Belannaer is currently in charge of new (dev-)wizards. Contact him.
Ok, feel like you could contribute something to this great game? Feel like you are full of great area ideas that would fit the world perfectly? Feel like there's a crucial part missing that will make the game SO much more fun for all the players?
Now you have the change. We are constantly hiring new people to help developing the game. You can even keep playing when you code your area!
If all this sounds interesting, follow these steps:
1. Consider if you have the following characteristics/skills (in the order of importance):
- Good Imagination. This cannot be thought, some people are born with it, some not.
- Perseverance, zeal and other things to finish what you have started. This also cannot be thought, it is something you have or have not born with.
- Good skill in english language. This means ability to typo^He, large vocabulary, good grammar skills and also a knack of writing so that it is interesting to read. This can be learned by using the language. If you feel inadept in this department, be ready to hone your skills. We take this part seriously as the associations main goal is to improve the english skill.
- Knowledge of C language. This can be taught to you. Having at least some experience in programming makes it much easier for you, but it is not a requirement.
2. Sit back, relax and write down a short plan about what would you be doing. In most cases an area is a good place to start. While doing it you will learn all the necessary skills needed later when coding some more complex things. Write down the general description of the area, maybe place some more important monsters and try to come up with some secret places and quests. NOTE:As your first area, you are only allowed to write an area designed for low level players, around 1-40 levels. So no dragons, +4 int rings, Demons from the 7th level of hell etc.
3. Write a mudmail or e-mail where you ask to be approved to this position. Shortly describe why you should be allowed to become a dev-wizard. (A wizard only in developement site, not in normal game) Include info about possible coding skills. Also include the short plan you wrote earlier.
3.1 This email should contain at least the following info: Brief area history (to show how this area will fit into icesus), Brief area description (again to show how well it fits into icesus), approximate number of rooms, short info about possible quest(s), short info about what kind of monsters will be in the area (with approximate exp values), short info about possible special eq you can get from the area (from monsters or from quest) and any other info you feel is necessary for making a decision A) if this area will fit into Icesus B) if it is the right size/difficulty for a person with your coding skills doing a first area project in icesus. If you are doubting some detail of the area, ask a wizard, preferrable Belannaer about it.
3.2 It should not contain maps, detailed room/monster/eq descriptions, quest walk-throughs and another detailed info.
3.3 Don't use any other language than English and don't send any kind of attachments.
4. Wait for response to this mail. I will probably respond by tell in the game, or if I cannot reach you that way, by e-mail or mudmail. I consult the other wizards and then if there is nothing against letting you try, I'll give you access to our wiki. Also, at this point, you are shown the info about the copyright and wizard behavior which you must agree before continuing.
5. Read the tutorials on the wiki site. Also at this point, you have to write a complete area plan to the wiki site for other people to comment and for reference for the people Quality Checking the area. When the area plan is ready, contact Thoran again and you will get access to the dev-server and wizard status there. The dev server is a copy of the actual game, where you can do the developement of the area without the risk of OOPS NOW I CRASHED THE GAME.
6. Write the area. At this point you should already know how to find information from the documents on wiki, and you already have access to forums where you can ask for help from other wizards. When you think the area is ready for the QC, contact Belannaer or Idles. A wizard will then Quality Check the area and after you have fixed all the problems found, the area is put into the game for everyone to enjoy.
7. Consider if this is something you like to do. You now have the change of either continue playing and receive PDF reward for coding the area, or applying to become a full wizard, who can code new guilds and other neat stuff, like highbie areas.
If there's no visible progress in your coding for a long time you will lose your dev-wizards rights and need to apply again as one and you'll project plan will be reviewed then.
BEFORE you do anything you need to have some knowledge about the game so you need to play it for some time at its current state.
Want to contribute to the game? Check here!
Moderator: Moderators
Want to contribute to the game? Check here!
Last edited by thoran on Tue Dec 14, 2004 09:36 am, edited 2 times in total.
Hmm... knowing what a C/LPC function and a variable is ought to be enough for learning basic area coding. Doing fancier stuff definately needs in-depth knowledge.ginjeet wrote:Just wanted to point out that area coders will program in LPC, not C. Knowledge of the C programming language probably won't hurt you, but don't expect it to help you either (more than, say, aptitude in an object oriented programming language, like Python).
