluvatar · 09-03-2004, 01:39 AM

I definitely see wonderful suggestions and methods outlined in these posts but there are a few considerations necessary that I’ve not seen mentioned yet even with the novella that Molly wrote or The_Logos’ corporate quality assurance model. I use to do Tiger Teams with 'written action modules' for the government and Molly and I have extremely similar upbringing in the world of Mu*s so I’m very familiar and agree with both.

However, I firmly believe whenever someone asks for building advice we normally have to consider they’re doing it as a volunteer and for the fun of the challenge. That means to me to keep the response as simple as possible and to hold the complexities of ‘layering,’ ‘embedding quests,’ or even mob AI until they really get into the heart of fleshing out their zone. I usually only hire from within our player base to avoid the issues of experience with balance or misunderstandings about what zone concept would actually fit in our world. So, with that being said, here’s my simplistic approach:

1. Select an appropriate theme keeping in mind where it fits in the world that you think would be fun to build.
2. READ THE GUIDANCE ON BUILDING FOR THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN! There are always tips and tricks and do’s and don’ts.
3. Map it on paper.
4. Create the rooms and describe them while keeping in mind the theme, flow and consistency. Experiment as you go by looking at things you say are there or the areas adjacent to you. Keep a few notes about things you want to be interactive, critters that would fit well, etc. Please create all your writing in such a fashion that you’re able to run it through a spell checker either before or after entering into the code.
5. Create and enable those critters and objects and again play with them. Do the things you see and experience meet your expectations? Think of special actions that would make them more fun, harder to kill, potential quests; basically anything that makes your part of the world come alive and add them yourself or get help from a senior advisor.
6. Get second or even third opinions on what you’ve made and DON’T have a thin skin. Ideas are things to consider and should be. This is not to be confused with ‘guidance’ from a senior builder which I advise heeding.
7. TEST and RETEST, then submit for proof when you believe you’re finished.

Obviously I simplified the process but it’s the basic gist of how I’ve trained and seen others train a whole slew of volunteer builders that actually enjoy the work and call it fun, as well as continue to build.

Rundveldt, you really knew what you wanted the theme to be before you started and good or evil is a balancing decision that’s guided by the theme. Other than that, you’ve got a good plan if your end result is to make it fun and come alive. As to mob_progs or descripts, you should decide since both are important. If you say there is a big rock in the room shouldn’t it actually be there and have size, texture etc? If you create a drunk, should he stumble, slur his words if any and burp? Do what’s fun for you or your audience.

09-03-2004, 01:39 AM	#18
Iluvatar Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Mississippi USA Posts: 142	I definitely see wonderful suggestions and methods outlined in these posts but there are a few considerations necessary that I’ve not seen mentioned yet even with the novella that Molly wrote or The_Logos’ corporate quality assurance model. I use to do Tiger Teams with 'written action modules' for the government and Molly and I have extremely similar upbringing in the world of Mu*s so I’m very familiar and agree with both. However, I firmly believe whenever someone asks for building advice we normally have to consider they’re doing it as a volunteer and for the fun of the challenge. That means to me to keep the response as simple as possible and to hold the complexities of ‘layering,’ ‘embedding quests,’ or even mob AI until they really get into the heart of fleshing out their zone. I usually only hire from within our player base to avoid the issues of experience with balance or misunderstandings about what zone concept would actually fit in our world. So, with that being said, here’s my simplistic approach: 1. Select an appropriate theme keeping in mind where it fits in the world that you think would be fun to build. 2. READ THE GUIDANCE ON BUILDING FOR THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN! There are always tips and tricks and do’s and don’ts. 3. Map it on paper. 4. Create the rooms and describe them while keeping in mind the theme, flow and consistency. Experiment as you go by looking at things you say are there or the areas adjacent to you. Keep a few notes about things you want to be interactive, critters that would fit well, etc. Please create all your writing in such a fashion that you’re able to run it through a spell checker either before or after entering into the code. 5. Create and enable those critters and objects and again play with them. Do the things you see and experience meet your expectations? Think of special actions that would make them more fun, harder to kill, potential quests; basically anything that makes your part of the world come alive and add them yourself or get help from a senior advisor. 6. Get second or even third opinions on what you’ve made and DON’T have a thin skin. Ideas are things to consider and should be. This is not to be confused with ‘guidance’ from a senior builder which I advise heeding. 7. TEST and RETEST, then submit for proof when you believe you’re finished. Obviously I simplified the process but it’s the basic gist of how I’ve trained and seen others train a whole slew of volunteer builders that actually enjoy the work and call it fun, as well as continue to build. Rundveldt, you really knew what you wanted the theme to be before you started and good or evil is a balancing decision that’s guided by the theme. Other than that, you’ve got a good plan if your end result is to make it fun and come alive. As to mob_progs or descripts, you should decide since both are important. If you say there is a big rock in the room shouldn’t it actually be there and have size, texture etc? If you create a drunk, should he stumble, slur his words if any and burp? Do what’s fun for you or your audience.