Building for Beginners! As an Immortal in the Twilight Realms, one of the basic and most performed activities is building. Whether it's assisting with a simple mob, or the building of a one thousand room area, knowing the commands and how they operate are essential to your job. At first, some of the commands may be confusing, or downright frustrating, but fear not! This helpful guide will help you navigate through the essentials you will need to know. This is not the end all, be all of helping guides, and with anything, always has room for expansion. We have tried to make this as comprehensive as possible, but should something have slipped through, please let us know. Just remember, it's about having fun and doing your best. If you need help, be sure to find another Immortal and ask, that's why we are here. Here we go… Before we begin the lessons, let's get a few basic concepts out of the way. All rooms, items, and monsters are assigned what is called a virtual number, or vnum. A single number can be each assigned to one mob, one item, and one room. This is because the system distinguishes each of them individually. For instance, you can have mob 100, in room 100, wielding object 100, at the same time. Now, let's move on to the lesson. Lesson 1: Starting Off There are several commands which you will find that without, your career as a builder would be very, very short. We will also introduce a few other simple commands at the end of this lesson. Now, let us concern ourselves with the three basic building commands: Redit, Medit, and Oedit . The first, Redit , is the most important command you can possess as an Immortal. Without this command, you could not access vnums (virtual number, as in a location, mob or object), put in room descriptions, or even try to use Medit and Oedit . Redit puts you into “building mode”. One change that would be helpful in your building endeavors is changing your prompt to display only the necessary information you require (since you have no need of the hp/mana/mv display) The prompt that we recommend can be implemented by typing the following: Prompt [%z] [%r] [%0] [%0] This is an example of what you should see on your command line, after that change, and in Redit mode: [Beginning of Time] [100] [REDIT] [ ] As you can see, the new prompt now starts by showing you the name of the room you are currently in (Beginning of Time), the room number (100), the Redit flag, and followed by another space which displays the vnum you are working in at the time if applicable. If you enter Medit or Oedit, the Redit flag will change accordingly and the empty box above will display the new vnum you are editing. Following is a list of commands that will be useful to you at this juncture: Alist: Displays all of the areas ingame, along with who is building it and the range of vnum's each area takes up. Rlist : Provides a listing of all rooms in numerical order that have been created in that area, along with the name of the room, if it has been set. Unnamed rooms have blank spaces beside their vnum. Mlist : Displays a list of mobs created in the area, in the same fashion as Rlist. Olist : Displays a list of objects created in the area, in the same fashion as Rlist. Show : displays the room specifications and attributes. If you have nothing typed in your command bar, hitting enter will also display those statistics. Now, you are ready to build! First things first, you need to build a room, and set it up. An Implementor will direct you on what area is yours, and you can go from there. For our example, we will craft an area using vnums 100-200. To create a room from scratch, begin by typing redit to get into the editor. Next, you would type the following: edit room create 100 (redit create [vnum] works as well) Note: to edit a room that has already been created, simply redit while standing in that room, or redit [vnum] . You now have created a vnum! We will consider this a starting point for the rest of this lesson. We won't mess with room 100 right now, and will come back to it later. For now, lets learn how to build other rooms. In creating rooms, mobs, and objects, it is normally best to create them in numerical order. For instance, creating room 100, object 106, and mob 112 could get confusing if those numbers were where you started each off. So, the rule of thumb is, the first room, mob, and object would all be 100. Now, let's create another room. Currently, we are in room 100. Let's say we want to create a hallway that runs east. To do this, you would use the following command string: East dig 101 The syntax is [direction] dig [vnum] Keeping things in numerical order is very important when creating rooms. If you bounce around using different numbers, you could forget what you were doing and where. Another reason is that it is easier for you to come back later, and remember what goes where since its all in order. Now, we have created two rooms. If we had not used the dig command, but instead created room 101 we would then have to link the two rooms as there's no way to get from one to the other. However, dig is a nice little addition that bypasses this extra step and instead both creates the new room and links it to your current one. We will still need to know how to link, though, as there may be multiple exits in the room, and they may lead to rooms that you have already created o r d ug. To use the link command, you would type the following: (Editors note: Link automatically creates two way exits when you use it.) East link 101 The syntax is [direction] link [vnum] This creates an exit from the room you are in (100), in the direction you specified, and to the room you designated (101). You can also create one way exits using the following example: East room 101 The syntax is [direction] room [vnum] Creating one way exits are good for death traps you don't want players escaping easily, or for mazes, ect. Now that we have two rooms and they are linked together, let's go back to our original room and start filling in the gaps! The first thing you should do is name the room in which you are working. It is the title of the room that players see when they come into the room. It should also be properly capitalized. The command while in Redit is name. Here is an example: name The Beginning of Time Notice how the words are capitalized? For consistency, all words in a room name should be done this way, except words like of, an, the, and so on. However, if they look as though they should be capitalized, or are the first word in a room's name, feel free to make an exception. Now that the room has a name, we can put in the room description. Room Descriptions: What players see when they enter a room is its description. It gives the players an idea of the rooms contents, size, condition, and lots more. There are a few guidelines that are generally followed and should only be deviated from with permission from the staff. First, each description should be at least four (4) lines long, and generally no more than ten (10) in length. Too little text looks bad, while too much takes up space and tends to be no more than run on sentences. Another guideline while doing room descriptions: do not use the word “you”. To go a bit further, do not make room descs that “lead the character on”. Examples are things like “you smell something foul”, or “tingles of fear run up your spine as you enter this place.” Do not create room descs that make the player feel anything. One person may be terrified of a place like that in real life, and another may not care. Normally, just describing the room and its details is just