IgorMUD’s Design Guides

Item Design Guide (coming soon)

Design Guides

Igor boasts a unique, distinctive MUD, a game with Areas and Items found nowhere else on the Internet. This is due to the diligence of our Approval Team and years of imaginative Creator Wizards who have risen in the ranks and developed the extensive realms of (and above) Igor.

In order for a Wizard to get an Area or Item into the world of Igor, he or she (or it) must submit it to Igor’s Approval process for review by the Quality and Balance Arches.

The following Design Guides were developed to assist Igor Wizards in the creation process.

If the question is here, realize that it should be part of the Item or Area. These Guides should not be considered just suggestions for Area and Item creation ideas.

Instead, realize that the Approval Team will want to know the answers to these questions when they talk with Wizards regarding their submission during the actual Approval process.

Area Design Guide

What is the story of the Area?

· Is your idea/story original or unique?

· What level of players are you aiming to attract?

· Does the Area accomplish your story?

· How does it accomplish the story?

· Will your Area keep the attention of your target audience?

Is there a lot of description?

· Is every noun given an add_item?

· Is the description enough to keep a player interested?

· How deep does the description go?

> Does the add_items have add_items of their own?

Is the Area very active?

· Are there add_actions?

· Do the add_actions do a simple action?

· Do the add_actions lead to a plot device (hidden room, clue, etc.)?

· Is the activity exciting, clever, cute, necessary?

· Are the trigger words for the add_actions easy/hard to figure out?

Are there NPCs in the Area?

· Do these NPCs talk?

> Do these NPCs fit in with the story?

> Do the NPCs give story information only?

> Do the NPCs give quest hints?

· Do these NPCs fight?

> Do they give good weapons/armour?

> Are they designed to give good exp points?

> Do they have special attacks?

> Do they have unique specials?

> Are they part of the story?

· Do the NPCs wander?

> Why do they wander?

> Can they be tricked to wander where you don't want them to?

> What makes them wander?

· Do the NPCs interact with the players?

> Do they catch_tell and give hints or information

> Do they answer to 'help' in appropriate ways?

Is there a quest or a puzzle to be solved?

· Is the quest or puzzle solvable?

· Is it a mental puzzle, or a find-pieces puzzle?

· Does the puzzle or quest work, code wise?

· Does the puzzle or quest fit the story?

· If there's no quest or puzzle, why not?

Are there a lot of rooms in your Area?

· How many rooms aren't actually needed?

· Are there any hidden rooms?

· Are there any hidden exits?

Where/How does your Area fit into Igor's "continent"?

· What kinds of Areas/descriptions are around yours?

· Does it "fit in"?

> If not, why does that work?

Do you award explorer points in your Area?

· If so, how many?

> Easy ones, or difficult?

· If not, why?

Have you proofread the descriptions in your Area?

· Have you checked all your descriptions for typos?

· Have you checked ALL descriptions for all items, monsters, etc.?

· Are your descriptions coherent to all players?

> (Igor's players know American &/or British English).

Has someone else walked through your Area?

· Have you asked another Wizard to walkthrough and check out your Area?

> Have you discussed and responded to that Wizard’s comments?

· Have you had a second and third walk through and discussion with that Wizard, or another one?

> Have you discussed and responded to this Wizard’s comments?

· Did you use their suggestions and make revisions?

> If not, why?

· Did you discuss ideas in your Area that the walkthrough Wizard didn't understand?

> Did the Wizard start to understand after discussing with you?

· If the walkthrough Wizard didn't immediately understand some ideas in your Area:

> Does that mean some things aren’t clear enough?

> Could they be cultural differences? Age differences? Language problems?

> Could there be a lack of descriptions, things you might be taking for granted because you, as the creator, understand the idea so well?

> With all the cultures/ages/uniquenesses on Igor, does it need to be revised?

· Has at least one of your walkthroughs been with a Wizard of level 105 or higher?

> Level 105 is a Creator Wizard who has had an Area submitted to and approved on Igor.

· Has at least one of your walkthroughs been with a WizHelper?

> WizHelpers are Wizards chosen to help other Wizards cause they're great with LPC and are excellent creation helpers in general.

> WizHelpers are level 125.

Are you about ready to submit the Area to Approval?

· Have you written a README.txt file in your main folder?

· Have you laid out the story line for the approval arches to read in the README.TXT file?

· Have you described any unusual details, tricks, maneuvers, monsters, weapons, triggers, etc, in the README.txt file?

> Puzzles and tricks are for the players, NOT the Approval team.

· Do you have any major quests in the Area?

> Have you detailed the entire quest, including rooms, objects, triggers, times, and any other pertinent information?

> Have you put this information in the README.txt file, or refer to its PERMENANT location in the README.txt file?

> This information MUST be updated with ALL future updates to the Quest.

Item Design Guide

Coming Soon

Written by Carlyle & Sunshine

Last Updated: November 2003