DP Tool Club 19/CD_ASCQ_19_010295.iso/vrac/mud_131.zip/WALKTHRU.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-28 | 90KB | 2,145 lines

                        Industrial Prose & Magic
                              Version 1.3

                 The Commercial MUD Developer's Studio


      Copyright (c) 1994 Continuum Software.  All rights reserved.


DEMONSTRATION VERSION WALK-THROUGH
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

PART I: INTRODUCTION
    OVERVIEW.........................................................1.1
    THIS WALK-THROUGH OF THE DEMO VERSION............................1.2

PART II: PROGRAM SETUP
    ASSUMPTIONS......................................................2.1
    INSTALLATION.....................................................2.2
    RUNNING IP&M AS A DOOR...........................................2.3
    RUNNING IP&M STANDALONE..........................................2.4
    RUNNING IP&M LOCALLY.............................................2.5
    MULTITASKING.....................................................2.6
    SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES....................................2.7
    SETTING THE BAUD RATE............................................2.8
    USER TYPES.......................................................2.9
    COMMAND SETUP....................................................2.10
    SECURITY.........................................................2.11
    FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS..........................................2.12
    NEWS AND HELP....................................................2.13
    LOGIN TEXT.......................................................2.14

PART III: DEFINING THE GAME
    PICKING A GENRE FOR YOUR MUD.....................................3.1
    CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES.............................................3.2
    CHARACTER SKILLS.................................................3.3
    CHARACTER RACES OR TYPES.........................................3.4
    CHARACTER ALIGNMENT..............................................3.5
    DEFINING WEAPONS.................................................3.6
    DEFINING ARMOR...................................................3.7
    DEFINING SPECIAL ITEMS...........................................3.8
    DEFINING TREASURE................................................3.9
    MONSTERS AND GATES...............................................3.10
    WEATHER SETUP....................................................3.11
    FILES AND BULLETIN BOARD OBJECTS.................................3.12

PART IV: CREATING THE MUD
    CREATING PLACES..................................................4.1
    CREATING EXITS...................................................4.2
    CREATING OBJECTS.................................................4.3
    CREATING RULES...................................................4.4
    CREATING NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS...................................4.5
    TIME-BASED PLACES AND EXITS......................................4.6
    MODIFYING YOUR CHARACTER.........................................4.7

PART V: ADMINISTRATION
    INTERNAL BACKUPS.................................................5.1
    PRUNING SHOPS....................................................5.2
    PURGING USERS....................................................5.3
    COMPRESSING THE DATABASE.........................................5.4
    ADMINISTRATIVE COMMANDS..........................................5.5

PART VI: OTHER ISSUES
    RIP AND ANSI GRAPHICS............................................6.1
    FREELANCE MODULE SUBMISSIONS.....................................6.2
    TROUBLESHOOTING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT............................6.3


PART I   INTRODUCTION

1.1 OVERVIEW

So, you're ready to start your own MUD.  Maybe you're already running a
BBS, and want to add a popular new addition to your services.  Or maybe,
after hearing about all the headaches associated with running a BBS, you
decided to pass on the fun (probably wise), but running a MUD sounds
appealing to you.

    Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  What exactly is a MUD?  If you've
ever played a role-playing game, like DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, you have a
head start in understanding what MUDs are all about.  From one
perspective, MUDs are nothing more than multi-user role-playing
adventures.  D&D, plus a computer acting as DM, plus modems.  But that's
a limited and inaccurate view, at least when seen by itself.

    MUDs are imaginary places; but places that MUD users will swear to
you are real.  They exist in the shared imaginations of their
inhabitants. You can set down stakes and live in them.  They're not just
games, they're hangouts.  To many, real life becomes the short time
spent in-between MUDding.



1.2 THIS WALK-THROUGH OF THE DEMO VERSION

    This is not a complete manual for Industrial Prose & Magic.  Rather,
it is a throrough explanation of all of the various commands, and
explains exactly what the current version of IP&M is capable of.  The
complete manual, which includes such side-topics as the history of text
adventures, RPGs, and MUDding, contains more than is needed to get a
familiarity with this product.


PART II   SETUP

2.1 ASSUMPTIONS

    Although no technical expertise is required to either install or
administer your MUD, we do assume that you are familiar with basic DOS
commands: making directories, copying files, etc. If you are not
familiar with DOS, you will need to educate yourself in the basics.
Either consult the documentation that came with your computer, or buy a
third-party DOS book from any bookstore. Also, many of the larger
computer stores, such as Comp-USA, offer classes in DOS operation.


2.2 INSTALLATION

    Installing Industrial Prose & Magic on your hard drive is very
simple. First, make a directory on the target hard drive, naming it
anything you like. Then copy all of the files from the diskette to that
directory.

    The first time you run IP&M, the program will create a BACKUP
directory under your MUD directory. If you are running on a network,
make sure that you are logged in with an account that allows you to
create a subdirectory. If you are not sure, go ahead and make the BACKUP
directory first, after you have copied all the files to the directory.
It won't hurt the installation process for the directory to already
exist.


2.3 RUNNING IP&M AS A DOOR

    You can run an IP&M MUD from any BBS package that supports the
DOOR.SYS drop file format. This includes almost every package available,
including Wildcat, PCboard, and a host of others. A few exceptions are
The Major BBS and TBBS, for which you will need special setups to run
correctly.

    When a BBS runs a door program, it calls a batch file to execute the
door. The following is a typical example of one such batch file:

    CD \MUD
    CALL MUD DOOR C:\BBS\NODE1\DOOR.SYS
    CD \BBS
    BBS

    You will probably need to take all of these four steps in setting up
your door batch file. Check your BBS documentation for specifics.

    The first line of the example changes to the MUD directory (whatever
you've decided to name it).

    The second line calls the MUD.BAT batch file. Note that the "call"
keyword is very important; without it, control will not return to the
current batch file when MUD.BAT is finished. The last parameter on the
second line is the full pathname to the DOOR.SYS file.

    The third line changes back to the BBS directory, and the last line
calls the BBS batch file to return control to the BBS.


2.4 RUNNING IP&M STANDALONE

    To run an IP&M MUD without a BBS, simply invoke the MUD batch file
as follows:

    CALL MUD ALONE 1

    The last parameter, in this case a 1, tells the MUD to use COM port
1. You can specify any valid COM port value in that position.

    If you are running the MUD without BBS software, there are some more
issues you need to consider, mostly in the area of daily time limits,
etc. This is because when running the MUD as a door, the BBS tells the
MUD how many minutes each caller can be in the MUD, but without a BBS,
you need to decide how much time callers can spend in the MUD (based on
security levels that you define).

    See the SECURITY section for more details.


2.5 RUNNING IP&M LOCALLY

    To run IP&M in local mode, simply invoke the MUD batch file as
follows:

    CALL MUD ALONE -1

    When the MUD sees that the last parameter is a negative number, it
knows not to worry about communicating with a COM port.


2.6 MULTITASKING

    You can run as many sessions of IP&M as memory allows on your
machine. You will need to use a third-party multitasker, such as Windows
or DesqView.


2.7 SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

    There are a number of DOS environment variables that can be set in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file to modify how IP&M works. With the
exception of COMxBAUD, you will only need to use these if you are using
non-standard IRQs and addresses on your computer.

    COMxBAUD=<baudrate>     These variables are used to set the baud
                            rate for COM ports that are different from
                            the setting inside the MUD.  For example, if
                            you have a 14400 modem on COM1 and a 28800
                            modem on COM2, you can't use the single
                            field in the MUD to specify the baud rate
                            for both.  In that case, you need to include
                            the following lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
                            (before calling the MUD): "SET
                            COM1BAUD=14400" and "SET COM2BAUD=28000".
                            (It's important that there be no spaces on
                            either side of the '=').

    COMxIRQ=<IRQ number>    These variables can be used to set the IRQ
                            number to be used for a COM port. To use IRQ
                            4 with COM port 1, you would have the
                            following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
                            "COM1IRQ=4". This variable must be used in
                            conjunction with COMxADR; both lines must be
                            present for either to work.

    COMxADR=<address>       This variable is used to set the address of
                            a COM port. Note that it is expecting the
                            number to be in DECIMAL format. This
                            variable must be used in conjunction with
                            COMxIRQ; both lines must be present for
                            either to work.


2.8 SETTING THE BAUD RATE

    As described in the previous section, there are environment
variables you can use to set the baud rate to be used. In fact, there
are three distinct ways to set the baud rate. IP&M MUDs go through three
steps to determine which baud rate to use:

 1. The command line is checked for an override baud rate. For
    example, if you wanted to set the baud rate to 28800, you could use
    the following command in starting the MUD:

        CALL MUD DOOR C:\BBS\NODE1\DOOR.SYS 28800

    This fourth parameter is known as the baud rate override parameter.
    You should normally only use it during diagnostic situations, when
    you're trying to determine the correct baud rate to use with the
    MUD, although it won't hurt to include it whenever you need to.