fine. Here is an example of the entrance to an abandoned house: The door of this abandoned house is still barely connected to its frame, held on by decades of rust. It appears ready to fall from the frame, and the slightest breeze causes the rotten oak door to drift back and forth precariously. Once, many years ago, a small family probably took residence here, but its collapsed roof and crumbling walls would barely keep out the elements if anyone attempted to take shelter in this place. Notice that the description doesn't involve personalized statements, state emotional responses, and simply tells what the player would see if they were really standing there. Now, while in redit “mode”, type desc . This enters the “description editor”, and allows you to enter text. There are also several commands you can use while in the editor, to perform other functions. These commands have a period before them, as typing the letter alone would enter it as text. Note: These need to be entered on a new line by themselves in order to function. .h-displays the help file while in the desc editor. .c-clears any text entered thus far into the editor. .s-shows the text that has been entered into so far. .f-formats (word wraps) the text entered into paragraph form. .ld (line number)-deletes a line of text, for instance, .ld 2 would delete line 2. .lr (line number) (text)-replaces whatever text is existing in that line with the text you enter with this command. Helpful for changing out something you don't like without starting over. .li <num> <str>- inserts <string> on line <number> .r <‘x'> <‘y'>-replaces string or sub-string x (encased in single quotes) with string/sub-string y (also encased in single quotes). @-exits the editor and saves any text entered. Room Attributes: After exiting the editor, you may hit enter, or type show, to display the room and all of the attributes that have currently been set. To see the actual list of room flags while in game, type ? room, and that will display the following list, minus the explanations below: Dark: players are required to have a light source in order to see in this room. No_mob: no creatures allowed, including pets, charmed mobs, roaming mobs, (and sometimes mounts) Indoors: these rooms do not display changing weather patterns, and spells that only function outdoors will not work here. Private: no more than two players can be in this room at one time (mobiles count) Solitary: no more than one person can be in this room at one time (see above) Safe: no combat can take place between any players or mobs. Combat spells also cannot be cast while in this room, but certain room effect spells may still work (inferno, etc). Pet_shop: this room may be used as a pet shop. Since this is not the only requirement for a pet shop, please see the Shops section for more info. No_recall: players may not recall to homes or clan/church buildings in this room. Newbies_only: only players of newbie status (low level, up to level 10) may enter here. Heroes_only: only heroes may come into this room. Gods_only: only those with immortal status may enter this room. Imp_only: only implementors may enter this room. Nowhere: the where command does not function here, and does not show the location of the player. Also, hunting/stalking does not normally function in these areas. Typing these commands toggles the individual flags on and off. To use the command, just type it following the word room while in redit and it will toggle the flag. For instance: room dark room private room no_recall These set the room so the player needs a light, can only have one other person (or mobile) in the room at one time, and does not allow for magical transportation such as gohome or gohall, in respective order. Another feature you may wish to utilize is the Sector flag. Sectors are the kind of room that the player is in, as described below: Inside: any place not outdoors. Useful for caves or dungeons, inside buildings, etc. Disables weather messages. City: enables the room as a city location (allows guards to perform functions like attacking outlaws, and lets laws function properly. Forest : designates the room as a forest location. Hill: designates the room as a hills location. Mountains: designates the room as a mountain location. Desert: designates the room as a desert location. Swim: (only works if there is a skill for swimming) requires a mob or player to swim to gain access to this room. If there is no swim skill, this flag will do nothing. Unused: sets no sector for that location. Not a good idea to use this. Air: requires mobs and players to have a flying skill or spell to enter this room. The importance of setting sectors are that they affect the amount of movement a player can do, and the amount of stamina or movement points that must be expended to move across the terrain. For instance, a city or even forest won't require as much stamina as swimming or running across hills and mountains. Before we finish with rooms, another aspect of rooms are doors. You may toggle entrances in the room as doors, and whether they are closed, locked, or hidden. To create a door, use the following syntax: [direction] door closed/locked/hidden Please be aware if you create a locked door, you must also create a key as well to unlock it with. Key creation will be covered in item creation. You may also set doors to be passproof, bashproof, and pickproof by using this syntax: (not currently implemented as of this writing) [direction] door pickproof/bashproof/passproof All of the flags for doors are toggled off by default, so you must turn them on to make them functional. Lesson 2: Creating mobs Another essential part of having a good area is creating mobs. Mobs do not really have a lot of guidelines, but there are a few suggestions for when you are ready to create your digital army. First, create mobs that match the area. Walking through a graveyard and running into frolicking children just seems odd. Likewise, a skeleton roaming around a busy market square is equally out of place. Now if the children in the graveyard were ghosts, on the other hand…it might fit better. Or if the people of the town use the skeleton as a billing post, it likewise wouldn't look out of place. It's all in the descriptions. Second, be sure to properly set your mobs difficulty and hp, combat skills, and other stats. If you create a creature that is located in an area designed for characters under level 10, you wouldn't want to make it with 5000 hp, a damage roll of 50d1000+100, immune to magic, and resistant to bash, pierce, mental, and slashing. (Although sometimes you may want to do that to newbs, its generally not a good idea) Third, it is normal for mobs (especially shopkeepers, trainers and other “town mobs”) to always have their immunity to summon and charm on. That way, players cannot summon their very own banker and trainer to them, and cause issues that way. Customarily, all mobs should have at least summoning immunity, while any shopkeepers or mobs not designed for leveling should also have charm immunity. Now, onto how to make them… First, you have to create the mob from an available vnum. Still using our ficticious room 100, we can also create a mob with the same number (there can always be one room, mob, and object with the same number if you remember). To get started, you would type the following from Redit: Medit create (vnum) Note: to edit a mob that has already been created, use medit (vnum) This creates a mobile with no set attributes at all, which need to be filled in. Type show to display any current settings. These are discussed