FIXME link

Download building tools and documentation HERE

Process for mortals interested in building:

1) Contact Xothen ([email protected]) about your interest in building.

(no longer contact xothen - we are not accepting builders right now)

2) You will be assigned a 'test' area, which will most likely be a basic area of generic land. Desert, forest, swamps, etc. It will be several hundred rooms in size. 3) Build the area assigned to you. 4) Submit the area to Xothen for review. It will be reviewed for both technical and stylistic problems. 5) Once all issues have been discussed with you, you will be assigned to a building team.

Process for building team members:

1) Your team leader will assign you an area. They will give you the room numbers to use and a basic description of what MUST be in the area. Assigned areas are often thousands of rooms in size. 2) Builders are given artistic freedom, within the constraints given by the team leader. 3) Submit is a sketch of your area and an outline of mobs and equipment to your team leader for approval before beginning work. 4) Once you complete your area, submit it to your team leader for review. 5) Once all issues with the area are resolved between you and your team leader, the area will be submitted to Phaet for review. 6) Once all issues with the area are resolved between you and Phaet, the area will be placed on the test server for initial testing. 7) After initial testing, the area will be moved onto the main server for beta testing. 8) After beta testing the area will be 'opened'.

Note: Initial areas tend to be wilderness areas and your creativity will be limited. After you have proven yourself you will be given increasingly important areas. Cities are the last defined areas to be assigned. Areas completely designed by builders are only approved after a substantial amount of time building for BlackMUD. You must prove your skill and earn Phaet's trust in your creativity.

Guidelines for Area Creation on BlackMUD:

General: o All areas must be pre-approved by Phaet or a building team leader. You will be assigned a zone number and room number range. o All areas must be roughly square, unless otherwise approved. If your area is to be a settlement or structure of some kind, you must add surrounding territory. o There is a map of the known world on the BlackMUD webpage. Consider the location of your area wisely. o All material giving to BlackMUD becomes the property of BlackMUD and can not be given to another MUD, without the permission of Phaet. Areas donated before 6/96 are exempt from this, but voluntary adherence would be appreciated.

Rooms: <- Click for details. o Do not make illogical connections between rooms. ie. If you go west then when you go back east you should end up in the same place. Also, do not make rooms that link to themselves. o Put reasons in the room descriptions explaining why movement in a given direction is not possible. This is not necessary if you know for certain that a future area will be attached to that room. o Avoid using 'you', references to a particular time of day, or transient weather (like rain).

Mobs: <- Click for details. o Make your mobs' stats similar to those of similar mobs. o Do not tell stories in mob descriptions. o Do not give names (ie Bob) in mob descriptions, long descriptions, or short descriptions.

Objects: <- Click for details. o The best equipment already exists. Do not make items more powerful than what is already in the world. Making items with the similar stats as other items is appreciated. o Avoid making a lot of 'magical' equipment.

Zones: <- Click for details. o Please document your zone file following the example in the detailed description.