[tehScarecrow]

[Shane]

Yep, MudMaker was mentioned.  The next post will be the list again, with a little addition to ColdC's info, giving you the place to go to actually get human beings to talk to about it.  Sorry to be out of pocket so long.  Work, you know...

Feel free, anyone interested, to update this. Just try to keep a consistent format, but by all means cut and paste the whole list and edit it.

[Shane]

Name: AMC
Function: MUDCore based attempt at refreshing space MUDs. Aimed and providing a highly realistic, detailed yet balanced gameplay. A Team project open to the entire MUDing community's input.
Pros: Professional Games Design, Realistic Space Engine, Advanced AI and logical scripting, Inherits and maintains MUDcore's ease of extension and good Software Engineering.
Cons: Still in developmnet, May not be used commercially without Gary's written consent, Windows only. Editors Note: Seems to be a problem with GPL and the original author's intent to keep it not for profit.
License: GPL
Website: [Click the AMC link]
Comments: I can't evaluate my own work, but i will provide you with some of the goals of the project:
+ Highly dynamic and maintainable MUD codebase
+ Represent a True3D Spatial Environment
+ Provide advanced AI handling
+ Implement a rich, detailed and balanced Player System
+ Utilising an advanced combat system
+ Highly dynamic and maintainable MUD codebase
The website provides more details, its basically using MUDCore to produce a Space based engine.

Name: ColdC
Pros: Makes no assumptions about the type of game you want to make (it doesn't even assume you necessarily want to make a game). No restrictive licensing. Lends itself well to the creation of persistent virtual worlds. Disk-based memory. Objects can be reprogrammed on the fly without having to reboot and without having to destroy and reload the objects.
Cons: Spotty documentation. Be prepared to do a lot of low-level work with the core (lib) before you have anything resembling a game to work with.
License: GPL

ColdC most closely resembles the MOO programming language, but is probably just as accessible to anyone familiar with LPC. There are a couple of minimal cores available for anyone wanting to essentially build a core from scratch.
The driver handles incoming and outgoing network connections, but leaves just about everything else to the code in the core. This leaves a mud developer with a lot more work than would be required with most of the more popular LP libs, but nowhere near the level of work that would be required to develop a mud from scratch in C/C++.

Here's a handy place to find humans to talk to about it.


Name: Dead Souls
Function:
Pros: Ease of installation, cross platformer.
Cons: *shrugs*
License:
Comments: Take a look at the intall FAQ:

Name: Inferno
Function: Handles all networking issues and offers a powerful object-oriented interpreter layered on top of the server. Install, log in and start coding.
Pros: Ridiculously stable. The language is simple, sort of a cross between Python and JAVA, and was built for the sole purpose of creating virtual text worlds. Contains a huge, rich set of predefined script functions for handling object location, dynamic string substitution, and just about everything else. Object specification is built in.
Cons: Largely undocumented. Runs in RAM.
License:
Comments: The Inferno platform is a highly modified version of Lamda MOO. .

Name: LpMud
Function: Server software for telnet with included interpreted language based on C.
Pros: Free to use, widespread support.
Cons: Older codebase, may not be used commercially.
License:
Comments: Here I would attempt to break down anything and everything anyone had to say about their experience with the software being discussed, including perhaps for LpMud the difference between the driver and the mudlib, for example.

Name: MUDCore
Function: Scratch built C++ MUD engine by Tarmon's Gary McNickle. Provides socket handling, account system, player system and basic area structure. Aimed at providing a starting point for new MUD developers.
Pros: Extremely well written, documented and commented, Easy to extend and work with.
Cons: May not be used commercially without permission of the author, Not actively supported (trying to change this), Windows environment (needs porting). Editor's Note: seems to be a conflict between the GPL and the author's intent to keep it non-profit.
License: GPL
Website: (down)
Comments: MUDCore is IMHO one of the best starting points for MUD development available. I have yet to see another codebase that provides such a great example of good Software Engineering practices (Commenting, Structure, Documentation, Programming Standards). The codebase is highly dynamic which makes it easy to carry out additions such as adding races, skills, etc. The Codebase was withdrawn from the world due to a lack of Interest, however, I am trying to speak to Gary about getting it re-released and supported.

Name: Rapture
Function: Handles all networking things required to run a mud, allowing you to concentrate on the actual world development.
Pros: IRE gives really good support, thanks a lot for that Matt and Chris. Relatively simple(yet powerful) language that is designed specifically for muds. Stable. Can be used for commercial games.
Cons: Expensive.
License:
Comments: We use this for and it has sped up development quite a bit.