OFFLINE BUILDER PROGRAMS: Could we do it?

[Tocharaeh]

So I have a bit of a question concerning area building in 4D. Currently we have players bound to an internet connection in order to actually produce a zone. But sometimes if you have a laptop that you take everywhere, you wanna build.

There are a whole ton of area building programs across the net that some of the big muds use. I was wondering if we could make our system compatible with such programs that are available for free download.

here is a link to a screenshot of one such program: http://avae.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html

Once has a WAY better program available that they use for his MUD, and I know he could easily adapt it for 4D purposes. I think that if we made building a bit easier on the builder we may see a jump in productivity. The programs make everything much simpler because all functions are a click away. I BELIEVE some programs (and maybe even once's) can also detect script errors and such.

Anywho, I think it would be a great idea. I am told these are easy to adapt to different code bases so maybe it would be worth looking into perhaps?

Essentially how these work (for those who don't know):  You open the program, input your vnums taht you will be using, and then start building. It's as easy as that. Once you're finished, you save the file, and then you send it to the head builder or whomever to have ti added to the mud BP/TP/GP and then you can start testing, and so on. I think it can really make like easier wihtout having to sit in OLC all day long.

Anywho, just an idea on building. I'd like to get a hold of Once sometime soon and ask him about his program. I hear it's pretty elite.

That's all!

[Molly]

We've been talking about an off-line builder for years, and if it is possible, I'd really like to see it.
I do all my building off-line myself, directly in the files, but some of the OLC things, in particular Flags, are displayed so cryptically in the files that these parts have to be done on line, which is rather irritating.

I don't think it's an easy task to adapt one of the existing ones to 4D code, however, since our Olc has been changed and added to so much that our zones don't work in any other Circle muds, and zones from those Muds don't work in 4D without heavy conversion, most of which has to be done by hand.

I also don't share Toch's optimism in that having an off-line builder would raise productivity much. With or without extra tools, building is slow and tedious work, and writing the descriptions is what takes the most time. And that's something you already can do in Wordpad, and then run through a spellchecker before copying and pasting them all into OLC.

[Tocharaeh]

heheh I know Molly, I'm a dreamer

Microsoft word for the win!

[Kvetch]

Since you specifically said Once's offline builder rocked (how you'd know I've no idea) here's what it is, Tochy.

Visualmud: http://www.arvola.com/visualmud

Link taken from his mud's website.  I have no knowledge of what this offline builder does or entails.  Only building I do is online in OLC.  Shoot.. I don't even use wordpad/word or anything - which may explain some of my spelling mistakes that I don't catch as OLC itself doesn't have a spellchecker.  I'm sure that has to do with scripts.  *heh*

Kvetchy

[Tocharaeh]

yeah, that's it!

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