NOTE: While any newbies reading the list now will benefit from this post, it may also be a good idea to add this the the Circle FAQ. The old adage "watch and learn" goes well with MUD coding, and C coding in general. When you get on the list, don't post anything. I was on the list for several weeks before I posted anything code-related. Just pay close attention to every message. Read them all (icky, I know, but it is useful). You'll find out a *lot* about mud coding, and possibly get some ideas. Pay special attention whenever anyone posts code. This is a good learning opportunity. Don't know what a function is (and you're bankrupt from signing up with Mudtech so you can't buy a book)? Just read the list, and when an imp posts his function and says "I can't figure out what's going on with this _function_", you can look at it and see what it is yourself. Read the CircleMUD code itself and get familiar with how it works, even if you don't code (it will help you appreciate the gruesome tasks of implementors). Three months ago, I knew nothing about C coding. I was (shudder) an end-user who was ignorant of everything about software that had importance. I played a mud, and I realized that I wanted to build my own (I hated theirs, their builders couldn't spell at all). So I talked to two of my friends, who came to share the vision. They wanted to build, so I shrugged and went off to learn C. I got a copy of MSVC++ 1.52 cheap, and got GCC to use under Linux. I stole my friend's book _Learn C for the Macintosh_, and studied it awhile...learned what a function was and whatnot. I don't even own a mac, but it was still helpful. I subscribed to the CircleMUD mailing list, and learned a whole lot more about coding for muds. Now, I can program at a fairly good level (I'm not modifying Linux kernel source yet, but mud coding has become easy), and my mud is progressing quite well. In the words of Billy H. Chan: EVERYONE STARTS FROM THE BOTTOM. YOU GET TO THE TOP BY HARD WORK, NOT BY KISSING ASS. So don't post messages asking for code, and don't complain when someone else's code (prime offenders: Oasis OLC, Strom's Multiclass Code, MOBPROGS) doesn't work. Coding is like building things...don't go running to another construction site and take their cement, it might be the wrong kind. -- Jeeves, Everyone's Friend Also the Creator/IMP/Builder of CalaisMUD
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