Phantasmal Site > DGD > Writing a Library > So You Want To...

So You Want to Write a MUDLib

I'm assuming you already know basically what DGD is. I'm assuming you already know what a MUDLib is. If you don't, please carefully read the LPMUD FAQ and look up stuff on the web until you've got a clear idea what a driver and a MUDLib are, and whether LPC is a language you'd like to learn more about.

That last bit is important. If you're not much of a programmer, there's a serious chance that DGD isn't for you. It's solid, secure and well-written. The Skotos folks use it, and that's high praise indeed! But it's also very much designed for programmers. It will require significant programming to get a DGD-based server running properly, because DGD starts you off with much less already done, as do its various available MUD libraries.

In return for doing less for you, DGD offers a lot of uncommon and powerful language features like atomic functions, constant swapping, state dumps, and parse_string. However, those features are often hard to understand and use, so they may require even more programming ability than if they didn't exist. You'll get a better final result, but it might not be easy to get it.

If you're up for learning the basics of LPC but you're not much of a programmer, perhaps MudOS or LDMUD will be easier for you. Certainly both supply much more of a base to start your MUD from. You might be happier becoming a builder on an existing LPMUD. Or go for something like SMAUG, CircleMUD, or any of the other fine MUD codebases out there. But if you're a dedicated programmer, or if you're willing to sweat blood to learn, read on!