/* ************************************************************************
* File: building.doc Part of CircleMUD *
* *
* All rights reserved. See license.doc for complete information. *
* *
* Copyright (C) 1993-95 by the Trustees of the Johns Hopkins University *
* CircleMUD is based on DikuMUD, Copyright (C) 1990, 1991. *
************************************************************************ */
THE CIRCLEMUD BUILDER'S MANUAL
All You Need To Create Your Own Virtual World
Summary:
This document describes how to create CircleMUD areas, and specifies
the file formats for worlds, mobiles, objects, shops, and zones, as well as
providing examples of each. All information necessary to build worlds can
be found in this document.
Intended Audience:
World builders interested in creating new worlds, implementors who need
to decode existing world files, and coders extending the current world
specification.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Jeff Fink (Teker) for documenting the shop format (as well as
for submitting the shop code itself!), and Alex Fletcher (Furry) for writing
parts of the Introduction.
Version:
May 23 15:14 1995
Table of Contents
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
1.1. Your Job as a Tinyworld Architect
1.2. Learning By Example
1.3. Game Balance
1.4. Making Your Areas Interesting
2. The Mechanics of World Building
2.1. How World Files and Index Files Work
2.2. Using Bitvectors
3. World (Room) Files
3.1. The Format of a Room
3.2. The Direction Field
3.3. Room Extra Descriptions
3.4. World File Example
4. Mobile (Monster) Files
4.1. The Format of a Mobile
4.2. Type S Mobiles
4.3. Type S Mobile Example
4.4. Type E Mobiles
4.5. Type E Mobile Example
4.6. E-Spec Keywords Valid in CircleMUD 3.00
5. Object Files
5.1. The Format of an Object
5.2. Object Value Definitions
5.3. Object Extra Descriptions
5.4. Object Affect Fields
5.5. Object File Example
6. Zone Files
6.1. The Format of a Zone File
6.2. Zone Commands
6.3. Zone File Example
7. Shop Files
7.1. CircleMUD v3.0 Shop Format
7.2. Item Name Lists for 3.0 Shops
7.3. The DikuMUD Gamma and CircleMUD 2.20 Shop Format
Appendix A: Spell Numbers
Appendix B: Item Values for Drink Containers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
1.1. Your Job as a Tinyworld Architect
Wow, you finally got your MUD up and running, and now you want to
create a world to fit all of those stories you have running around your
head. As a Tinyworld Architect or builder, your job is to create areas for
players to roam around in, solve puzzles, and gain experience. There is a
world included with the CircleMUD distribution which is intended to serve as
a stepping stone and a basic guide on what can be done with a world for your
MUD.
MUDs may have many different ways of coding things, but in general,
most people tend to judge them on the number and quality of areas that they
possess. The areas are what tend to make a MUD original. For example, one
MUD could be based upon a magic-rich world and the code and areas would
reflect this, while another could revolve around cities and thieves. Each
of these MUDs would have its areas designed in such a way to flesh out this
theme. In essence, building an area is like writing a book. It needs to
have a plot, needs to be descriptive, and needs to be populated with
memorable people and places.
1.2. Learning By Example
The formats of the world files are sufficiently complex that you will
probably not gain a complete understanding of them merely by reading the
documentation. This document is designed to be a reference manual and
therefore may not serve as a particularly good tutorial. While there are
examples provided at the end of each section, they are only meant to be
representative, not comprehensive examples of all possible ways to use the
features that will be described. The most effective way is to learn by
example: examine some of the areas that come with CircleMUD and try to
figure out the meanings of the numbers in different rooms, objects, mobiles,
and zone files, using this manual as a guide. Once you're proficient at
reading world files, you'll find that creating them is a much easier task.
1.3. Game Balance
'Game Balance' is a term that brings a different thing to mind for
every person that hears it. What is most important about game balance is to
keep in mind who each area is designed for and to try to balance the objects
available in that zone for characters of those levels. Most players do not
like to be given piles upon piles of treasure with no difficulty in getting
them, but on the other hand, nobody likes to fight the most difficult mobile
on the MUD and get nothing for doing it. Your job as either the chief coder
or chief builder of your MUD is to find a happy medium between these two
extremities. Once again, because everyone finds a different medium, this
makes your MUD original.
The main thing that affects 'game balance' is the world and the areas
that make it up. Because of this, each area should be checked against the
others to ensure that one area is not impossibly hard or far too easy and
rewarding relative to the rest of the world. Each implementor or group
thereof should check over the world they start with and attempt to balance
it to their satisfaction. Each new area that becomes part of the world
should also be balanced in a like fashion. Many builders have a tendency to
want people to visit their zones and as such tend to make the rewards a
little better than other ones available on the MUD, and too much of this
eventually leads to what is essentially the MUD equivalent of an arms race.
An area's balance should be an integral part of the design process, not
something to be tacked on as an afterthought. Too often, an area will be
designed with outrageously good weapons and armor which throws off the
balance of the game, causing implementors to have to go back later and tone
back the stats on objects that already exist within the MUD. By that point,
however, the damage has already been done: since the rent system saves
hitrolls, damrolls, and ac-apply's, veteran players will be able to hold on
to their old, spectacular equipment unless it is explicitly taken from them.
This does nothing but generate bad feelings on all sides. The moral of the
story is to make sure that your area is correctly balanced before it is
implemented in the production MUD. You'll find it's not acceptable to "let
the players balance the area" by unleashing an unbalanced area on them and
watching to see what people flock to.
1.4. Making Your Areas Interesting
An interesting area will always attract more players than a bland one.
There are many ways to make an area interesting. Try to be as descriptive
as possible; don't hold back on writing extra descriptions. Players are so
used to not having richly described areas that finding an extra description
can often be a real treat. Also, one oft forgotten thing to describe are
the door exits. Describing all of these can give a feel of standing out in
a field and looking off to the north and seeing something like:
The fields stretch off towards the large hills on the horizon. Far to the
north you see what appears to be a plume of smoke.
With door descriptions like these, an area will feel more fleshed out
to the player, and many players (both experienced and first timers) read the
descriptions carefully the first time they walk through somewhere, and
having many extra little descriptions helps them fill out their idea of what
things actually look like.
One thing that should never be done is to have room descriptions that
look like "You stand in a big room. It is very dark." Descriptions like
these detract in general from the rest of the world, and if they are found
room after room can bore a player to tears. That description could be
better written as:
You stand in a room of very large size. Shadows cower along the walls
and almost seem to be moving as you look around yourself. The floor is made
of heavy stones which are very dark in color. The ceiling is quite some
distance above you, but you can still make out objects hanging from it,
ruining the smoothness that is characteristic of the rest of the room.
Another thing that can be done to make an area interesting is to create
some sort of plot line for it, or a coherent theme, rather than a bunch of
haphazardly related rooms. This plot can be complex like infiltrating a
castle to garner the war plans of the evil Lord Zygol, simple like ridding
the caves of goblins, or anything in between. Often the plot in an area can
be advanced by some fairly simple puzzles or descriptions. With the help of
special procedures written in C, involved puzzles of Zork-like complexity
can be readily created.
Not all mobs have to be designed to be killed, nor does every shop
keeper have to buy or sell something, they could just be created so that
they refuse to trade with any player characters. The players will then
wonder why the shopkeeper exists. Perhaps giving him a jewel will make him
more friendly. In this way, an area can be made infinitely more exciting by
coding some special procedures for it. Perhaps random teleporters
throughout the area, perhaps some procedures that have mobiles respond to
questions from players.
