Dartmud has a lot of stuff you can make. How much stuff? Hundreds of items in hundreds of combinations. A surcoat: Wool, sheared from your sheep, dye, grown or gathered as a raw material and turn into a proper dye, thread, spun from the proper fibers, and finally embroidered using whatever you'd like. Potentially you have quite a few steps involved from start to finish. Multiply this with cooking, smithing, and all of the other crafts and you have a pretty intimidating list of things to remember!
One thing I do is keep a tab open in my browser that contains my Google Document Spreadsheet of Dartmud goodies. I have a tab for each craft, and add information as I come upon it. Find a new item to craft? List it there with the materials needed. I also keep track of what sparring and magic related tasks I'm at. It helps me remember my sparring points and spell information.
Even if you aren't working that craft you'll hear a great deal in the towns, or while hanging out at the smithy. It becomes your own Dartmud data repository.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
More MUD Client Uses
Your MUD client is one of the greatest tools you have while playing Dartmud, or any mud for that matter. It can help you organize and sort the text in front of you and segregate what is really important. Through the use of aliases, triggers and windows we can color, manipulate and simplify what you see.
(Unless noted, this pertains to Cmud V3)
Aliases
Dartmud has a built in Alias system that works pretty well but we can use the one in Cmud for a bit more. A few things I do with my aliases are :
Alias : openbins
Of possible use is wildcards with the alias too. What if I wanted to open bins 5, 7 and 9? I could do this instead.
Alias : obins
I would type obins 5 7 9 and it would open whatever bins I specified.
Triggers
Most people think of a trigger as "IF task A then perform command B" and this can work. A trigger to announce improves is like this. Triggers can also help us highlight useful things, or put them into a new window entirely or allow us to ignore them.
Colors
Want to highlight an ore, an item, or a name? I use this to highlight phrases when mining, or to determine success of a spell. It's really easy to do. Simply highlight the text you are interested in, right click, and select make trigger. Now you can use the wizard, select "Color text from mud" and "Add New Step". It will change the wizard view and you can select the color that you would like.
Window
Want to know when an SZ is sent your way? I would always miss them when running through the hexes, or crafting so I set this up to capture them. It places them into a new window entirely. I highlighted the text "A voice seems to say" and in the wizard selected "Capture matched line to another window" It then asks what the window name is. Save it and you're good to go! You can get more elaborate here and sort various things into categorized windows.
Gag
Sick of listening to Ambrosius give you casting advice? Do the same as above, highlight and make a trigger of his text. Select "remove matching line from the screen." Be aware that doing this for individual works will remove the entire sentence so it is best to save this one for full lines.
Putting it together
You can combine some steps too. One example is that I track my improves in a separate window. If I change a variable that will impact my learning it would be nice to know it. So I add a line like this :
#window imps %ansi(white) %time changed to %1
What is happening here?
Lets use the bin example above.
Alias :openbins
Command:
Check out the helpfiles in Cmud, they are pretty detailed. Build your trigger one step at a time! Get one thing to work, then move on to the next task.
(Unless noted, this pertains to Cmud V3)
Aliases
Dartmud has a built in Alias system that works pretty well but we can use the one in Cmud for a bit more. A few things I do with my aliases are :
- Go through gates, doors, innrooms or any place where I have to open and close with keys.
- Rig wagons to beasts of burden
- Strip a corpse of everything useful
- Open and close bins
- Change combat allocations
- Wake up and sleep (stow gear and such)
Alias : openbins
command list :Nothing too crazy here right? It is simplifying your typing is all. Open the alias tab, enter in the alias, and type the commands you are interested in.
wear shield
retire knife
open bin 1
open bin 2 (and on to 9)
open cabinet
rem shield
hold shield in right hand
Of possible use is wildcards with the alias too. What if I wanted to open bins 5, 7 and 9? I could do this instead.
Alias : obins
command list:
open bin %1
open bin %2
open bin %3
I would type obins 5 7 9 and it would open whatever bins I specified.
Triggers
Most people think of a trigger as "IF task A then perform command B" and this can work. A trigger to announce improves is like this. Triggers can also help us highlight useful things, or put them into a new window entirely or allow us to ignore them.
Colors
Want to highlight an ore, an item, or a name? I use this to highlight phrases when mining, or to determine success of a spell. It's really easy to do. Simply highlight the text you are interested in, right click, and select make trigger. Now you can use the wizard, select "Color text from mud" and "Add New Step". It will change the wizard view and you can select the color that you would like.
