The DYRT 1.1*/1.2* World Builder's Tutorial
========================================================================
Copyright (c)1993 The Mystique Project
Internet: owner-mystique@gnu.ai.mit.edu
written by Valentin Popescu
<vpopesc@opus.calstatela.edu>
updated for use with DYRT 1.2* by Katie Mowry
<96mowry@matt.alma.edu>
===========================================================================
1.0 FOREWORD
This document is intended to be a quick introduction to building a
world under the DYRT Game System, which is based on DIRT 3.1/3.0 code
by Alf Salte and Nicknack, which in turn is based on the AberMUD game
system, originally by Richard Acott, Alan Cox, and Jim Finnis.
A zone, as defined within this document, is a text file written in
a special format (a language, if you will). It contains definitions
for objects, mobiles, and/or rooms used in the game. All you need
to create one is an editor that writes plain text files, some spare
time, and a lot of imagination.
Since this document is intended mostly as a reference manual, refer
to the table of contents to locate the topic you are interested in.
Don't be afraid to experiment, and always keep backups!
In addition to this reference manual, it is a good idea to obtain a
sample zone from someone who is willing to mail you one. Ask your
nearest god for this little bit of assistance. You should ask for a
zone that you think you know rather well so that you can understand
more of the intricate parts of zone writing. Once you have looked at
a sample zone, you will realize how big a project writing a zone is,
but don't get discouraged. It can be time-consuming, but it is not
difficult.
Think about what you want your zone to be about. Is it based on
an existing theme? book? movie? a place you have been? Is it a
newbie zone? or a zone intended for higher-level players? Try to
imagine the layout of the zone you want to build, and then make a
paper map. Your first map will necessarily be rough. You will
probably change it a lot as you go along. When making a layout of
your map, try to imagine the puzzles you want to build into your
zone. Make sure that they will be solvable by the average player
once he has put in a bit of work.
1.1 TIPS ON STARTING A ZONE
When creating your zone, the first three lines you should type are
as follows:
#include "cflags.h"
#include "exits.h"
#include "undef.h"
They must start at the very beginning of the line. They read the
definitions of the flags you will be learning about in subsequent
files, and also prevent some headaches you may have later on.
After those three lines, you should type in the following lines:
%mobiles
%objects
%locations
They should be in that order. Below each of the headings you will
write that division of your zone. Not only will it help you to keep
things straight in your head, but it will make for very few necessary
changes when it comes time to insert your zone into a MUD. These
keywords tell the program what type of data follows.
1.2 ADVANCED FEATURES
Zones are run through the C preprocessor when the world is rebuilt.
Therefore, you can use C preprocessor features, such as comments using
the /* and */ delimiters, macros, etc. If you don't exactly know what
that means, don't worry about it.
Just remember, to put a comment inside a zone file, enclose it between
/* and */ symbols. For example:
/* this is a comment */
This will have absolutely no effect on the zone. Nothing after a
/* will be processed until a */ is found.
If you use #defines, try to always use capital letters for your macro
name. This is a convention, and also a way to prevent headaches when
one of your macro names appears inside a description.
2.0 CREATING ROOMS
It is simplest to start by writing your room descriptions. Mobiles
and objects need places to be, and there is no sense in confusing the
issue by trying to intermix all three right away. Try to imagine
exactly how each room and its surroundings will look. As you write
the description, try not to assume that a player is coming from one
specific direction. For example: "You move to the east" is not
desirable, because the person may already have entered from the west,
moved to the north , and then re-entered the room by going south. As
you have a room completed, re-read it to make sure the images you want
the player to see are in there. Keep a list of mobiles and objects
that you would like to add to your zone. Keep a list of their names,
maybe a few key things about them, and of course their beginning
location. For the early steps you may even wish to add this
information right into your room descriptions, and then remove the
information as you create the objects and mobiles later on.
What is a room? A room is what you find yourself in every time
you move on a mud. It is composed of four main parts:
1. a room name and exits
2. the location flags (lflags)
3. the room title
4. the room description
The following are examples of room entries:
waitingroom e:outside w:hallway n:bedroom;
lflags {peaceful party}
The Waiting Room^
You stand inside a small room. Nothing fancy here, just
ladies in waiting. Maybe you should leave?