All in all, the best way to make an area interesting is to use variety,
intelligence, and imagination in building. Try to imagine what it would be
like for you to walk through and what you might try looking at or doing, and
then try to incorporate that into your area. Show your area to others and
take their advice. By taking all of this extra effort in creating your
area, you will be rewarded with a lasting memory in the minds of many
players.
2. The Mechanics of World Building
2.1. How World Files and Index Files Work
CircleMUD's world is defined by five types of files: world (rooms),
mobiles (monsters), objects, shops, and zones. World files (*.wld) define
the actual rooms which contain all other mobiles, objects, and players.
Mobiles (*.mob) are the monsters which inhabit the MUD. Objects (*.obj) are
the weapons, armor, treasure, and other objects manipulated by players and
monsters. Shop files (*.shp) define the MUD's shopkeepers, controlling what
they buy, sell, and say. Finally, Zone files (*.zon) bring all the previous
elements together, telling the MUD how monsters should be equipped, where
monsters should be placed, where objects on the ground should be, which
doors should be locked, etc. These five types of files are collectively
referred to as "the world", or sometimes the "tinyworld files."
CircleMUD uses "split world files" to make the world easier to
manipulate. Instead of all the rooms being lumped together in a single,
cumbersome file, the rooms are split into many different files, one file for
each area of the world. All five types of files are split in a similar
manner. Circle has one directory for the room files (lib/world/wld), one
directory for the object files (lib/world/obj), and so forth. Also in each
of these directories is a file called 'index' that tells the server which
files from that directory should be loaded when the server boots.
The index files make adding new areas easy. Instead of cutting and
pasting huge chunks of area files, simply add the new areas to the
appropriate directories and add their names to the index files. Make sure
that the files listed in the index appear in numeric order.
Every world file used by Circle (including the index files) must be
terminated by the dollar sign ($) to tell the server that the file has
ended. Without the dollar sign, the server will not boot properly.
2.2. Using Bitvectors
When learning about the formats of CircleMUD world files, you'll
frequently see references to "bitvectors". A bitvector is a group of flags
which each can be either on or off. Bitvectors and their flags are used in
many ways within CircleMUD, such as to define the personality of mobiles,
the characteristics of rooms, etc. Understanding how to use bitvectors is
essential if you want to build a CircleMUD world.
At every point where this document says a bitvector is required, it
will be accompanied by a table describing the flags which you can use with
that bitvector. The table will look something like this:
1 a DIRTY The room is dirty.
2 b STINKY The room stinks.
4 c MUSHY The floor of the room feels mushy.
8 d SWAMPY The room resembles a swamp.
Note there are four columns in the table. The first column contains
the numeric value of the flag. The second contains the alphabetic
representation of the flag. The third is the name of the flag, and the
fourth is a description of what the flag does.
There are two ways you can construct a bitvector with the table above:
the numeric method and the alphabetic method. The numeric method is to
select all flags you'd like to activate, take the numbers of those flags as
listed in the first column of the table, and add them all up. The resulting
sum will be your bitvector. The alphabetic method is much easier: just
write down all the letters of the flags you'd like to use with no spaces in
between. For both numeric and alphabetic bitvectors, use "0" to indicate a
bitvector where none of the flags are set.
For example, imagine you want to create a room that is dirty, mushy,
and resembles a swamp, but does not stink. Using the numeric method, you'd
look up the numbers of those three flags (1 for dirty, 4 for mushy, and 8
for swampy), and add them up to get "13". Using the alphabetic method, the
bitvector would simply be "acd". Bitvectors are case-sensitive; "acd" is
very different from "Acd" and "ACD".
At every point where the CircleMUD format requires a bitvector, you can
write either a numeric bitvector or an alphabetic bitvector. They are
completely interchangeable. However, be forewarned that if you use
alphabetic bitvectors, your area will not be compatible with MUDs based on
the original DikuMUD. Alphabetic bitvectors are a CircleMUD enhancement and
may not be supported by MUDs based on Gamma Diku.
In some bitvector tables, you will see values whose descriptions say
"Reserved for internal use" or "Do not use". You should never set those
flag values in your world files.
3. World (Room) Files
3.1. The Format of a Room
The format of a room is:
#<virtual number>
<room name>~
<Room Description>
~
<zone number> <room bitvector> <sector type>
{Zero or more Direction Fields and/or Extra Descriptions}
S
There can be between 0 and 6 Direction Fields. There should not be more
than one Direction Field for a particular direction. No Extra Descriptions
are required but an unlimited number are allowed. Each room is terminated
with the literal letter 'S'.
Virtual Number
This number is critical; it is the identity of the room within the
game. All other files will use this number to refer to this room. From
within the game, this number can be used with 'goto' to go to this room.
The virtual numbers must appear in increasing order in the world file.
Room Name
This string is the room's title, which is displayed before the room
description when players look at the room, or displayed alone if players are
using 'brief').
Room Description
The description of the room seen when players enter.
Zone Number
This number is obsolete and no longer used. Theoretically it should
contain the zone number of the current room but in reality it is ignored; it
is maintained as part of the format for backwards compatibility.
Room Bitvector
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above), with the following values:
1 a DARK Room is dark.
2 b DEATH Room is a death trap; char 'dies' (no xp lost).
4 c NOMOB MOBs (monsters) cannot enter room.
8 d INDOORS Room is indoors.
16 e PEACEFUL Room is peaceful (violence not allowed).
32 f SOUNDPROOF Shouts, gossips, etc. will not be heard in room.
64 g NOTRACK "track" will never find a path through this room.
128 h NOMAGIC All magic attempted in this room will fail.
256 i TUNNEL Only one person allowed in room at a time.
512 j PRIVATE Cannot teleport in or GOTO if two people here.
1024 k GODROOM LVL_GOD and above only allowed.
2048 l HOUSE Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
4096 m HOUSE_CRASH Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
8192 n ATRIUM Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
16384 o OLC Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
32768 p BFS_MARK Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
Sector Type
A single number (not a bitvector) defining the type of terrain in the
room. Note that this value is not the number of movement points needed but
just a number to identify the sector type. It can be any of the following:
0 INSIDE Indoors - typically small number of move points needed.
1 CITY The streets of a city.
2 FIELD An open field.
3 FOREST A dense forest.
4 HILLS Low foothills.
5 MOUNTAIN Steep mountain regions.
6 WATER_SWIM Water (swimmable).
7 WATER_NOSWIM Unswimmable water - boat required for passage.
8 UNDERWATER Underwater.
9 FLYING Wheee!
Direction Fields and Extra Descriptions
This section defines the room's exits, if any, as well as any extra
descriptions such as signs or strange objects that might be in the room.
This section can be empty if the room has no exits and no extra
descriptions. Otherwise, it can have any number of 'D' (Direction Field)
and 'E' (Extra Description) sections, in any order. After all exits and
extra descriptions have been listed, the end of the room is signalled with
an 'S'.
3.2. The Direction Field
The general format of a direction field is:
D<direction number>
<general description>
~
<keyword list>~
<door flag> <key number> <room linked>
Direction Number
The direction this is an exit description for; one of the following:
0 North
1 East
2 South
3 West
4 Up
5 Down
General Description
The description shown to the player when she types "look <direction>".