Window
Want to know when an SZ is sent your way? I would always miss them when running through the hexes, or crafting so I set this up to capture them. It places them into a new window entirely. I highlighted the text "A voice seems to say" and in the wizard selected "Capture matched line to another window" It then asks what the window name is. Save it and you're good to go! You can get more elaborate here and sort various things into categorized windows.
Gag
Sick of listening to Ambrosius give you casting advice? Do the same as above, highlight and make a trigger of his text. Select "remove matching line from the screen." Be aware that doing this for individual works will remove the entire sentence so it is best to save this one for full lines.
Putting it together
You can combine some steps too. One example is that I track my improves in a separate window. If I change a variable that will impact my learning it would be nice to know it. So I add a line like this :
#window imps %ansi(white) %time changed to %1
What is happening here?
- #window is defining the action.
- imps defines the window name.
- %ansi(white) defines the text color.
- %time will shoot out the time that the command is run
- %1 is the thing I entered into the alias as noted above.
Lets use the bin example above.
Alias :openbins
Command:
open bin %1Now I have it organized of what I did and when in a place that might be useful.
open bin %2
open bin %3
#window Bins %ansi(white) at %time I opened bins %1, %2, and %3
Check out the helpfiles in Cmud, they are pretty detailed. Build your trigger one step at a time! Get one thing to work, then move on to the next task.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Beginners Guide : Death Etiquette
We've already spoke about amulets, and how to send a proper death tell. You understand the mechanics behind how to handle yourself when you die. Either send a deathtell, or hope someone notices you are in an amulet. Nothing too crazy there!
Where it becomes interesting is when your corpse rots away or you are butchered and you find yourself dead and gone. It is tempting, oh so tempting, to simply return to the world and continue as is like nothing happened. Don't.
Technically your soul is lost, you have been destroyed and the denizens of the world are mourning (cheering?) your demise. If you are young, simply pick a new name and return to the world. Don't bother going to find your possessions or asking people you knew about them. Behave as if you are a totally new person, because you are. No one will know who you were. You now have an opportunity at a fresh life, you can change some behaviors RP a bit different and assume a new role. I'd recommend trying a new lifestyle and meeting new friends.
If you do decide to make a mad dash and try to get stuff of your corpse the Creators may take an unfortunate interest in you. This is, of course, not how you want to handle things. The small list of petty possessions you have are best left and gone.
If you play in the world of politics, or decide to try and kill people, you will probably meet an untimely end. Player-killing is tough and brutal. Opponents are either beheaded or butchered, either one will end your days if you have no amulet. Walk away, take a break, relax, go play some Wii Bowling and come back to the game another day. The adrenaline you have rushing needs time to cool. Trust me on this one.
If you have an amulet you are now inside of it and in the possession of someone unfriendly. An amulet isn't destroyable so they will usually put you in some far away place. If you have friends you must hope they can either find you or negotiate your release. If you have no one who can secure your release you will be stuck, for a very long time.
Now you see the magic of the method. If you behave badly and you get killed you've been removed from the equation. You can't return to haunt them, you are stuck and are a non-opponent. If they get all of your friends too an entire faction and its ideas have been removed. The others were stronger, fitter, or at least faster with the blade and spell. Eventually you may have to suicide, or sleep for a very long time.
Remember the above etiquette for when you return as a new character. Technically you know nothing of those past events and it would behoove you to avoid anything related to it. Your enjoyment of the game will be so much greater if you let past events lie. Holding grudges do nothing and will only ruin the game for you. The knowledge of how to play the game will return you to some stature much quicker than your first time through.
Where it becomes interesting is when your corpse rots away or you are butchered and you find yourself dead and gone. It is tempting, oh so tempting, to simply return to the world and continue as is like nothing happened. Don't.
Technically your soul is lost, you have been destroyed and the denizens of the world are mourning (cheering?) your demise. If you are young, simply pick a new name and return to the world. Don't bother going to find your possessions or asking people you knew about them. Behave as if you are a totally new person, because you are. No one will know who you were. You now have an opportunity at a fresh life, you can change some behaviors RP a bit different and assume a new role. I'd recommend trying a new lifestyle and meeting new friends.
If you do decide to make a mad dash and try to get stuff of your corpse the Creators may take an unfortunate interest in you. This is, of course, not how you want to handle things. The small list of petty possessions you have are best left and gone.
If you play in the world of politics, or decide to try and kill people, you will probably meet an untimely end. Player-killing is tough and brutal. Opponents are either beheaded or butchered, either one will end your days if you have no amulet. Walk away, take a break, relax, go play some Wii Bowling and come back to the game another day. The adrenaline you have rushing needs time to cool. Trust me on this one.