    Assuming that the override parameter was used, no further checking
    would be done to determine the baud rate to be used. That value
    would be used.

 2. The DOS environment is checked to see if variables have been set for
    the current COM port. For example, if you included the following
    line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT batch file:

        SET COM1BAUD=14400

    If the MUD was invoked for COM port 1, then the baud rate to be used
    would be 14400. No further steps would be taken to determine the
    proper baud rate.

 3. At this point, the value that was entered on the "Modem Setup"
    screen for baud rate would be used for the baud rate.


2.9 USER TYPES

Users are the real-life people who control characters on MUDs.  There
are four basic types of users:

    Guests      Guests are users that generally can use the MUD but not
                bulletin board objects.  These are people who are still
                looking around, trying to decide if they want to join
                the MUD permanently.

    Players     These users make up a large portion of any MUD.  They
                are regular users that may or may not be subscribers.
                Access levels can be defined, along with security
                levels, that restrict non-subscribing players from
                certain areas and activities (like downloading files).

    Wizards     Wizards are users that can build new areas and objects
                in the MUD.  Some MUDs have them and some don't; some
                sysops prefer to do all the building themselves.  They
                can be restricted to building only in certain areas, so
                as to not disturb the already-existing sections.

    Producer    That's you. You can do anything.

    You might want to make "becoming a wizard" a goal for your users,
but they should have to earn it; they should have solved many of your
puzzles and be very familiar with the MUD before being given this
privilege.

    As with players, wizards can be divided between subscribing and
non-subscribing types.  You may or may not want to allow there to be
non-subscribing wizards; it might be a good incentive for them to become
subscribers!


2.10 COMMAND SETUP

As the MUD producer, you can decide which types of users can use which
commands. Press "C" for "Command Setup" on the Waiting For Call screen.
You'll come to a spreadsheet that lists all of the internal commands.
Move around the fields in the spreadsheet by using your arrow keys. Note
that fields will often exist off the right side of the screen; pressing
the right arrow past the edge of the screen will make them visible.
On this screen, you'll see the following fields:


    USERS:  This is where you enter codes that define which users can
use this command. The codes are as follows:

    G   Guest.  You will generally want to restrict most activities
        from guests.

    p   Player, non-subscribing.  This is the access levels used for
        people who are regular users, but have not subscribed.

    P   Player, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    w   Wizard, non-subscribing.  Wizards generally have more rights
        than players, including rights to build new parts of the MUD.

    W   Wizard, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    !   Producer.  That's you.


    CMDNAME:  The name of the command to be defined, like "look" or
"@placedesc" or "@obj".


    DESC1:  The description to be listed when a use types "COMMANDS", to
see what commands are available.


2.11 SECURITY

    As seen in the last section, there are six different types of users:
guests, non-subscribing players, subscribing players, non-subscribing
wizards, subscribing wizards, and producers. You don't have to use all
of these types; if you're running a free MUD, for example, you don't
need the subscribing user types.

    Don't confuse these different types of users with security levels,
however; security levels are numbers, like 10, 20, 99, etc. You might
want to have three different types of subscribing players, based on the
amount of money they have sent you; you might create a security level of
10 that gives players 20 minutes in the MUD per day, a security level of
20 that gives players 40 minutes in the MUD per day, etc.  Both of these
security levels would be for subscribing players, however, so they can
perform the same commands.

    If you're running IP&M as a door, you'll need to set up the security
levels in the MUD the same as they're set up in the BBS. To do this,
press "E" for "Security Setup" on the Waiting For Call screen. You'll
see a spreadsheet with the following fields:


    SECLEVEL:  The level to be defined, like 10, 20, etc.


    DAILYTIME:  The number of minutes allowed in the MUD per day. This
is only used when running the MUD standalone; otherwise, they have as
much time in the MUD as they have remaining in the BBS.


    DAILYBYTES: The number of bytes that can be downloaded from the MUD
per day, from bulletin board objects.


    SECTYPE: The type of access that this security level provides. Enter
one of the following six codes:

    G   Guest.  You will generally want to restrict most activities
        from guests.

    p   Player, non-subscribing.  This is the access levels used for
        people who are regular users, but have not subscribed.

    P   Player, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    w   Wizard, non-subscribing.  Wizards generally have more rights
        than players, including rights to build new parts of the MUD.

    W   Wizard, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    !   Producer.  That's you.


2.12 FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS

Earlier versions of Industrial Prose & Magic had file transfer
capability built-in: X-Modem, Y-Modem, Z-Modem, etc. This would allow
users that had sufficient security levels to download files from
bulletin board objects.

    The built-in file transfer ability was removed from Industrial Prose
& Magic, to allow room for other features to be added. File transfer
software is widely available, and it really made no sense to take up
valuable program resources to duplicate what is already being done with
other packages.

    So, users can still download from bulletin board objects, but you
will need a file transfer program such as DSZ.EXE or GSZ.EXE to
accomplish this. These programs are widely available as shareware, and
can be found on any major bulletin board.

    To set up your MUD to work with one of these programs, press "R" for
"Protocol Setup" on the Waiting For Call screen. You'll see a spreadsheet
with the following fields:


    PROT_CHAR:  The letter to be highlighted in the button when
prompting the user. For example, if you had X-Modem defined, you'd
probably want to put an "X" in this field to highlight that character.
Each protocol type must have a different character in this field.


    PROT_NAME:  The name of the protocol, to be used in the button when
prompting the user.


    SEND_CMD:  The command line to be used when transmitting a file with
the file transfer program. The following variables are substituted in
the line when executed:

    %p      The number of the COM port being used.

    %f      The name of the file to be sent.

So, if you were using GSZ.EXE, you would have this line set to the
following for Z-Modem:

    gsz port %p sz %f


    RECV_CMD:  The command line to be used when receiving a file with
the file transfer program. The following variables are substituted in
the line when executed:

    %p      The number of the COM port being used.

    %f      The name of the file to be received (often not needed).

So, if you were using GSZ.EXE, you would have this line set to the
following for Z-Modem:

    gsz port %p rz


2.13 NEWS AND HELP

These are two extensible systems that allow you to create custom topics
in your MUD.  For example, if you wanted to set up a help display that
provides in-depth information on an element in your game (a political
situation, a new type of monster, etc), you could assign a keyword that
would allow the user to ready that display.

    Suppose you invent a new type of monster, called a JORD. Your users
won't know what a jord is. But you might want it to be common knowledge
to the characters inside your game. You could set up a JORD help
keyword, so that when users type "HELP JORD", the system explains the
nasty feeding habits of your monster. If they just typed "HELP", a
listing of all defined keywords would be displayed, including "JORD".

    You could also use news in a similar manner. You might want to
explain the latest intrigues going on in court, gossip about well-known
characters, etc, by defining news keywords just as you would help
keywords.

    Press "H" for "Edit Help" on the Waiting For Call screen to set up
the help keywords. Press "W" for "Edit News" to set up the news
keywords. The same screen will appear for either, with the following
command buttons:

    ADD ITEM:  Use this button to add a new keyword. You will see it
displayed on the screen after you've defined it.

    DELETE ITEM:  Use this button to delete a keyword.  It will be
removed from the screen.

    EDIT ITEM:  Use this button to edit the item.  Press Ctrl-W to save
your text, or ESC to abort.

    QUIT:  Use this button to return to the Waiting For Call screen.



2.14 LOGIN TEXT

There are numerous types of login text that you can define for your
callers. To do so, press "X" for "Login Text" on the Waiting For Call
screen.  You'll see the following options:

    C   Mud Charter. You can use this area to describe the basic
        operating tenants of your MUD; why you started it, what the
        theme is, etc.

    S   Subscription Info. You can use this area to describe how users
        should go about subscribing to the MUD.

    G   Ground Rules. If you forbid players from attacking each other,
        for example, this would be the place to put that information.

    F   File Library. This area can be used to describe that kinds of
        files stored in the MUD. Some producers hide bulletin board
        objects around the MUD, making access to certain files part of
        the reward for solving puzzles.

    A   Access Levels. This area can be used to describe the different
        security levels supported in your MUD.  You probably only need
        to use this if you're running the MUD standalone, otherwise you
        doubtless already have a similar bulletin in your BBS.

    L   Login Bulletin. This message is displayed every time users log
        in to the MUD.

    B   Basic Commands. This text is hooked to the "Basic Commands"
        button in the introductory menu. If you want to customize it,
        you can, but it already explains the common commands available.

    W   What's a MUD?  This text is hooked to the "What's a MUD?" button
        in the introductory menu. Again, if you want to customize it,
        you can.

    If you want to divide your text into logical components (the login
bulletin is a likely candidate), you can use the special "<MORE>"
keyword in the text to create a "[More]" prompt, as follows:

    This text is displayed first.

    <MORE>

    This text is displayed after the user has pressed ENTER on the
    [More] prompt.