Keyword List
A list of acceptable terms that can be used to manipulate the door with
commands such as "open", "close", "lock", "unlock", etc. The list should be
separated by spaces, i.e.:
door oak big~
Door Flag
Can take one of three values:
0 An unrestricted exit that has no door, or a special door cannot be
opened or closed with the "open" and "close" commands. The latter
is useful for secret doors, trap doors, or other doors that are
opened and closed by something other than the normal commands,
like a special procedure assigned to the room or an object in the
room.
1 Normal doors that can be opened/closed/locked/unlocked/picked.
2 Pickproof doors: if locked, can be opened only with the key.
The initial state of all doors is open, but doors can be opened,
closed, and locked automatically when zones reset (see the zone file
documentation for details).
Key Number
The virtual number of the key required to lock and unlock the door in
the direction given. A value of -1 means that there is no keyhole; i.e., no
key will open this door. If the Door Flag for this door is 0, the Key
Number is ignored.
Room Linked
The virtual number of the room to which this exit leads. If this
number is -1 (NOWHERE), the exit will not actually lead anywhere; useful if
you'd like the exit to show up on 'exits', or if you'd like to add a
description for 'look <direction>' without actually adding an exit in that
direction.
3.3. Room Extra Descriptions
Extra descriptions are used to make rooms more interesting, and make
them more interactive. Extra descriptions are accessed by players when they
type "look at <thing>", where <thing> is any word you choose. For example,
you might write a room description which includes the tantalizing sentence,
"The wall looks strange here." Using extra descriptions, players could then
see additional detail by typing "look at wall". There can be an unlimited
number of Extra Descriptions in each room.
The format of an extra description is simple:
E
<keyword list>~
<description text>
~
Keyword List
A space-separated list of keywords which will access the description in
this E section.
Description Text
The text that will be displayed when a player types "look <keyword>",
where <keyword> is one of the keywords specified in the Keyword List of this
E section.
3.4. World File Example
Here's a sample entry from a CircleMUD world file:
#18629
The Red Room~
It takes you a moment to realize that the red glow here is coming
from a round portal on the floor. It looks almost as if someone had
painted a picture of a dirt running through a field on the floor of
this room. Oddly enough, it is so realistic you can feel the wind in
the field coming out of the picture.
~
186 ad 0
D0
You see a big room up there.
~
~
0 -1 18620
D1
You see a small room.
~
oak door~
1 18000 18630
E
portal floor~
It looks as if you could go down into it... but you can't be sure of where
you will end up, or if you can get back.
~
S
This room is virtual number 18629, called "The Red Room". It is dark and
indoors, with an "INDOORS" sector type. It has an exit north and east. The
north exit leads to room 18620; if a player types "look north" it will say
"You see a big room up there." The exit east is a normal, pickable door
that leads to room 18630 and which takes key number 18000. There is one
extra description for "portal" and "floor".
4. Mobile (Monster) Files
4.1. The Format of a Mobile
The format of a mobile is:
#<virtual number>
<alias list>~
<short description>~
<long description>
~
<detailed description>
~
<action bitvector> <affection bitvector> <alignment> <type flag>
{type-specific information; see below for details}
The format of mobiles varies depending on the Type Flag. See below for
documentation of the formats of the various types.
Virtual Number
This number is critical; it is the identity of the mobile within the
game. It is the number that will be used to reference the mobile from zone
files and is the number used to 'load' mobiles from within the game. The
virtual numbers must appear in increasing order in the mob file.
Alias List
The list of keywords, separated by spaces, that can be used by players
to identify the mobile. The mobile can only be identified using the
keywords that appear in its alias list; it cannot be identified by a word
that appears only in its name. Great care should be taken to ensure that
the spellings of names and aliases match. Fill words such as "the", "a",
and "an" should not appear in the Alias List.
Short Description
The description of the mobile used by the MUD when the mobile takes
some action. For example, a short description of "The Beastly Fido" would
result in messages such as "The Beastly Fido leaves south." and "The Beastly
Fido hits you hard." The Short Description should never end with a
punctuation mark because it will be inserted into the middle of sentences.
Long Description
The description displayed when a mobile is in its default position;
i.e., "The Beastly Fido is here, searching through garbage for food." When
the mobile is in a position other than its default position, such as
sleeping or incapacitated, the short description is used instead -- i.e.,
"The Beastly Fido is lying here, incapacitated." Unlike the Short
Description, the Long Description should end with appropriate punctuation.
Detailed Description
The description displayed for a mobile when a player looks at the
mobile; i.e. types "look at <mobile>".
Action Bitvector
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) with the following values:
1 a SPEC This flag must be set on mobiles which have
special procedures written in C. In addition to
setting this bit, the specproc must be assigned in
spec_assign.c, and the specproc itself must (of
course) must be written. See the section on
Special Procedures in the file coding.doc for
more information.
2 b SENTINEL Mobiles wander around randomly by default; this
bit should be set for mobiles which are to remain
stationary.
4 c SCAVENGER The mob should pick up valuables it finds on the
ground. More expensive items will be taken first.
8 d ISNPC Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
16 e AWARE Set for mobs which cannot be backstabbed.
Replaces the ACT_NICE_THIEF bit from Diku Gamma.
32 f AGGRESSIVE Mob will hit all players in the room it can see.
See also the WIMPY bit.
64 g STAY_ZONE Mob will not wander out of its own zone -- good
for keeping your mobs as only part of your own
area.
128 h WIMPY Mob will flee when being attacked if it has less
than 20% of its hit points. If the WIMPY bit is
set in conjunction with any of the forms of the
AGGRESSIVE bit, the mob will only attack mobs that
are unconscious (sleeping or incapacitated).
256 i AGGR_EVIL Mob will attack players that are evil-aligned.
512 j AGGR_GOOD Mob will attack players that are good-aligned.
1024 k AGGR_NEUTRAL Mob will attack players that are neutrally aligned.
2048 l MEMORY Mob will remember the players that initiate
attacks on it, and initiate an attack on that
player if it ever runs into him again.
4096 m HELPER The mob will attack any player it sees in the room
that is fighting with a mobile in the room.
Useful for groups of mobiles that travel together;
i.e. three snakes in a pit, to force players to
fight all three simultaneously instead of picking
off one at a time.
8192 n NOCHARM Mob cannot be charmed.
16384 o NOSUMMON Mob cannot be summoned.
32768 p NOSLEEP Sleep spell cannot be cast on mob.
65536 q NOBASH Large mobs such as trees that cannot be bashed.
131072 r NOBLIND Mob cannot be blinded.
Affection Bitvector
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) with the following values:
1 a BLIND Mob is blind.
2 b INVISIBLE Mob is invisible.
4 c DETECT_ALIGN Mob is sensitive to the alignment of others.
8 d DETECT_INVIS Mob can see invisible characters and objects.
16 e DETECT_MAGIC Mob is sensitive to magical presence.
32 f SENSE_LIFE Mob can sense hidden life.
64 g WATERWALK Mob can traverse unswimmable water sectors.
128 h SANCTUARY Mob is protected by sanctuary (takes half damage).
256 i GROUP Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
512 j CURSE Mob is cursed.
1024 k INFRAVISION Mob can see in dark.
2048 l POISON Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
4096 m PROTECT_EVIL Mob is protected from evil characters.
8192 n PROTECT_GOOD Mob is protected from good characters.
16384 o SLEEP Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
32768 p NOTRACK Mob cannot be tracked.
