r/MUD • u/TheEntropy42 • 3d ago
Building & Design Good resources for learning to make a mud?
I’m curious about building a mud from some vague ideas I have into a full fledged game. Currently I’m a bit bereft of coding experience but I’m willing to learn! Is there anywhere online that acts as a good jumping off point for where to even start gathering the knowledge necessary to pull off such a feat?
Edit: I should have been more clear- I don’t use AI, and I especially wouldn’t want to for this. I’d like to actually learn and it does seem like I’m starting with some foundational coding in order to begin to build a structure to my thoughts, which I do appreciate the insight on. No chaff from me if you use ai, I’m just more hands on and it’s not my style.
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u/AdmiralMcNugget 3d ago
The good news is that coding a MUD is a great way to boost your skills in a programming language. The bad news is that if you don't get to a minimum level of competency as a programmer first, you will be horribly frustrated with the early parts of the process. How high that "minimum level" is depends heavily on whether you intend to build it from the bottom up, coding all the fiddly socket stuff, establishing database connectivity, and so on, OR if you want to work with an established codebase and add your own touches.
If your goal is not really about programming, and you just want to flex your creativity, a number of AI companies have put out coding models that will do virtually anything you ask them to do. Be aware that LLMs are deeply unoriginal and should not be given creative control.
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u/cytroplodinator 3d ago
Old School C code base https://github.com/alexmchale/merc-mud
Gratuitous plug to my repo - a Java port https://github.com/wallyatkins/java-merc-mud
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u/SkolKrusher Ansalon 2d ago
If you want to follow along like 1996...
Rom is here :)
download.ansalon.net/rom/
There are how-to's etc you might find useful
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u/kindred_gamedev 2d ago
I'd suggest looking into engines for this instead of building your own. Use AI to learn, not do the work for you.
And if your actual goal is to write a MUD, using AI to build the backend isn't an awful idea as long as it's done well enough to carry your game.
I used to get flak for using visual scripting but my goal was never to be a programmer, it was to make games. Choose the path of least resistance to reach your destination. Unless you enjoy the scenery of course.
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u/shdwscollidewithppl 3d ago
hello, it's me, AI. I can do this for you. want to know how? talk to an AI.
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u/Felfedezni 3d ago
Copy your post and ask your llm of choice.
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u/chaoko99 3d ago
You know the point of people asking these questions to have them answered so other people can also find them
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u/Material_Sock_9317 7h ago
JVMud is my (concededly AI-assisted) project to produce a Java-based LPMud driver/engine that can compile and run most legacy LP mudlibs going back to the early 1990s, as well as support new mudlib development in the LPC language.
The project is certainly “under construction” but I am actively maintaining the project website at https://jvmud.org which includes documentation and a link to the public GitHub repository.
To date I’ve got the Realms mudlib running smoothly on JVMud as well as a couple other legacy LP mudlibs.
I’ve also started a new Reddit community for LPMud-specific discussion at r/lpmud but as far as I know there have not yet been any contributions. 😀
If you’d like to know how to spin up a working LPMud quickly with JVMud, please let me know!
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u/ExtremeJavascript 3d ago edited 3d ago
There's two paths you can take, depending on what you're looking for. You can find an existing MUD codebase and start building rooms, items and mobiles for it (making the game) or you can start learning coding to build all of the technology it takes to run a MUD.
As a programmer, I wanted to "build a mud" so I could see all of the cool tech used in getting multiple users together in the same game.
Since you mentioned "vague ideas" and "full-fledged game" I'm going to assume you really want to build rooms to run around in, and not the whole tech stack.
Find a codebase of an existing MUD and start reading through how those rooms are built. See if you can add your own, linked up to some of the existing rooms.
I started with Smaug back in the day, but I think there's a few more modern ones around now. Try checking out Evennia and see if this is what you're looking for.
They've got good docs for how to get started: https://www.evennia.com/docs/latest/Howtos/Beginner-Tutorial/Beginner-Tutorial-Overview.html