PART III  DEFINING THE GAME


3.1 PICKING A GENRE FOR YOUR MUD

MUDs are imaginary worlds. You need to decide what kind of imaginary
world you want to create. The easiest way to do this would probably be
to look at the kinds of fiction you like to read the most. What type of
novel have you really enjoyed lately? Science fiction? Fantasy? Horror?
Mystery? Any of these genres would work splendidly as a MUD. Your only
limitation is your imagination.

    Many MUD producers pick themes specific to books they have enjoyed;
for example, a Pern MUD or Amber MUD or Middle-Earth MUD. Feel free to
do so, but be aware that if you're charging money for people to use your
MUD (i.e., a commercial MUD), and you use copyrighted worlds, you might
face legal problems down the road. In that situation, we would recommend
that you loosely base it on those types of worlds, but refrain from
using the same exact terms and phrases.

    If you're still having difficulty getting inspiration for a MUD
genre, visit your local role-playing store. Look at all of the different
types of role-playing genres that other people have already created.
Look at multi-genre RPG systems like GURPS, that have different
supplements for different genres. You'll get some good ideas that way.
You might even want to buy one of those supplements and use them for
ideas.


3.2 CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES

Having decided on a genre, you're now ready to define the physical and
mental characteristics associated with the inhabitants of your MUD.  In
a fantasy MUD, it would often be best to used a system that's already
been proven usable by RPG games, like Dungeons & Dragons.  D&D uses six
attributes to define characters: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom,
Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. Feel free to use fewer if you so
incline; most MUDs could probably get by with just Strength,
Intelligence, and Dexterity.  The maximum number you can define is 8,
although 6 should be a realistic maximum.  (Six is also the maximum
number that can be shown on the status line).

    Each of these attributes is assigned a number, on a scale of 1 to
20+.  10 is average for a human.  1 is really, really pitiful.  20 is
superhuman.  For each of your attributes, you define averages for each
race.  An average Strength for a human would be 10, for a dwarf, perhaps
8, for an elf, perhaps 6.  And so on.

    To look at the attributes as they are currently defined, choose "A"
on the Waiting For Call screen, then "A" for attribute setup.  You'll
notice the only fields defined in the spreadsheet are ATTRNAME, which
defines the name of each attribute, and DESC1-DESC4, which describes
each attribute to the users. Feel free to type over the ones there and
redefine them, or press the down arrow at the bottom of the sheet to add
new ones.  Press ESC when done.

    How are attributes used in the game?  You'll find out in-depth in
the "Creating Rules" section.  Basically, you create rules in your world
which test various attributes at different times.  For example, you
might create a fissure that has to be leaped to be crossed.  When a
character tries to leap it, you have the system test their Dexterity
attribute.  An "electronic roll" (using 3 6-sided dice) is made against
their Dexterity; if the roll is lower or equal to their rating, they
succeed.  Otherwise they fail.  Your rule will specify what happens in
either situation.


3.3 CHARACTER SKILLS

Now let's talk about skills.  Skills are like optional attributes. They
are scaled the same way, from 1 to 20+, but define the things that a
character knows how to do and use.  They are tied directly to weapons
and items, about which you will learn in the next section.  In other
words, to use a sword, you might need the Bladed Weapons skill.  To use
a magic scroll, you might need the Scroll lore skill.  In the example
with leaping the fissure in the last section, you might also define a
"Leaping" skill, that would be tested in those types of situations.
Leaping, though, is something everyone can do (to some extent, at
least), so it's really not appropriate as a skill.  Skills are
specialized knowledge that a character has learned, which enables him or
her to use specific types of weapons and items.

    If you were creating a fantasy MUD, you might decide on skills like
Bladed Weapons, Blunt Weapons, Scroll Lord, and Wand Lore.  Two fighting
skills and two magical skills. In an actual MUD, you'll probably want
six to a dozen skills available total.

    To see what kinds of skills are currently defined, type "A" from the
Waiting For Call screen, and then "S" for skill setup.  The following
fields will appear:


    SKILLNAME:  The name of the skill, like "Scroll lore". Anything you
can imagine is fine here, as long as it's descriptive.


    SKILLCOST:  When character are assigning their starting character
points to various attributes and skills, they will need to spend X
number of points to purchase each point of skill.  This is where you
enter the X.  Fencing, you might reason, is not a very rare skill in a
fantasy world: it should only cost 1 character point for each point of
skill.  Dragon Control, on the other hand, might be a rare magical skill
that is extremely difficult to learn and master, and you might want to
make it cost 5 character points, or 10, for each point of skill.  It's
up to you, although I don't think I'd ever make a skill cost more than
10 points.


    DESC1-DESC4: These are the text fields that describe what each skill
is, and what it's used for.  Use as few or as many of these as you need.


3.4 CHARACTER RACES OR TYPES

Depending on the genre you've selected for you MUD, you might either
want to create character races or character types. Both are the same
thing, but the term "race" is only appropriate in certain genres. For
example, in a fantasy MUD, you might want to have Human, Elf, Dwarf, and
Halfling races defined.  In a mystery MUD set in the 1940's, however, it
would be more appropriate to have character types, such as Detective,
Reporter, Movie Star, etc.

    To look at the races or types as they are currently defined, choose
"A" on the Waiting For Call screen, then "R" for race/type setup. You'll
see the following fields:


    RACE: Enter the name of the first race or type, like "Elf" or
"Detective".


    ATTR1-ATTR8:  We're getting slightly ahead of ourselves here.
Attributes will be discussed in a moment.  When you discover what
attributes are, you'll come back here and enter them in for each race.
These are the base attributes for each race.


    DESC1-DESC4:  This is the text description callers get about the
race, explaining what it is.  Remember to use the right and left arrows
to move between all the fields.  Use as many of these fields, 1-4, as it
takes to describe the race.


    HITDICE: This field defines what type of "dice" are used to generate
hit points for the characters.  Hit points are the number of points a
character has left before he or she dies, so a high number is definitely
desirable.  If you entered a 10 here, a random number, between 1 and 10,
would be added to the character's hit points each time they scored
another 10,000 points.  Characters start off with the maximum afforded
by one roll of the die (10 in this case).  4 is probably the lowest you
should ever use, for real weak races. 14 or 16 would probably be the
highest number you'd ever want to use, for extremely strong races.


3.5 CHARACTER ALIGNMENT

Depending on the genre that you've chosen for your MUD, character
"alignments" might or might not be appropriate. In a fantasy MUD, most
producers would set up alignments of "Good" and "Evil". In a MUD based
on Star Trek, you might have political alignments of "Klingon" and
"Federation", or "Bajorran" and "Cardassian". A middle alignment of
"Neutral" also exists. You can set up the MUD to use or not use
alignments by pressing "G" for "General Setup" on the Waiting For Call
screen.

    If you do use alignments, all characters will start life as
"Neutral". Which alignment they move towards ("Good" or "Evil", for
example) depends on their actions in the game. If they attack and defeat
other users that are "Good", the will slide towards "Evil". If they
attack other users that are "Evil", the will slide towards "Good".

    There is an exception to this, however.  There are some types of
genres in which it would be appropriate to define the "Good" alignment
as peaceful, only attacking other users in self-defense. (This does not
apply to monsters, of course; when a user attacks a monster, it is
obviously in self-defense, so it does not affect their alignment).

    In a fantasy MUD, you might reason that good characters would act
like Knights or Paladins, and not wantonly attack innocent victims.
Likewise, in a MUD based on the Star Wars universe, you might reason
that characters like Jedi Knights would only attack other users in
self-defense. In a MUD based on Star Trek, you might reason that
Federation officers do not go around attacking everyone in sight, while
Klingon warriors are not so scrupulous.

    This "peaceful" quality to good characters is completely optional.
To turn it on or off, press "G" for "General Setup" on the Waiting For
Call screen, and then set the "High Peaceful" field to yes or no.

    It should be noted that all characters automatically fight back in a
reflexive manner when attacked, and this has no effect on the defending
character's alignment. If an evil wizard casts a fireball at a good
knight, for example, the knight will counter-attack automatically, and
his alignment will not be adjusted. If the knight initiates an attack,
however, he will slip towards evil. And again, this is only if the "High
Peaceful" flag is set to yes on the General Setup screen.


3.6 DEFINING WEAPONS

For any MUD, you'll probably want to define weapons that characters can
use to further their goals, whether they be swords in a fantasy MUD,
pistols in a mystery MUD, or blasters in a sci-fi MUD. To see the
weapons that are currently defined, press "A" for "Game Setup" on the
Waiting For Call screen, and then "W" for "Weapon Types". You'll see the
following fields:


    NAME:  The name of the weapon, like "blaster" or "long sword".


    SYNONYM: A short-hand name that can be used in place of the name.
If the NAME of a weapon was "LONG SWORD", you might want a synonym to be
"SWORD", to allow the user to type in a shorter word when referring to
it.  If no synonym seems appropriate, leave this field blank.


    ATT_DICE: The number of dice to use in determining damage inflicted
by the weapon. The type of hit dice to use is determined by the next
field.