65536 q UNUSED16 Unused (room for future expansion).
131072 r UNUSED17 Unused (room for future expansion).
262144 s SNEAK Mob can move quietly without room being informed.
524288 t HIDE Mob is hidden; can only be seen with sense life.
1048576 u UNUSED20 Unused (room for future expansion).
2097152 v CHARM Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
Alignment
A number from -1000 to 1000 representing the mob's initial alignment.
-1000...-350 Evil
-349...349 Neutral
350...1000 Good
Type Flag
This flag is a single letter which indicates what type of mobile is
currently being defined, and controls what information CircleMUD expects to
find next (i.e., in the file from the current point to the end of the
current mobile).
Standard CircleMUD 3.0 supports two types of mobiles: S (for Simple),
and E (for Enhanced). The original DikuMUD and CircleMUD versions before
3.0 support type C (Complex) mobiles, but support for type C mobs has been
dropped for Circle 3.0 and beyond.
Check with your local implementor to see if there are any additional
types supported on your particular MUD.
4.2. Type S Mobiles
For type S mobs, the type-specific information should be in the following
format:
<level> <thac0> <armor class> <max hit points> <bare hand damage>
<gold> <experience points>
<load position> <default position> <sex>
Level
The level of the monster, from 1 to 30.
THAC0
"To Hit Armor Class 0" -- a measure of the ability of the monster to
penetrate armor and cause damage, ranging from 0 to 20. Lower numbers mean
the monster is more likely to penetrate armor. The formal definition of
THAC0 is the minimum roll required on a 20-sided die required to hit an
opponent of equivalent Armor Class 0.
Armor Class
The ability of the monster to avoid damage. Range is from -10 to 10,
with lower values indicating better armor. Roughly, the scale is:
AC 10 Naked person
AC 0 Very heavily armored person (full plate mail)
AC -10 Armored Battle Tank (hopefully impossible for players)
Note on THAC0 and Armor Class (AC): When an attacker is trying to hit a
victim, the attacker's THAC0 and the victim's AC, plus a random roll of the
dice, determines whether or not the attacker can hit the victim. (If a hit
occurs, a different formula determines how much damage is done.) An
attacker with a low THAC0 is theoretically just as likely to hit a victim
with a low AC as an attacker with a high THAC0 is to hit a victim with a
high AC. Lower attacker THAC0's and higher victim AC's favor the attacker;
higher attacker THAC0's and lower victim AC's favor the victim.
Max Hit Points
The maximum number of hit points the mobile is given, which must be
given in the form "xdy+z" where x, y, and z are integers. For example,
4d6+10 would mean sum 4 rolls of a 6 sided die and add 10 to the result.
Each individual instance of a mob will have the same max number of hit
points from the time it's born to the time it dies; the dice will only be
rolled once when a particular instance of the mob is created. In other
words, a particular copy of a mob will always have the same number of max
hit points, but different copies of the same mob may have different numbers
of max hit points.
Note that all three numbers, the 'd' and the '+' must always appear,
even if some of the numbers are 0. For example, if you want every copy of
a mob to always have exactly 100 hit points, write "0d0+100".
Bare Hand Damage (BHD)
The amount of damage the mob can do per round when not armed with a
weapon. Also specified as "xdy+z" and subject to the same formatting rules
as Max Hit Points. However, unlike Max Hit Points, the dice are rolled once
per round of violence; the BHD of a mob will vary from round to round,
within the limits you set.
For BHD, xdy specifies the dice rolls and z is the strength bonus added
both to BHD and weapon-inflicted damage. For example, a monster with a BHD
of 1d4+10 will do between 11 and 14 hitpoints each round without a weapon.
If the monster picks up and wields a tiny stick which gives 1d2 damage, then
the monster will do 1d2 + 10 points of damage per round with the stick.
Gold
The number of gold coins the mobile is born with.
Experience
The number of experience points the mobile is born with.
Load Position
The position the mobile is in when born, which should be one of the
following numbers:
0 POSITION_DEAD Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
1 POSITION_MORTALLYW Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
2 POSITION_INCAP Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
3 POSITION_STUNNED Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
4 POSITION_SLEEPING The monster is sleeping.
5 POSITION_RESTING The monster is resting.
6 POSITION_SITTING The monster is sitting.
7 POSITION_FIGHTING Reserved for internal use. Do not set.
8 POSITION_STANDING The monster is standing.
Default Position
The position monsters will return to after a fight; which should be one
of the same numbers as given above for Load Position. In addition, the
Default Position defines when the mob's long description is displayed (see
"Long Description" above).
Sex
One of the following:
0 Neutral (it/its)
1 Male (he/his)
2 Female (she/her)
4.3. Type S Mobile Example
#3062
fido dog~
the beastly fido~
A beastly fido is mucking through the garbage looking for food here.
~
The fido is a small dog that has a foul smell and pieces of rotted meat
hanging around his teeth.
~
afghq p -200 S
0 20 10 1d6+4 1d4+0
0 25
8 8 1
This is mobile vnum 3062. The Fido has a special procedure (a), is
aggressive (f), stays in its own zone (g), is wimpy (h), and cannot be
bashed (q). Also, the Fido cannot be tracked (affection bit p), and has an
alignment of -200.
After the S flag we see that the Fido is level 0, has a THAC0 of 20, an
Armor Class of 10, 1d6+4 hit points (a random value from 5 to 10), and will
do 1d4 hit points of bare hand damage per round. The Fido has 0 gold and 25
experience points, has a load position and default position of STANDING, and
is male.
4.4. Type E Mobiles
Type 'E' mobiles are specific to Circle 3.0 and are designed to provide
an easy way for MUD implementors to extend the mobile format to fit their
own needs. A type E mobile is an extension of type S mobiles; a type E
mobile is a type S mobile with extra data at the end. After the last line
normally found in type S mobs (the one ending with the mob's sex), type E
mobiles end with a section called the Enhanced section. This section
consists of zero or more enhanced mobile specifications (or "E-specs"), one
per line. Each E-spec consists of a keyword followed by a colon (":") and
a value. The valid keywords are listed below. An 'E' must then come after
all E-specs to signal the end of the mob.
The formal format of an E mobile is as follows:
<level> <thac0> <armor class> <max hit points> <bare hand damage>
<gold> <experience points>
<load position> <default position> <sex>
{E-spec list}
E
4.5. Type E Mobile Example
Let's say that you wanted to create an enhanced Fido like the one in the
previous example, but one that has a bare-hand attack type of 4 so that the
Fido bites you instead of hitting you. Let's say you also wanted to give
this Fido the a strength of 18. You might write:
#3062
fido dog~
the beastly fido~
A beastly fido is mucking through the garbage looking for food here.
~
The fido is a small dog that has a foul smell and pieces of rotted meat
hanging around his teeth.
~
afghq p -200 E
0 20 10 1d6+4 1d4+0
0 25
8 8 1
BareHandAttack: 4
Str: 18
E
In the above example, the two E-specs used were BareHandAttack and Str. Any
number of the E-specs can be used in an Enhanced section and they may appear
in any order. The format is simple: the E-spec keyword, followed by a
colon, followed by a value. Note that unlike type S mobiles, type E mobiles
require a terminator at the end of the record (the letter 'E').
4.6. E-Spec Keywords Valid in CircleMUD 3.00
The only keywords supported under Circle 3.00 are BareHandAttack, Str,
StrAdd, Int, Wis, Dex, Con, and Cha. However, the E-Specs have been
designed such that new ones are quite easy to add; check with your local
implementor to see if your particular MUD has added any additional E-Specs.
