View source for UC MUD

MUDs are a little out of date, but modern coding techniques make it an interesting idea.

==[[UC MUD World Planning|World Planning]]==
We need a world to make. Probably (high) fantasy, with different fantasy races and such. Sword and sorcery. Weapons, armor, and magic, etc. Also, the landscape: cities and towns, oceans, plains, mountains, dungeons.

==[[UC MUD Code Planning|Code Planning]]==
Start very basic, build from there (agile). Need a place to be (rooms) and a person to be (avatar--to become characters). Also need an idea of how to interact with the game, and with other characters. Eventually add in items, combat, etc.

==How to picture it==
===For Players===
# A player will log in with a single userID, linked to an email address. 
# From there, they will pick a character, or to make a new character (See [[UC MUD#Character Creation|Character Creation]] below)
#* How can the player tell which character they want?
#*# The character will be in a list by character name, level, and a text field the player can fill in
#*#* Why not by guild, class, etc?
#*#*# There will be too many options for other fields and we will be updating them. This way we don't have to check to see how it'll appear.
#* How will the list look?
#*# Numbered list of up to 10 at a time, with options to pick a number, see the "next page", make a new characters, or reorder list based on 
#*#* Character name (ASC or DESC)
#*#* Character level (ASC or DESC)
#*#* Text field (ASC or DESC)
#*# This allows them to order the characters using the text field so they can have their favorite character on top even if s/he is not first or last alphabetically or by level, as well as a description. Text field limitations will be by database
#*# The ordering they pick will persist until they change it. 
#*# Default ordering is ASC character name
#* How many characters can they have?
# They pick a character and have three choices: start playing with this character (default), edit the text field, or cancel/go back to character list
#* Where do they start up? Safehouse? Where they last left off?
# The character has some way of having equipment persist from the last time they logged in
#* Everything autoloads? Or only things they have "the skill to get for themselves"? Or stuff in a locker? Or some combination?
# They can go out and fight, practice skills, learn magic, join guilds, trade items, chat with other players, read in-game books, travel the country, visit houses of ill-repute, check bulletin boards for news, etc.

===For Coders===
* All "things" are objects, stored in a database among various tables
* All "actions" are methods attached to an object, stored in a database among various tables. 
* Updating something requires finding it (search field) and using the interface to update it (no direct table modifications)
* Adding a new object requires picking out its type and using the interface to insert it.
* Adding a new action requires both adding it to the database and attaching to an object
* New code and code modifications must go through review process--have a dev, testing, and production environments. 
** Single dev environment? All coders use the same space? Or individual coder branches?
** Something one coder is making might want to be available to other coders. But also need to manage duplicates
* New actions are harder to make/test/release and may require a higher level of coder
* QA'd things are only put into production at reboot. 
===Character Creation===
# Pick a name
# Pick a group and race
#* Only basic races are available to first time players
#* Elite races are available it the player has a character that has opened it
# Pick stats
#* Point buy. Bases are adjusted by race. Lower and upper limits are hard coded
#* Option to allocate randomly. Will this be a weighted randomizer?
# Pick options for character description: gender, skin color, eye color, hair color, height, weight, etc. 
#* Sets based on race/subtype
#* Option to choose randomly
# Pick background, hometown, etc.
# Pick merits and flaws
#* What compensation do you get for picking flaws? 
#* Alternative: Pick N traits, each with pluses and minuses
# Get option of going through newbie training
# Get dumped into game with starting equipment based on race, stats, etc.