    ATT_TYPE: The type of hit dice used to determine damage inflicted by
the weapon.  The number of these dice to use is determined by the
previous field.  For example, if ATT_DICE were set to 2 and ATT_TYPE
were set to 8, the weapon would have an attack value between 2 and 16
(as if using 2 eight-sided dice).


    HITTEXT: The text description to be displayed when the character
makes a successful attack on a monster.  Two special characters can be
used in this field: the `*' and the `$'. The * will be replaced with the
name of the character being attacked.  The $ will be replaced with the
name of the monster.  So, if you had a field defined as follows:

    * gashes the $ with his short sword!

The users in the vicinity of the battle would see the message:

    Bilbo gashes the goblin with his short sword!


    MISSTEXT:  The text to be displayed when the user attacks a monster
but misses.  The $ and * characters work the same as with HITTEXT.


    BASEVALUE:  The amount of money a generic version of this weapon
would cost in a weapon store.  A special version of the weapon would
cost more, according to it's abilities.  For example, a +1 version of a
weapon costs twice as much as the generic version; a +2 version costs
three times as much.


    SKILL:  The name of the skill to be used when determining whether a
character knows how to use a weapon, and whether he or she uses it
successfully.


3.7 DEFINING ARMOR

Just as you define weapons for your MUD, you'll probably want to define
armor as well, to help protect characters from injury. The armor might
take the form of a suit of chain mail, a bullet-proof vest, or a suit of
battle armor, depending on the genre of your MUD. To see the armor
that is currently defined, press "A" for "Game Setup" on the Waiting For
Call screen, and then "O" for "Armor Types". You'll see the following
fields:


    NAME:  The name of the armor, like "suit of chain mail" or "combat vest".


    SYNONYM: A short-hand name that can be used in place of the name.
If the NAME of the armor was "COMBAT VEST", you might want a synonym to
be "VEST", to allow the user to type in a shorter word when referring to
it.  If no synonym seems appropriate, leave this field blank.


    EFFECT: The modification this piece of armor has to the wearer's
armor class. Typically, this will be a negative number, meaning it
subtracts that amount from his or her armor class, making them more
difficult to hit, or less vulnerable to damage when hit.


    BASEVALUE:  The amount of money a generic version of this armor
would cost in an armor store.  A special version of the armor would cost
more, according to it's abilities. For example, a +1 version of a piece
of armor costs twice as much as the generic version; a +2 version costs
three times as much.


    TYPE:  Armor is subdivided into different types, each assigned a
letter.  The reason for this is that for most types of armor, you don't
want the user to be able to wear multiple instances of the same thing.
For example, if they are already wearing a suit of plate mail, you don't
want them to be able to also put on a suit of chain mail!  To solve this
problem, you would assign the same letter to both of these types of
armor.  Then, they would only be able to put on one of them at a time.
The one exception to this is the Z class, which by definition allows as
many instances of the armor type to be worn as desired.  You can use
this feature if you feel it is appropriate.


3.8 DEFINING SPECIAL ITEMS

The kinds of special items you'll want to define depends, again, on the
genre you've picked for your MUD.  For a fantasy MUD, you'll probably
want to define scrolls, wands, and such, that will allow non-warrior
users (the ones who don't have the weapons skills you've defined) to use
magical powers.  You'd want to create skills to go along with these
items; for example, a Wand Lore skill that allows users to use wands, a
Scroll Lore skill that allows users to use scrolls, etc.

    Let's bring up the special item spreadsheet and look at the fields
involved.  Type "A" at the Waiting For Call screen, then "I" for "Item
Setup". You'll see the following fields:


    NAME:  The name of the item, like "tricorder" or "wand of healing".


    SYNONYM: A short-hand name that can be used in place of the name.
If the NAME of an item was "WAND OF HEALING", you might want a synonym
to be "WAND", to allow the user to type in a shorter word when referring
to it.  If no synonym seems appropriate, leave this field blank.


    TYPE:  There are two types of items:

    O   An item that can be used once per day.  If you're running a
        fantasy MUD, and want to stick with the D&D idea of casting a
        spell once per day, you can create an item (like a scroll) that
        only works once per day.

    C   An item that has a certain number of charges before it becomes
        useless, but can be used more than once per day.


    POWER:  There are three types of item powers:

    A   Attack a monster; this inflicts damage in the same manner that a
        weapon would, using the ATT_DICE and ATT_TYPE fields below.

    T   Teleportation to any part of the MUD (assuming you know the name
        of the location).

    H    Healing hit points that have been lost (due to combat).


    ATT_DICE: The number of dice to use in determining damage inflicted
by the item (if it's power is type A).  The type of hit dice to use is
determined by the next field.


    ATT_TYPE: The type of hit dice used to determine damage inflicted by
the item.  The number of these dice to use is determined by the previous
field.  For example, if ATT_DICE were set to 2 and ATT_TYPE were set to
8, the item would have an attack value between 2 and 16 (as if using 2
eight-sided dice).


    CHARGES:  The maximum number of charges this item can have
(determined randomly on creation).


    SKILL:  The name of the skill needed to use this item.


    HITTEXT: The text description to be displayed when the character
makes a successful attack on a monster with this item.  Two special
characters can be used in this field: the `*' and the `$'.  The * will
be replaced with the name of the character being attacked. The $ will be
replaced with the name of the monster.  So, if you had a field defined
as follows:

    A ball of lightning flashes from *'s wand and smashes into the $!

The users in the vicinity of the battle would see the message:

    A ball of lightning flashes from Bilbo's wand and smashes into the goblin!

This text is also used for other powers, besides attacking.  For a wand of healing, you
might define the text field:

    A glow of energy surrounds *'s body, healing his wounds.

And he would see the message:

    A glow of energy surrounds Bilbo's body, healing his wounds.


    MISSTEXT:  The text to be displayed when the user attacks a monster
with the item but misses.  The $ and * characters work the same as with
HITTEXT.


    BASEVALUE:  The amount of money this item would cost in a store.
For once-a-day items, this is the actual value.  For charged items, this
amount is multiplied by the number of charges left to determine the
actual value.


3.9 DEFINING TREASURE

Treasure will probably be a major part of your MUD, especially if you
have chose a fantasy theme for your MUD. Treasure is found when killing
a monster, and different classes can be linked to different types of
monsters; kill a weak monster, you might find a few silver pieces; kill
a dragon, you might find a ton of money, or a really nifty sword. To see
the types of treasure currently defined, press "A" on the Waiting For
Call screen, and then "T" for "Treasure Types".  You'll see the
following fields:


    CLASS:  Treasure classes are each assigned a letter, and an
unlimited number of instances of a treasure class are allowed.  For
example, you might set up treasure class A to be the treasure associated
with weak fantasy monsters (maybe goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins).
Whenever a user kills one of these monsters, a random entry in this
spreadsheet associated with treasure class A will be picked and given to
the user.


    TYPE:  Treasure can either be one of the following types:

    M    Money.
    I     An item from the item spreadsheet.
    W     A weapon from the weapons spreadsheet.
    A    A piece of armor from the armor spreadsheet.


    NAME:  When defining types I, W, or A, the name as defined in the
corresponding spreadsheet.  When defining money, leave this blank.


    MAXBONUS:  The maximum + bonus for weapons or items, such as a +1
sword or +2 suit of chain mail.


    MAXAMT:  When defining money, the maximum amount of money that might
be found (determined randomly).


3.10 MONSTERS AND GATES

No matter what genre you've decided on, you'll probably want to create
some "monsters".  In a fantasy, they might be goblins and dragons.  In a
Star Trek MUD, they might be Klingons or Romulans.  In a mystery MUD,
they might be gangsters.  In a horror MUD, they might be vampires or
werewolves (or humans!).

Let's bring up the monster spreadsheet by pressing "A" for game setup
(at the main menu), and then "M" for monster setup.  The following
fields will appear:


    NAME:  The name of the monster, like "goblin" or "stormtrooper".


    SYNONYM: A short-hand name that can be used in place of the name.
If the NAME of a monster was "RED DRAGON", you might want a synonym to
be "DRAGON", to allow the user to type in a shorter word when referring
to it.  If no synonym seems appropriate, leave this field blank.


    HIT_DICE: The number of dice to use in determining hit points for a
monster.  The type of hit dice to use is determined by the next field.


    HIT_TYPE: The type of hit dice used to determine hit points for a
monster.  The number of these dice to use is determined by the previous
field.  For example, if HIT_DICE were set to 3 and HIT_TYPE were set to
6, the monster would have a starting number of hit points between 3 and
18 (as if using 3 six-sided dice).


    ATT_DICE: The number of dice to use in determining damage inflicted
by the monster. The type of hit dice to use is determined by the next
field.


    ATT_TYPE: The type of hit dice used to determine damage inflicted by
the monster. The number of these dice to use is determined by the
previous field.  For example, if ATT_DICE were set to 2 and ATT_TYPE
were set to 8, the monster would have an attack value between 2 and 16
(as if using 2 eight-sided dice).