Circle 3.10's Enhanced section will have considerably more features
available such as the ability to individually set mobs' skill proficiencies.
BareHandAttack
This controls the description of violence given during battles, in
messages such as "The Beastly fido bites you very hard." BareHandAttack
should be one of the following numbers:
0 hit/hits
1 sting/stings
2 whip/whips
3 slash/slashes
4 bite/bites
5 bludgeon/bludgeons
6 crush/crushes
7 pound/pounds
8 claw/claws
9 maul/mauls
10 thrash/thrashes
11 pierce/pierces
12 blast/blasts
13 punch/punches
14 stab/stabs
Messages given when attackers miss or kill their victims are taken
from the file lib/misc/messages. The attack type number for weapons is 300
plus the number listed in the table above; i.e. to modify the message give
for "maul", you would add attack type number 309 in lib/misc/messages.
Str
StrAdd
Int
Wis
Dex
Con
Cha
The mobile's Strength, Strength Add, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity,
Constitution and Charisma, respectively.
5. Object Files
5.1. The Format of an Object
#<virtual number>
<alias list>~
<short description>~
<long description>~
<action description>~
<type flag> <extra (effects) bitvector> <wear bitvector>
<value 0> <value 1> <value 2> <value 3>
<weight> <cost> <rent per day>
{Zero or more Extra Descriptions and/or Affect Fields}
There can be an unlimited number of Extra Descriptions and up to 6 Affect
Fields.
Virtual Number
This number is critical; it is the identity of the object within the
game. It is the number that will be used to reference the object from zone
files and is the number used to 'load' objects from within the game. The
virtual numbers must appear in increasing order in the obj file.
Alias List
The list of keywords, separated by spaces, that can be used by players
to identify the object. The object can only be identified using the
keywords that appear in its alias list; it cannot be identified by a word
that appears only in its name. Great care should be taken to ensure that
the spellings of names and aliases match. Fill words such as "the", "a",
and "an" should not appear in the Alias List.
Short Description
The description of the object used by the MUD when the object is used.
For example, a short description of "a long, green stick" would result in
messages such as "The Beastly Fido picks up the long, green stick." The
Short Description should never end with a punctuation mark because it will
be inserted into the middle of sentences.
Long Description
The description displayed when the object is seen lying on the ground,
i.e., "A furled umbrella is lying here." Unlike the Short Description, the
Long Description should end with appropriate punctuation.
Action Description
Action Descriptions are primarily used for magical objects (staves,
wands, scrolls, and potions) to specify what message displayed to the room
when the magical item is used. The Action Description should be given in
the act format specified in act.doc. If no Action Description is present,
a default message will be used:
Staves: Rasmussen taps <object> three times on the ground.
Wands: Rasmussen points <object> at Onivel.
Scrolls: Rasmussen recites <object>.
Potions: Rasmussen quaffs <object>.
For objects which are readable papers, the Action Description contains
the text on the paper.
Type Flag
A number which specifies what type of object is being defined; also
controls the meanings of value0 through value4. The Type Flag must be one
of the following numbers:
1 LIGHT Item is a light source.
2 SCROLL Item is a magical scroll.
3 WAND Item is a magical wand.
4 STAFF Item is a magical staff.
5 WEAPON Item is a weapon.
6 FIREWEAPON Currently not implemented. Do not use.
7 MISSILE Currently not implemented. Do not use.
8 TREASURE Item is treasure other than gold coins (i.e. gems)
9 ARMOR Item is armor.
10 POTION Item is a magical potion.
11 WORN Currently not implemented. Do not use.
12 OTHER Miscellaneous object with no special properties.
13 TRASH Trash -- junked by cleaners, not bought by shopkeepers.
14 TRAP Currently not implemented. Do not use.
15 CONTAINER Item is a container.
16 NOTE Item is a note (can be written on).
17 DRINKCON Item is a drink container.
18 KEY Item is a key.
19 FOOD Item is food.
20 MONEY Item is money (gold coins).
21 PEN Item is a pen.
22 BOAT Item is a boat; allows you to traverse SECT_WATER_NOSWIM
23 FOUNTAIN Item is a fountain.
Extra (Effects) Bitvector
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above), to define the "special
effects" of the object. Flags that are marked as "cosmetic" merely add an
interesting message to the object when it is examined, but has no
substantive effect otherwise. The flags have the following values:
1 a GLOW Item is glowing (cosmetic).
2 b HUM Item is humming (cosmetic).
4 c NORENT Item cannot be rented.
8 d NODONATE Item cannot be donated.
16 e NOINVIS Item cannot be made invisible.
32 f INVISIBLE Item is invisible.
64 g MAGIC Item has a magical aura and cannot be enchanted.
128 h NODROP Item is cursed and cannot be dropped.
256 i BLESS Item is blessed (cosmetic).
512 j ANTI_GOOD Item cannot be used by good-aligned characters.
1024 k ANTI_EVIL Item cannot be used by evil-aligned characters.
2048 l ANTI_NEUTRAL Item cannot be used by neutral align characters.
4096 m ANTI_MAGIC_USER Item cannot be used by the Mage class.
8192 n ANTI_CLERIC Item cannot be used by the Cleric class.
16384 o ANTI_THIEF Item cannot be used by the Thief class.
32768 p ANTI_WARRIOR Item cannot be used by the Warrior class.
65536 q NOSELL Shopkeepers will not buy or sell the item.
Wear Bitvector
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) with the following values:
1 a WEAR_TAKE Item can be taken (picked up off the ground).
2 b WEAR_FINGER Item can be worn on the fingers.
4 c WEAR_NECK Item can be worn around the neck.
8 d WEAR_BODY Item can be worn on the body.
16 e WEAR_HEAD Item can be worn on the head.
32 f WEAR_LEGS Item can be worn on the legs.
64 g WEAR_FEET Item can be worn on the feet.
128 h WEAR_HANDS Item can be worn on the hands.
256 i WEAR_ARMS Item can be worn on the arms.
512 j WEAR_SHIELD Item can be used as a shield.
1024 k WEAR_ABOUT Item can be worn about the body.
2048 l WEAR_WAIST Item can be worn around the waist.
4096 m WEAR_WRIST Item can be worn around the wrist.
8192 n WEAR_WIELD Item can be wielded; e.g. weapons.
16384 o WEAR_HOLD Item can be held (the "hold" command).
Note that the TAKE bit controls whether or not an item can be picked up
using the 'get' command, whereas the HOLD bit controls if the object can be
worn using the 'hold' command.
Value 0, Value 1, Value 2, Value 3
These values are very central. They define the object's abilities
based on the Type Flag. See the subsection "Object Value Definitions" below
for a detailed description of the four Value fields.
Weight
The weight of the object. The weight controls how many strength points
a character must have to take the object, and is used to calculate when bags
and other containers become full.
Cost
The value of the object in gold coins; used by shopkeepers.
Rent Per Day
The cost per day to rent the object in the Reception.
5.2. Object Value Definitions
The meaning of an object's four values (value 0 through value 3) vary
depending on the Type Flag of the object.
In the table below, 'unused' means that the server ignores the value;
it can be set to any number (but 0 is always a safe bet). 'unimplemented'
indicates a Type Flag currently not recognized by the server.