below in more detail: Name: the “keywords” of the mobile. These are what players type to look at a creature. For instance, naming a mob skeleton guard would allow players to look at that mobile by typing either the word skeleton, guard, or “skeleton guard” Syntax: name [keyword] or name [keyword] [keyword] … Area: displays the area the mob was created in, and cannot be changed. Act: sets the actions the mob performs, as described below: Syntax is act (command), example act sentinel Sentinel: the mob will stay in the same place it is reset to, or loaded into, and will not move. Scavenger: the mob will pick up items on the ground Aggressive: the mob will attack players that enter the room Stay_area: the mob will wander in its area, but will not cross areas Wimpy: after receiving enough damage, the mob will attempt to flee from attackers Pet : this sets the mob for petshop use Train: this sets the mob as a trainer for players to train with Practice: sets mob for players to practice with Protected: players cannot attack the mob Banker: sets mob to act as a banker Undead: sets mob as a member of the undead, with regard to resistance and vuln's Cleric/ Mage /Thief/Warrior: mob will take on the combat/spell abilities of the selected class Noalign : not affected by alignment based spells or skills, and cannot be influenced by alignment changes Nopurge: prevents mob from being purged by immortals (HIGHLY recommended that this never be turned on) Indoors/outdoors: This flag is currently under construction Gain: mob can practice and train like a player (I have never seen this toggled, since leveling mobs would cause some problems to be sure) Update_always : this mob updates itself every tick (Please avoid this, this causes the mobile to carry out its functions even with no one in its area… This will greatly increase the load on our server and requires permission for any exceptions.) Changer : acts as a money changer (gold to silver, silver to gold, etc) Vnum: the vnum designated to the mob. This value can never be changed except by an Imp, and then only for the most serious of reasons. Sex: sets the mobile as male, female, neuter, none, or random. Syntax: sex male/female/neuter/random Race: sets the mob as a predetermined race. Stock code has a limited list, but can be helpful for making basic races without having to add parts, resistance, vulns, etc manually. The command race ? will bring up the list of current preset races. Syntax is race [name of race], example race human Level: sets the level of the mob, which determines things like experienced gained, and should be consummate with hp/mana/stamina, hitroll, damage roll, and so on. Syntax is level [number] Align: sets the character's alignment. Zero is neutral, or range from -1000(demonic) to +1000(angelic). Hitroll: increases/decreases the hitroll, which decreases/increases accuracy. A mob with a higher hitroll is better able to land blows against players who, for example, have several defenses. Syntax is hitroll [number] Dam type : designates the type of damage the mob does without a weapon equipped. Using the ? weapon command will show a list of damage types and their nouns. Syntax is damtype [noun] Hit Dice: This sets the amount of hit points a mob will have when it is loaded. The system is like the system used in the AD&D universe. The syntax for setting hitdice is below. For instance, 1d100+0 would give a mobile hitpoints ranging from 1 to 100. 1d99+1, would likewise generate a range of 2 to 100. The more initial dice you have (the first number) the greater the base hitpoints will become. For example, 3d5 has a range of at least 3, but no more than 15, hitpoints. Using 5d5, on the other hand, has a range of at least 5, but no more than 25, hitpoints. To get mobs that have a larger base, adding hitpoints at the end of the formula guarantee that the mob will always have a certain number of hitpoints, regardless of the random number generated. Example: you build a mob with 10d10+100 hitpoints. When loaded, the mob will never have any less than 110 hitpoints (10d10 has the lowest roll of 10, and a static 100 hp added after the roll is complete) Syntax is hitdice (x)d(x) +/-(x) (please note that mobs must have a minimal of 1d1+1 hit dice, including “town mobs”. Creating a mob with no hit points, and then attacking it is a sure fire way to crash the game and cause me to want to kill you in a rather violent and public way.) So please be careful!! J Mana dice: Exactly as hit dice, except this sets the amount of mana the creature will have for spellcasting. Syntax is manadice (x)d(x) +/- (x) Dam dice: Exactly as hit dice, but sets the amount of damage the creature is capable of dishing out. Please consult the damage table for more info. Syntax is damdice (x)d(x) +/- (x) Armor: sets the armor class of the mob, with relation to bash, slash, pierce, and magic damage. (currently we do not have armor settled as to the values we will use permanently) syntax is armor # # # # (# is the numerical value you want to assign to that type of damage) Form: some mobs have additional attributes, which this list can be used for. Typing ? form displays that list . syntax is form (form type) Parts: this is a list of the parts that a mob can leave behind when it is killed. Type ? part for a complete list. Syntax is part (name of part) Imm: this toggles the immunities of a creature. When an immunity is toggled, it is completely unaffected by that skill/spell/property. Typing ? imm displays a list of what can be used. Again, please note that summon(always) and charm (more often than not) should be on. Syntax is imm (property) Vuln: this toggles the vulnerabilities of a creature, meaning greater damage or susceptibility to that skill/spell/property. Typing ? vuln will display a list, which is exactly like the immunity list. Syntax is vuln (property) Res: This toggles the resistances of a creature, meaning less damage or susceptibility to a skill/spell/property. Typing ? res will display a list, exactly like the imm/vuln list. Off: this sets the offensive capabilities of a mob, allowing them to use skills in combat. Typing ? off will display a list of skills and commands a mob can use. syntax is off (skill) Size: sets the size of the mob. See ? size for a list. Syntax is size (size) Material: what the mob is made of. Rarely used. Syntax is material (material) Start Pos: what position the mob loads in, such as standing or sitting. ? position shows that list. Syntax is position (position) Default pos: What the default position is for the mob. If something interrupts the mobs current position (was sitting, then attacked, attacker fled) specify this as the position you want the mob to return to. Wealth: Amount of gold a mob has. Syntax is wealth (amount) Short desc: the name of the mob a player sees when fighting it. Example would be “a woodland elf”. Syntax is short (desc) Long desc: the description of a mob when a player enters a room. Example is “A large boa constrictor is lazily wrapped around a tree here.” syntax is long (desc) Desc: this is the full description of the mob that players see when they look at it. This command puts you into the editor, just as it would if you were doing one for a room. Syntax is desc (leads into editor)
An additional feature we have in Twilight realms is the Auto command. While in medit with your mobile, set the level of the mob, and type auto. It will set the mob with several sets of default statistics. Also typing Auto easy or Auto hard, will decrease or increase, respectively, the statistics loaded using Auto. Test it out, and have fun with it.
