Working on a zone always results in editor improvements, so here’s what we get this release:
* Changed the error window shown for “Check Area” to a scrollable list so all errors can be seen.
* When items in the list of errors found by “Check Area” are double-clicked, the object, room, or mob will open in the edit window so you can change whatever the area check complained about.
* The map window is now refreshed when “apply” is clicked in the room editor so we see the room change color when the terrain type changes.
* The map window is now cleared if there was an area loaded when File –> New is used to create a new area.
* Added a “New” button to the exit edit dialog so new empty rooms with reciprocal exits can be created from the exit editor. This will be easier than creating both rooms and manually creating an exit in each room pointing to the other.
* Added more content to the help file.
The shame is that building zones is easy, if boring. What gives life to the zones are mob, object, and zone procs done creatively. Until someone can write a fully flexible scripting language that can be used in this capacity zones will continue to be cookie cutter, book novels with lines of text that move from one room to another. 🙁
Go veygoth! Write a new scripting proc language!
Have you seen the scripting/custom action language I came up with?
http://basternae.org/blog/2010/04/14/custom-actions-our-version-of-scripting/
It’s implemented in the client:
http://basternae.org/blog/2010/04/15/custom-action-editing/
Let me know if you think of anything that it won’t let you do. I couldn’t have gotten it perfect in the first version.
I think great idea would be to go through all the spec_fun’s that were written for bast2 zones and build triggers that would accomodate each one. For example, a trigger that allows you to run the prog when mob hits a certain % of max health (like the last boss in eth plane), or another that allows you to check a mob for a specific mob bit flag. A few actions to consider is the ability to cause physical or spell damage with a custom message rather than call on an existing spell or physical attack (i.e. kick).
Those are just a couple of ideas that come to mind. I had to do a lot of custom code while bringing bast1 zones to bast2. It was a miracle bast2 ran at all. 😛
Another thing to consider is to create a back story to Basternae. Give some foundation and history to each race and tie them together with their faction with an ultimate, mud wide, story for what each faction hopes to accomplish in the MUD world.
In my mind, this would accomplish 1 big thing, first it would help write zones that were contiguous with the central theme/story of the MUD. Makes for better story telling and gives the reason of why they should do the things they are doing. Each zone should tell its own smaller story but fit into the ethos that the mud is created around.
I always hated how random and pointless some of the zones were in Bast1-2 and Duris were. This is where these muds fell down and where games like EQ and WoW really excelled. So I challenge you Veygoth to write a convincing back story to Basternae3, and each of the races. Tie them all together to their factions and give zone writers the structure and foundation they need to help build your story!
Or don’t! 🙂