An index of spell numbers for use with magical objects can be found in
Appendix A.
LIGHT (Type Flag 1)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: Capacity of light in hours.
0: Burned out light.
-1: Eternal light source.
value 3: unused
SCROLL (Type Flag 2)
value 0: Level at which scroll's spells are cast.
value 1: Spell number 1
value 2: Spell number 2
value 3: Spell number 3
If less than 3 spells are desired, set unused values to -1.
WAND (Type Flag 3)
value 0: Level at which wand's spell is cast.
value 1: Charge capacity of wand (>= 1)
value 2: Current number of charges remaining
value 3: Spell number
STAFF (Type Flag 4)
value 0: Level at which staff's spell is cast.
value 1: Charge capacity of staff (>= 1)
value 2: Current number of charges remaining
value 3: Spell number
WEAPON (Type Flag 5)
value 0: unused
value 1: Number of damage dice
value 2: Size of damage dice
value 3: Weapon type for damage messages, one of:
0 hit/hits
1 sting/stings
2 whip/whips
3 slash/slashes
4 bite/bites
5 bludgeon/bludgeons
6 crush/crushes
7 pound/pounds
8 claw/claws
9 maul/mauls
10 thrash/thrashes
11 pierce/pierces
12 blast/blasts
13 punch/punches
14 stab/stabs
FIREWEAPON (Type Flag 6)
unimplemented
MISSILE (Type Flag 7)
unimplemented
TREASURE (Type Flag 8)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
ARMOR (Type Flag 9)
value 0: AC-apply of the armor. Note that the effective change to AC
is this value times a multiplier based on where the armor is
worn. Values >0 enhance the armor class; values <0 damage
the armor class (cursed armor, for example).
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
POTION (Type Flag 10)
value 0: Level at which the potion's spells are cast.
value 1: Spell number 1
value 2: Spell number 2
value 3: Spell number 3
If less than 3 spells are desired, set unused values to -1.
WORN (Type Flag 11)
unimplemented
OTHER (Type Flag 12)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
TRASH (Type Flag 13)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
TRAP (Type Flag 14)
unimplemented
CONTAINER (Type Flag 15)
value 0: Capacity (max containable weight) of container
value 1: Container flag bitvector (MUST be a numeric bitvector)
1 CLOSEABLE Container can be closed and locked.
2 PICKPROOF Lock on container cannot be picked.
4 CLOSED Container is closed when created.
8 LOCKED Container is locked when created.
value 2: The vnum of the key object that opens this container.
-1 if it has no key.
value 3: Reserved for internal use -- always set as 0.
NOTE (Type Flag 16)
value 0: Language of writing (unimplemented).
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
DRINKCON (Type Flag 17)
See Appendix B.
KEY (Type Flag 18)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
FOOD (Type Flag 19)
value 0: The number of hours of hunger satisfied by this food.
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: Non-zero if the food is poisoned, 0 otherwise.
MONEY (Type Flag 20)
value 0: The number of gold coins in the pile.
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
PEN (Type Flag 21)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
BOAT (Type Flag 22)
value 0: unused
value 1: unused
value 2: unused
value 3: unused
FOUNTAIN (Type Flag 23)
See Appendix B.
5.3. Object Extra Descriptions
Object Extra Descriptions allow players to examine certain aspects of
objects defined by the world builder, just like Room Extra Descriptions.
There can be an unlimited number of Extra Descriptions per object. The
format is exactly the same as for rooms:
E
<keyword list>~
<description text>
~
Keyword List
A space-separated list of keywords which will access the description in
this E section.
Description Text
The text that will be displayed when a player types "look <keyword>",
where <keyword> is one of the keywords specified in the Keyword List of this
E section.
5.4. Object Affect Fields
Object Affect Fields give objects magical properties. They affect
characters when the object is worn, not when picked up.
The format of an Object Affect Field is:
A
<location> <value>
Location
The aspect of the character affected by the object. It must be one of
the following numbers:
0 NONE No effect.
1 STR Apply to strength.
2 DEX Apply to dexterity.
3 INT Apply to intelligence.
4 WIS Apply to wisdom.
5 CON Apply to constitution.
6 CHA Apply to charisma.
7 CLASS Unimplemented. Do not use.
8 LEVEL Unimplemented. Do not use.
9 AGE Apply to character's MUD age, in MUD-years.
10 CHAR_WEIGHT Apply to weight.
11 CHAR_HEIGHT Apply to height.
12 MANA Apply to MAX mana points.
13 HIT Apply to MAX hit points.
14 MOVE Apply to MAX movement points.
15 GOLD Unimplemented. Do not use.
16 EXP Unimplemented. Do not use.
17 AC Apply to armor class (AC).
18 HITROLL Apply to hitroll.
19 DAMROLL Apply to damage roll bonus.
20 SAVING_PARA Apply to save throw: paralyze
21 SAVING_ROD Apply to save throw: rods
22 SAVING_PETRI Apply to save throw: petrif
23 SAVING_BREATH Apply to save throw: breath
24 SAVING_SPELL Apply to save throw: spells
Value
The number used to modify the Location.
5.5. Object File Example
#901
shield minotaur~
a dark minotaur shield~
A dark minotaur shield has been left here.~
~
9 dgh 513
12 0 0 0
15 5000 1350
E
shield minotaur~
A strong, sturdy shield. It brings to mind legends of a shield that
provided protection from poisonous gases.
~
A
23 -4
This object is virtual number 901, is a Type 9 object (armor), cannot be
donated, has a magical aura, and cannot be dropped. It can be picked up and
worn as a shield. It has an AC-apply of 12, weighs 15 pounds, is valued at
5000 coins and costs 1350 coins per day to rent. Its single Affect field
indicates that this object affects spell saving throws by -4.
6. Zone Files
Zone files are the files that control how areas are configured and how
they reset. They integrate the mobiles, objects, and rooms to create an
inhabited world.
A zone file contains certain initial information (specified below),
followed by a series of reset commands. Each time a zone is reset, the
server executes all the commands in order from beginning to end. All zones
are reset when the server first boots, and periodically reset again while
the game is running.
6.1. The Format of a Zone File
#<virtual number>
<zone name>~
<top room number> <lifespan> <reset mode>
{zero or more zone commands}
S
Lines starting with '*' are considered comments and ignored. Zone commands
themselves may also be followed by a comment delimited by a single '*'. The
zone's commands must then be terminated by the literal letter 'S'.
Virtual Number
An arbitrary number used to identify the zone. Zone numbers are
traditionally the room numbers of the zone divided by 100; i.e., Midgaard,
which consists of rooms 3000 through 3099, is zone 30.
Zone Name
A label given to the zone so that it can be identified in system logs.
Top Room Number
The highest numbered room belonging to this zone. A room with virtual
number V belongs to zone N if:
zone[N-1].top < V <= zone[N].top
for all N > 0. Rooms belong to zone 0 if their number is between 0 and the
top of zone 0.
Lifespan
The number of real-time minutes between zone resets for this zone.
When the age of the zone (measured in minutes since the last time that zone
has been reset) reaches the zone's lifespan, the zone is queued for reset.
The zone is then reset when it reaches the front of the queue, and the
conditions of the Reset Mode (see below) are satisfied.
Reset Mode
Can take one of three values:
0 Never reset the zone. In this case, the age of the zone is never
updated, and it will never be queued for reset. Thus, the value
of the Lifespan is effectively ignored.