Now, we can cover a special type of mob, the shopkeeper. For consolidation purposes, we will cover shopkeepers, bankers, and pet stores in this section. Shopkeepers can be pawn shop owners, the robust man at the general store, the busty girl at the coffee shop to entice players for something hot, or the old crone at the magic store. Shopkeepers do more than just take up space, but can create a living, working economy when properly implemented. While most shopkeepers will be found predominately in villages, towns, and cities, there are wandering merchants, and people looking to make a quick coin all over the world. Perhaps you wouldn't find a merchant deep in a cave, but you might find one taking a rest outside (and happy to take coin off a player, instead of going in after their corpse for it later). Technically, to make a wandering salesman, in the mob's act flag section, set it to stay_area. To make a shopkeeper inside a store, make the act flag sentinel. Also please remember to make *all* shopkeepers immune to summon AND charm , to include pet shops and banker mobs!! You must also set the act protected flag, so that the mob cannot be killed by players, thus messing up your shop. Next, make the mob a shopkeeper. ( syntax: shop assign ) Simply typing Shop after that will display a few settings you can set for your mob, seen below: Shop time: the time is set to mud time, not real time. With that in mind, 0 is midnight , and 23 is 11pm , much like military time. You can choose to set a time or not; it is not required that you do so. Shop profit: this is the amount of gold that a shopkeeper will buy items for, on a %. For instance, 10% will give back that much on a sale, while 100% gives the full price for the cost of the item being sold, and so forth. Generally, anything over 80% is considered generous, because shopkeepers have to make a living too! Now, to set the shopkeeper up. Go to the vnum where the mob's reset (covered later in the guide in more detail, see there for the entire reset lesson) will be, and set the mob in as reset 1, followed by each item the shopkeeper will sell..for example: Syntax is reset # (mob/obj) (vnum) (-for mob- area max and room max) (-for object-number in invent) Reset 1 mob 100 1 1 (the shopkeeper mob, 1 max in area, 1 max room) Reset 2 obj 100 none (sets the item to be sold, in the inventory of the shopkeeper)
Shops can be anything you can think of…weapons and armor, clothing, jewelry, food and drink, flower stands, pawn shops, junk dealers, and the list goes on! Just keep in mind when doing resets that you have to reset the mob prior to resetting any items to him! If done in reverse, you'll have a shopkeeper without any wares! Now for pet shops. Pet shops have a slight twist to them, and require one extra piece of work. To begin with, you will need 2 rooms. One room is the actual shop, and the second is a “storage room” where the pets will be stored. These numbers MUST be in sequence, and cannot be out of order. The storage room cannot have any exits. For example, using room 100 and 101: Create room 100, and then type edit room create 101. This makes the room, without exits to use as animal storage. And make sure you label the room as something like “pet storage” or something you will remember. Then in Redit, set the first room to pet_shop, but do not do that in the second room where the mobs will be stored. Now, in the first room, simply build a shopkeeper for the room, as you did for a normal shopkeeper. When you create the mobs that will be sold here, make sure you set their act flag to pet . Now, in the first room, make a reset for the shopkeeper. In the second room, make the resets for the mobs you are selling. And presto! (please see the RESETS section for more information) Bankers, our favorite people, can now be made how you want them! First things first. Simply create your bank mob, set them to sentinel, and place them in the room. Also make sure your banker has the “changer” flag activated, so that players may change silver to gold and vice versa. Lesson 3: Constructing items Items, like mobs, have their own unique sets of variables and settings. To begin with, let's set aside a vnum to use as an item. To begin an item from scratch, you would use the following command while in Redit: Oedit create (vnum) Note: If editing an object that has already been created, simply use oedit (vnum) Let's say that we create an object with vnum 100 for our example. Typing show or just hitting enter will show you what is called a “blank object”. This means no flags or stats of any kind have been placed on it. The following flags are set when you have a blank object: Name: the items name which allows players to look at or manipulate the object, same as with mob names covered previously. Area: shows the area the item was created in Vnum: shows the items assigned vnum Type: This is an important flag, as it allows you to set the item type, and thus changes flags and settings for each individual item type. The item types are light scroll wand staff weapon treasure armor potion furniture trash container drinkcontainer key food money boat npccorpse fountain pill protect map portal warpstone roomkey gem jewelry jukebox Level: sets the level of the object Wear flag: this flag sets items to be able to be picked up, worn, and their respective locations. Typing ? wear will display a list of locations and flags to set. Any items that players should be able to take must have the “take” flag added to them. Extra flags: allows you to set various flags which have differing properties. Typing ? extra will display this list. Most are common and obvious, please ask if one of them is unclear. Material: sets the material which the item is made of, onto the item. Condition: the condition of the item is its durability. 100 is a pristine item, while setting it to 1 shows the item is about to break. Weight: sets the wei ght of the object, in 1/10 of a pound. Setting the wei ght to 10 will give it a value of 1 wei ght for a player, while setting the wei ght at 1 will make the object 1/10 th of a pound. Cost: sets the cost, default is silver, of the object. Short desc: sets the short description of an item. This is the description when the object is in your inventory, or a piece of equipment someone is wearing. Normally, the short desc is directly, or closely, translated from the item name. Long desc: sets the long description of an item. This is the default description a person sees when they look at an item, or it is lying on the ground. A quick note about item descriptions: When you set the long description of an item, it is about a sentence long. But in order to set a full description, like one you did with mobs, you must use the ed add command. Syntax: ed add (keyword) Using this command string, for instance if your item is a sword, typing ed add sword puts you into the desc editor. You can then create a full description for the item using that keyword. As a rule, any item names you have associated with an object should