If you have an amulet you are now inside of it and in the possession of someone unfriendly. An amulet isn't destroyable so they will usually put you in some far away place. If you have friends you must hope they can either find you or negotiate your release. If you have no one who can secure your release you will be stuck, for a very long time.
Now you see the magic of the method. If you behave badly and you get killed you've been removed from the equation. You can't return to haunt them, you are stuck and are a non-opponent. If they get all of your friends too an entire faction and its ideas have been removed. The others were stronger, fitter, or at least faster with the blade and spell. Eventually you may have to suicide, or sleep for a very long time.
Remember the above etiquette for when you return as a new character. Technically you know nothing of those past events and it would behoove you to avoid anything related to it. Your enjoyment of the game will be so much greater if you let past events lie. Holding grudges do nothing and will only ruin the game for you. The knowledge of how to play the game will return you to some stature much quicker than your first time through.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
My MUD Adventures
This post isn't related to how to play Dartmud, but the path that took me there as a player.
My mudding days began in 1994, dialing into my university and browsing using the Gopher protocol. The speed was 2400 baud, and you could watch the text cascade on the screen. Things were slow, new, and the internet was still beneath the public radar. Back then Prodigy or Aol was bigger than the internet as we know it today. There were a few muds hosted there but as they cost money I didn't want anything to do with them.
I had been an avid reader of Tolkien so the first mud I played was MUME. I don't recall the version but it was a Diku mud with some pretty cool PK opportunities. One would play as either a "whitey" or good race, or as a "darkie" or orc type. You could play the game as you liked, stick to the safer areas but there was always the threat of a darkie raid. In those times the game was populated by northern European types, so it felt as strange and unique as it was. Some weekends you'd have 100 plus players, very fun.
You were always on the move, and not much RP was happening. You'd raid the warrens (orc hideout) they would raid Bree. It was a great deal of fast-paced fun but eventually I wanted to move on. Diku muds weren't my favorite and I got into LPmuds next.
The next mud was the TwoTowers mud which in case you didn't guess was also a Tolkien based mud. I started playing this one early on in the development. I played for awhile and joined the ranks of Coders. I spent the next two years learning LPC and coding a few areas. The mud had a pretty rigorous QC system and the bar was set high but eventually I wanted to move elsewhere.
At this point I found Dartmud. I had tried it once before, around 1995, and had farmed with Tellborn for awhile. I remember the mud was down for a while between servers so I moved onto other places. When I returned to Dartmud a few years later it was before the comet and Malice was running around. It was a pretty interesting place! The comet struck and shortly after I soured on Dartmud due to the IC / OOC interactions. I took 5 years off or so and returned. Even today I think a good deal of out of game interaction takes place so I play the game in a manner that removes me (as much as possible) from that sort of thing.
I've learned that as long as I'm having fun it's a cool place to be, but once the fun wears off it's time to take a break and do something else. I've always felt drawn back to Dartmud, it's a rich place that I enjoy playing.
My mudding days began in 1994, dialing into my university and browsing using the Gopher protocol. The speed was 2400 baud, and you could watch the text cascade on the screen. Things were slow, new, and the internet was still beneath the public radar. Back then Prodigy or Aol was bigger than the internet as we know it today. There were a few muds hosted there but as they cost money I didn't want anything to do with them.
I had been an avid reader of Tolkien so the first mud I played was MUME. I don't recall the version but it was a Diku mud with some pretty cool PK opportunities. One would play as either a "whitey" or good race, or as a "darkie" or orc type. You could play the game as you liked, stick to the safer areas but there was always the threat of a darkie raid. In those times the game was populated by northern European types, so it felt as strange and unique as it was. Some weekends you'd have 100 plus players, very fun.
You were always on the move, and not much RP was happening. You'd raid the warrens (orc hideout) they would raid Bree. It was a great deal of fast-paced fun but eventually I wanted to move on. Diku muds weren't my favorite and I got into LPmuds next.
The next mud was the TwoTowers mud which in case you didn't guess was also a Tolkien based mud. I started playing this one early on in the development. I played for awhile and joined the ranks of Coders. I spent the next two years learning LPC and coding a few areas. The mud had a pretty rigorous QC system and the bar was set high but eventually I wanted to move elsewhere.
At this point I found Dartmud. I had tried it once before, around 1995, and had farmed with Tellborn for awhile. I remember the mud was down for a while between servers so I moved onto other places. When I returned to Dartmud a few years later it was before the comet and Malice was running around. It was a pretty interesting place! The comet struck and shortly after I soured on Dartmud due to the IC / OOC interactions. I took 5 years off or so and returned. Even today I think a good deal of out of game interaction takes place so I play the game in a manner that removes me (as much as possible) from that sort of thing.