1 Reset the zone as soon as it is deserted, i.e. as soon as there
are no players located within the zone.
2 Reset the zone regardless of who or what is in it.
6.2. Zone Commands
Each command consists of a letter, identifying the command-type,
followed by three or four arguments. The first argument, common to all the
commands, is called the 'if-flag'. If the if-flag for a command is 1, that
command is only executed if the command immediately before it was executed
as well. If the if-flag is 0, the command is always executed. If-flags are
useful for things like equipping mobiles -- you don't want to try to equip
a mobile that has not been loaded.
Commands that load mobiles and objects also include a 'max existing'
argument. This specifies the maximum number of copies of the mobile or
object that are allowed to exist in the entire world at once. If the number
currently existing is greater than or equal to the 'max existing' limit, the
command is not executed.
The valid zone-reset commands are M, O, G, E, P, D, and R.
M: load a mobile
Format: M <if-flag> <mob vnum> <max existing> <room vnum>
Mob vnum is the vnum of the mob to be loaded. Room vnum is the vnum of
the room in which the mob should be placed. The mob will be loaded
into the room.
O: load an object
Format: O <if-flag> <obj vnum> <max existing> <room vnum>
Obj vnum is the vnum of the obj to be loaded. Room vnum is the vnum of
the room in which the obj should be placed. The object will be loaded
and left lying on the ground.
G: give object to mobile
Format: G <if-flag> <obj vnum> <max existing>
Obj vnum is the vnum of the obj to be given. The object will be loaded
and placed in the inventory of the last mobile loaded with an 'M'
command.
This command will usually be used with an if-flag of 1, since
attempting to give an object to a non-existing mobile will result in an
error.
E: equip mobile with object
Format: E <if-flag> <obj vnum> <max existing> <equipment position>
Obj vnum is the vnum of the obj to be equipped. The object will be
loaded and added to the equipment list of the last mobile loaded with
an 'M' command. Equipment Position should be one of the following:
0 Used as light
1 Worn on right finger
2 Worn on left finger
3 First object worn around neck
4 Second object worn around neck
5 Worn on body
6 Worn on head
7 Worn on legs
8 Worn on feet
9 Worn on hands
10 Worn on arms
11 Worn as shield
12 Worn about body
13 Worn around waist
14 Worn around right wrist
15 Worn around left wrist
16 Wielded as a weapon
17 Held
This command will usually be used with an if-flag of 1, since
attempting to give an object to a non-existing mobile will result in an
error.
P: put object in object
Format: P <if-flag> <obj vnum 1> <max existing> <obj vnum 2>
An object with Obj Vnum 1 will be loaded, and placed inside of the copy
of Obj Vnum 2 most recently loaded.
This command will usually be used with an if-flag of 1, since
attempting to put an object inside of a non-existing object will result
in an error.
D: set the state of a door
Format: D <if-flag> <room vnum> <exit num> <state>
Room vnum is the virtual number of the room with the door to be set.
Exit num being one of:
0 North
1 East
2 South
3 West
4 Up
5 Down
State being one of:
0 Open
1 Closed
2 Closed and locked
Care should be taken to set both sides of a door correctly. Closing
the north exit of one room does not automatically close the south exit
of the room on the other side of the door.
R: remove object from room
Format: R <if-flag> <room vnum> <obj vnum>
If an object with vnum Obj Vnum exists in the room with vnum Room Vnum,
it will be removed from the room and purged.
6.3. Zone File Example
A sample zone file annotated with comments follows.
#30 * This is zone number 30
Northern Midgaard Main City~ * The name of the zone
3099 15 2 * Top of zone is room #3099; it resets every
* * 15 minutes; resets regardless of people
*
* Mobile
M 0 3010 1 3062 * Load the Postmaster to room 3062
* Shopkeepers
M 0 3003 1 3011 Load the Weaponsmith into room 3011
* Now, give the weaponsmith items (to be placed in his inventory)
* max 100 of each of these objects can exist at a time in the world
G 1 3020 100 Dagger
G 1 3021 100 Small Sword
G 1 3022 100 Long Sword
G 1 3023 100 Wooden Club
G 1 3024 100 Warhammer
G 1 3025 100 Flail
* and lastly, give him a long sword to wield
E 1 3022 100 16 Long Sword
* Load Boards
O 0 3099 2 3000 Mortal Bulletin Board in room 3000
O 1 3096 5 3003 Social Bulletin Board in room 3003
O 1 3096 5 3018 Social Bulletin Board in room 3018
O 1 3096 5 3022 Social Bulletin Board in room 3022
O 1 3096 5 3028 Social Bulletin Board in room 3028
* 'S' must appear after all commands for a particular zone
S
7. Shop Files
CircleMUD v3.0 now has a new shop file format. Since the old format is
still supported, both formats will be documented. If you'd like to convert
shop files in the old format to that of the new format, compile and run the
utility shopconv. When writing new files, you need to tell CircleMUD that
the shopfile is in the new format by including the following line BEFORE any
shops in the file:
CircleMUD v3.0 Shop File~
7.1. CircleMUD v3.0 Shop Format
#<num>~
Shop Number (Used only for display purposes)
<num 1>
<num 2>
<num 3>
.
.
.
<num n>
-1
An arbitrarily long list of the virtual numbers of objects that the
shop produces (i.e., items which will always be available). The list must
be terminated with -1.
<Profit when selling>
The object value is multiplied by this value when sold. This is a
floating point value. Must be >= 1.0
<Profit when buying>
The object value is multiplied by this value when bought. This is a
floating point value. Must be <= 1.0
<type 1> [namelist 1]
<type 2> [namelist 2]
<type 3> [namelist 3]
.
.
.
<type n> [namelist n]
-1
These lines contain the types of items that the shop will buy. The
first argument, called "type" is the Type Flag of items the shop will buy
(see "Type Flag" under "Format of an Object" in this document). Numerical
or English forms are valid (5 or WEAPON, 9 or ARMOR, etc.). In addition,
you can provide optional keywords to define specific keywords that must be
present on the item for the shopkeeper to trade it. For further details on
these expressions, see the section "Item Name Lists" below. This list must
be terminated by a -1.
<Message When Item to buy is non existing>~
<Message When item trying to sell is non existing>~
<Message When shop does not buy offered item>~
<Message when shop can't afford item>~
<Message when player can't afford item>~
<Message when successfully buying an item>~
Price is represented by %d.
<Message when selling an item>~
Price is represented by %d.
<Temper>
When player can't afford an item, the shopkeeper tells them they can't
afford the item and then:
0 - The shopkeeper pukes on the player.
1 - The shopkeeper smokes his joint.
other - No action besides message above.
<Shop Bitvector>
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) with the following values:
1 a WILL_START_FIGHT Players can to try to kill this shopkeeper.
2 b WILL_BANK_MONEY Shopkeeper will put money over 15000 coins
in the bank.
A brief note: Shopkeepers should be hard (if even possible) to kill.
The benefits players can receive from killing them is enough to unbalance
most non monty-haul campaigns.
<Shop Keeper Mobile Number>
Virtual number of the shopkeeper mobile.
<With Who Bitvector>
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) used to designate certain
alignments or classes that the shop will not trade with, with the following
values:
1 a NOGOOD Keeper won't trade with positively-aligned players.
2 b NOEVIL Keeper won't trade with evilly-aligned players.
4 c NONEUTRAL Keeper won't trade with neutrally-aligned players.