always be used as keywords for ed add. For example, if you create a silver sword, the word sword and silver should both be used for ed add, and almost always have the same desc. An easy trick…in this example, you created an additional desc for the keyword sword…just type ed add silver, for that word as well, and copy/paste the desc for sword into the editor for silver. Saves typing and time, and since they are all the same, you can use them on any keywords for the item. Now, let's cover the various types of items in detail. Since most flags stay the same, we will only cover the flags and settings unique to each item type. Lights: All manner of lights, from torches to lamps and glowing magical spheres are lights. Lights help players see in dark rooms, where they would otherwise be blind. Some lights last only a few minutes, others are magical and last forever. The only additional flag on a light source is listed as V2. To set “V values”, simply type v1, v2, v3, and so on. For example, typing v2, will show a list of the “v's” and their values and uses. In this case, V2 is the hours of light left on the object. Zero is none, while the values of -1 and 999 set an infinite length of light left in the object. When wanting to put in an infinite light object, please check it past a lead builder or higher, so we do not end up with an overabundance of these. Try to set a value on the hours that seem logical, given the item's attributes. Scrolls: Scrolls contain spells for players to use, which are destroyed after being recited. As a norm, scrolls have up to 3 spells on them at any given time as a default by code. The following are the settings for scrolls values, or V's: value 0 level (the level of the spell(s) on the scroll) value 1 spell name 1 value 2 spell name 2 value 3 spell name 3 value 4 unused To see a list of spells you can add, typing ? spells will display that list. You may also use any of the following to bring individual types of spells up: ? SPELLS [ignore/attack/defend/self/object/all] For instance, to create a scroll with 3 heal spells, you would just enter heal into each value field, syntax being v1 heal, v2 heal, v3 heal. Wands: Magical wands are items with a set amount of charges of a spell, which players can use for various purposes. The value flags for wands is as follows: [v0] Level: [0] [v1] Charges Total: [0] [v2] Charges Left: [0] [v3] Spell: reserved For general rule, charges total/left and the level and type of spell should be appropriate to the item. For instance, a level 5 wand wouldn't have a level 100 kill spell with 20 charges total, 20 charges left. It could, on the other hand, have 3 charges of level 10 refresh, or cure light, or magic missile. Spells like gate, nexus, teleport, and kill should be used sparingly if at all. I've never seen a wand with any teleport spells personally, and kill should be used very rarely. Bottom line, if you think an item you are setting may be too strong, see your lead/head builder or an implementor . Staff: Staff items are exactly like wands. The value fields, shown below, are exactly the same, and are separated from wands for the purpose of skills used by players. [v0] Level: [0] [v1] Charges Total: [0] [v2] Charges Left: [0] [v3] Spell: reserved Weapons: The cornerstone of all combat, weapons are a fighter's best friend. Always remember to set the take and also the wield flag, for all weapons. The value flags for weapons set the basic values of the item, as shown here: [v0] Weapon class: exotic [v1] Number of dice: [0] [v2] Type of dice: [0] [v3] Type: none [v4] Special type: none V0: The class of weapon determines its basics, for the most part. It does not, however, set the damage type. That is on a later flag. It simply sets the item, so that only someone with that weapon skill can use the item effectively. Typing ? wclass shows a list of possible weapons classes available. V1: The number of dice the weapons first damage variable will be set as, with respect to the total damage. Just as setting mob hit points, this dice represents the number of “dice rolled” when calculating damage. Typing help weapon_dice will show a small help file. V2: The number of “sides” the dice has, which is the second factor in determining overall damage. Unlike setting mob hit dice, you cannot add a + variable to the end to increase base damage. As with mobs, however, V1 and V2 work in concert to create a base, determined by the difference in die. For instance, a weapon that does 2d10 damage (between 2 and 20) and one that does 3d7 (between 3 and 21) are similar in the amount of combat damage they inflict. Notice that even though the first example has 10 sided die, the base and max damage of the second example (having 7 sided) is better. V3: Sets the damage noun for the weapon, exactly like setting a mob's damage type. Should also be weapon appropriate, such as a sword that smashes doesn't normally happen. Typing ? weapon will show the list of damage nouns. V4: Special types of flags can be added to weapons to give them more effect. The following is a list of those flags and their abilities: Flaming: makes a weapon cause flame damage against a target, extra damage If the target is vuln to fire. Frost: makes a weapon cause frost damage against a target, extra damage if the target is vuln to frost. Vampiric: draws life from the target, and adds that life to the total hit points of the player. It is possible to go over your max hp value with a vampiric weapon, albeit rare. Sharp: Adds additional damage to a target when this kicks in during combat. The exact values are still being determined, so please consult the message boards or other staff after this has been changed for updates. Vorpal: Does a dramatic amount of damage when activated in combat. Currently, this value is also being determined, so please look for changes to be added to this soon. Twohands: requires the player to have both hands free while using the weapon. This does not allow for players to hold items, or use a shield, while wielding the weapon. Shocking: makes a weapon cause shocking damage to a target, extra damage if the target is vuln to shocking. Poison: cause the poison status ailment on a target. Armor: Players seek out the best armor they can, to protect themselves from the damage caused by monsters and players alike. Remember to set the take value, as well as the location of the piece of armor you create in the wear flag section. The value flags set the amount of defense the armor has against each type of damage, listed below: [v0] Ac pierce [0] [v1] Ac bash [0] [v2] Ac slash [0] [v3] Ac exotic [0] Again, as with all items, the values should be level appropriate. A level 1 vest with AC 10 10 10 10 seems a bit much. The value of the armor is in positive numbers, while setting the numbers in each class to a negative number(like -10) removes the defense and actually worsens armor class. And there really is a world of difference between a piece of armor with 100 AC all across, as opposed to -100 for the same values.