^
outside w:waitingroom e:forest1 n:forest2 s:forest@arcadia;
lflags {Outdoors RealTime NoSummon}
In the garden^
You stand in a beautiful garden.
^
You just saw how two simple rooms are defined. For each room, the
very first thing you should type in is the label of the room. The
keyword for the first room was "waitingroom" and the keyword for the
second was "outside". You may use any name you wish here, but you
may not have two different rooms in the same zone with the same label.
This will never be seen by players, it is just for programmers.
The next fields on the same line are exits. e:outside simply means
that there should be an exit leading east to the room labeled "outside"
in the current zone. Valid exits are south (s), north (n), west (w),
east (e), up (u), and down (d).
When making an exit to another room, you may want to make sure that
room has an exit leading back to this original room, else the player
will get stuck there without an exit.
Direct your attention now to the second room, exit leading south.
It states: s:forest@arcadia. What this means is that the exit to the
south will lead to the room labeled forest, but in a DIFFERENT zone,
namely arcadia. This allows you to connect your zone to existing
zones already on the mud.
There is a special type of exit, which depends upon objects. Such
is the case with doors. However, refer to the section on doors
for a detailed explanation of handling those.
To finish up this very first line of a room definition, the trailing
semicolon (;) must be included. It signals the end of that particular
field.
The second line is a set of lflags. If you don't want any special
lflags for this room, you must still specify that line, but nothing in
between the curly brackets. The various flags are described at the
end of this chapter.
The third field is the title of the room. Notice the trailing ^
sign. That sign must exist there, to mark the end of the title. It
will not be printed to players.
The remaining lines of the room are the room description itself.
As with the title, end it with a ^ on an EMPTY line. It is standard
practice that room descriptions start with a 4-space indentation,
but that is up to you.
2.1 LFLAGS AND THEIR MEANINGS
Valid lflags are as follows:
Death
This is a very special room, which mortals dread. Any mortals
entering this room will die. They will not lose points, but
their inventory will be trapped here, and they will be kicked
off the game.
CantSummon
Players can not be summoned out of this room.
NoSummon
Players can not be summoned to this room.
NoQuit
Players can not quit from this room.
NoSnoop
Players may not be snooped in this room.
NoMobiles
Mobiles will not enter this room. This flag is useful to stop
mobiles from wandering in or out of certain places. Should
be used to at least confine them to their own zone.
NoMagic
Mortals may not cast magic from inside this room.
Peaceful
There will be no fighting permitted inside this room.
Soundproof
This room is soundproof. Tells, shouts, etc., will not be
heard inside the room.
OnePerson
This room is only big enough for one person. Mortals will
not be able to enter it if there is already a person inside.
Party
Anyone is allowed to use the Emote command here.
Private
This room is only big enough for two persons. A third player
trying to enter the room will be told the room is full.
OnWater
This room is on water. A boat will be required for mortals.
Underwater
This room is under water. Special gear must be used by mortals.
Outdoors
This room is outdoors. Weather messages will be seen.
NegRegen
Mortals will actually lose their strength if sitting around
in this room.
WizOnly
AwizOnly
DgodOnly
GodOnly
These rooms are for immortals. An AwizOnly room may be
entered only by Archwizards or higher, for example.
RealTime
This room is subject to day/night messages, and the effects
thereof.
Cold
This is a cold room. The difference will be noticed by the
fact that it will snow rather than rain.
Hot
This is a hot room.
Dark
This room is dark all the time. Mortals will need sources of
light.
Light
This room is lit at all times.
Maze
This room is part of a maze. Here wizards cannot see to
which rooms the exits lead, and therefore, they cannot guide
mortals through the maze.
3.0 CREATING OBJECTS
What is an object? An object on a MUD can be many things. It can
be as simple as a banana, or as complex as an invisible mist blocking
an exit. This chapter will deal with basic objects. Refer to the
"Doors" chapter for an analysis of linked objects, such as doors.
A standard object may contain the following fields:
Name = little_knife
PName = knife
AltName = dagger
State = 1
MaxState = 1
Armor = 0
Damage = 5
BValue = 30
Size = 5
Weight = 4
Location = IN_ROOM:armory@arcadia
Desc[0] = "A small knife has been dropped here."