    HITTEXT: The text description to be displayed when the monster makes
a successful attack on a character.  Two special characters can be used
in this field: the `*' and the `$'. The * will be replaced with the name
of the character being attacked.  The $ will be replaced with the name
of the monster.  So, if you had a field defined as follows:

    The $ smashes * with a club!

The users in the vicinity of the battle would see the message:

    The goblin smashes Bilbo with a club!


    MISSTEXT:  The text to be displayed when the monster attacks a
character but misses. The $ and * characters work the same as with
HITTEXT.


    TREASURE:  The treasure class associated with this monster.  This
defines what type of treasures a character might earn when killing this
sort of monster.  Treasure classes are defined in step 5.


    ARMOR: The armor class associated with this monster.  Armor classes
modify how difficult they are to hit, and how much damage will be
inflicted when hit.  0 is the average armor class; negative numbers
indicate harder to hit creatures, positive numbers indicate easier to
hit creatures.  A good range would be between -10 (very, very hard to
hit) and 10 (extremely easy to hit).


    ATTACKVAL: This value indicates the skill associated with the
monster's method of attack.  10 would be average; 3 would be pitiful; 20
would be incredibly lethal.


    SCORE: The score a user should earn when defeating this type of
monster.  Scoring is entirely up to you.


    ANSI_PIC: The name of the ANSI file to display that shows what this
monster looks like.  If you don't have one, leave this blank.


    RIP_PIC: The name of the RIP file to display that shows what this
monster looks like.  If you don't have one, leave this blank.  As a
general rule, if you have a RIP picture defined, you should have an ANSI
one define, and vice-versa.


    CLASS: Monsters can be grouped together in classes to allow some
variety when they are created by "gates" (read below).


    DEXTERITY: The dexterity rating is used to decide whether the
monster or the player can strike first in combat; the higher value
strikes first, with ties going 50-50.



    Monsters are not generated directly by you in the game.  Think of
how often you'd have to create new ones, with all of your users killing
them constantly!

    Instead, you create monster gates with the @gate command. These
gates are invisible objects that generate a random number of either a
specific type of monster, or monsters in a monster class. You can set
the percentage chance that the gate will create a monster every time a
user enter the location (assuming that no monsters already exist).

    You can use the @gateinfo command to display information about the
gate in the current location.  If you want to delete the gate, use the
@gatekill command.


3.11 WEATHER SETUP

Weather is optional; it might or might not be appropriate for your MUD,
depending on the genre you've chosen. If everyone is always aboard a
spaceship, you probably won't want to use it. But if everyone's on the
surface of a planet (whether it be sci-fi or fantasy), you'll probably
want to use it. The weather system is totally configurable; you can
having raging thunderstorms, biting sandstorms, snowy downfalls, or
anything else you think appropriate.

    To turn the weather system on or off, press "G" for "General Setup"
on the Waiting For Call screen. You will see the following
weather-related options:


    USE WEATHER?  Press "Y" or "N", depending on whether you want to use
it or not.


    MULTIPLE ZONES?  If your MUD is spread out over a large area, you
might want there to be multiple weather zones, each independent. If so,
when you create new places, you will be asked which weather zone
corresponds to the new place.  You can define as many zones as you like.


    CHECK HOW OFTEN?  In real time, how often should the weather be
checked to see if it changes?  Enter the time in minutes.  Most MUDs
could probably stand to have it checked every 60 minutes or so, but it
really depends on how active you want the weather to be.

    If you do decide to use weather, you'll want to customize the
related weather spreadsheets. Press "A" for "Game Setup" on the Waiting
For Call screen, and then press "E" for the first weather spreadsheet,
"Weather Setup".  You'll see the following fields:


    TITLE:  For your own convenience when setting up the weather; the
caller won't see this description. You can call it "Partly Cloudy" or
"Heavy Rain" or "Severe Storm", etc.


    DESC1: The description for this weather to be used during the first
quarter of the day (Midnight-6:00 AM).


    DESC2: The description for this weather to be used during the second
quarter of the day (6:00 AM-Noon).


    DESC3: The description for this weather to be used during the third
quarter of the day (Noon-6:00 PM).


    DESC4: The description for this weather to be used during the last
quarter of the day (6:00 PM-Midnight).


    GETBETTER: The text to be displayed when this weather progresses to a
"better" state (less rainy, etc).


    GETWORSE: The text to be displayed when this weather progresses to a
"worse" state (more rainy, etc).


    RAINFALL: The amount of "wet points" a user accumulates each turn
while exposed to this weather. (Only in outside locations, obviously).


    CHANCE_BET:  The percentage chance that this weather will get better
the next time the weather is checked for modification.


    CHANCE_WOR:  The percentage chance that this weather will get worse
the next time the weather is checked for modification.


    DANGER:  The danger associated with this weather; the following
codes are currently defined:

    F   The user might slip and fall, dropping everything, because it's
        slippery or icy outside

    D   The user might take damage, such as a strike from a lightning
        bolt, falling rocks, or debris being hurled around from a
        tornado.


    DANGERHIT:  The text description of what happens when the current
weather event occurs, as defined by the DANGER, DANGERCHAN, and
DANGERDAM fields.


    DANGERMISS: The text description of what happens when a weather
event almost occurs (a bolt of lightning almost hit the user, etc).


    DANGERCHAN:  The percentage chance that a weather event will occur
in a given turn, such as being struck by lightning.


    DANGERDAM:  The maximum amount of damage (subtracted from the user's
hit points) when the weather event occurs.


    To see the next weather-related spreadsheet, press "A" for "Game
Setup" on the Waiting For Call screen, and then press "Z" for the second
weather spreadsheet, "Weather Zones".  You'll see the following fields:


    ZONE:  The weather zone being defined, like "1", "2", etc.


    SEVERITY:  The current severity in that weather zone, as defined by
the records in the previous spreadsheet. (The first line in the previous
spreadsheet is severity 1, the second line is severity 2, etc).  Unless
you want to force the weather to a certain condition in a zone, you
shouldn't ever have to modify this field.


    MIN_SEV:  The minimum severity number for the current zone.  In a
tropical rainforest, you might never want it to be a clear, sunny day,
for example.


    MAX_SEV:  The maximum severity for the current zone.  On a peaceful
island, you might want the weather to never get worse than a light
rainfall. (Or, you might want to make it the roughest part of the MUD,
with hurricanes and everything!)


    LASTCHANGE:  The last time the weather was changed, in terms of
seconds elapsed since midnight.  You shouldn't ever have to modify this
field.


    To see the last weather-related spreadsheet, press "A" for "Game
Setup" on the Waiting For Call screen, and then press "N" for the third
weather spreadsheet, "Wetness Setup".  You'll see the following fields:


    THRESHOLD:  When a user accumulates "wet points" as defined by the
RAINFALL field in the first weather spreadsheet, they can progress
through wetter and wetter stages of wetness.  (Although "wet" is the
term being used, is could just as well define states of coldness,
hotness, etc). In this field, you put the number that defines the number
of "wet points" that a user needs to accumulate to be at this state of
wetness.


    DESC:  The description to the user of what wetness state they're in.
For early states of wetness, you might enter "You're a bit damp".  For
later states, you might enter "You're thoroughly drenched".


    CHANCEDAM:  The percentage chance per turn that the wetness state
they're in will subtract from their remaining hit points.  If they get
thoroughly drenched, for example, you might reason that they could start
to get sick and lose hit points, if they don't get inside and dry off.


    DAMAGEMAX:  If they do take damage for their state of wetness, this
is the maximum amount of hit points they could lose per turn.


    DAMAGEDESC:  If they do take damage for being too wet (or cold, or
hot, etc), this is the description they see.


3.12 FILES AND BULLETIN BOARD OBJECTS

Bulletin board objects are special objects that you might decide to have
in your MUD.  When they are looked at, bulletin board objects present a
menu of choices to the user, allowing them to upload or download files
(if they have a sufficient security level), leave messages on the
current topic, etc.

    Defining bulletin board objects takes several steps.  First, you
must decide on the different topics to support. You might want to make
one object be dedicated to "Windows Utilities" files and messages,
another dedicated to "Adult Graphics", etc. To set up the different
topics, press "T" for "Setup BBSs" on the Waiting For Call screen.
You'll see the following fields:


    TOPIC_CODE:  Invent an arbitrary code for this topic, like "T1" for
text files, "G1" for graphic files, "W1" for windows files, etc.  Each
topic must have a unique topic code.


    ACCESS:  Enter one or several of the following codes, to allow users
to download files from this topic area:

    G   Guest.  You will generally want to restrict most bulletin boards
        topic codes from guests.  You can do this on the "Setup BBSs"
        screen by not putting a G in the ACCESS field.

    p   Player, non-subscribing.  This is the access levels used for
        people who are regular users, but have not subscribed.

    P   Player, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    w   Wizard, non-subscribing.  Wizards generally have more rights
        than players, including rights to build new parts of the MUD.

    W   Wizard, subscribing.  As the name implies.