Potions: Drinkable elixirs and other magically created liquids can be created for variable effects. Like scrolls, once a potion is quaffed, it is gone forever. As with scroll, staff, and wand items, the value fields indicate the level and types of spells the potion will contain. [v0] Level: [0] [v1] Spell: reserved [v2] Spell: reserved [v3] Spell: reserved [v4] Spell: reserved you may also use the command string below to view a list of spells ?SPELLS[ignore/attack/defend/self/object/all] Furniture: Furniture can be almost anything you can imagine. From simple chairs and beds, benches, a hard rock, a cloud...anything you want it to be! For the most part, the take flag in the wear flags section should be left off, since you don't want people taking furniture and using it for their personal bed roll. The value flags for furniture is as follows: [v0] Max people: [0] The maximum amount of people allowed to use the item at one time. [v1] Max wei ght: [0] The maximum amount of wei ght the item can sustain at any time. If someone wei ghs too much, they cannot use the item. [v2] Furniture Flags: none typing ? furniture will bring up a list of furniture nouns, which is what people see when they use the item, I.e. sits on, lays on, gets in, ect. [v3] Heal bonus: [0] The amount of regeneration bonus for using the item. Setting at 0 has no effect, higher increases the effect, lower slows or reverses healing. [v4] Mana bonus: [0] The amount of regeneration bonus for using the item. Setting at 0 has no effect, higher increases the effect, lower slows or reverses healing. Trash: Trash items can be almost everything you can perceive. Anything can be trash, and it has no value flags to be set. Common uses for trash items include notes and signs, random items dropped by mobs that have no real use, or possible mini-quest items, and tons more. Use your imagination and craft trash items for whatever you need them to do. Container: Containers include everything from backpacks and bags, to anything you can stuff an item into. Other possibilities are more creative, such as a container with a furniture like description, like a chest of drawers, or a trunk. Pants with pockets works, or scroll cases…the possibilities are literally only limited by your imagination and cunning. The values for containers is shown below: [v0] Weight: [0 kg] The amount of weight the container can hold before nothing more can be placed inside. [v1] Flags: [none] Flags include closeable, pickproof, closed, locked, puton (can be worn such as a backpack or sack) [v2] Key: none [0] If the item has a locked flag, you must create a key for it. If there is a key, simply type the key's vnum here. [v3] Capacity [0] The number of items the container can hold before nothing else can be placed inside. [v4] Weight Mult [0] This increases, o r d ecreases, the amount of wei ght of things placed inside. The higher the number, the less burden it relieves. For instance, a 100 pound item, in a container set at 90%, would wei gh 90 lbs inside the back, but at 10%, would wei gh only 10 lbs. Conversely, setting the multiplier at 150%, on the other hand, would make the item wei gh 150 lbs while in the container. Containers should be reasonably designed, so that while it may offer some extra benefits or extra space, it should not allow a player to carry half of the items in the game in their backpack. Even at higher levels, setting a wei ght of 400 lbs and 200 items is tolerable, but should be rare. Just use good judgment. Drinkcontainer: Flasks, vials of rose water, canteens, you name it. Drink containers can be anything that would hold liquid, and can hold many different types of beverages. The value flags fo r d rink containers is as follows: [v0] Liquid Total: [0] The amount of drinks a container can hold when filled. [v1] Liquid Left: [0] the amount of liquid the item begins with when generated. [v2] Liquid: water The type of liquid the item begins with when its generated. Typing ? liquid will display a list of possible beverages, and their stats. [v3] Poisoned: No Sets whether the liquid which is initially generated is poisoned or not. If a player empties a drink container and refills it, it will not poison the newly added liquid. Key: Keys are used to unlock everything from lockets to locked gates, manholes, and doors and containers of all shapes and sizes. Keys have no additional values that you can add. Now we can learn about keys. For door keys, simply create the key as you normally would. Then, in the room where the key is going to be used, go into redit and type (direction) key (vnum of the key) . This will set the key to unlock the door to the north. For containers, as shown earlier, simply enter the key's vnum into the key value field, and it will designate that key for that lock. Food: Every player gets hungry, and has to eat sometime. Food items, as always, are limited to your imagination (as well as what you think you may eat if you had to). Things such as meats, breads, fruits, and exotic desserts keep players well fed. Here are the value flags: [v0] Food hours: [0] This is how long a food item will last before it rots away [v1] Full hours: [0] This is the length of time a food item will keep a player from being hungry again. [v3] Poisoned: Now this sets whether or not the food is poisoned. It can be removed if a player casts “cure poison” on the item, but otherwise poisons a player when consumed. Money: Don't we all wish we could just make money out of thin air? Well, now you can! Gold bars, piles of coins, anything worth just pure gold can be money. The value flag for the money item is simply the value of the item in gold. It is directly placed into the players gold reserve when it is picked up. Boat: This item allows players to cross deep waters without (much) hindrance. Boats can be just about anything, but usually are rafts, kayaks, or even a pair of ninja floating shoes (set the wear flag as foot, and acts as a piece of equipment AND a boat). Generally, large boats like frigates or larger boats, are reserved for special purchase in the game, or are used by npc's to transport players (such as a ferry or a cargo ship). There are no additional value flags to set with boat items. Npccorpse: When you just need somebody…or someone's body, and a player won't do, use an npc's corpse! These can be left around to show death, destruction, and general mayhem. It is also possible, using resets, to leave items in corpses. These aren't used often, and mostly for effect. There are also no other value flags to set with npccorpses. Fountain: Fountains are typically immovable (though sometimes portable) objects that produce water of their own accord. While most things like town fountains, natural springs, water fountains, and the like never run dry, some of them can be set to run out of fluid after so many uses. Usually, a portable fountain, such as an endless decanter of water, never runs out of liquid, but are normally reserved for high level items or quest items. The value flags are very much like drinkcontainers, but do not have the ability to be poisoned (to achieve a poisoned “fountain”, simply create a drink container with unlimited water, that a player can't pick up, and poison it). [v0] Liquid Total: [0] [v1] Liquid Left: [0] [v2] Liquid: water