Desc[1] = "A small knife rests on the table."
OFlags {Weapon GetFlips}
Examine = "It is a small knife covered with blood."
End = little_knife
There is another field that has not been included above, namely the
Linked field. That will be discussed in the chapter on Doors. As
with mobiles, not all of the field listed above are required.
Once again, the field defined by Name is the object's label. At
the end of the description, note the End field, which has the same
value as Name.
The AltName field is an alternate name for the object. It may
help mortals to pick up the object. For example, a branch may
alternatively be called a stick, or a knife may be called a dagger.
The PName field is how players will refer to the object, although
AltName will still be valid. This will be the primary name.
Armor is the armor class of the object if it is wearable. It must
have one of the Wear oflags and the oflag Armor set, for this field
to have any effect. See the section on oflags.
Damage is the damage a weapon may make. It must have the Weapon
oflag set for this to have any effect.
BValue is the base value of the object. The actual value is adjusted
according to the number of mortals on the game (the more mortals, the
higher the value).
Size and Weight are self-explanitory.
MaxState and State are special flags. Each object has a state
associated with it. MaxState. MaxState specifies the maximum state,
whereas State specifies the initial state. According to the example,
if the state on the object is 0, the test defined as Desc[0] will be
seen upon entering the room. If state is 1, then Desc[1]... etc.
See also the discussion on the GetFlips and PushToggle Oflags at the
end of this chapter.
The Desc[x] fields are the object descriptions upon entering
a room. The current description will be chosen according to the
current state of the object. See the previous paragraph, and also
the GetFlips and PushToggle flags. Also refer to the appendix, the
section on entering string fields. Sometimes it is desirable that
the objects have no description. That is fine, just leave the field
out. You may specify just one field, two, or three.
The location of an object is a bit more complex than it
appears. An object can be in one of three states: carried by
someone, worn by someone, or in a room. The way you can specify
this is by the use of four different keywords. Example:
Location = CARRIED_BY:puff
Location = IN_ROOM:forest
Location = WORN_BY:seamas
Location = IN_CONTAINER:pillowcase
In the first example, an object is carried by the mobile
Puff. In the second example, the object is simply in the room
labeled "forest". In the third example, it is worn by the mobile
Seamas. In the fourth, it is inside the pillowcase.
The Oflags field is a collection of object flags, enclosed
in curly brackets, {'s and }'s. Note there is no = sign on this field.
3.1 OBJECT FLAGS AND THEIR MEANINGS:
Destroyed:
This oflag really means "invisible to mortals". Indeed,
mortals will not be able to see it.
NoGet:
This object cannot be taken using the "take" or "get" commands.
It should be used for objects that should not be taken, like
doors, furniture, etc.
Openable:
This object can be opened. Note that opening an object
toggles its state.
Lockable:
This object can be locked with a key. Note that locking
an object toggles its state.
Boat:
This object can be used to float on water, such as a boat
or a raft
Pushable:
This object is pushable or movable, such as a boulder.
PushToggle:
Pushing this object will toggle its state.
Food:
This object is edible, and will improve stamina (hitpoints)
when eaten.
Armor:
This object is armor. The Armor field will be considered
during fights. The object must also have one of the wearable
oflags set.
Wearable (WearonXXX, ExcludeWear)
This flag has been superceeded by five separate flags, and
a modifier flag. Do not use this flag anymore, use "WearOnArms",
"WearOnHead", "WearOnFeet", "WearOnHands", and "WearOnBody". They
are self-explanitory. A modifier flag, "ExcludeWear", has been added
to disallow wearing two items on the same part of the body (such
as two shields). Two items that are wearable with the WearOnBody flag
may normally be worn at the same time. If one has the ExcludeWear
flag and the other doesn't, they still can be worn together. However,
if they both have the ExcludeWear flag set, the player will only be
able to wear one or the other.
Lightable:
The object can be lit, to provide light.
Extinguish:
The object can be extinguished
Key:
The object can be used as a key to unlock doors.
GetFlips:
This flag will cause the status of the object to be set to
0, when a successful get/take is performed. The reason is
as follows.
At times, you may have to have a room, with a table, and
on the table a pen described as "A pen is on the table."
