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#1 |
Senior Member
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Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
I'm posting this thread to find some feedback on what actual builders might look for in a MUD, and their building habits.
My initial questions would be. 1.) Type? Do you look for a certain type of mud to build at, like roleplay enforced, PK only, etc. Why do you want this type of mud. 2.) Style? What style do you try to adhere to when you build. Do you prefer to do only certain types of areas, like geography only. Or perhaps cities only. Do you lean towards building a vile, sinister area, full of crime, sex, and drugs, or would you rather build a bright shining city of light, the bastion of good and purity. 3.) Room length? What room length do you like to build to? 4 lines? 5? 6? 1? What is a good room length in your opinion. And why? 4.) NPCs? What types of NPCs do you like to build. Good? Evil? Certain types of races? Why? 5.) OLC? Do you prefer a huge, intricate OLC system with all sorts of features or a more simple offline building program. 6.) Mud setting? What mud setting do you look for? General medieval fantasy? Sword and sorcery? Hack n slash? Or are you more stringent and seek out muds based on books like Wheel of Time, Dragonlance, etc. 7.) MUD rules? Do you look for a mud with lots of building rules, strict guidelines etc. Or a more laid back style where you're allowed almost free reign of an area. 8.) Color? Do you require color on a mud to build at it? 9.) Established mud? Do you look for a MUD that has forums, website, and a player community, with a deep rooted base to build at? Or are you more of a creator that wants to find a mud that is up and coming and help the needy. 10.) Anything else you can think of mentioning here! Thanks. -D |
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#2 | |||||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: New England
Posts: 846
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
RPI or at the very least, RP-enforced. Because I wouldn't play anything else; therefore I won't build for anything else.
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#3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 310
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
5) OLC?
Seriously ugh! Now, I do agree that they get two things right. There is a) a consistent "base" system for things like combat, shops, NPC code, etc. This is a good thing, but still something someone "could have" done for the older style full-mod capable muds. Its main feature might be described as, "security through not letting you change anything in the core library". Ok, not a horrible idea, as long as you have some sane way to change that code. Recompiling the entire engine to either change how something works, or add new protocols, is ***not*** sane imho, especially if you are running something like Windows, and you don't necessarilly have direct access to the box its on. I really think we need an alternative. One with a clear, uncomplicated, non-obfuscated library, which you can access ***on a different security level and port*** than the coders for rooms, etc. In other words, make the library and things like protocols "plugins", so you can still change them via telnet, but only through **their** port and security. And make sure they operate in a way that is a) clear and concise, as well as b) in a way that can easilly be modded to do other stuff not currently supported. Let the normal coding of rooms, NPCs, etc. from this library still happen in the other security layer, where you can limit what is done, without preventing someone who wants to from suggesting alternate code for something. Heck, for that matter, if they want to change stuff in the library, to do something different, have some way to limit "those" changes so they can "only" effect the code, NPCs, rooms, etc. in "their" area, or something. But don't tie some creative persons hands with, "No, you can't do that, because while it sounds really cool, the library doesn't support it." I would hate to code on some place like that myself, but heh, to each their own. 8) In what sense, no? Seriously, if there are reasonable rules to limit its use to where it makes sense, and you where only allowed to use it in room objects. I.e., you *have to*, "look object" to see it, I don't think its so bad. I do agree that the ones which bury it in the main room, and then only support straight ANSI as well, are ugly. I don't see anything wrong with someone a) supporting MXP style colors, so that when someone is *specifically* describing a flower or the like, they can give a visual of the color (or for a puzzle that relies on it and uses more than red, green and blue, or something), but I just wants to slap the idiot that uses ANSI red to hilight their "violet" flowers with a magenta fish (being as they couldn't even pick a color *close* to the one they intended, never mine the exact color, and this happened ***on*** a mud that supported MXP...), b) having a sign that is a particular color, because its that color. If the goblin's inn, which sells bog swill tea, has a sign that is putred green (because they, yuck, actually like that color) it would be funny to actually have the sign object in the room, or at least its title, i.e., "A sign that reads, "Muglop's Innn'", actually *be* a sickly green color. Point is, its not color that is the problem, its that people are stupid about how to use it properly, and they figure that if they can use it, they should use it often and in the most idiot ways possible. Though, the ones that take the cake are the RL cases where some religious wacko uses Comic Sans, random bold text and 15 different colors to babble some incoherent rant against your support of toothpaste, or some similarly insane nonsense. Don't believe me? Then you probably haven't recieved one. And they **always** seem to be in Comic Sans, even on their websites. lol If I ever wanted to write a supposed text, holding some tiny clue to some puzzle, in the middle of the incoherent babble from a fanatic who once lived in a cave and raised bats, on the theory that his god wanted them to destroy the world for its use of toe nail clippers, I know precisely the color scheme, font and layout needed to make it believable on a mud. Sadly, most of them would never allow me to do it justice. ![]() But seriously, as I said. Color isn't bad, bad use of color is. Why the only reaction anyone that recognizes bad use of color ever has is to run away and avoid it... ![]() |
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#4 |
Senior Member
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
I totally agreed with your whole post shadow. Wtf, are you my twin.