8 d NOMAGIC_USER Keeper won't trade with the Mage class.
16 e NOCLERIC Keeper won't trade with the Cleric class.
32 f NOTHIEF Keeper won't trade with the Thief class.
64 g NOWARRIOR Keeper won't trade with the Warrior class.
<Shop Room 1>
<Shop Room 2>
<Shop Room 3>
.
.
.
<Shop Room n>
-1
The virtual numbers the mobile must be in for the shop to be effective.
(So trans'ed shopkeepers can't sell in the desert). The list must be
terminated by a -1.
<Time when open start 1>
<Time when open end 1>
The hours between which the shop is open.
<Time when open start 2>
<Time when open end 2>
The hours between which the shop is open.
7.2. Item Name Lists for 3.0 Shops
Name lists are formed by boolean expressions. The following operators are
available:
',^ = Not *, & = And +, | = Or
The precedence is Parenthesis, Not, And, Or. For example, look at the
following line:
WEAPON [sword & long|short | warhammer | ^golden & bow] & magic
This shop will buy the following items of type WEAPON:
1) sword long magic
2) short magic (the first & is done before the first | )
3) warhammer magic
4) ^golden bow magic
Note that the ^ in front of golden affects ONLY golden, and nothing
else in the listing. Basically, the above expression could be written in
English as:
[(sword and long) or short or warhammer or (not golden and bow)] and magic
If you want the shop to only buy "short magic" only if they were also
swords, you could change the expression to:
WEAPON [sword & (long|short) | warhammer | ^golden & bow] & magic
^-Changes--^
You can also include object extra flags (listed in the section "Format
of an Object" above). The previous example used "magic" as a keyword that
had to be on the object. If we wanted to make it so that the MAGIC flag had
to be set on the item, we would change "magic" to "MAGIC." Similar changes
could be made to add other flags such as "HUM" or "GLOW." It should be
noted that these expressions are case sensitive and that all keywords should
appear in lower-case, while the flag names should be in all caps.
7.3. The DikuMUD Gamma and CircleMUD 2.20 Shop Format
This format is obsolete but is presented because it is still supported
by CircleMUD 3.0. The 'shopconv' utility shipped with Circle will convert
shop files of this type to v3.0 shop files described above.
#<num>~
Shop Number (Used only for display purposes)
<num1>
<num2>
<num3>
<num4>
<num5>
Virtual numbers of the objects that the shop produces. -1's should be
inserted in unused slots.
<Profit when selling>
The object value is multiplied by this value when sold. This is a
floating point value. Must be >= 1.0
<Profit when buying>
The object value is multiplied by this value when bought. This is a
floating point value. Must be <= 1.0
<num1>
<num2>
<num3>
<num4>
<num5>
These five numbers are the item-types traded with by the shop (i.e.
valid Type Flags of objects that the shopkeeper will buy).
<Message When Item to buy is non existing>~
<Message When item trying to sell is non existing>~
<Message When wrong item-type sold>~
<Message when shop can't afford item>~
<Message when player can't afford item>~
<Message when buying an item>~
Price is represented by %d.
<Message when selling an item>~
Price is represented by %d.
<Temper>
When player can't afford an item, the shopkeeper tells them they can't
afford the item and then:
0 - The shopkeeper pukes on the player.
1 - The shopkeeper smokes his joint.
other - No action besides message above.
<Shop Bitvector>
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) with the following values:
1 a WILL_START_FIGHT Players can to try to kill this shopkeeper.
2 b WILL_BANK_MONEY Shopkeeper will put money over 15000 coins
in the bank.
A brief note: Shopkeepers should be hard (if even possible) to kill.
The benefits players can receive from killing them is enough to unbalance
most non monty-haul campaigns.
<Shop Keeper Mobile Number>
Virtual number of the shopkeeper mobile.
<With Who Bitvector>
A bitvector (see "Using Bitvectors" above) used to designate certain
alignments or classes that the shop will not trade with, with the following
values:
1 a NOGOOD Keeper won't trade with positively-aligned players.
2 b NOEVIL Keeper won't trade with evilly-aligned players.
4 c NONEUTRAL Keeper won't trade with neutrally-aligned players.
8 d NOMAGIC_USER Keeper won't trade with the Mage class.
16 e NOCLERIC Keeper won't trade with the Cleric class.
32 f NOTHIEF Keeper won't trade with the Thief class.
64 g NOWARRIOR Keeper won't trade with the Warrior class.
<Shop Room Number>
The virtual number the mobile must be in for the shop to be effective.
(So trans'ed shopkeepers can't sell in the desert).
<Time when open start 1>
<Time when open end 1>
The hours between which the shop is open.
<Time when open start 2>
<Time when open end 2>
The hours between which the shop is open.
Appendix A: Spell Numbers
animate dead 45
armor 1
bless 3
blindness 4
burning hands 5
call lightning 6
charm 7
chill touch 8
clone 9
color spray 10
control weather 11
create food 12
create water 13
cure blind 14
cure critic 15
cure light 16
curse 17
detect align 18
detect invis 19
detect magic 20
detect poison 21
dispel evil 22
dispel good 46
earthquake 23
enchant weapon 24
energy drain 25
fireball 26
group armor 47
group heal 48
group recall 49
harm 27
heal 28
identify 201
infravision 50
invisible 29
lightning bolt 30
locate object 31
magic missile 32
poison 33
prot from evil 34
remove curse 35
remove poison 43
sanctuary 36
sense life 44
shocking grasp 37
sleep 38
strength 39
summon 40
teleport 2
ventriloquate 41
waterwalk 51
word of recall 42
Appendix B: Item Values for Drink Containers
DRINKCON (Type Flag 17)
FOUNTAIN (Type Flag 23)
value 0: Capacity of container
value 1: Current quantity in container
value 2: see below
value 3: Non-zero if the drink poisoned, 0 otherwise.
value 2: The type of liquid in the drink-container, one of:
Type nr. Effect of Liquid On:
Drunkness Fullness Thirst
LIQ_WATER 0 0 1 10
LIQ_BEER 1 3 2 5
LIQ_WINE 2 5 2 5
LIQ_ALE 3 2 2 5
LIQ_DARKALE 4 1 2 5
LIQ_WHISKY 5 6 1 4
LIQ_LEMONADE 6 0 1 8
LIQ_FIREBRT 7 10 0 0
LIQ_LOCALSPC 8 3 3 3
LIQ_SLIME 9 0 4 -8
LIQ_MILK 10 0 3 6
LIQ_TEA 11 0 1 6
LIQ_COFFE 12 0 1 6
LIQ_BLOOD 13 0 2 -1
LIQ_SALTWATER 14 0 1 -2
LIQ_CLEARWATER 15 0 0 13
The above values for drunkness/fullness/thirst are in the units of one
hour of effect per four units of liquid drunk. For example, imagine that
Dragon drinks an entire bottle (say 7 units) of saltwater. According to the
table above, saltwater has a drunkness value of 0, fullness value of 1 and
thirst value of -2. Therefore:
His Drunkness is not changed ((7/4)*0)
His Fullness increases by ((7/4)*1) hours
His Thirst increases by ((7/4)*-2) hours, thus making him more thirsty.
A player's drunkness, fullness, and thirst can range from 0 to 24. 24
is the maximum; 0 means the person is completely sober, hungry, or thirsty
respectively. For immortals, these values are typically -1.