My take on this is as follows. Paying builders sets a dangerous precident for free muds.

I realize and respect that as an admin, you want to give your players the highest quality possible, and I realize that you're willing to make personal sacrafice in the name of that high quality, by paying out of your own pocket.

Most other muds would not be willing to do such things, and if a few places start paying.... everyone might start expecting it. I'm looking to put together a mud in the near future, and I'd hate to go into it, write a few zillion lines of code, and then pay someone to build. Also. If I hire out coders, are they as well going to demand salary? What about quest immortals? This becomes dangerous, because it might create an environment where others who contribute feel taken for granted. And if coders start asking for $50 a skill/spell or questers start demanding $10 a quest, you've got a big problem.

Simply tell your players/builders this: If you do this work, and do it well, I will make it worth your time and effort. Don't say how. Deal with it case by case and make sure it stays between yourself and each induvidual.

Usually, you can probably pay them off within the game itself, depending on the structure of the game, with experience, IC-money or IC-power. Most players will respect the fact that certain people who contribute to the growth and well-being of the game are rewarded. For the few who feel alienated by it, at least the specifics are not rubbed in their faces.

Beyond that, I've got about 10 minutes of building experience, but drop me a line. I'm sure I can learn the ins and outs of it in another 10 minutes and assuming I like your game, I'd probably be more than thrilled to come on and do some building. I might not build an area a week but I'd definately do quality work.

Sorry about the double post.

What I wanted to close by saying is this

The fact that you're willing to consider such a thing shows a great commitment to what you're doing. I don't know about others, but to me this is a hell of a gesture on your part even if it doesnt happen. That alone would motivate me to work harder as a builder. It's a show of desire and direction for the MU* to go somewhere good.

Heya all,

In response to Pasano:
On the mud I play, the builders are mostly players or immortals from the same game. Although it is a prerequisite to gain one immortal rank, the other players and imms don't "gain" anything by it, but a bigger world.
This is just to show that there are people who care enough about a game to do it for free (totally free).

They are out there, just need to find them.

Greetings Dre

I think your wanting room descriptions might be the problem. Room descriptions can get old after a while, and for some builders, room descriptions are their least favorite things. I know that as a builder there are times when the last part of an area I want to do is room descriptions.

Your builders may feel like they're trapped by havcing to create the world without the mobs and objects. Some people like to create small sections as a time, and saying "no mobs, objs or DG scripts until you're done with the descriptions" can put them off.

Perhaps you're right. I am just too honest, my greatest bloody flaw. Because what it really boils down to is that I don't need any more objects, mobiles, or DG Scripts. Those are the easiest aspect of any zone, and I can do those myself, or let our head builder do them.

Although I do not tell aspiring builders that they cannot do anything else until all the rooms are done, what I want to see is a couple of rooms that I can actually use in the world, then they are free to do what they want.

To reverse the positions for a little while, I understand that room descriptions can get old after a while, and that they are not all that funny after a while, then consider how I feel after having written a tenfold of said descriptions and having remapped 220 rooms into three consecutive zones just because I felt it would be better for resets and certain mob quests, and that's just this week. I just wish I had the inspiration, then I'd do it myself. *grumbles*

Next builder to set foot on my builder port will get free reigns within the theme of the mud, and access to DG Scripts as soon as they've proven their worth... *sagenods*

As a builder on a MUD that's intended to be pay-to-play at some point... I wouldn't mind getting paid to build. It's not something I'd like to see the free MUD's getting into, and any builder hired when they're likely to get paid should be put on probation until their work is checked out before getting the $$$.
(You also have to cope with HOW do you pay them? - The internet is a world-wide thing)

If you're going to pay builders, then coders should get something too, and maybe something for those who run BIG rp events. Equality in all things. Or you'll have well paid and happy builders, and no coders.

The mud you are building on is based on ROM, which is a Diku derivative. While it is possible to get paid to build areas for a Diku derivative (because the area file format doesn't fall under copyright law) you are not legally permitted to run such a mud as pay-to-play.

The Merc/ROM is just a filler to grab interest while the main custom C++ code is finished off. Pay-to-play on MERC? nope... got to offer something special to get people to pay for it.