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#5 | ||||||||||
New Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 6
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
First off, great thread. I like this immensely.
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Working with an established MUD can be fun, but seriously, I would absolutely love a new MUD that had real promise. Quote:
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#6 |
Senior Member
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
Yeah I pretty much agree with you Crate. I've found it very hard to keep a presence of builders and or coders when I'm not around at my mud. It can be frusterating as the admin as well as flattering. In the sense that if you're gone everything crumbles, which sucks.
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#7 | |||||||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Sweden
Home MUD: 4 Dimensions
Posts: 574
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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Generally I'd say the more tools us builders can get, the better. We don't HAVE to use them all, but they should be available when we do. And I want access to ALL the tools. I hate the system some muds have, where you first only get access to room edit, then possibly to mobs, and finally objects and scripts. Some muds even only let a small set of trusted builders work with the mobs and objects, while the main part are supposed to just fork out room descs. To me that is slave labour, and I'd never build in a place like that. All parts of a zone need to work together, rooms, mobs, objects and scripts, and you have to work with them as a whole to get good results. Whether you like to work in OLC, with an off-line building program or directly in the files, like I do myself is a matter of personal preference, but it's nice if the Mud can offer alternatives. Quote:
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Also it is important that the coders in the mud really listen to the builders and provide them with all the tools they need to do a good job. Last edited by Molly : 11-06-2007 at 04:44 AM. |
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#8 | ||||||||||
New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 14
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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The style of the MUD is already well-established, so I'm reasonably certain that what I build will fit in. I know and trust that what others build will also be of good quality. I know the rest of the staff and am sure that interpersonal drama will be minimal. I don't know if I could build at an up-and-coming MUD unless I was sure that the head admin(s) could ensure those kinds of things. Most can't get that kind of positive momentum early on. If I did build at a starter MUD I'd want a lot of creative control/license. As someone else mentioned in this thread, I don't want to be just a writing slave. Quote:
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#9 | ||||||||
Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Home MUD: Karinth
Posts: 64
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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Gyah, no. Some colour is nice, but almost everyone overdoes it. Plus, everyone has a different taste in colour, both builders and players. I don't mind if people build with it, but I hardly ever do, I prefer quiet neutrality. Quote:
I think it's important to remember that not every builder is an artist. Some people, like me, are just doing a job and trying to make a difference. I don't particularly enjoy building as a technical or artistic activity, and that's a very different target from a real area writer. |
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#10 |
Senior Member
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
Thanks for all the replies people.
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#11 | ||||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: USA
Home MUD: Threshold RPG
Home MUD: Stash
Home MUD: Archons of Avenshar
Posts: 653
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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I like color, but I like the sparse use of color. I like strict rules on where to use color because if color is splashed everywhere, then it ceases to really have any impact on me. Quote:
I realize that my ideals for building are pretty exacting. I don't think that what I like is best, but it works best for someone like me. ![]() |
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#12 | |||||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 361
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
Any type will do, it depends on more than type; see below.