Pill: Vitamins and all assorted forms of pill types can be created using this item type. Pills have four slots available for spells, and can have any variety of affects they can cause. The value fields are: [v0] Level: [0] [v1] Spell: reserved [v2] Spell: reserved [v3] Spell: reserved [v4] Spell: reserved Just like scrolls or potions, once a pill is used, it is gone forever. Map: All sorts of cartography can be illustrated using maps. There are no value fields to enter for maps, so the process for making a map isn't hard, just tedious. First, you must set up a keyword, using our ed add command. Second, you must have some sort of “drawing” of a map. It can be ASCII, or something using simple text, but maps (normally) have pictures on them. Simply set up your keyword, enter ed add , and copy/paste the picture into the desc editor. Instant map! How you design the picture the map contains is up to you. Portal: Portals that transport players to and from locations, while rare, can be used for great effects. Locking players in a room where the portal opens only after the monster is dead, or having it send players almost anywhere including death traps and hard to leave places…it's all part of the fun. Here are the value flags for portals: [v0] Charges: [0] This is how many times the portal can be used. Like lights, 0 means it does not function, while 1 has one use, and 999 has unlimited uses. [v1] Exit Flags: none Since these are what normally apply to doors, do not use these without good reason and permission. [v2] Portal Flags: none There are several portal flags that can be used, explained in detail below… normal_exit – acts like a normal door, where multiple players, mobs and pets through at the go_with - the portal goes with the player that uses it but this is almost never used, ever. buggy - allows grouped players and their pets and mobs to enter the portal at the same time without restriction. [v3] Goes to (vnum): [0] insert the vnum here, which will send the player to the room designated. Warpstones: Currently, we are not using warpstones, though it may be used in the future. Please consult the head builder or an implementor for further information. Roomkey: Currently, we are not using roomkey items, though they may be used in the future. . Please consult the head builder or an implementor for further information. Gem: Gems are precious or semi precious stones, with normally few uses but can be used for things such as items to recover for a quest, imbuing items (if this is a way to utilize gem stones), or perhaps selling them to jewelers. Gem types are limited only by the builder's imagination. Jewelry: Bracelets, rings, brooches, and all manner of jewelry can be crafted to be worn on most armor slots. Jewelry items do not have any armor attached to them, but can have spells added to them, which will be explained in detail soon enough. Jewelry has no value flags to adjust. Jukebox: Jukebox items are more for effect than anything else. At this point, the musical selections are being put in and the use of jukeboxes is still a little ways off, so check back later! NOW!!!! We've gone over every flag, on every item type. But what about adding things like special powers or spells to items? Well, we have a way to make it happen! Earlier, we briefly mentioned the addaffect and addapply commands These commands allow you to add spells and powerups, or downs, to any item. There are a few general guidelines for adding effects, but nothing complicated. Under normal circumstances, as with all items, anything you give it should be level appropriate. A level 5 ring with sanctuary, haste, armor, shield, and bless would be way overpowered (even max level items, or quest items for maxxed characters don't have that many effects). Something else to bear in mind is that in many cases, items which receive more powerful enchantments also have negatives along with them. Po werful items with a lot of bonuses should be rare and hard to earn. But adding some balanced negatives makes it more plausible, and makes players make up the loss in other ways. First, we will cover addaffect . The addaffect command adds statistical changes, such as additions or subtractions of hit points, mana, movement, and all the main statistics (str, dex, wis , ect..) Syntax: addaffect (location) (modifier) The location is the stat itself, such as strength o r d exterity. The modifier is the amount it is increased o r d ecreased. A -1 would lower the stat by 1, while simply typing 1 would increase it (no need to put a +). By OLC default, the list of stats that can be altered using this command are strength, dexterity, wisdom, constitution, sex, saves, wei ght, hp, mana, move, ac, hitroll, damroll, savingbreath, savingpara, savingspell, savingpetri. Now, if you add something you want to delete, use the following: delaffect <# of the affect you want deleted> The #, as indicated here, is listed on the item you placed the effect in, in numerical order. Typing show for the item will display what affects have been placed where. Addapply and what it can do for you… The Addapply command allows you to place magical spells on items, both good and bad, or a mixture of both. While common spells are haste, sanctuary, and detect spells, almost any spell with some affect can be placed on an item you wish. Syntax: addapply (type) (location) (#xmod) (bitvector) Yes, this looks complicated, but it has a few things which simplify the process. For type, it's always affect. Some alteration of the code is required to make the type change, but by default, it should *always* be affect. For location, the answer is always always none. As for why, I don't really know. But, the location should always be none. The #xmod, while looking complicated, is simple. The first spell you add is xmod 0 (this simply allocates the number for the spell). The bitvector is simply the spell you wish to apply. For single word spells, type the full name. for spells with more than one for, for instance a detect, type “detect invis”, using the quotes. To see a list of spells, you may also type ? aff to display that list. To delete an addapply affect …delapply <# of the applied affect you want deleted>.