However, if someone takes the pen, and then drops it in a
room with no table, the description will still read "A pen
is on the table." GetFlips to the rescue!
By setting GetFlips on, and State to 1, you can set Desc[1]
to the original description. When someone takes the object,
it will be toggled to state 0, so if he drops it, Desc[0]
will be seen.
Or in other words:
State = 1
Oflags {GetFlips}
Desc[0] = "A pen has been dropped here."
Desc[1] = "A pen is on the table."
Lit
The object is providing light. This does not imply it
is extinguishable, or re-lightable.
Container
The object is a container. You can put stuff in it, and
take stuff out.
Weapon
The object is a weapon. The Weapon field will be taken
into consideration during fights.
Broken
The meaning of this flag is a bit obscure, and left to the
interpretation of the programmer. For example, if the flags
Boat and Broken are set, the boat would sink at sea.
NoSummon
This object cannot be summoned.
4.0 CREATING DOORS
What's so special about doors?
Well, nothing is special about doors, except that you need two of
them. First, let's consider two rooms, labeled 'outside' and
'inside.'
outside s^outside_door;
lflags {outdoors realtime}
Outside^
You are outside.
^
inside n:^inside_door;
lflags {}
Inside^
You are inside.
^
Notice how the two room exits, s: and n: respectively, point to
something starting with a ^ sign. That marks an object. What
this means is that the room exit depends on the state of the object
named there.
Let's now define the two objects, inside_door and outside_door:
Name = inside_door
PName = door
Linked = outside_door
State = 1
MaxState= 1
Location= IN_ROOM:inside
oflags { Openable NoGet Lockable }
Desc[0] = "The door is open."
Desc[1] = "The door is closed."
Desc[2] = "The door is locked."
End = inside_door
Name = outside_door
PName = door
Linked = inside_door
State = 1
MaxState= 1
Location= IN_ROOM:outside
oflags { Openable NoGet Lockable }
Desc[0] = "The door is open."
Desc[1] = "The door is closed."
Desc[2] = "The door is locked."
End = outside_door
This is all it takes to make a door. Note the linked fields on
the object descriptions. They point to each other. So, in theory,
what happens is that if someone tries to go through an exit that
points to an object, the game will check the status of the object.
If the object is status 0, it will check the Linked field, and
allow the player to move into the room where the Linked object is.
So, to recap. To make a door, you must do the following:
1. Create two objects, one for each side of the door. The objects
must have a Linked field. On the Linked field put each
other's name. Note that the Openable/Lockable flags depend
on your applications. For some applications, you may not
need those flags. NoGet flag is highly desirable tho!
2. Edit the description of the room you are leaving from and set
the respective exit to ^object_name, where object_name is
the label of the first object you created. Then edit the
descriptions of the destination room, and put an exit back
to the first room, pointing to the other object.
The object's state must be 0 if you wish the door to be open at reset,
1 if you want it closed (not locked) and 2 if you want it locked.
Remember that the exit from one room should point to the object inside
that particular room, and not in the destination room.
5.0 APPENDIX
5.1 SOME IMPORTANT NOTES
Referencing one zone from another:
You may reference any object contained in one zone from another zone,
using the @ sign. For example, if you would like to refer to the
object stick in room blizzard, you would specify it as stick@blizzard.
Some examples:
Location = forest@arcadia
Location = CARRIED_BY:dragon@cave
etc...
Entering text strings:
Certain fields accept variable length strings. However, you must
first acquaint yourself with the legal (and illegal) ways to type in
a string.
Legal Ways:
Field1 = "This is legal."
Field2 = "
This is also legal."
Field3 = "
And this too. There is no problem with typing in a few lines
of description. Just make sure you don't forget the ending
quote."
Illegal Ways:
Field1 =
"This is not legal. The beginning quote must be on the same
line as the equal sign."
5.2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword.................................................. 1.0
Tips on Starting a Zone................................ 1.1
Advanced Features...................................... 1.2
Creating Rooms............................................ 2.0
Lflags and Their Meanings.............................. 2.1
Creating Objects.......................................... 3.0
Object Flags and Their Meanings........................ 3.1
Creating Doors............................................ 4.0
Appendix.................................................. 5.0
Some Important Notes................................... 5.1
Table of Contents...................................... 5.2