I've learned that as long as I'm having fun it's a cool place to be, but once the fun wears off it's time to take a break and do something else. I've always felt drawn back to Dartmud, it's a rich place that I enjoy playing.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Prestige
Various things gain you respect. You'll remember the kind mage who helped you learn to swim, or that braman who helped lift a few items into your wagon. You may remember the skilled smith who made that sword, or the fine piece of sushi that you were given in an artfully made bento box. You'll also remember the vibrant ogre who could hardly speak, but tried so hard. Each of these things can also gain you prestige!
Helping out will get you remembered and help you learn down the road. Everyone started out as a newbie so taking a bit of your own time to help someone out can go a long ways. Down the road they may repay that with friendship, crafting advice or some odd spell you just can't seem to find.
Crafting is another area that people are remembered and well regarded. The cook who can make perfect wedding cakes is a rarity. One of the greatest things about cooking in Dartmud is you can share the fruits of your labor and people will get to taste it, and the perfection. I wish more things shared this mechanic: armor, weapons, clothing etc. If a master smith made you a mastercraft sword it should work better, be faster, sharper etc.
You will also meet people who can RP so well that you can't wait to see them again. Some people can play a race very well and seem very unique. Others play an ogre as they would any other race when in fact the low intellect should make them rather... slow. There were ogres in the past who spoke in mono-syllables and pantomimed a lot. These people were a blast to be with. Players who play Mohnkees also tend to exhibit very mohnkee like behaviour. Ask yourself, are all trolls, elves, rowan and spyders of the same temperment and demeanor? Not likely, and you'll remember those who are unique much more than 'run of the mill Bob the mage'.
In the long run the folks who are most remembered have a bit of each of these traits. They tend to be rich and descriptive, experts in many crafts, and most willing to help other people. On the flip side I've seen folks who study in an inn-room, hoard all information and neglect any crafts except those that pay the rent.
Who would you rather hang out with?
Who will have tales told of them?
Remember, at the end of the day it's all about the interactions between players.
So get out there and interact!
Helping out will get you remembered and help you learn down the road. Everyone started out as a newbie so taking a bit of your own time to help someone out can go a long ways. Down the road they may repay that with friendship, crafting advice or some odd spell you just can't seem to find.
Crafting is another area that people are remembered and well regarded. The cook who can make perfect wedding cakes is a rarity. One of the greatest things about cooking in Dartmud is you can share the fruits of your labor and people will get to taste it, and the perfection. I wish more things shared this mechanic: armor, weapons, clothing etc. If a master smith made you a mastercraft sword it should work better, be faster, sharper etc.
You will also meet people who can RP so well that you can't wait to see them again. Some people can play a race very well and seem very unique. Others play an ogre as they would any other race when in fact the low intellect should make them rather... slow. There were ogres in the past who spoke in mono-syllables and pantomimed a lot. These people were a blast to be with. Players who play Mohnkees also tend to exhibit very mohnkee like behaviour. Ask yourself, are all trolls, elves, rowan and spyders of the same temperment and demeanor? Not likely, and you'll remember those who are unique much more than 'run of the mill Bob the mage'.
In the long run the folks who are most remembered have a bit of each of these traits. They tend to be rich and descriptive, experts in many crafts, and most willing to help other people. On the flip side I've seen folks who study in an inn-room, hoard all information and neglect any crafts except those that pay the rent.
Who would you rather hang out with?
Who will have tales told of them?
Remember, at the end of the day it's all about the interactions between players.
So get out there and interact!
Beginners Guide : The Economy
As a young person in Ferdarchi you need very little. Food you'll find scattered about and armor or weapons aren't much needed. What weapons or implements you may need you'll find near the sparring areas or in tool cabinets. Eventually though you'll want to save for a pet, amulet or lodging. That's where you'll get to deal with the shopkeepers.
Nothing too unusual syntax wise. Buy, sell, list, about what you'd expect. However what becomes unique is the storekeepers don't have an endless supply of money to buy useless crap. Which is one big reason that killing everyone in sight won't do you much good. The store keeper probably won't have the money to buy it, and if he does you're probably about the 90th person to sell it, so he'll offer a low price. Remember supply and demand?
Shops sell out. You'll learn this quite quickly. Someone comes before you and sells a wagon load of goods to the vendor and he no longer has any money to buy your stuff. A bummer to be sure! About the only thing you can do is try another vendor or just wait. The storekeepers get more money. Eventually.
Depending on your skill you can sell to other players but as crafting is saturated. Most folks won't have a demand for your 97 linen bandannas. You may find demand for certain gathered items, or furs, but you'll have to seek out a market.