    !   Producer.  That's you.


    DESC:  The description of this topic code, like "Windows Utilities"
or "C Programming Files".


    UPLOADPATH:  The full path to be used when uploading files, to
indicate which directory uploaded files in this topic should be placed.


    CAN_UPLOAD:  Using the same codes as the ACCESS field, specify which
user types can upload to this topic area.


    Once the topic table is complete, you can add a topic to a bulletin
board object by using the "@bbsadd" command, or remove one by using the
"@bbsdel" command.  One bulletin board object can be related to as many
topics as you'd like.

    If you're not sure which topic codes you've added to a bulletin
board object, type "@bbslist" to display the topic codes.

    If you already have some files on your hard disk that you'd like to
import to a bulletin board object, use the "@bbsmassul" command to
import a group of files at once. You can use wildcards to specify
whichever files you wish to add to the object. You will be prompted
after each file for a description of that file.

    Conversely, to delete a group files from a bulletin board object, use
the "@bbsmassdel" command.

    If you want to change a description of a file, use the "@filedesc"
command.

    If you want to delete a single file, use the "@filekill" command.
This gives you the option of either deleting the file from the hard
drive, or simply removing it from the list of files for the topic.

    To set a password for a file, use the "@filepass" command.  That
way, only users that know the password for the file can download it.



PART IV   CREATING THE MUD

4.1 CREATING PLACES

Creating places is the most common task in setting up the MUD.  Places
are locations that users can visit.  There are five types of them:

    Normal places.  Just what the name implies.

    Public places.  These are places that users can instantly move to by
    using the "GO" command.  This is a compromise between being able to
    teleport anywhere and taking forever to get anywhere, a historical
    problem with MUDs.

    Weapons Shops.  Places in which users can buy and sell weapons.

    Armor Shops.  Places in which users can buy and sell armor.

    General Shops.  Places in which users can buy special items.

    When places are first created, there are no exits attached to them.
The sequence of creation is: create place, attach exit, create place,
attach exit, etc.

    When you first load the software, you'll be in a one-room MUD.
To modify the name of this place, type "@placename", and then hit ENTER.
This command changes the name of places. Right now, we're in a place
called "Entry Point". So, at the first prompt (Old Name?), type in
"entry point". At the next prompt (New Name?), type in "bridge". The
name has been changed. Type "L" (for Look), and you'll see the name has
been changed at the top of the description window.

    Now, let's describe what the bridge looks like.  Type "@placedesc",
then hit ENTER.  Type in the following:

  "You're standing on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.  Glowing" (Press ENTER)
  "display stations surround the walls." (Press ENTER)

    Or, describe the bridge however you'd like. When you're done, type
"L" to look around again, and you'll see that your description now
appears in the description window.

    Now, let's create a new place.  Type "@place" and press ENTER. At
the first prompt (Name?), type in "Ready Room". At the second prompt,
just press ENTER. (If you wanted there to be another way to refer to
"Ready Room", you could have entered it there as a synonym).

    That's it!  The new place has been created.  It doesn't appear on
the map yet, however, because the MUD doesn't know how to connect it to
your current location.  For that, you'll need to create an exit.

    If you want to delete this exit, use the "@placekill" command.

    Also, you can create a numbered place, just as you can create
numbered objects (see CREATING OBJECTS).  The "@placex" command can be
used for this purpose.


4.2 CREATING EXITS

Now let's create our first exit. Type "@exit" and press ENTER.  At the
first prompt, enter "E", meaning that the new exit leads east from here.
At the next prompt, type in "Ready Room". At the next exit, type "2".
That's the length of the line to be drawn on the map to represent the
exit. At the next prompt, type "door", as the description for the exit.
At the last prompt, type "Y" to create the corresponding counterpart for
this exit (meaning that once in the ready room, an exit leading west
will take you back to the bridge).

    The exit now exists.  Type "L" to look around, and you'll see the
exit and the new location on the map.

    Let's see how the map changes when moving between places.  With your
NUMLOCK on, press the 6 on your numeric keypad (which corresponds to
"east").  You'll notice that you've moved to the ready room.  Press 4 on
your numeric keypad, and you'll be back on the bridge.

    Now, suppose you really meant for that to be an exit to the north to
get to the ready room, not the east.  Let's modify it.

    Make sure you're back on the bridge.  Type "@exitdir" and press
ENTER. At the first prompt, type "E" for east, meaning that's the exit
you want to change.  At the next prompt, type "N", meaning that's the
direction you want the exit to lead.  Then type "L" to look around, and
you'll see that it's been modified.

    Now, let's change the length of the exit.  You created it with a
length of 2, making it pretty small.  Let's make it longer.  Type
"@exitlen" and press ENTER.  At the next prompt, type "N", meaning that
it's the north exit you want to modify.  At the next prompt, type "3".
Then type "L" to look around, and you'll see that the exit line is
longer than before.

    To change the description that appears in the main text box for an
exit, use the "@exitdesc" command.

    To delete an exit, use the "@exitkill" command.


4.3 CREATING OBJECTS

Objects are things that users can observe, use, pick up, etc.  There are
the following types of objects (not including characters and NPCs, which
are technically "objects" from a system command standpoint):

    Weapons.  These are objects that, when wielded, can be used to
    attack monsters.

    Special items.  Objects that have special powers, like healing hit
    points, inflicting damage, and teleporting users.  In a fantasy MUD,
    these might be scrolls or wands.

    Armor.  Objects that, when worn, improve a character's armor class.

    Non-takeable objects.  These are things that for some reason, either
    because they are too heavy or whatever reason, cannot be taken.
    This is the default type of all objects that are created with the
    @obj command. (@objtype can then be used to modify the object type).

    Takeable objects.  These objects can be picked up and added to the
    character's inventory.

    Bulletin board objects.  These are objects that act as bulletin
    boards.  When users look at them, they will see messages and files
    that have been left there by others.

    Now let's create an object.  Go back to the ready room.  We'll
create an aquarium that displays a message when you hit it.  First, type
"@obj".  At the first prompt, type "Aquarium".  At the next prompt,
press "N" for neuter.  At the next prompt, type "fishtank" for a
synonym.  Then press ENTER.  The object is created!  Type "L" to look
around, and you'll see the aquarium in the status description.

    To describe what an object looks like, use the "@objdesc" command.
This will allow you to enter the text to be displayed when a user tries
to look at the object.

    Just as with characters, you can create hot-phrases to work with
objects.  The "@objhot" command allows you to create an automatic
response from an object when a specific word or phrase is mentioned in a
conversation between characters that are in the same location as the
object.

    The "@objhotkill" command is used to remove a hot-phrase from an
object.  The "@objhotlist" command will display all hot-phrases that
have been defined for an object.  To see the effects of a hot-phrase,
use the "@objhotsee" command.

    If you wish to delete an object itself, use the "@objkill" command.
All rules and text that have been defined for the object will be deleted
as well.

    If you would just like to delete the rules and text but not the
object itself, use the "@objwipe" command.

    To simply change the name of an object, use the "@objname" command.

    As for object ownership, every object is owned by the person that
created it.  The "@objowner" command will display the name of the user
that owns an object.  If you have given wizard access to some of your
users, you can use the "@objownernew" command to change the ownership of
a location or a place that you have previously created.  By doing so,
they will be able to modify that particular place or object (but not any
others that you as the producer own).

    As you know if you've created some objects already, you can define
synonyms for objects; you can call a "long sword" a "sword" if that
synonym has been defined for it.  If you want to add another synonym to
an object after you've already created it, use the "@objsyn" command.
To see all of the synonyms defined for an object, use the "@objsynlist"
command.  To remove a synonym from an object, use the "@objremsym"
command.

    Now, let's get back to our example.  Let's create a rule that works
with the aquarium.  Type "@objrule" and press ENTER.  At the first
prompt, type "bump".  At the next prompt, type "aquarium".  At the next
prompt, type "N" for "No Modifier".  (This prompt allows you to create
more detailed rules, like "hit aquarium with crowbar").  At the next
prompt, type "S" for "Say", meaning that you want the MUD to say
something when this rule is executed.  At the next prompt, type: "A
delicate-looking fish cringes in horror."  Press ENTER twice.  Then
press "D" for done.

    That's it!  Try typing "bump aquarium", or "bump fishtank", and
you'll see that the poor fish does indeed cringe in horror. For more
information on creating rules, read the next section.

    To delete the rule you just created, use the "@objrulekill" command.

    To create a simple rule for an object (no ANDs), you can use the
"@objverb" command, which is a streamlined version of "@objrule".

    If you'd like to create a numbered object, use the "@objx" command.
Because two objects cannot share the same name, you might want to do
this to create similar objects.  For example, if you only had one
"button" object for users to push in your MUD, you could just call it a
"button".  But if you're on a starship, you'll probably have lots and
lots of buttons.  Using "@objx" will create an object like "button
(#121)", allowing there to be many objects with the same root name.

