From Molly via game port (that's port 6000 for those of you that have been gone so long you forgot):
- can't remember if she posted it on forum or not:
I know that you all are waiting for information about the new code.
And I really wish that I had better news to give you. But the truth
is that there will be a delay, and I cannot even say how long.
Anubis is seriously tied up in RL, and cannot say when he will be
able to finish the code change, only that he eventually WILL finish
it, and that there is very little left to do before it can go into
beta testing.
As frustrating as this is to most of us, there is not really much
that we can do about it. Coding for a Mud - just like building - is
not like an ordinary job where you get paid and have to work under
a set time schedule. It's something you volunteer to do out of your
own free will and sheer enthusiasm, and there are times when RL just
has to take over.
The good news are that Anubis is tinkering with code in what little
spare time he presently has. Presently he is re-writing the entire
fight code, which will be totally replaced in the new system. As
you can imagine, that is a pretty tall order.
We've also created a system to improve the information to staff and
players, once things start flowing again. Thotter has set up a new
code repository for Anubis to work in, where all the future changes
will automatically be transmitted to a readable file, as soon as
they are committed. This is also what will be used for playtesting.
We aim to run two Ports parallel during that period, so that people
can choose whether they want to keep playing the old mud or help
testing the new code. Meanwhile the best advise that I can give you
all is to focus on exploring and questing rather than leveling while
waiting for something to happen. Levels will have to go, to adapt
to the new system with skilltrees, but something that never can be
taken away is knowledge.
--
Please be aware that this does not say "don't level". No where in there is the phrase "do not level." What Molly is saying is that levels will be lost during the pwipe, but if you go and explore and quest (which does on occasion mean you *may* level), the knowledge you gain from that can not be removed. The last few days there has been some paranoia about this. If you want to know why the pwipe needs to happen when the new code goes in, please either read the pwipe thread OR talk to Anubis - if you can catch him on and he's willing to share his secrets. (Something about how the new information will not work with how the old player files work - I think.)
It also states that we do not know when the new code will go in. My personal bet would be 1-2 YEARS. Even if Anubis didn't have personal, RL crisises there still needs to be time to write the code and time to test the code. This code change is NOT going to happen tomorrow or a week from now, or even a month from now - I can almost stake my life on it (I would do it, but then Anubis would have to prove me wrong and somehow perform a miracle and make it happen). AFter all, during testing some bugs will appear and they will have to be squashed. Then the builders will probably have a bit to do on all... erm... lots... of our rooms/mobs/objects. I'm not sure how much work will need to be done on them because of the new code, but I"m sure something will be involved.
Prometheus is still working in the 4D current code, keeping that as bug free as he can (please continue to report all bugs to him via the bug command) while Anubis works on the new code. We are not just letting the old code die because we know this change is happening. We're (well, he is) still actively working on it the best we can. Nauz is around for support if he's needed on bigger fish than Prom can fry.
What I'm trying to say is, please don't change your playing habits just because a new code is someday going to go in. Well, if you change them, change them more towards questing and exploring than towards leveling because, as Molly said, we can't take the knowledge you gained from questing and exploring away. The quests are going to be staying the same - it'll just be that much easier to get that gold token the second time around than it was the first time, the room locations are still going to be the same, the mob locations are still going to be the same.