Vendors like variety. If you show up with 10,000 linen bandannas you may get 1 farthing for the first one, but by the last one (if he has the money) you'll get barely a minim, if he'll buy it at all! This also meshes well into RP activities. Who would really make 5000 apple pies for sale? Making a wide variety of every fruit known is much more exciting and at the end of the day profitable too!
There is also a consignment shop, but this tends to be a market for quested items and spellbooks. Find something you need, post a note, and see if someone consigns it. Very useful for things like this, not useful for selling the junk you find on the street.
One thing to be aware of, the shop keeper will share the name of the last person who 'sold them out'. If the same name pops up over and over it can anger people, especially people who are trying to pay taxes.
Personally I'd like to see some more variety to crafted goods, a lot of the economy seems to pivot on crafted foods. This isn't all that unusual, but cooking is probably the most used crafting skill in the game. More gold floated into the economy would be nice too, but that's just as someone who wants a bigger sporran... But all that equates too is more inflation for some items...
Nothing too unusual syntax wise. Buy, sell, list, about what you'd expect. However what becomes unique is the storekeepers don't have an endless supply of money to buy useless crap. Which is one big reason that killing everyone in sight won't do you much good. The store keeper probably won't have the money to buy it, and if he does you're probably about the 90th person to sell it, so he'll offer a low price. Remember supply and demand?
Shops sell out. You'll learn this quite quickly. Someone comes before you and sells a wagon load of goods to the vendor and he no longer has any money to buy your stuff. A bummer to be sure! About the only thing you can do is try another vendor or just wait. The storekeepers get more money. Eventually.
Depending on your skill you can sell to other players but as crafting is saturated. Most folks won't have a demand for your 97 linen bandannas. You may find demand for certain gathered items, or furs, but you'll have to seek out a market.
Vendors like variety. If you show up with 10,000 linen bandannas you may get 1 farthing for the first one, but by the last one (if he has the money) you'll get barely a minim, if he'll buy it at all! This also meshes well into RP activities. Who would really make 5000 apple pies for sale? Making a wide variety of every fruit known is much more exciting and at the end of the day profitable too!
There is also a consignment shop, but this tends to be a market for quested items and spellbooks. Find something you need, post a note, and see if someone consigns it. Very useful for things like this, not useful for selling the junk you find on the street.
One thing to be aware of, the shop keeper will share the name of the last person who 'sold them out'. If the same name pops up over and over it can anger people, especially people who are trying to pay taxes.
Personally I'd like to see some more variety to crafted goods, a lot of the economy seems to pivot on crafted foods. This isn't all that unusual, but cooking is probably the most used crafting skill in the game. More gold floated into the economy would be nice too, but that's just as someone who wants a bigger sporran... But all that equates too is more inflation for some items...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Paths in Life
DartMUD is unique from most MUDs as you don't begin as a level 1 Human Warrior and progress through the game entirely as that roll. In fact about the only thing you have to retain through life is your name!
You will start out into the Lands of Ferdarchi as a race of your choice. However once you get an amulet it is possible to be reincarnated into a new body. You may have been born into the world as a gnome, but no one says you can't become a braman or ogre! Consult the healers for more details, the price may not be to your liking...
As far as class goes you can do whatever you please. But what does this mean exactly? Well, you can study magic, learn to fight, or a combination of either. OR neither! If you so desire you can learn neither and be strictly a crafter, beach-bum, drunk, fisherman or whatever you'd like. Not knowing how to defend yourself can be tricky, but it goes to show the some ingenuity can go a long way in Dartmud.
In the long run, years if not a decade, a lot of people will learn a bit of everything (if they can survive that long). It is not unlikely that you'll run into people who can perform every craft, fight, cast spells, and hold an enormous amount of respect.
The paths of life in Dartmud really are endless, it's bounded only by your imagination.
You will start out into the Lands of Ferdarchi as a race of your choice. However once you get an amulet it is possible to be reincarnated into a new body. You may have been born into the world as a gnome, but no one says you can't become a braman or ogre! Consult the healers for more details, the price may not be to your liking...
As far as class goes you can do whatever you please. But what does this mean exactly? Well, you can study magic, learn to fight, or a combination of either. OR neither! If you so desire you can learn neither and be strictly a crafter, beach-bum, drunk, fisherman or whatever you'd like. Not knowing how to defend yourself can be tricky, but it goes to show the some ingenuity can go a long way in Dartmud.
In the long run, years if not a decade, a lot of people will learn a bit of everything (if they can survive that long). It is not unlikely that you'll run into people who can perform every craft, fight, cast spells, and hold an enormous amount of respect.
The paths of life in Dartmud really are endless, it's bounded only by your imagination.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)