    The "@objspecdesc" command allows you to provide a special
description for the object on the lower half of the screen. For example,
suppose you create a weed object, but you don't want the user to know
that it's there automatically.  You want to hide the weed in a clump of
grass.  To do this, you would first use the "@obj" command to create a
weed, and define synonyms for the weed as "clump of grass" and "grass".
Then you would use "@objspecdesc" to create a description that says, "A
clump of grass is also nearby."  Then, when the user enters the room,
he/she would first need to LOOK at the clump of grass, or some similar
arrangement, to which you've defined a description such as "It's just a
bunch of weeds". But if the resourceful user decides to try taking a
weed, he will be successful.  By doing this, the weed is not
specifically named in the text unless the user digs deeper.

    In addition, you can create "noise" for an object.  Noise is text
that is displayed at random occasions, usually to add some color or
realism to an object or place.  For example, if you defined a location
called a "bazaar", you could define the following phrase that would
every now and then be displayed to a user: "Throngs of people surge
around you", or some such phrase.  Use the "@noise" command to create
these phrases.  Use the "@noisekill" command to remove them.


4.4 CREATING RULES

    Rules are what tie the components of a MUD together; they are the
glue that binds user actions to MUD responses.  Rules are structured
along the lines of "VERB+NOUN=RESULT".  If the user types the command
"drink soda", then a certain result is defined to deal with that
situation.

    Action rules can also branch to true or false conditions, based on
three factors: a random "die" role against a character skill, a "die"
roll against a character attribute, or testing the setting of a flag.
(There are 128 definable flags).

    Rules can also be linked to one another, to form chains of results.
In other words, you might decide that every time a character tries to
drink a soda, you want to do three things: display the message "It
tastes terrible", add 10 to the user's score, and reduce his online time
by 10 minutes.  This is done by choosing the "AND" option after defining
each step, instead of the "DONE" option.

    Rules can be created to work with either objects or places. To
create a rule for an object, type "@objrule".  To create a rule for a
place, type "@placerule". You will be prompted for the following
information:


    VERB?  The verb to initiate this rule. If you were defining a rule
for "Sniff Coin", for example, you'd type in "Sniff".


    OBJECT? The object of this rule.  In the "Sniff Coin" example, you'd
type in "Coin" here.


    Then you'll see a command bar giving you several different options
for this rule, allowing it to be simple or complex.  The following
buttons will appear:


    NO MODIFIER.  Select this button for a simple, two-word rule, like
"Sniff Coin".


    TO.  Select this button when defining a rule with "TO" as the third
word, like "Give Coin To Bartender".


    FROM.  Select this button when defining a rule with "FROM" as the
third word, like "Take Coin From Bartender".


    ABOUT.  Select this button when defining a rule with "ABOUT" as the
third word, like "Ask Monk About Monastery".


    WITH.  Select this button when defining a rule with "WITH" as the
third word, like "Touch Snake With Staff".


    IN.  Select this button when defining a rule with "IN" as the third
word, like "Put Bowl In Shelf".


    ON.  Select this button when defining a rule with "ON" as the third
word, like "Touch Dwarf On Shoulder".


    You will then see an even larger number of command buttons, that
will allow you to define what happens when this rule is invoked:


    MOVE.  This button moves the users to a new location that you
define.


    SAY.  This button allows you to give a textual description of what
happens.


    -TIME.  This button allows you to subtract a fixed number of minutes
from the online time remaining for the user. (A punishment, obviously).


    +SCORE.  This button allows you to add a fixed number of points to
the user's score.


    SETFLG.  This button allows you to set a status flag, indicating
that a certain condition is true for a user.  For example, you might
want flag 1 to indicate that a lamp is turned on; the "light lamp" rule
would then set this flag to 1.


    CLRFLG.  This button allows you to clear a flag, indicating that a
certain condition is no longer true for a user.  If the user turned off
the lamp, you would then set this flag to 0.


    FLGTEST.  This button allows you to test the status of a given flag.
If the user entered a dark pit, and you defined flag 1 as above to
indicate whether a lamp was lit, you would define the two results based
on the setting of that flag.


    SKTEST.  This button allows you to test a skill of the user, and
proceed based on whether they pass or fail that test.


    ATTEST.  This button allows you to test an attribute of the user,
and proceed based on whether they pass or fail that test.


You will then see the following command buttons:


    AND.  This allows you to select another command button, in
conjunction with the one just set.  For example, you might define the
rule "touch button" to do two separate things: move the user to a new
location, and describe what happens.  In that case, you'd select the
"MOVE" button the first time, and the "SAY" button the second time.


    DONE.  This button informs the system that the rule is complete; no
other command buttons need to be selected.


    To delete a rule from a place, use the "@placerulekill" command.

    To change the type of a place, use the "@placetype" command.

    The "@placewait" command defines an action rule to be executed when
waiting in the current place.  If the user types "wait" in the specified
location, the rule will be executed.



4.5 CREATING NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

Non-player characters are similar to characters; they are fictional
people (or things, if you're running a real strange MUD), but no user
controls them.

    There are two main uses for NPCs.  The first is to add scenery to
your MUD.  If you have a garden near a mysterious mansion, you might add
a NPC gardener that cringes whenever you say the word "mansion"
(defining a hot-phrase for the NPC).  I'm sure lots of other
possibilities come to mind.

    The second important aspect of NPCs is that they remember everything
said and emoted in their presence for the current day.  Other users can
then use the "QUESTION" command to make the NPC recite everything
they've heard on that day. This can add a sense of continuity to the
MUD, especially on ones with fewer incoming lines.


4.6 TIME-BASED PLACES AND EXITS

As you might have noticed when describing places or objects, the quarter
of the day can be used to determine what to display.  For example if you
type "@mydesc" to define what your own character looks like, you'll see
the following prompt:

    Use description during which quarter of day (1-4,0=all)?

    Likewise, when defining exits using the "@exit" command, you'll run
across the following prompt:

    Exit exists during which quarter of the day (1-4,0=all)?

    Both of these prompts expect a number between 1 and 4, corresponding
to the following schedule:

    1st Quarter     Midnight - 6:00 AM
    2nd Quarter     6:00 AM - Noon
    3rd Quarter     Noon - 6:00 PM
    4th Quarter     6:00 PM - Midnight

    If you enter a 0 at either of these prompts, the exit or description
will be in effect at all times, unless you have previously defined them
for specific quarters.  In that case, the "0" description or exit will
be the default when not in those specific times.


4.7 MODIFYING YOUR CHARACTER

There are a number of system commands that are used just to modify one's
own character.  These are usually the only system commands that the
average user can use.

    The "@mydelete" command deletes a user's character.  The character
is history, completely wiped from the MUD.  The user is logged off,
unless he or she is the producer.

    The "@mydesc" command creates a specific rule for a character: what
to SAY when others look at him or her.

    The "@myhot" command allows hot-phrases to be defined for a
character; it creates an automatic response your character when a
specific word or phrase is mentioned in a conversation between
characters that are in the same location as your character.  Hot-phrases
will only be invoked if the user controlling the character is logged
off.

    To remove such a hot-phrase from a character, use the "@myhotkill"
command.  To see all of the hot-phrases defined for a character, use the
"@myhotlist" command.  To see the effects of a hot-phrase, use the
"@myhotsee" command.

    To change the password for your account, use the "@mypassword"
command.

    Just as there is a streamlined version of rule creation for objects,
"@objverb", there is one for your own character: "@myverb". This allows
you to create simple rules with fewer steps.


PART V  ADMINISTRATION

5.1 INTERNAL BACKUPS

A built-in backup system will allow you to save a copy of your MUD
database in the BACKUP subdirectory under your MUD directory.  Just type
"@backup" from inside the MUD, and the files will be copied to the
backup directory.

To restore the database for whatever reason (power failure, you messed
up creating a new world and want to start fresh, etc), just type
"@restore" from within the MUD, and the files will be copied to the
active MUD directory.


5.2 PRUNING SHOPS

As your MUD progresses over time, users might generate so many new items
by killing monsters, and then sell those items to stores, that the
number of items for sale in a given shop is unwieldy.  To cut back on
the number of items in a shop, just type "@shopprune".

Conversely, if you want to add some more items to a shop, use the
"@shopfill" command.


5.3 PURGING USERS

You will probably want to periodically delete character in your MUD that
users have not used for a given length of time.  For example, you might
decide that any character that has not been used in the last month is
cluttering up the MUD.  Use the "@userpurge" command to specify the
length of time used to decide whether to purge a character or not.


5.4 COMPRESSING THE DATABASE

This is a very important administrative task, as any MUD database will
grow significantly over time.  The "@compress" command will do all of
the work, but nobody else can be on the system.  We would recommend that
you use this command at least once a month, more often if you have a
limited amount of disk space.


5.5 ADMINISTRATIVE COMMANDS

There are a number of commands the producer can use to manage the MUD.
Commands that relate to characters are as follows:

    @adjhp          Adjusts the number of hit points for a character,
                    either one's own or another.