Stalker
Actually LPC and C syntax is very similar. Python, at the other hand, is, IMO a bad example since it's syntax is more different than C (or LPC for that matter)
Some knowledge in programming in general would, as mentioned, help more than having knowledge of any specific language, I suppose. If you have basic knowledge of variabletypes, flow control and modularity (splitting up code into functions) and you know how to cut and paste I think every idiot should be able to create atleast a simple area
Some knowledge in programming in general would, as mentioned, help more than having knowledge of any specific language, I suppose. If you have basic knowledge of variabletypes, flow control and modularity (splitting up code into functions) and you know how to cut and paste I think every idiot should be able to create atleast a simple area
"That's not a bug! That's a feature!" --
Someone once asked me which programming languages I know. The answer was: "Given 1 week of time, I can know any language you want me to."
As long as there's no new paradigm to learn just learning new syntax doesn't take long. And one doesn't really need to know much, just copy-pasting things and writing descs can get a very simple area done ;)
LPC is quite a hybrid language. The syntax is rather close to C, with the exception that typing is runtime (you get runtime errors instead of compile errors if you try to use string where integer is wanted, for example) and there's objects around. Generally LPC (and especially the MudOS variant we're using) differs quite a lot from modern OO languages though, mostly because there are various "interesting" shortcuts and because all type-checking is really done runtime rather than compile-time.
If you didn't understand a word, here's the catch: "It's not hard to code simple things to Icesus. If you don't know how to code something, ask for someone to help or design it simpler." (It's not necessarily the most code-complex area that's most fun for players, it's more likely the area with best design. I could code a zillion complex things and they'd still all suck because I suck at area/monster design, that's why I stick to lib coding and bugfixing these days.)
As long as there's no new paradigm to learn just learning new syntax doesn't take long. And one doesn't really need to know much, just copy-pasting things and writing descs can get a very simple area done ;)
LPC is quite a hybrid language. The syntax is rather close to C, with the exception that typing is runtime (you get runtime errors instead of compile errors if you try to use string where integer is wanted, for example) and there's objects around. Generally LPC (and especially the MudOS variant we're using) differs quite a lot from modern OO languages though, mostly because there are various "interesting" shortcuts and because all type-checking is really done runtime rather than compile-time.
If you didn't understand a word, here's the catch: "It's not hard to code simple things to Icesus. If you don't know how to code something, ask for someone to help or design it simpler." (It's not necessarily the most code-complex area that's most fun for players, it's more likely the area with best design. I could code a zillion complex things and they'd still all suck because I suck at area/monster design, that's why I stick to lib coding and bugfixing these days.)
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solar
- Supporting Member 2020
- Posts: 541
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 17:30 pm
- Location: Kalajoki/Oulu, Finland
wiki
Ahem... I have been unable to access wiki since the hardware crash, so someone might have noticed something of a 'lack of progress' regarding my "SECRET-PROJECT" on Icedev 
I wonder when you'll try to restore it?
-Restored, thank you whoever you are.
(And no, the project is not a secret one, but this way my post will be noticed sooner.
)
I wonder when you'll try to restore it?
-Restored, thank you whoever you are.
(And no, the project is not a secret one, but this way my post will be noticed sooner.
)
Last edited by solar on Wed Jun 30, 2004 15:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Internet tough guy
Icesus is not just my life - it's the lack of it.
Icesus is not just my life - it's the lack of it.
I'm afraid there's a misunderstanding :
1) I am interested into how it all works. I consider muds as a hobby, entertainment, combining my 2 of my favorite topics, nothing more.
2) I'm trying to get a couple of rooms together to send you as detailed example of first area. Not just a description as I think it's hard to send you a description of a room without having any idea of what is possible and especially what's not.
3) If studied some of the code on the <website of another mud> as this has step by step instructions on how it all works. From your post I thought wiki was a PUBLIC website (yes I actually tried google & dnsreport
) that contained the same information for the icelib mud.
That's all
1) I am interested into how it all works. I consider muds as a hobby, entertainment, combining my 2 of my favorite topics, nothing more.
2) I'm trying to get a couple of rooms together to send you as detailed example of first area. Not just a description as I think it's hard to send you a description of a room without having any idea of what is possible and especially what's not.
3) If studied some of the code on the <website of another mud> as this has step by step instructions on how it all works. From your post I thought wiki was a PUBLIC website (yes I actually tried google & dnsreport
) that contained the same information for the icelib mud.That's all