On Writing Areas

Foreword

I wrote the first edition of this guide towards the end of MUDs' heyday just as graphical MMORPGs were coming into their own.

As a builder, I wanted to see other builders succeed in generating new areas, knowing how difficult the process was. If done right. Most areas up to this point were... slapdash, whether stock areas or those tailored for the MUD I worked on, as builders just wanted to get their stuff out there and get to playing with their creations.

Which... was understandable. I had that itch, too. There's nothing like seeing your finished work in action, whether you're playing it or it's other players having a good time there.

On the other hand, because I had become lead builder, and knew what a good area looked like, I'd become a little frustrated at folks dropping off 30+, 60+, 90+ room areas in my email with just the merest of editing. Or of embellishment. Or of many of the things that make a good area. (Surely if I add that one *Legendary Artifact* that everyone will use, they'll come here!)

Thus On Writing Areas was born.

Too late, alas! MUDs had begun their slow decline, the younger players swiftly captivated by beautiful elves, spells with lights and sounds, and worlds they could literally lose themsleves in. The release of World of Warcraft in 2004 was the final bell toll of MUDs' fate, bringing us to where we are today.

And where is that?

MUDs are still alive, if barely. That includes games that have been online since the early 90s. DikuMUD, the most popular MUD engine of all time, was last upgraded to version 3 back in June, 2020. Simultronics, Iron Realms Entertainment and Skotos are all still making money. New MUDs continue to pop up, if only to satisfy the curiosity of programmers who want to learn C/C++.

For folks like these, this guide may still prove valuable. Unlike a regular builder's guide, this handbook is a combination of how-to and style guide, emphasizing what makes an area successful, ie. what makes players want to play it. Would-be builders may pick up helpful writing tips if nothing else.

Changes

By and large I used a light touch on this guide. I edited for obvious spelling and grammatical errors, updated odd phrasings, and changed some sentencing to make statements clearer. I removed more ponderous references to my own game (which, while still alive today...). I also adopted the British usage of periods and commas after parentheses and quotes—besides making better sense in these days of email addresses, web links and other Internet conventions, it seems American readers are more and more tending this way.

There's also the updated markup, which I hope is easier on the eyes. You can always turn off the stylesheet if needed—the guide reads well without it.

On Style

If you'd rather avoid the code-heavy parts of this guide and instead check out just the style tips, you can skip to these five sections only—

Introduction
Planning your area
First Interlude (Rooms)
Second Interlude (Mobiles)
Third Interlude (Objects)

Whether you're here to learn to build or to just to see how another builder does it, either way, have fun reading this guide!