[MUD-Dev] Re: Current Projects

[Michael.Willey at abnamro.com]

Scatter wrote:
>Holly Sommer <hsommer at micro.ti.com> wrote:
>> Current project:
>> Not pushing a technological envelope really, by
>>any stretch of the imagination, but we ARE making\
>>a move to (for lack of a better word) convert what
>>was, for 3.5+ years, a NiMUD (Diku derivitive)
>>into a Lima-based MUD.
>[snip]
>> The biggest challenge will be in training the
>>old builders (accustomed to a very easy OLC) to
>>learn LpC. This is a Big Task.
>
>There's no reason not to have a very easy OLC in
>an LP mud. I have written an OLC system in my lpmud
>for easy and fast creation of rooms and items. The
>OLC system has the usual building commands and when
>you save the room it writes an LPC file for you.

Gee.  I was about to suggest the same to Holly. :)

It does entail a bit of learning LPC on your part,
but it should be possible (and not even incredibly
difficult) to duplicate your familiar OLC tools in
your new codebase.  (Obviously I can't be certain,
as I'm not familiar with your OLC tools.)

I've also had a bit of experience in training Diku-
raised builders to use LPC (we've had a number of
Dikuites among our ranks over the years, including
one of our original chief techies).  I can suggest
that probably the best way to gradually introduce
your staff into LPC is to recreate their familiar
tools for standard work, then prod them into learning
the language themselves by suggesting extra features
that they might consider impossible under your old
system.  I know LPC building starts with a much steeper
learning curve than Diku, but Diku soon reaches a
plateau where your only chance for further advancement
is to learn to hack the server.  In here, since your
object building and mudlib development language are
one and the same, you don't have the same plateau.

The result is that you hook some of them into learning
the basics of the language.  Some of these will
keep pushing their bounds further and further, and
eventually they're writing your mudlib for you.
Some will never advance beyond the OLC tools, and
most of your staff will fall somewhere in between.

Hope this was helpful!

 -Mike