80 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
80 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
chapter 3 "Getting Started"
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If you've read this far, there's a good chance
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you already like the lib and are eager to get
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going on this whole mud thing. Whether this is
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true or not, this is where you find out for sure.
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Let's assume you're set with the vision thing.
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You're going to make a mud with a Dora the Explorer
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theme. You can practically hear the music even
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now! Let's get this mud written and open! Vamonos!
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The first thing that happens here is you need
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to get real familiar with this mud. If you haven't
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done so already, when you finish this chapter,
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you must do the following:
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1) Read the Player's Handbook, cover to cover.
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2) Create a test character. Do *not* use your
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admin character's powers to give her any
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equipment or money. Using the information from the
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Player's Handbook, play this character until she
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solves the Orcslayer Quest. Do not use any creator
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characters to help her in any way.
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It is very important that you do this. It
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is the best way you will know for sure whether you
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have made the right lib choice.
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This doesn't mean that I'm asking you if you're
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happy with the questing system, or how the items
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in your inventory get listed, or whatever. Such
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systems and cosmetics can be changed, sometimes with
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trivial work.
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What you're testing is the feel of the mud,
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the parser, and that certain "I don't know what"
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that tells you whether this is really a mud lib
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you can live with.
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Don't like quest advancement? That can be removed.
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Want turns-based combat? That can be arranged (though
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not trivially). But if you get a low level discomfort,
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and can't shake the feeling that you can't get
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anything done, then this is when you'll find out.
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The second advantage to completing the Orcslayer
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Quest is that it helps you see how things are
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organized. As you proceed along the quest, you should
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be using your admin character to examine the
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files that compose the rooms, items, and npc's you see.
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You will know where there are working samples of
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doors, locks, hostile npc's, friendly npc's, spells,
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and so on. This information will be valuable to you
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in the next step you take.
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If you complete the Orcslayer Quest and decide
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you still like the lib, your next step is to create a
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small area. Read the Creator's Manual starting from
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chapter 31. This provides you a detailed set of
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instructions on how to get stuff built quickly and
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painlessly.
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Build a few rooms. If you can't think of something
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to build, create a room just like the one you're
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sitting in right now, including desk, door, and
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scruffy mud geek sitting on a chair.
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Or you might already know exactly what you want
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to build. This is a good time to build a few
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rooms of Dora's Grandma's House, or the tree house
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of Tico the Squirrel.
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It's vitally important that you start using the
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building tools, because just like with the Orcslayer
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Quest, this is the point where you will discover whether
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the build system here is a deal killer.
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Once you're done with your few starter rooms, you'll
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be in a position to know whether you've really made
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the right mudlib choice.
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