    @adjmoney       Adjusts the amount of money a character has.

    @charkill       Deletes a character from the MUD, permanently.

    @charkillall    Deletes all characters from a MUD, except for one's
                    own.

    @charlevel      Modifies the security level of a character.


    Administration commands that are related to the MUD setup are as
follows:

    @currency       Allows the user to define the currency string, what
                    money is to be called (Dollars?  Silver Pieces?
                    Credits?)

    @edit           This is the MUD low-level editor.  With it, you can
                    edit many of the tables that you can from the
                    Waiting For Call screen.

    @help           Allows you to add, delete, or modify topics in the
                    internal help system.

    @login          Allows you to replace the login bulletin text with
                    new text.

    @messagedays    Allows you to set the message retention days, just
                    as you can on the "General Setup" screen.

    @news           Allows you to add, delete, or modify topics in the
                    internal news system.

    @remphone       Removes a specific phone number from the callback
                    verification log.

    @remphoneall    Removes all phone numbers from the callback
                    verification log.


    There are also some diagnostic commands that can be used to
determine general information about the MUD, and whether the MUD is
functioning correctly.  They are as follows:

    @database       Displays the amount of bytes used by the various
                    database files.  If they are taking up too much
                    room, try using the "@compress" command to free up
                    some space.

    @dumpid         An internal command that should only be used when in
                    contact with Continuum Software technical support.

    @dumpname       An internal command that should only be used when in
                    contact with Continuum Software technical support.

    @dumplace       An internal command that should only be used when in
                    contact with Continuum Software technical support.

    @infox          Display extended information about a user, using the
                    name of a given character.

    @log            Displays the system activity log.

    @pool           Displays the amount of free memory available. For
                    best performance, this should be over 100K.

    @purgelog       Deletes the system activity log.

    @quarter        Changes the quarter of the day the system thinks
                    that it is in, but just for your character.  If you
                    want to insure that a quarter-based description or
                    exit is working correctly, you can use this command
                    to change your "apparent" quarter.

    @sessions       Displays a list of all MUD sessions, both active and
                    inactive.

    @sesskill       Changes the status of a session from active to
                    inactive.  If a node is dropped unexpectantly (as in
                    a power failure), the system might still think that
                    a user is logged in to the system.  The MUD will
                    self-correct this error over a few days, but is you
                    know that a session is not really active, you can
                    use this command to mark it as inactive.

    @whereis        Displays the location of a given character.




PART VI  OTHER ISSUES


6.1 RIP AND ANSI GRAPHICS

Once you've created your MUD, you'll might want to illustrate it with
some ANSI and RIP artwork.  Don't get nervous, it's not that hard to do,
even for the non-artistic person.

    For ANSI artwork, use a good ANSI editor like THEDRAW.  Look at some
of the ANSI artwork that comes with Trade Wars and other quality door
games for inspiration.  When you are ready to start, use the BLANK.ANS
file that came with IP&M as a starting point; it will let you know where
the boundaries are for the window.  Look also at PLANET1.ANS,
PLANET2.ANS, and PLANET3.ANS that come with IP&M for ideas.  Make sure
when saving your ANSI artwork that you inform the ANSI editor to save it
with screen-clearing codes.  Otherwise, it won't work with IP&M.

    For RIP artwork, use a good RIP paint program like RIPPaint or
Tombstone Artist. Again, look at existing artwork for inspiration.
PLANET1.RIP, PLANET2.RIP, and PLANET3.RIP come with IP&M, and BLANK.RIP
can be used as a template, indicating window boundaries.

    When you've created some pictures, you'll need to link them to the
desired locations. You can do this with the @placepic command.  Just
enter the name of the ANSI picture and the RIP picture, and you'll be in
business.  You can use the planet pictures that come with IP&M to see
how this is done; link PLANET1.ANS and PLANET1.RIP to Khal, PLANET2.ANS
and PLANET2.RIP to Bendii, and PLANET3.ANS and PLANET3.RIP to Ilium.

    Conversely, you can use the "@placepickill" command to remove a
picture from a place.

    As a note, when you use the "@place" command to create new places,
the pictures associated with your current area are automatically copied
to the new area.  If you don't want to use the current pictures for the
new area, use the @placepic command in the new area to redefine them.


6.2 FREELANCE MODULE SUBMISSIONS

We accept and review qualified freelance submissions for our line of
pre-built MUDs. We expect to set the price of most modules between $40
and $100.

    To qualify, you need only have purchased Industrial Prose & Magic,
understand MUD and IP&M concepts thoroughly, and have a new element or
theme in your MUD that a previously published module does not.

    Be warned, our standards are high. We do not publish every module
that crosses our desks. Check your spelling especially. And if you're
wanting to create a MUD that is similar to others (like a fantasy
world), it must have some new element or twist that will make it stand
apart. Here are some other general guidelines:

    1. Create worlds that use the "quarter of the day" feature. Have
       place and object descriptions modify based on the time of day.
       Create exits that for some reason would only be available during
       certain parts of the day. (Shops open/closed? Ships in port only
       in the morning, and at different ports later that evening?)

    2. Create a good mix of puzzles, monsters, weapons, and items, that
       are appropriate for your theme.

    3. You should include several public areas, and have at least 50-100
       normal areas for users to explore.

    4. If possible, include some NEW, NEVER-SEEN RIP graphics in your
       MUD for various locations and monsters. We pay a higher royalty
       rate for submissions with RIP graphics. If you're not the
       artistic type, you can get in touch with some RIP artists at the
       following locations:

        Ina Strickland -- You can call her voice at [phone] or
                          mail her at 1722 Forest Creek Crt. Augusta, GA
                          30909.

        Pauland BBS    -- the Grave of Dead RIPpers' Society
                          [phone]

    5. You need to include designer's notes with your submission that
       can inform the sysop of the puzzles in the game (with solutions),
       the idea and theme for the MUD, and anything else he or she will
       need to know.


NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

When you're ready to send in a submission, you will need to include the
following signed letter. (Sorry, our lawyers made us). We cannot review
any submissions without it.


    I, ___________________________, am submitting the enclosed files for
    your review, for possible publication as an add-on module for
    Industrial Prose & Magic. I understand that other people, including
    those at Continuum Software, may be working on similar projects, and
    agree not to hold liable any person publishing a module that has
    similarities in any aspect to my submission, even if my submission
    is rejected.

    I understand that all files that are developed and modified with
    Industrial Prose & Magic, and all files using formats contained by
    said program, are the property of Continuum Software, and may not be
    re-sold except by Continuum Software. I further understand that this
    submission, if accepted, is still the sole property of Continuum
    Software. I understand that the only compensation for acceptance of
    this module are the royalties based on net revenues as outlined by
    Continuum Software.

    I understand that Continuum Software has the sole right to set the
    price of modules, and may adjust the prices at any time.

    I understand that if I wish this submission to be returned to me, I
    must include sufficient postage to cover that cost.

    I understand that Continuum Software makes no assurances, whether
    implicit or implied, that a published module will be advertised
    through any media other than that through which Industrial Prose &
    Magic is advertised.


    Name (Print):  _______________________________

    Signature:     _______________________________

    Date: ________________


To submit your MUD, send in the following:

    1. Your designer's notes as explained above.

    2. The above non-disclosure agreement, signed and dated.

    3. A ZIP file that contains the following files from your MUD
       directory:

            ATTR.*
            NPC.*
            OID.*
            ONAME.*
            OPLACE.*
            RACE.*
            RULES.*
            SKILLS.*
            TEXT.*
            TREASURE.*
            ITEM.*
            WEAPON.*
            ARMOR.*
            MONSTER.*
            WETNESS.*
            WEATHER.*
            ZONES.*

       Note that you should run the @charkillall command from inside
       your MUD before you send it in, to delete any user characters
       that may have been exploring your MUD.

       If the ZIP file is too big for one diskette, use the -& option
       with PKZIP to span multiple diskettes. Both 3 1/2" and 5 1/4"
       will be accepted.


6.3 TROUBLESHOOTING

If you are having difficulties setting up Industrial Prose & Magic, make
sure of the following:

    1. You have SHARE installed. When you type SHARE at the DOS command
       line, you should see the message "Share Already Installed."  If
       you don't, add a line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT that reads "SHARE".

    2. Make sure you have enough file handles set aside in your
       CONFIG.SYS. On the line that says "FILES=XX", XX should be a
       number great enough to hold 35 handles per session. So if you're
       using a multi-tasker and have two windows running IP&M, you'll
       need at least 70 file handles.

    3. If you're trying to install IP&M as a door and are having
       problems, try blanking out the baud rate on the modem
       configuration screen.

    4. If you get a "Out of environment space" message when loading the
       MUD, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT: "SET
       CLIPPER=f255"; also, add the following line to your config.sys:
       "SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:2048 /P". If a shell line already
       exists, modify it to match.

If your problems persist, you can call our technical support at (404)
635-0931 10am-5pm EST, or contact us 24 hours a day at our support BBS,
Software Creations: [phone].