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Anything over six lines normally is too much, and should be reserved for very special rooms -- preferably those without a lot of player or mob traffic as well. Quote:
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What would be really cool is a zone editor with integrated mud chat, so you would just login to the mud, open up your zone editor, and work away in the editor while being able to run a who and chat commands in the chat box. Your character would show up in the who list but unless you switched to your client you would basically just look idle. Quote:
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I also appreciate any attempt at builder collaboration. I usually am playing a lot of very different games at once (i.e., not just muds), so I admit it's hard to hold my interest -- it's true that this has been a problem for me in the past where I start building somewhere and don't finish a zone. Though obviously motivation starts with the builder, anything on the mud that maintains this motivation and drive is a good thing, whether these are friendly contests, a tight builder community, etcetera. |
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#13 | |||||||||
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Name: Brandon
Location: Shelby Township, Michigan
Home MUD: The Builder Academy
Home MUD: 4 Dimensions
Posts: 144
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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Last edited by Fizban : 01-21-2008 at 07:33 AM. |
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#14 | |||||||||
New Member
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
Doesn't matter
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castles and the like and towns, but sometimes i get an idea for a wooded area or something i just HAVE to build. Quote:
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#15 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Name: Boris
Location: Moscow
Home MUD: ArcticMUD (mud.arctic.org 2700)
Posts: 38
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
Hi,
It's interesting how differently we approach the issue of building. For me, almost all the questions mentioned in the list are irrelevant - I don't care what is the room length, whether NPCs are good or evil, whether they're orcs, elves or space mutants; which colours are available (if at all) etc. First of all, when I do something, I usually have a goal in mind. In case of writing, the goal usually defines the audience that I'd like to reach and the impression that I'd like to produce. I see little interest in small talk with complete strangers. On the other hand, I enjoy solving logical puzzles and the most interesting brain twister is composing a puzzle of your own. It's like scientific research; in fact, the scientific research IS defining the problems and solving them. However, too abstract research is void, the tight limitations is what makes the puzzle interesting. To illustrate what I mean, there is no big deal in checkmating the chess king once you already got a decisive advantage, but checkmating in 3 turns may be tricky. Composing a non-trivial chess problem where the checkmate in 3 turns is possible, but not immediately obvious (and better yet still not obvious even after some thought) is even more tricky. However, a chess problem only makes sense within a community of chess players - an outlander will miss the intricacy of the little masterpiece. The same reasoning applies to MUD building - one can join a generic MUD and create a generic unheeded area for it, but what's the point? To appreciate the subtlety and imaginative touches of your creation, the players must belong to the same community as you. Thus, my answers: 9.) Established mud? Of course, Arctic MUD to be precise. 10.) Anything else As I already mentioned, a builder must have a goal in mind. Arctic is skill-based and every skill is useful, but some skills are less universal than the others and many players overlook and never practice them. I decided to make a zone that would urge the players to master and appreciate these skills. The brute force solution is still possible but would require incomparably more time and effort: to get into the castle, the player may kill a gatekeeper NPC or simply steal the key from it. The actual setting is different (and steal is not anywhere near an overlooked skill in Arctic), but you got what I mean. After I had the zonelets dealing with the skills, the rest of the zone was built around them to merge everything in a seamless integral whole. Why would the adventurers enter the village? Why would they go from the village cemetry to a forest? When should they learn what actually happened in the mage tower and who tells them? Next, there are lots of technical details to take care of. The strength of the NPCs, the powers of the objects they carry... Finally, everything is aligned with various reference books and Dragonlance sources to make sure everything makes sense and creates a proper impression. If my scribe has a quill, I read an article about quills to make sure it's made from a correct feather. If there's an ant, it gets mandibles, not jaws. When I draw a celestial map on the ceiling, that's the sky of Krynn with the three Moons and the constellaion of the Dragonlance deities in their right places. My zone is still not finished, but it's a great fun making it. And I learn a lot of new things (quills, ants etc., see above) in the process! 1.) Type? 2.) Style? 3.) Room length? 4.) NPCs? 5.) OLC? 6.) Mud setting? 7.) MUD rules? 8.) Color? Whatever is available in Arctic MUD, otherwise I don't care. Last edited by nasredin : 01-14-2009 at 05:28 AM. |
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#16 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2009
Home MUD: nimud.divineright.org 5333
Posts: 195
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
If you're talking about The Isles OLC / ILAB / ROMolc / NiMUD OLC you are talking about the "security" setting on players. All you have to do is make your administrative immortal security level 9 and it lifts this restriction. A warning to heed, however, is: changing certain required objects may have unpredictable results.
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#17 | |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Name: Brandon
Location: Shelby Township, Michigan
Home MUD: The Builder Academy
Home MUD: 4 Dimensions
Posts: 144
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Re: Builders, what do you look for in a MUD?
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