Room Editing
From dodWiki
Overview
By
Tank the Life Bringer at Dawn of Demise
(tdod.org 4000)
Before doing any building, a builder should make a basic outline of their intended area layout on paper (Graph paper works well for this). Mapping out how each room relates to another will save a lot of time when you go to link the rooms with exits. Once you have your outline mapped out with "boxes" or "circles", go ahead and number each box with your vnums, the starting point doesn't really matter, as long as it makes sense to you. It's also a good idea to mark NORTH on your paper map while you're at it, then you'll always know which direction you're looking.
Example map:
A map can be as complicated or as simple as you like, it is merely a tool to help you when you're making rooms and linking exits. A "room" can represent a 10x10 room in a house, or a mile of trail. How many "rooms" you use to represent what you want is up to you.
Once you have created a map, you're ready to go online and begin creating your new area.
You will need to become familiar with the following commands:
Creating Rooms
After you have read and understood the "redit", "rstat" and "rlist" commands you are ready to start creating new rooms. Have an immortal of the proper level (61 on stock, 111 on DoD) assign you a range of vnums.
Rooms must exist before they can be linked via exits. To create a room simply use the command GOTO to go to that vnum.
You will create a room a room with the name field set to: Floating in a void, the flags field set to: Prototype, and having no exits.
It will look like:
Floating in a void
[Flags: prototype]
Exits: none.
You can only "create" a new room within your assigned vnum range.
Since you already have a map, you know approximately how many rooms you require. Create small groups of rooms (20-25 rooms) by using "goto" several times in succession.
Ex. goto 1000, goto 1001, goto 1002, etc...goto 1025
Once a body of rooms exists, you can begin linking those rooms together via exits.
Some builders prefer to make a "skeleton" of their linked rooms before fleshing them out with the room values. I prefer to flesh out as I go along.
Be sure to use the "savearea" command after you make any additions or changes to your area. If "savearea" is not used often, there is the possibility that your changes will be lost if the mud crashes or your link is lost.
Syntax: savearea
If a reboot happens you will need to use the "loadarea" command prior to working on your area.
Syntax: loadarea
Builders (level 61 stock, 109 DoD) working on an existing non-prototype area use "foldarea" instead of "savearea". If they are working on another builder's prototype area, "savearea" is used in conjunction with the name of the area.
Syntax: foldarea areaname.are
Syntax: savearea areaname.are
Now it's time to "redit" the room field values.
Credits
I'm putting this information first with the hopes of giving everyone their due. Kind of the best way to do it really.
I really thank Herne the Hunter for the original help files that I used to create my own help.
Many thanks to Tank, who's the original author of these pages.
Myself and other members of the mudding community, have provided all samples and tips.
If you would like credit please state the name you want credited, a link to a web page, email address, mud where you build, and/or its telnet address. You may use any combination you desire. Samples and tips without this information will be listed as anonymous.