The Glory of Resets: Now, we've gone over almost every major aspect of building. While again, this is meant as a guide, and not a dissertation, there is still one last thing we need to do. Make a reset. Resets are what cause items and mobs to load into an area after they have been created. Without resets, you would have to load these things manually, and since no one can be ingame 24/7/365, its best to let the system do the work. There is an order to doing resets, and if the order is not done properly, then objects and mobs may not load properly. First, by typing reset , you will see a display of all the current resets in the room. Now, the order of resets is as follows: 1. Any objects in the room, such as furniture, fountains, or other objects which will *not* be equipped or in the inventory of mobs. 2. Any container objects in the room (closets, coffins, treasure chests, ect) 3. Objects that will be stored within the container object. 4. Mobs. 5. Objects that will be loaded onto the mob (any equipment or items of any kind) 6. Container objects the mob will have. 7. Objects inside of the container object the mob is carrying. As you can see, it's a logical progression of events. Most of the time, it is uncommon to have all of those in one bundle of resets. Resets load, in order, from 1 to the highest number of resets you create. Resets themselves (also called repop) occur at differing times, based on the mud code itself for when the area will reset. This can be slowed down or sped up, at the discretion of the staff, and as needed. Now, we can go over the syntax for using resets. For clarity, I will list the syntax in the exact order that the resets appear in the above list. Please also note that ALL resets begin with 1, so please do not type reset 0 (whatever). 1. Objects in the room use reset # (object vnum) room. 2. Container objects in the room use reset # (container obj vnum) room 3. Objects to be stored in the container object use reset # obj (object's vnum) inside (container's vnum) 4. Mobs in the room use reset # mob (vnum) (max # of mobs in area) (minimum # of mobs in area) 5. Object to be loaded on a mob use reset # obj (object's vnum) (wear location of obj on the mob). 6. Container object on a mob uses reset # obj (container's vnum) (wear location of obj on the mob). 7. Objects to be loaded into the container object on the mob uses reset # obj (object's vnum) inside (container's vnum). Now, this can look like a lot of information for a reset, so I will give you an example for each below. Lets say we wish to create a room with a bed(object vnum 100), and a closet (obj vnum 101), which holds clothing (obj vnum 102) belonging to Angel (mob 100), who is wielding a sword (obj vnum 103), and has a cloth pouch (obj 104) in his hand containing magic powder (obj 105). The resets would be typed as follows: Reset 1 obj 100 room (the bed now loads in the room) Reset 2 obj 101 room (the cabinet is now loaded) Reset 3 obj 102 inside 101 (the clothing now loads inside the closet) Reset 4 mob 100 1 1 (angel, the mob, now loads, 1 max in area, 1 max in room) Reset 5 obj 103 wield (the sword now loads, with angel wielding it.) Reset 6 obj 104 none (this loads the pouch into Angel's inventory) Reset 7 obj 105 inside 104 (this places the powder inside of the pouch, in Angel's inventory)
As you can see, a simple flow. If you make a mistake, to remove a reset, simply type reset # delete , where the # is the reset's number in the list you wish to remove. Deleting reset 1, when there are than just one, will move the others up and fill the space (reset 3 becomes 2, reset 2 becomes 1). If you put a reset in again, and label it 1 when #1 already exists, the new reset will be #1, and the others will be pushed down the list. One last important facet of resets. Lets say you have 2 mobs, both with items they will have, and there are no other items or containers in the room. You must type the first reset of the mob you wish to have, followed by the items that mob will have. After you have typed *all* of the mobs items, then you may type in the reset for the second mob, then his items, and so on. …and the horse you rode in on. Sometimes, as immortals, it's easy to get sidetracked, distracted, and even frustrated. Remember that it's a game. And also bear in mind that there is always someone to help you with your areas, should you need assistance. If someone doesn't know the answer, we'll find out. If it's something that needs to be coded, we'll make sure it gets put in as soon as possible. Just remember not to get upset, or give up! Persistence is *key* in building! The implementors and head builder/scripter will do their very best to assist you in a timely and accurate manner. For your convenience, I have included Sephiroth's screen names and email addresses that he can be reached at should anyone have building questions. Again, thank you for your interest, and all of the hard work you have and will put forth, in making Twilight Realms a game of truly epic proportions!
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